Powerwise Charger

[dnas501@hotmail.com]

Hi all:

Just joined the site.

I'm new at the Golf Cart thing.

I give a brief history, in hopes it helps to pinpoint the problem.

1) I have 2 used carts that needed quite a bit of work, mainly mechanical repaires from neglected maintenance.

2)Got a charger with the 2 carts. Powerwise model#28115- G07.
3)When I first plugged the charger in, to either cart it sparked at the cart plug terminal.

4) Being new at this I thought. Oops I need to connect the charger to the cart and then plug in to the wall AC.Turned out not true.

5)I did some reading and thought, maybe the batteries were too low, so I charged them 2 at a time with a 12VDC charget, to about 32VDC at the main terminals.

6)That did not make the charger work.

7)I diecided to order a new control board and 50Amp fuse since I discoved the fuse had blow when the "arking occured" I'm assuming.

After replacing the control board and fuse.I plugged the charger back in and the fuse blew after a couple of minutes.

9)Fuses were going to get expensive, so I wierd in a 40Amp single pole breaker.

10)Pluged charger in and now it's buzzing,relay on control board making.But no reading on charger metter, and not charging.

I'v tried everything, I think.


The capacitor is good (I even replaced it with a new 20Mf-370V)

Diodes seem OK.

I guess the confusion is how can the transformer be "Buzzing" and no output.

Like I said. A brief history and new at the Golf Carts.

What a combination. Talk about a newbee???

Thanks to anyone that has any input.

[JohnnieB]

Here is a manual for a Powerwise and Powerwise+ 36V chargers.

All the control board does is turn the charger on and off.
The relay on the board connects and disconnect AC power to transformer primary.
The relay on it is closed by by voltage from the cart's battery pack
The cart's battery pack has to be above about 28V, but charger doe not have to be plugged into AC power,
The control board opens the relay when the on-charge voltage climbs into the 44V to 46V range for a 36V battery pack.
Or it opens the relay when the charger has been on about 16 hours.

The transformer will hum whenever AC power is applied to it. The loudness of the hum will vary with the amount of current flow in secondary windings, but it will always hum.

It doesn't matter if charger is plugged into wall outlet or cart first. If the control board relay isn't bypassed, the charger is dead until it has been plugged into cart for about 3 seconds, so there should be little, if any sparking.

-----------
Transformer humming and no Amps on Ammeter.
Blown fuse, bad diodes, open wires in output cable or bad Ammeter.

Connect a DVM across the main + and - terminals on battery pack.
If the voltage begins to rise when charger is plugged into cart, the Ammeter is bad, otherwise the charger has no output and more troubleshooting is needed

[dnas501@hotmail.com]

Johnnie:

Thanks for the quick reply.

I discovered most of those things in the last couple of days. While learning about Golf carts and Chargers.

My big issue is. If the transformer is bad ?
Why is the charger not putting out. ( The voltage does not increase when the charger is plugged in and relay is pulled in)
I'm still a bit confused by the "diode test" information on several posts that state. A low reading in one direction and no reading in the other?

If I ohm the diodes to ground i get an infinite (or open) reading to ground.Regardless of the position of the meter leads + or -..

Could the diodes be bad??.

Would that allow the transformer to buzz and not put out any power to the cart batteries?

I have checked the cords and relay wire etc. All ohm out good.

Second less important problem...

Also one of the carts will not go into reverse no matter what position the F/R lever is in (located next to my right knee) Both micro switches are good.

Could the accelerator pedal switch have anything to do with this problem?

Thanks for your time and help.

[JohnnieB]

Looks like I forgot to attach the manual to my previous post.

A humming transformer is a good sign. Chances are that it is good.

I'm not sure what you are calling ground, but the output of the charger has no "ground" reference. Like everything else associated with golf cart electrical systems, it is two wire, one positive and one negative.

A high Ohm reading between the diodes and the charger chassis is good, but it doesn't say the diodes are good, or bad.

To check the diodes, disconnect the wires from the transformer that are connected to them.
Touch one Ohmmeter test lead on the heatsink (Aluminum plate the diode assembly is mounted on) and touch the other test lead to the terminal you removed the wire from on one of the diodes.
Depending on the polarity of the test leads, the reading will be either high or low.
Reverse the test leads and the reading will be the opposite.
Repeat for other diode.

If you are using a digital meter, use an Ohm range that has a diode symbol, so you get a good reading.

If either diode does not have a high reading in one direction and a low reading in the other, replace both diodes.

----------
The F/R lever by your knee means it is either a series cart (Series wound motor) or a DCS cart (Sepex motor).
Does the controller cover have a Run/Tow switch on it?
If so, it is a DCS. If not it is a Series.

In either case, Does the solenoid click when cart is in Reverse?

A series cart is far more common than a DCS cart, so I'm guessing that is
what you have.
If so, the only electrical difference between Forward and Revers is the direction of current flow in the motor's stator windings, which is controlled by the position of the cam in the F/R switch.
If cart runs in one direction, but not the other, the problem is either the high current contacts in the F/R switch not lining up properly, or if the solenoid is not clicking, the contacts in MS-2 are not closing when they ought to be.

FWIW: If the microswitch if the pedal box is working in one direction, it is also working in the other direction. The pedal microswitch doesn't know, or care, which way the cart goes.

[Blowerman]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

Looks like I forgot to attach the manual to my previous post.

A humming transformer is a good sign. Chances are that it is good.

I'm not sure what you are calling ground, but the output of the charger has no "ground" reference. Like everything else associated with golf cart electrical systems, it is two wire, one positive and one negative.

A high Ohm reading between the diodes and the charger chassis is good, but it doesn't say the diodes are good, or bad.

To check the diodes, disconnect the wires from the transformer that are connected to them.
Touch one Ohmmeter test lead on the heatsink (Aluminum plate the diode assembly is mounted on) and touch the other test lead to the terminal you removed the wire from on one of the diodes.
Depending on the polarity of the test leads, the reading will be either high or low.
Reverse the test leads and the reading will be the opposite.
Repeat for other diode.

If you are using a digital meter, use an Ohm range that has a diode symbol, so you get a good reading.

If either diode does not have a high reading in one direction and a low reading in the other, replace both diodes.

----------
The F/R lever by your knee means it is either a series cart (Series wound motor) or a DCS cart (Sepex motor).
Does the controller cover have a Run/Tow switch on it?
If so, it is a DCS. If not it is a Series.

In either case, Does the solenoid click when cart is in Reverse?

A series cart is far more common than a DCS cart, so I'm guessing that is
what you have.
If so, the only electrical difference between Forward and Revers is the direction of current flow in the motor's stator windings, which is controlled by the position of the cam in the F/R switch.
If cart runs in one direction, but not the other, the problem is either the high current contacts in the F/R switch not lining up properly, or if the solenoid is not clicking, the contacts in MS-2 are not closing when they ought to be.

FWIW: If the microswitch if the pedal box is working in one direction, it is also working in the other direction. The pedal microswitch doesn't know, or care, which way the cart goes.

Johnnie B
I'm new into the golf cart thing but learning fast.
I'm curious about the mentioned problem in this thread and started thinking about why the 40 amp fuse would blow. Tell me if I'm right. If you energized the relay in the PW charger and 1or all the diodes were bad (continuity both ways). Wouldn't you get some kind of AC ripple at the charge lead? Which in turn would blow the fuse when connected to the batteries?
I'm just curious for when or if my charger ever gives up.
Jeff Ramsay

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Blowerman

Johnnie B
I'm new into the golf cart thing but learning fast.
I'm curious about the mentioned problem in this thread and started thinking about why the 40 amp fuse would blow. Tell me if I'm right. If you energized the relay in the PW charger and 1or all the diodes were bad (continuity both ways). Wouldn't you get some kind of AC ripple at the charge lead? Which in turn would blow the fuse when connected to the batteries?
I'm just curious for when or if my charger ever gives up.
Jeff Ramsay

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Welcome to BGW!

If either or both of the diodes are shorted (Continuity in both directions) you would have either about 45VAC (AC Volts across half the secondary) or about 90VAC (AC volts across both halves of the secondary), so the the batteries would be effectively be connected backwards 60 times a second and the current flow would be very high.

Of course, that isn't the only reason for the fuse to blow.

Sounds like you are being proactive and trying to get a handle on how things work before they go belly up.

What cart and charger do you have? We might be able to find manuals for them.

[Blowerman]

I have a 98 ezgo txt series cart. With a PW charger (see pic)
I've replaced the wheels and tires with a stock diameter tire oackage and an Alltrex replacenent non-programable controller.
I hoping to pull my 3000lbs race car down the return road with it as long as I ease into the pedal keeping the current low and up to speed.
PS. I figured I was on the right track of thinking. These things aren't much different than big electric RC Cars.
Thanks for the welcome.

Jeff Ramsay
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[simple man]

Originally Posted by Blowerman

I have a 98 ezgo txt series cart. With a PW charger (see pic)
I've replaced the wheels and tires with a stock diameter tire oackage and an Alltrex replacenent non-programable controller.
I hoping to pull my 3000lbs race car down the return road with it as long as I ease into the pedal keeping the current low and up to speed.
PS. I figured I was on the right track of thinking. These things aren't much different than big electric RC Cars.
Thanks for the welcome.

Jeff Ramsay
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Not to correct, but that is not a PowerWise charger! It is a very good charger, though! I have had the TotalCharge for years, and it has been trouble free all those years! Mine is a manual charger, where yours looks like an automatic. The automatic style will stop automatically when the proper charge is reached, leaving the amount of charge time showing on the dial.

[Blowerman]

Originally Posted by simple man

Not to correct, but that is not a PowerWise charger! It is a very good charger, though! I have had the TotalCharge for years, and it has been trouble free all those years! Mine is a manual charger, where yours looks like an automatic. The automatic style will stop automatically when the proper charge is reached, leaving the amount of charge time showing on the dial.

Oops!:with all the PW talk lately, I guess powerwise burned into my brain. All I had to do is read the front again. Right?
Thanks for the info. I wasn't for sure how the dial worked.
Jeff Ramsay

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[JohnnieB]

Simple man nailed it.
That is an automatic type charger, the timer tells you how long the charger was on, or terminates the charge if the on-charge voltage doesn't reach the 44V to 46V cut-off point in 12 hours.

It is built like a tank and is 100% repairable. Due to costing more than a good replacement charger, it is not economically feasible to replace the transformer, but they are available.

You're on the right track about towing the race car. Feather the throttle to get it moving and once you get up to walking speed, you can shovel more coal on the fire.

Feel the motor, cables, connections, controller, solenoid and F/R switch after towing the racer. The motor and controller will warm up quite a bit, but shouldn't get hot.
The cables, connections and other stuff shouldn't warm up much at all. If they do, they need to be fixed or replaced with higher capacity items.

Which Alltrax NPX, the 4834 or 4844? (300A or 400A).