Considering Leaf pack conversion

[molfpedal]

I have a 14 cell gen 2 pack and get 33 miles per charge. I bought the cells from techdirect club and built my own using information from the the guys on these forums.
Since you have a club car, search for posts by Sergio and you will find all the information you need!


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[DaveTM]

Go with the 14 module setup. IMHO Gen1 or Gen2 will do you well. I initially built a 7 module pack but after two hunting seasons I expanded to 14. (Gen1)

Had my first true test of longevity the other day when spring turkey hunting. The farm I hunt has hills......and I mean hills!! Coming back down these hills and having front disc brakes is a must or I'd be in the ravine next to it.

IMHO go with as many amp\hr's as you can afford. You won't regret it.

FWIW

[pigowar]

Originally Posted by fsu1tm

I have my own standard. I never run below 53V or 3.78V per cell. I could probably run a little lower but like the wiggle room. And yes. Mine is a 60AH.

You sir, have answered all my questions and doubts. From what I think I know, your standard seems conservative but the main things is that if you can get 20miles out of that range that is super exciting to hear. So at least for golf use, it seems:

- Gen2 60ah (7 modules) is more than enough for all day golfing. Just need to make sure all modules still have >60ah left in them.

- Gen1 ??ah AFAIK these modules suck and will most likely degrade over time in TX heat so build with some room. Not to mention these are old and have various range of life left in them. Try to buy modules from same pack and have tested AH rating from the seller and that they are close to 40AH. 7 modules should be enough for 1-2 rounds if you live on the course and for someone who knows how to take care of it. 14 is a must in most cases. Never discharge below 25% to prolong the life of the cells.

That's how I sum it up with my limited brain power.

Now moving on to reading about controllers... BMS seems pretty straightforward but I've seen talks about stock controller on precedent can draw up to 400amps which is far more than what Leaf batteries can output? I need to read up more to understand how this works...

[pigowar]

Originally Posted by molfpedal

I have a 14 cell gen 2 pack and get 33 miles per charge. I bought the cells from techdirect club and built my own using information from the the guys on these forums.
Since you have a club car, search for posts by Sergio and you will find all the information you need!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you very much for the info! Though it seems strange that you only get 33 miles vs fsu1tm's 20mile from 7s? I guess you have >48v system?

[pigowar]

Originally Posted by DaveTM

Go with the 14 module setup. IMHO Gen1 or Gen2 will do you well. I initially built a 7 module pack but after two hunting seasons I expanded to 14. (Gen1)

Had my first true test of longevity the other day when spring turkey hunting. The farm I hunt has hills......and I mean hills!! Coming back down these hills and having front disc brakes is a must or I'd be in the ravine next to it.

IMHO go with as many amp\hr's as you can afford. You won't regret it.

FWIW

Sir, I recognize you as one of the first who converted to lithium and have been actively helping many others since. I should first thank you for doing so.

Thank you very much!

But since I have your attention...

My main use is for golfing so your experience with it will be far different from mine. I won't be driving on rough terrains on large wheels or have to climb steep hills for more than few seconds. Though I agree that going with largest I can afford make sense, I also don't want a system that goes under used. Some have said that they only charge once a week or something like that but trying to explain that to a wife would be a stressful task and I'd much rather make things seamless for her without any additional maintenance guide. You know, for the world peace...

So how has your capacity been in 4 yrs of your purpose? What is your standard for max charge/discharge % and have you noticed ANY degradation on your pack? Trying to gauge life of the Gen1 packs though it will mostly depend on where it came from. Sound like yours was from a wrack before it experienced any degradation but lot of Gen1 out there will be from very used.

[MikeM53]

Last summer I built a 14 module pack. The modules are from a 2015 low mileage leaf. My cart is a 2000 TXT series cart with an upgraded controller, solenoid and reversing contactor from ScottyB. Stock motor. Lift kit and 22-in off road tires.

My cart is used as a neighborhood cruiser and hunting buggy. My primary concern was range.

I am extremely pleased how the pack performs. Range is very good. When I first built the pack, I used an initial charge 58.2 volts. I tested the range and got 39.75 miles on mostly flat subdivision roads. Ending voltage 52.5 v.

I've since changed my max charge to 57.4 with a lower cut-off of 50.0v. Still plenty of range for my use.

[pigowar]

Originally Posted by MikeM53

Last summer I built a 14 module pack. The modules are from a 2015 low mileage leaf. My cart is a 2000 TXT series cart with an upgraded controller, solenoid and reversing contactor from ScottyB. Stock motor. Lift kit and 22-in off road tires.

My cart is used as a neighborhood cruiser and hunting buggy. My primary concern was range.

I am extremely pleased how the pack performs. Range is very good. When I first built the pack, I used an initial charge 58.2 volts. I tested the range and got 39.75 miles on mostly flat subdivision roads. Ending voltage 52.5 v.

I've since changed my max charge to 57.4 with a lower cut-off of 50.0v. Still plenty of range for my use.

Thank you. Another reference from Gen1 pack. I wonder what AH it has...

But why did you upgrade your controller with stock motor? To limit max amp draw??

[DaveTM]

Originally Posted by pigowar

Sir, I recognize you as one of the first who converted to lithium and have been actively helping many others since. I should first thank you for doing so.

Thank you very much!

But since I have your attention...

My main use is for golfing so your experience with it will be far different from mine. I won't be driving on rough terrains on large wheels or have to climb steep hills for more than few seconds. Though I agree that going with largest I can afford make sense, I also don't want a system that goes under used. Some have said that they only charge once a week or something like that but trying to explain that to a wife would be a stressful task and I'd much rather make things seamless for her without any additional maintenance guide. You know, for the world peace...

So how has your capacity been in 4 yrs of your purpose? What is your standard for max charge/discharge % and have you noticed ANY degradation on your pack? Trying to gauge life of the Gen1 packs though it will mostly depend on where it came from. Sound like yours was from a wrack before it experienced any degradation but lot of Gen1 out there will be from very used.

Actually the 7 module unit would still work fine for what I do. OTOH, now that I have 14 I don't have to think too much of where I wanna go first, second and such.

The 7 unit pack still gives me the same range as it did when I first installed it.

I now have permission to hunt two different properties of about 100 acres each. The "new" property is a much different layout with some very steep and long hills on it. Today I was turkey hunting on it and went wherever I wanted. I started with 56.9V and ended the day with 54.4V. I traversed a lot of up's 'n downs today.

My maximum charge is 57.0V which is 4.07V per cell. My LV disconnect is set at 44V or 3.14V per cell. Now, that may seem low but that is the LV disconnect point. In reality when my pack volts reach 50V it's time to load up and go for a recharge.

I set the LV cutoff at the 3.14V per cell as if I need to go up a hill and have a resting voltage of 50V on the pack, it's normal for the pack to drop 2 to 3 V if I'm pulling 200 to 300 amps from the pack. The 3.14 is the absolute drop dead bottom of the charge before the batteries would turn to toast.

If you're concerned about a Gen1 pack then go with a Gen2 for sure. I think you said you live in Texas and your heat gets much worse than where I live. And frankly, most of my cart use is in the winter when the temp's are anywhere from 20 to a blazing heat of 40 degrees F.

Good luck with your build. The people here are very helpful to amateurs like me.

[molfpedal]

Originally Posted by pigowar

Thank you very much for the info! Though it seems strange that you only get 33 miles vs fsu1tm's 20mile from 7s? I guess you have >48v system?

The reason I use 33 miles is that I charge to 57V and recharge at 50V and when you are buying used leaf modules, some have more life left than others and over time the range will suffer a little, but nothing like FLA batteries. I could probably get 40 miles out of a charge if I widen my usable range. I prefer longevity, though!

[MikeM53]

Originally Posted by pigowar

But why did you upgrade your controller with stock motor? To limit max amp draw??

I plan to upgrade my motor in the next few months. With the stock motor, it runs 23 mph. It is my understanding that a stock 36v series motor runs well on the higher voltage.