Manual charging time with bypassed obc??

[calvinallen88]

Just wanted to say I have found a lot of information on this forum!

Ok, I have recently gotten a 2004 Club Car DS 48v IQ that had been sitting for 3 years. I replaced all 6 of the 8v batteries and everything is running smoothly.

I am however having charging issues. I reset the obc which didn’t work. I bypassed the obc at the charger which allowed the charger to kick on and work. So I am suspecting a dead obc??

My main question...while I am troubleshooting my obc and waiting on parts, how long do I need to let the PowerDrive 17930 charge before I unplug it? I’m have a outlet timer, just wanted to know what would be a safe amount of time to let it charge?

Also, while charging it bypassed, will the amp meter on the charger start around 15 then drop to around 5 indicating that the charge should be complete?

[calvinallen88]

I have it charging right now and the total bank is reading 54 volts when hooked up to the charger and each battery is reading between 8.3 and 8.5v. Do I just let the charger run until my total reads about 60v and individual reads close to 9.3v?

[scottyb]

This charger will only bulk charge without the OBC control. There will be no leveling or finishing. So a smart charger must be used for proper charging without the OBC. Cutting the charger off at 60v is a safe bet.

[calvinallen88]

Ok I’ll shut it off about 60v. I know this charger isn’t “smart”, but I won’t be able to get another charger or obc for a couple weeks.

How long does it usually take to get up to 60v? Or what max length should I leave it charging this way?

[teecro]

Originally Posted by calvinallen88

Ok I’ll shut it off about 60v. I know this charger isn’t “smart”, but I won’t be able to get another charger or obc for a couple weeks.

How long does it usually take to get up to 60v? Or what max length should I leave it charging this way?

The OBC would have timed out at 16 hours regardless... Set your timer at or less than 16 hours...

[joesam]

How long does it usually take to get up to 60v?

That really depends on level of discharge before charging - in this case, a timer is only good if you know how much you have discharged it. If you always run the same distance before charging, then you can time & measure when it gets to 60v and set timer accordingly.

[sunking]

Originally Posted by teecro

The OBC would have timed out at 16 hours regardless... Set your timer at or less than 16 hours...

I would ignore that advice as that is a perfect plan for toasted batteries.

[sunking]

Originally Posted by calvinallen88

how long do I need to let the PowerDrive 17930 charge before I unplug it? I’m have a outlet timer, just wanted to know what would be a safe amount of time to let it charge?

There is no answer with respect to time. Could be 5 minutes or 16 hours and anywhere in between. Depends on the DOD of the batteries. I will assume these are Trojan Batteries, and for now th ebest you can do is charge until a Target Voltage is reached of 59 to 60 volts. They may take minutes up to 12 to 16 hours.

Originally Posted by calvinallen88

Also, while charging it bypassed, will the amp meter on the charger start around 15 then drop to around 5 indicating that the charge should be complete?

No Sir and that is the problem. Your charger will stay in Bulk Current Mode which is a fancy Marketing Name to make you spend more money on a Charger. Sounds better than Constant Current. There is no Voltage associated with Constant Current Modes, just an upper voltage limit pushing the current.

Example if you set the Voltage Point to 60 volts, the charger stays in Constant Current mode until the battery approaches 60 volts and when that happens, then current TAPERS DOWN to 0 amps when both battery and charger voltage = 60 volts.

Your charger voltage is unknown and higher than 60 volts. If the voltage of the charger is say 70 volts, it will pump Constant Current until the battery reaches 70 volts with boiling hot acid spewing everywhere. That is what using a time will do for you as suggested earlier.

My advice, can the OBC, and get a good charger. All that OBC is designed for is to sell you an expensive POS charger made with Club Car name on it and made by Chi-Coms

[calvinallen88]

Ok so I will plan on getting a smart charger and just bypass the obc on the cart. Thanks for the advice.

As far as the charger goes, what brand is decent that is affordable??

[sunking]

Originally Posted by calvinallen88

Ok so I will plan on getting a smart charger and just bypass the obc on the cart. Thanks for the advice.

As far as the charger goes, what brand is decent that is affordable??

There are several to look at.

A good budget friendly charger that can charge just about any manufacture battery algorithm is Accusense made by DPi

Moving up the food chain Lester Summit series. The 650 watt model mounts inside the cart. I like the Lester more than the popular Delta-Q IC Series

Don't get me wrong, Club Car charger works just fine for a new cart with factory installed batteries. My issue is there is no flexibility and everything is preset. But when it fails, or time to replace batteries, the CC factory charger falls short. Example you may change battery manufacture or model number which requires a different algorithm. All the chargers I listed allow you to change the algorithms to optimize charging algorithms.