On Board Computer

[Gregorio]

OK, please forgive the stupid question but what does the on board computer do that the motor controller does not? If I replace the controller, do I still need the OBC?

[teecro]

It measures how much energy has been used since the last charge and tells the charger how long and how much to charge the batteries. It also watches to see if the charger is plugged into the cart to keep you from driving off with it still plugged in. So if you want you can get rid of the OBC but then you will need a different battery charger such as the DPI that can tell on its own how much and when to recharge the batteries.... If you get rid of the factory charger you have to do some minor rewiring of the cart too....

[scottyb]

Yes, the onboard computer controls the recharging of the battery pack

[Gregorio]

Hmmm....only for battery charging? Is there an on board charger that will work for a 2010 Precedent?

[scooterman]

Originally Posted by Gregorio

Hmmm....only for battery charging? Is there an on board charger that will work for a 2010 Precedent?

Good question, why not have it all in one package huh?

These days they are moving in that direction the controller is more of a computer now than ever. The newer club carts have eliminated the OBC for the E.R.I.C. system which includes a smart charger. The only thing is the charger is still a remote device, I'd assume part of the reason is lack of space & heat issues & maybe extra weight because of the transformer.

I think a few people have put the charger on the cart, there are DPI smart chargers that preform very well but most still leave it off the cart.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by Gregorio

Hmmm....only for battery charging? Is there an on board charger that will work for a 2010 Precedent?

Yes... I use the DPI Charger that does not interface with the OBC so thus I did have to make a couple of small changes to the cart wiring to take the OBC out of the picture. The DPI is a charger that also never shuts off in that it float charges your battery and keeps them at full 100 + state of charge....

If you want you could build it in but do you really want (need) to subject your charger to all the bounce abuse too?

[scottyb]

The lightweight on-board PWM chargers are available but they do not enjoy the reputation for reliable service that conventional transformer type chargers do. So yes, you can get an on-board charger that will work with your cart but, expect to replace it many times compared to the lifespan of a transformer type charger like the DPI mentioned above.

[Gregorio]

Thanks for the info.

[txpres]

The E.R.I.C. charger is very lightweight and could be mounted on the cart. It does not have a heavy transformer since it uses a switching power supply. Even though I converted my cart from Excel to IQ, I did not install an OBC so I use the E.R.I.C. charger for my cart. Works great!

[Gregorio]

Originally Posted by txpres

The E.R.I.C. charger is very lightweight and could be mounted on the cart. It does not have a heavy transformer since it uses a switching power supply. Even though I converted my cart from Excel to IQ, I did not install an OBC so I use the E.R.I.C. charger for my cart. Works great!

Now the hard part is finding a deal on one. Given their time on the market, I'll bet they are horribly expensive.