2009 DS with lights converting from 12v to 8v batteries question on light hook up

[oldskiboat]

I have a 2009 villager 4 DS with 12 volt batteries. I bought it last spring. The batteries now need replacing and I purchased 6 8 volt Crown JA 190 batteries and am doing a conversion. The cart has lights, horn etc and they seem to have been either factory installed or dealer installed. I do not see any separate wiring coming off of any single 12 volt battery, so should I assume that there is already a voltage reducer built into the system for the 12 volt lights. I only see the main wires coming off either end of the series connected batteries where there would be 48 volt present and wiring for the charging plug, but as I said no separate wiring coming off of one 12 volt battery. Did the factory put in a voltage reducer for the 12 volt lights?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Regards,

Gary

[Stevegrmich]

Originally Posted by oldskiboat

I have a 2009 villager 4 DS with 12 volt batteries. I bought it last spring. The batteries now need replacing and I purchased 6 8 volt Crown JA 190 batteries and am doing a conversion. The cart has lights, horn etc and they seem to have been either factory installed or dealer installed. I do not see any separate wiring coming off of any single 12 volt battery, so should I assume that there is already a voltage reducer built into the system for the 12 volt lights. I only see the main wires coming off either end of the series connected batteries where there would be 48 volt present and wiring for the charging plug, but as I said no separate wiring coming off of one 12 volt battery. Did the factory put in a voltage reducer for the 12 volt lights?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Regards,

Gary

. . . trace the wires from the lights backwards to see if they go to a reducer or to battery pack area . . . don't assume anything with these carts . .

[cmar143]

I would be VERY surprised to find a reducer on a cart with 4 12V batteries. Like Stevegrmich said follow the wires back from the lights and see where they are spliced into the harness at. Disconnect from that point and then splice them into the new voltage reducer.

[oldskiboat]

Thanks, you guys were correct. There is no reducer in the circuit.

[oldskiboat]

But this leads to another question what is the difference between a voltage reducer and voltage converter. I want to be sure the device is not just plucking off 12 volts and dropping the other 36 across a resistor and creating heat with the wasted current. For instance if my 12 volt load is 10 amps that would relate to 120 watts, but if it was just pulling 10 amps off the 48 volt supply and dropping the 36 volts across a resistor it would really be consuming 480 watts. based on the above I would like to install a device that would be pulling 2.5 amps at 48 volts to get 10 amps at 12 volts.