overheating

[jyednak]

The resister coils and wiring in my cart get very hot. You can smell them. The motor stays cool.
We drive extremely slow, like 1, maybe 2 mph all the time. Can this cause the overheating or is it likely something else?
And if so, I thought of dropping from 36 to 24 volt to naturally slow the cart down some without working the resistors so much. I was wondering if that would cause any problems with the motor?
Thanks for any advice!
John

[scottyb]

The slow driving is causing the problem. Basically the cart is not made to drive slower than you can walk (6mph) for any distance.
Lower or reduced voltage would cause the motor to draw more amperage ... volts x amps = watts (power required for a given task)

Ideally you would have a low speed (rpm) high torque motor and a modern solid state speed control drive system without any resistor coils.

[jakesnake27]

Yeah, with the resistor carts like yours, you might as well run WOT all the time, because it will use the same amount of power as if you were going 1 mph... going faster will cause less wasted power and cooler coils
This drive system is just not very efficient

[jyednak]

Thanks for the help.
Maybe I'll put some heavier cables on it, and a little cooling fan on the coils.
It does ok for distance on a charge. Not like the curtis did but it goes long enough.
Can I use a solid state controller with the same motor, or is there a difference in them?
Thanks again!
John

[scottyb]

Yes you can use the same motor. You just need a series drive solid state control.