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Old 01-17-2012, 02:00 PM   #1
bigstik40
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Default 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

Just put my 2008 TXT with PDS back into service after a 2 month layover. The controller was put into tow and the battery pack disconnected (opened one connection somewhere near the middle of the pack) for this 2 months out of service. I noticed a spark when re-connecting the battery pack. I don't have any accessories connected and was wondering if this this a normal condition or should I be checking it out. Cart seems to be operating fine, just a little concerned. Thanks for any input. - RAY
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Old 01-17-2012, 03:08 PM   #2
scottyb
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

There will be a spark if the controller is not in TOW when you make the final connection.
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Old 01-17-2012, 03:25 PM   #3
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

I'm not 100% sure of this, but that might have been the filter caps charging via the Pre-charge Resistor. I'm pretty sure they are connected between B+ and B- terminals on the controller and they might have bled down quite a bit in 2 months.

I think the Run/Tow switch only opens the Logic and Aux. power circuits.

Hopefully it was in TOW when you reconnected the battery....
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Old 01-17-2012, 08:01 PM   #4
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

johnnieb: Yep, the switch was in "tow" when the bats. were reconnected. You guys have been good teachers here!!! I may just put my ammeter on it to check it out. I'll report what I find. - RAY
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Old 01-17-2012, 09:34 PM   #5
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

I would charge your cart before use just to be safe!
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Old 01-18-2012, 10:19 PM   #6
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

I switched to tow/disconnected the battery pack and put my ammeter in the string. Johnnieb's suspicion of capacitors charging was correct as that is exactly what was happening. Started out at 200 ma, then trickled down to 0. Thanks for all the responses. - RAY
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Old 01-19-2012, 06:28 AM   #7
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigstik40 View Post
I switched to tow/disconnected the battery pack and put my ammeter in the string. Johnnieb's suspicion of capacitors charging was correct as that is exactly what was happening. Started out at 200 ma, then trickled down to 0. Thanks for all the responses. - RAY
Careful when placing an ammeter inline on the high current circuit - or any unknown circuit for that matter.

You may already know this, but for the benefit of others, both my Fluke and my Wavetec have high (relatively speaking) current inputs, which you should start with.

http://www.myflukestore.com/crm_uplo..._datasheet.pdf

While some meters have fuses, I over volted mine and had to buy a high-priced resistor to fix it.
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Old 01-19-2012, 08:21 AM   #8
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

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Originally Posted by yurtle View Post
Careful when placing an ammeter inline on the high current circuit - or any unknown circuit for that matter...............
Methinks yurtle speaks from experience.
I've bent pointers on analog meters and let the smoke out of DMMs a few times myself.

Here are a couple things I learned to avoid the pyrotechnic$:

Get a ballpark guesstimate of current flow before inserting ammeter in circuit.
* If there is a resistor in circuit that you can determine to approximate Ohms of, measure the voltage drop across it and do the math. (Volts / Ohms = Amps)
* If there isn't an accessible resistor or the Ohmic value cannot be readily determined, temporarily add one. (I use a 4 Ohm 10W resistor with clip leads, but any relative low resistance on will work.)

Example: You want to know how much current a PDS controller draws when the cart is idle. There is a 250 Ohm resistor across the main terminals of the solenoid, so measure the voltage drop across it. (You'll get 33-37v , so the current is in the 130-150 Milli-amp range, so set your ammeter accordingly to get the actual value.)

Then there is another current path (B+ to J1 Pin-5), so you'll have to measure it also and add them together to get total idle current.
There is no resistor in that path, so you'll have to add one to get a ballpark number before putting using your ammeter.
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:13 PM   #9
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Default Re: 2008 TXT with PDS draws current with controller in ".tow"

Was using my low cost DMM with a max. 10 amp setting (uses a wire shunt). I guess I wasn't expecting anything bad, as the cart was in "tow", but will be more cautious in the future as a pack this big would/could do some serious vaporizing!!! I usually do my best work taking voltage measurements right after the current measurements (without changing the setting). Thanks, guys, for the heads-up-RAY
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