New batteries, ancient charger

[srhoward]

Planning on buying a new set of 6x 6V batteries for my 2002 36V EZGO TXT but my charger is ancient. It has a timer on it (like an egg timer) that I turn and an analog ohmmeter.

Is there any advantage to invest in a decent charger or do they all do the same job equally?

Thanks!

[Mooncarter]

Get a smart charger. I'm not the science guy but those chargers can never do what the new ones do. With the cost of batteries compared to the charger you are much better off with the new technology, in the short run and the long run.

[JohnnieB]

EZGO had two versions of chargers with timer knobs and analog ammeters. (Not ohmmeters)

Attachment-1 charged for the length of time the timer was set to. It was called an "Automatic Charger" because the ferroresonant transformer design automatically lowered the amps as the on-charge voltage of the battery pack increased, but it was a manual charger in reality.

Attachment-2 was an automatic charger since the charger automatically shut off when the on-charge voltage climbed to a pre-selected voltage (about 45V for a 36V charger) that was supposed to be high enough top adequately charge newer batteries without overcharging older batteries. The timers main purpose was to shut of the charger if the on-charge voltage didn't climb to the shut-off voltage in 12 hours, but it also showed elapsed time for the charge.

Modern smart chargers fully charge the batteries while the older designs that shut off at a pre-selected voltage don't. In addition, some are available that going into a float charging mode after the regular charge cycle ends and that greatly extends the battery's lifespan.

[srhoward]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

EZGO had two versions of chargers with timer knobs and analog ammeters. (Not ohmmeters)

Attachment-1 charged for the length of time the timer was set to. It was called an "Automatic Charger" because the ferroresonant transformer design automatically lowered the amps as the on-charge voltage of the battery pack increased, but it was a manual charger in reality.

Attachment-2 was an automatic charger since the charger automatically shut off when the on-charge voltage climbed to a pre-selected voltage (about 45V for a 36V charger) that was supposed to be high enough top adequately charge newer batteries without overcharging older batteries. The timers main purpose was to shut of the charger if the on-charge voltage didn't climb to the shut-off voltage in 12 hours, but it also showed elapsed time for the charge.

Modern smart chargers fully charge the batteries while the older designs that shut off at a pre-selected voltage don't. In addition, some are available that going into a float charging mode after the regular charge cycle ends and that greatly extends the battery's lifespan.

Sorry JohnnyB I meant to say ammeter and realized it last night but couldn’t get back on here!

Mine is the one pictured on the right; the green & white one that shuts off automatically but has a timer. With my old battery pack, it will often shut off seemingly before the pack is fully charged and I have to unplug and plug it again to continue further.

So if you bought a completely new set of Trojan batteries, would you use this charger on it?

If not, what charger would you and Mooncarter recommend?

Thanks again!

[Mooncarter]

Any of the new smart chargers are light years ahead of what you have, but JohnnieB is more qualified to answer the question as to which is best.

No, I would not use that on a new set of Trojans.

[cgtech]

I would say a new charger is worth the investment.. ScottyB has great prices that I could never beat.

www.cartsunlimited.net

[nickdalzell1]

Personally I prefer the older chargers. None of that disposable crap that all the new ones got (I'm talking to you, PowerWise QE and whatever the Yamaha YDREs use now)

[cgtech]

Originally Posted by nickdalzell1

Personally I prefer the older chargers. None of that disposable crap that all the new ones got (I'm talking to you, PowerWise QE and whatever the Yamaha YDREs use now)

Hold on, no one stated a new "fancy" high-frequency charger. I prefer one with an actual transformer. Not the 6-pound garbage business sent from the factory these days (we order our Yamahas with a real charger, Ezgo doesn't offer that upgrade from the factory, so we can't on those). Your charger should be heavy, it has a hard job ahead of it. Those fancy 6 pound "magic pixie" high frequency chargers just haven't shown they can go the distance. The best of those new style chargers is probably the Delta-Q QuiQ one's, and they have their issues too. Keep in mind that all the new chargers sent with new carts were "engineered to spec" by the cart manufacturer, to the charger company (with bean counters heavily involved). The Ezgo QE charger is the perfect example, it's trash (and the SC-48 has the same guts with new lipstick), Delta-Q got a black eye on that one, but it was "spec'd out" by the bean counters at Ezgo to "just get the job done, for the lowest price", same for the Yamaha light weight Moric chargers. If I were to guess, the clubcar ERIC chargers will prove to be the same business.

[scottyb]

PWM chargers have come a long way since their introduction as cheap crap from Ezgo/Yamaha/ and Amazon 5 amp bike chargers with golf cart plugs

Today's Pulse Wave Modulation chargers like Lester Summit 2 are durable unit capable of taking better care of your batteries than any old transformer type ever could.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by srhoward

Sorry JohnnyB I meant to say ammeter and realized it last night but couldn’t get back on here!

Mine is the one pictured on the right; the green & white one that shuts off automatically but has a timer. With my old battery pack, it will often shut off seemingly before the pack is fully charged and I have to unplug and plug it again to continue further.

So if you bought a completely new set of Trojan batteries, would you use this charger on it?

If not, what charger would you and Mooncarter recommend?

Thanks again!

The limited amount of time the edit feature works has caught me a few times also.

Your Total Charge Model 20484 design is based on the charge profile of Trojan batteries, but it uses a preset voltage to shut off and a lead-acid battery isn't fully charged until the on-charge voltage stops increasing while a charging current is passing through it. In other words, the old technology doesn't quite charge the batteries fully. Close perhaps, but with room for improvement. The dV/dT technology used in most modern charger designs fully charge the batteries, or come a lot closer to it, but I don't have any factual data on how much performance and lifespan increases results for that.

If the budget allows it, I wouldn't use that charger with a new set of batteries.

My preference was the DPI Accusence Gen-III with a step down transformer input that had float charging, but now they have gone to Gen-IV and no longer does float charging, so I'm forced to pick something with a transformerless solid state input stage like the Yewy 1200z or Lester Summit-II chargers Scotty sells.