EZGO Charger Diodes

[TahoeDawgZ71]

I'm in unfamiliar territory at the moment.... I'm working on an EZGO TotalCharge charger. It's got a blown fuse and I've narrowed down the cause to a bad diode. My question is, what is the part number for the correct diode? I've got a bag of them at work just for situations like this but I'm not sure which one is the one to use. I can't match it up with the original because the numbers are no longer visible. Not looking for the OEM part number, but the actual numbers printed on the diode will be able to help me drastically in an attempt to match it up to what I've got. Thanks in advance.

[bigstik40]

Did a quick search here and found a previous post that said 1N1184 or 1N1188 could be replacements. Hope this helps - RAY

[rib33024]

Dave. Here's a thread about it


http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...tml#post740295

[JohnnieB]

Just about any power rectifier diode with 30A or higher current ratings and 100V or higher Peak Reverse voltage ratings will work.

For simplicity, use the stud mount type with Cathode connected to stud. (Which it will be unless part number has a "R" suffix)

Always replace in pairs.

Here's a picture showing the original press fit diodes having been replaced with stud type. In this instance, 1N1188 (35A - 400PRV) diodes were used.

[TahoeDawgZ71]

Thank you guys so much. Please let me know if you ever need any help with a Club Car. I'll be glad to assist.

[brock]

Jonnie B is correct, a diode is a diode, the peak inverse or reverse voltage ( prv) won't make much difference on a half wave rectifier charger, 35 amps should be ok as the load is shared but bigger is always better on diodes, if it will physically fit, they make 1/4" studs all the way up to 45 amps, for the same money, I generally take that assembly out of the circuit all together and use a full wave bridge recitifer of 50 + amps, bolted to that aluminium sink, they charge cleaner and ramp up in voltage with current demand, -vs- a hard charge that will boil a battary and warp the plates, those old chargers are, hard on the dead or old batts, but hard charge, means fast charge, and thats what everyone wants.

[rlw]

Hmmmmm....

Here's a Fairchild Semiconductor GBPC3501 at Newark Electronics for < $4. It's 35A, 100 peak inverse voltage. The data sheet PDF is here.

That's a whole heck of alot cheaper than the ~$25 I paid for two 1N1188 stud rectifiers a couple of weeks ago at my local EZGO dealer.

Could we have more discussion on the pros and cons of using a full wave bridge in a charger vs. the designed half wave?

Thanks,

RLW

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by rlw

Could we have more discussion on the pros and cons of using a full wave bridge in a charger vs. the designed half wave?

The stock output circuit is a full wave rectifier. (IE: Output ripple frequency is 120Hz with a 60Hz input)
It consisting of two discreet diodes that are fed by either a center tapped secondary of a ferroresonant transformer, or two secondaries that are tied together to effectively form a center tap.
All a bridge rectifier does is eliminate the need for a center tapped transformer.

Originally Posted by brock

Jonnie B is correct, a diode is a diode, the peak inverse or reverse voltage ( prv) won't make much difference on a half wave rectifier charger, 35 amps should be ok as the load is shared but bigger is always better on diodes, if it will physically fit, they make 1/4" studs all the way up to 45 amps, for the same money, I generally take that assembly out of the circuit all together and use a full wave bridge recitifer of 50 + amps, bolted to that aluminium sink, they charge cleaner and ramp up in voltage with current demand, -vs- a hard charge that will boil a battary and warp the plates, those old chargers are, hard on the dead or old batts, but hard charge, means fast charge, and thats what everyone wants.

Depending on how you wire the transformer's secondary(ies) to the bridge rectifier assembly, you'll either have the same open circuit output voltage as the original design, or twice the open circuit voltage.

Since the ferroresonant transformer and capacitor pair operate in the core saturation mode, the current will be limited to about 20A with either, and after the battery reaches 2.35V/cell (about 42.3V for a 36V pack) and the voltage developed across the battery pack begins to limit the current, I'm not sure if having the capability of producing twice the voltage will alter the charge profile significantly.

Basically, the ferroresonant transformer and capacitor pair limit the charger's output current and the charger's output voltage is limited by the cells, so what and how the AC from the secondary is rectified to DC has little, if any, bearing on the charging process.

Of course, if I every blow the diodes in my Powerwise II, which I seldom use these days since I have a DPI 36V charger that goes into a float charge mode, I'll probably replace the nearly non-repairable Diode assembly it uses with a bridge rectifier and just use two of the diodes, duplicating the original design.
That will give me a spare pair, if I blow them again.

[rlw]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

The stock output circuit is a full wave rectifier. (IE: Output ripple frequency is 120Hz with a 60Hz input)
It consisting of two discreet diodes that are fed by either a center tapped secondary of a ferroresonant transformer, or two secondaries that are tied together to effectively form a center tap.
All a bridge rectifier does is eliminate the need for a center tapped transformer.

Duhhhh, I forgot about the center tap. Been a loooooooong time since I messed around with brute-force power supplies.

Thanks for the explanation, and if I ever zap my diodes again, I'll replace 'em with a much cheaper half of a bridge.

RLW

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by rlw

Duhhhh, I forgot about the center tap. Been a loooooooong time since I messed around with brute-force power supplies.

Thanks for the explanation, and if I ever zap my diodes again, I'll replace 'em with a much cheaper half of a bridge.

RLW

Speaking of brute-force power supplies, back in the late 60's and early 70's, I used to maintain some regulated ones that used eight 6L6 vacuum tubes (beam power tetrode) in the output. Four sets of matched pairs in parallel.

They powered mission critical devices, so the 6L6's were replaced twice a year and I'm still using some of the ones that were removed in a pair of McIntosh MK-30 audio amps that I fire up occasionally to play some Duane Eddy, Floyd Cramer or Flatt & Scruggs the way they ought to be played.