Battery Order

[Ronno6]

How does one go about charging a single 8v battery?
I have not seen any 8v chargers..........

[rowlands57]

Use a 12v charger for a limited amount of time, somewhere in the range of 20 to 30 minutes. Use it at the lowest amperage possible until you get the charge back to the level you are looking to achieve.

[Fairtax4me]

Use a 12v charger. Monitor the voltage while charging until it gets to about 9.6V. Probably shouldn't take very long. Bring the voltage up on that one and then plug in the cart charger and it should keep the voltage up on that battery while charging the rest of the pack.
Which charger do you have for your cart? Are you still using the Powerdrive charger?


There are 8v chargers available but generally only used for industrial purpose, and very expensive.

[Ronno6]

Yessir. PowerDrive charger.

[Fairtax4me]

Ok, couple things you can do.
The OBC can be reset, so it forgets any previous stored charge info about the pack. This helps with bringing low packs back up, especially if you have accessories or anything that draws from the pack in a way that the OBC can't record that draw. Any time the pack is disconnected for more than a few minutes the OBC resets, and the next charge will be an evaluation charge where the OBC will do a longer charge cycle to try to evaluate the pack. If you haven't had the pack disconnected in a long time, try that. Unhook the negative cable for ten minutes or so. Hook it back up and then plug in the charger.

Another thing the OBC can do is an equalization charge. An equalization charge brings the pack voltage up higher than during a normal charge and holds it there for longer. This helps to equalize the charge level of all the cells in the pack, and helps to remove sulfate buildup from the plates. Voltage during an equalization charge is typically 65v or more, depending on the pack condition.
To start an equalization charge, a full charge must be completed first. After a full charge is completed, unplug the charge cord for about 20 seconds, then plug it right back in. This triggers the OBC to do an equalization charge. This does not have to be done right away immediately at the end of the charge, but usually within a few hours after a charge will give the best effectiveness.
Be sure the water levels in each battery are correct before starting an equalization charge as water usage is much higher during this type of charge. You will notice excessive gassing and bubbling/noise from the pack, and that is normal.

[Ronno6]

I had disconnected cables between the batteries for 24 hours.. Should that have reset toe OBC ?

I will try the EQ routine...

Thanks!

[Ronno6]

The low battery is slowly gaining ground.
It had consistently lagged behind the best battery by .3v
That defocit is now down to .25V

I have added a tbsp of Epsom salts in water solution and now have n a 12v charger w/4.5ohm resistor in series.

The pack as a whole is coming back a tad.
Previously the voltage 12hr or so after charger cutoff had been 40.3v
now 50.7 Maybe the BLS 48N desulphator is helping. It has been on for 10 days.
It only helps when the charger is doing its thing. I need to drive it for longer so charge cycle is longer.

If the Epsom salts helps the low battery a bunch I may consider doing the others.
Otherwise it' upgrade to lithium.