Do factory CC ERIC chargers float charge?

[Marauder]

Originally Posted by E36Racer

Amazon to the rescue. My wife is going to be like WTF another battery charger in the garage..


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That’s where I ordered mine from. Having prime, shipping was free. Even the other sites that had lower prices were not as good a deal after tacking in shipping costs.

[E36Racer]

I’m curious to see how the cart reacts to getting that last 10% SOC. I haven’t been too OCD about tracking the discharge rate but it seems to last longest at first and the discharge rate increases as the voltage drops. So I wonder if getting the extra 10% of charge will result in something like 12% increase in overall range. Looks like I should do some testing before it gets here. The way I see it is if my cart is 50.6 fresh off the charger, if I left it unplugged for 12 hours it has to be something less. I’ve never unplugged it at home since everyone says it’s not a good idea, so it’s always on the charger unless I’m out using it.


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[kernal]

I'd like to revisit post #5. You state the pack voltage is 50.6 after full charge. How is this measured? Did you install a digital gage on the dash? If so, have you ever checked it against a hand held DVM with probes directly on B+ and B-? I ask this because I have installed a digital meter on the dash on my cart which is wired directly to the pack and is always on. It is consistently .2v lower than the pack reading when checked with a hand held. If you have installed a digital meter and it is switched, the voltage discrepancy could be even greater.

Your batteries are too young to have lost that much capacity already, I think.

[E36Racer]

I totally missed 5. Yes I have a digital gauge in dash and have checked with a multi meter directly on the pack and both read the same. When I’ve measured it has been after work the following day after using the cart and it was plugged into the charger the entire time. I did have a dash meter that read .2v low but it died and the replacement one is spot on to my meter.

Would it be better to use the cart, charge overnight and then disconnect the charger in the morning instead of leaving it plugged in all the time? I may use it a little bit after work during the week just for a relaxing 15-20 minute cruise and I run local errands with it on weekends. Longest single round trip use was about 12 miles. Usually only about half that at most.


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[E36Racer]

And as far as close to the end of the cycle, one time I caught it before the top light on the charger was solid and it was 53.2v


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[kernal]

OK, just to be clear, the accepted procedure to check battery health at rest using voltage on this forum is to charge the batteries letting the charger do it's thing and then measure voltage ~ 12 hours after charger shuts off. At this point 50.9 is a fully charged 48v pack. After charger shut off, batteries will self discharge on their own at approx. 1% per day to 4% per week as per Trojan literature.
I think it has been determined that the ERIC charger does not float. The DPI Accusence does and has common usage on this forum. So when people say the cart should be plugged in when not used they are correct as the DPI will automatically take care to the batteries. The ERIC charges the batteries and then is dormant until it triggers another charge cycle after a period of x number of days (I don't know what x is). So leaving the ERIC plugged in will take care of the batteries over time but in the short term, leaving it plugged in is fine but it's not doing anything except marking time.
Modern chargers should be taking the batteries upwards of 58-60 volts (48v pack) before shut off. Current Lester chargers (links and summit) are taking them upwards of 65v at shut off.

Also, the ERIC will initiate another charge cycle everytime it is unplugged and then replugged into the cart far as I know

[yawood]

Originally Posted by kernal

I'd like to revisit post #5. You state the pack voltage is 50.6 after full charge. How is this measured? Did you install a digital gage on the dash? If so, have you ever checked it against a hand held DVM with probes directly on B+ and B-? I ask this because I have installed a digital meter on the dash on my cart which is wired directly to the pack and is always on. It is consistently .2v lower than the pack reading when checked with a hand held. If you have installed a digital meter and it is switched, the voltage discrepancy could be even greater.

Your batteries are too young to have lost that much capacity already, I think.

I have been measuring mine since they were new and keeping records (which I can post if anyone is interested) and the voltage has been steadily rising. The batteries (US Battery) are now 10 months old and I think they have now reached their peak. I was told earlier that they would get better initially before they started to age.

[kernal]

That has been my experience also.

[yawood]

Originally Posted by Marauder

That’s where I ordered mine from. Having prime, shipping was free. Even the other sites that had lower prices were not as good a deal after tacking in shipping costs.

I hear you but Amazon is not good outside of the US because of the freight. Often their postage rate is higher than the cost of the item. When I bought my battery saver from JB Tool Sales their combined cost of item and postage was well below Amazon.

Amazon are building a warehouse in Australia as we speak so that will change things. They will probably offer free shipping from that warehouse and that will change things dramatically.

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by E36Racer

I totally missed 5.

That's a bad thing...

But at least you are finding your answers and look at the Outback to the rescue....

To your battery charger ending voltage. It should have been several points higher at the end of the cycle, but they may have changed something within the ERIC chargers. Usually it is higher voltage and lower amperage but to be sure, maybe Bruce (yawood) can tell us what his voltage reading is when close to the end of the charge. I would suspect it would have been high 50's. And to Bruce's points and others, if your batteries are still coming around, that is a more efficient type charger then the Powerdrive series and may work with a significantly different algorithm.