91 marathon, new guy trying to figure it out!

[radioman]

I think you would be wise to replace the weak batteries and see how the charger and the golf cart performs and follow above suggestions on upgrading it. Being new guy trying to figure out carts and not familiar with all that is involved upgrading and the consequence in changing just one item to increase speed, I would recommend you get it running with what is in there and get familiar with golf carts. Be careful charging 36 volt battery bank with a 48 volt charger because this can cause hydrogen gas which can go boom. There is plenty of information and opinions on golf carts here. Above is just my suggestion from my opinion.

[jnmiller]

Originally Posted by cgtech

The hardware (transformer, diodes, rectifier) in the older timer-based (TotalCharge will be refered to as TC) TC chargers like yours is the same as the hardware in the newer TC automatic chargers, with a automatic control board instead of a timer. You could get a control board for one of the newer ones and fit it into your charger, effectively turning it into a TC2. The wire diagram for the newer charger would make this conversion quite easy. This would make the charger "fully automatic" with no need for the timer knob and attached timer unit.

I think this is the route I'd like to go, I think this is the board I'd need. Are there any writeups on this or is it a direct swap? Do I just need the board or do I need to upgrade any other hardware?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZGO-TOTAL-C...item1c39c0f9b7

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by cgtech

The hardware (transformer, diodes, rectifier) in the older timer-based (TotalCharge will be refered to as TC) TC chargers like yours is the same as the hardware in the newer TC automatic chargers, with a automatic control board instead of a timer. You could get a control board for one of the newer ones and fit it into your charger, effectively turning it into a TC2. The wire diagram for the newer charger would make this conversion quite easy. This would make the charger "fully automatic" with no need for the timer knob and attached timer unit.

CG,
The TC (aka TC-1) is an automatic charger. Here is a wiring diagram.
The timer shows elapsed time, and is a 12 hour back-up timer.

BTW: The TC-II has got all sorts of bells and whistles. Faceplate photo attached

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by jnmiller

I think this is the route I'd like to go, I think this is the board I'd need. Are there any writeups on this or is it a direct swap? Do I just need the board or do I need to upgrade any other hardware?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZGO-TOTAL-C...item1c39c0f9b7

Description says it fits a TC-1, so it ought to just be a matter of removing the delective board and installing the new board.

[jnmiller]

Does that board convert it to an automatic charger then? Automatic meaning that there's no dial to set and it senses when the voltage is low and applied proper charge. I realize my charger should be semi automatic in the sense that you turn the dial to start and it shuts off when sensing full charge or time runs out, whichever happens first. Mine currently runs 12 hours regardless of pack charge.

Do you think my issue is with the control board? i've read on a few other posts that the lack of click when I plug in the receptable indicates there may be an issue. It also buzzes pretty loud if sitting at a certain angle.

Thanks for the replies.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by jnmiller

Does that board convert it to an automatic charger then? Automatic meaning that there's no dial to set and it senses when the voltage is low and applied proper charge. I realize my charger should be semi automatic in the sense that you turn the dial to start and it shuts off when sensing full charge or time runs out, whichever happens first. Mine currently runs 12 hours regardless of pack charge.

Do you think my issue is with the control board? i've read on a few other posts that the lack of click when I plug in the receptable indicates there may be an issue. It also buzzes pretty loud if sitting at a certain angle.

Thanks for the replies.

It already is what is known as an automatic charger, but someone has bypassed the relay on the control board, most likely because the control board had failed.

Normally, the relay closes when the control board sense it is attached to a battery pack whose voltage is about 30V or more. The charger does not have to be plugged into AC power for the relay to close, but if it is, you while hear the transformer start humming.

When the control board sense a voltage of about 45V, it opens the relay, removing AC power to the transformer, shutting the charger off.

You have a first generation automatic charger and the control board they used did not have an electronic back-up timer, so they used an electromechanical one. The timer stops when the control board sense 45V and open the relay, so the time shown by the pointer tells you how long it took to reach 45V.

If the new control board has an electronic backup timer built into it, you can bypass the electromechanical timer.

----------
If yours is running 12 hours, the relay is bypassed.
Yes they do hum loudly.

[cgtech]

Oops, i had TC3 And TC2 confused. That TC2 board with all the "bells & whistles" is crazy expensive if i recall. I converted one to TC3 to save the crazy expense. In this thread, I was refering to converting a "timer" model to a "no timer knob" model. Either way, the conversion is quite easy with the instructions included in the box (included in the box if you get a "genuine" board, not chinese knock-off). Sorry for any confusion created.

[jnmiller]

Ok so someone's been in it already messing around. Thanks jonny and cg for the info. CG do you have any good sources for a genuine board? Are there any safety precautions I need to take after opening the charger up to replace the board? Do I need to discharge anything?

[yurtle]

You need to discharge the large capacitor. Though not the "proper" way, I use safety glasses and an insulated screwdriver to short the two posts. If you have a resistor, that's the proper way to slowly discharge it. Always check it with a DMM to be sure it has no residual charge.

[jnmiller]

You just connect the posts together with the screwdriver or ground it to another piece of metal?

Am I going to overcook my batteries if I keep using the charger until I get the board replaced? Anyone have a good source to buy the replacement board? One of the sponsored vendors would be preferable if they sell that type of thing.