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Old 03-29-2019, 03:17 PM   #1
6.5swee
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Default Total Charge III problem?

I have an 94 EZ GO Medalist TXT. I put 6 new 6 volt US Brand batteries in 2 years ago. The cart did ok the first year. In the past 6 months it has begun to go dead (pack Voltage below 36v) in 5-10 minutes of driving. Recharge and the same thing.

My question is:
1. How long generally should a charge take? My charger usually runs about 1-2 hours and shuts off. I hear guys talking about 10-14 hour charge times?

2. One thing i find strange : I have NEVER added water and the level is above the plates. I hear a lot of people telling me to make sure i check the water level yet I have never had to add water.

So, is my charger under charging? I am sure i have opened a can of worms but any help or comments will be appreciated.

Thanks
Ray
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Old 03-29-2019, 05:06 PM   #2
JohnnieB
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

1. Charge time depends on the AH capacity of the battery pack, how deeply they are discharged, how many amps the charger puts out during the bulk charge phase and some other factors.

Using the US-2000XC2 (6V - 220AH) as an example: If it was discharged to 50% SoC, which is the lowest an cart battery ought to be discharged, it will need at least 110AH returned to it. (More than that actually because battery charging isn't 100% efficient.) If the charger puts out a constant 20A, it will take at least 5.5 hours, but the TC-III doesn't put out a constant 20A and would take about twice that amount of time, or more.

The TC-III is a ferroresonant transformer type charger that puts out about 20A until the on-charge voltage climbs to about 42V and the amps tapers off as the on-charge voltage continues to climb and charger shuts off when the on-charge voltage reaches 45V +/-1V, which may or may not fully charge the 36V battery pack. The TC-III was designed to charger Trojan brand batteries and US Battery brand batteries require a higher charging voltage, so it is likely your US Battery brand batteries have been chronically undercharged.

2. If your batteries have never used any water, they have never been fully charged. Wet-cell Lead-Acid batteries go through a "gassing" stage when the are being properly charged and during that stage the water component of the electrolyte is being broken down into its base elements of two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen, which bubble to the surface of the electrolyte and escape into the atmosphere.

Attachment-1 is a SoC (State of Charge) chart for US Battery brand batteries. To get an accurate SoC estimate, measure the voltage about 12 hours after the charger shuts off, but before any discharging occurs.

Attachment-2 is the charging requirements for a 1-stage charger. Note, there is an overlap between the cutoff voltage of a TC-III and the US Battery charging specs, but it appears that is not the case with your charger and batteries.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg USB SoC 36-42-48V.jpg (176.8 KB, 0 views)
File Type: jpg US Battery - Charge Specs - 1-Stage.JPG (105.7 KB, 0 views)
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Old 04-01-2019, 12:07 PM   #3
6.5swee
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

So if the charger may be suspect for the undercharging, would the circuit board control that?

I replaced the board due to a bad relay at the same time i purchased the batteries.
Thanks
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Old 04-01-2019, 06:51 PM   #4
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

Quote:
Originally Posted by 6.5swee View Post
So if the charger may be suspect for the undercharging, would the circuit board control that?

I replaced the board due to a bad relay at the same time i purchased the batteries.
Thanks
Yes the control board does shut the charger off when the on-charge voltage climbs into the 44V to 46V range, but about 95% of the boards will shut off at 46V or less, while you need one the will shut off at 46V or higher.

Best answer for trying to charge US Battery brand batteries with a TC-III, is by-pass the relay so it stays on all the time AC power is applied and plug it into an outlet with a 12 hour timer. Then save up for a charger whose design is less than half a century old. (The TC-III is actually a 3rd generation ferroresonant transformer type charger, so the basic design is decades older)

A lead-acid, deep-cycle, wet-cell battery is not fully charged until the on-charge voltage ceases to increase while a charging current is flowing through the electrolyte. Most modern chargers use what is known as dV/dT (change in Voltage over change in Time) technology, or something similar, to end the charging cycle, so the batteries tell the charger when they are fully charged rather than terminating the charge when a predetermined voltage is reached, like the TC-III does.
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Old 04-09-2019, 02:23 PM   #5
6.5swee
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

Thank you so much for your time. Is there a charger or two you would recommend?
Thanks
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Old 04-09-2019, 06:23 PM   #6
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

Quote:
Originally Posted by 6.5swee View Post
Thank you so much for your time. Is there a charger or two you would recommend?
Thanks
https://www.cartsunlimited.net/chargers-36-48v.html
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Old 06-23-2019, 01:41 PM   #7
Bwarner
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Default Re: Total Charge III problem?

I'm having the same issue with basically the same golf cart.

"Best answer for trying to charge US Battery brand batteries with a TC-III, is by-pass the relay so it stays on all the time AC power is applied and plug it into an outlet with a 12 hour timer. "

How do I by-pass the relay? Is there a certain wire I need to disconnect from the charger?

Thanks
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