Controller Lockout with OBC Bypass

[Fairtax4me]

Lots of people end up ditching OBCs in favor of smart chargers and some of them are only 2 wire hook-ups. Simple enough.
But some like the Lester Summit II can provide a lockout control circuit which seems like it can be connected if the user so desires.

I’m sure this will vary by controller, but taking the Summit II for example, if configured for off-board usage, when it senses battery voltage on the charge pins (DC cord plugged into the cart), it then pulls the lockout circuit “low”. Ground?

How can/should this then be connected to the controller to activate the lockout during charging?

In the typical CC 3 pin receptacle the grey wire is already there, and runs back to near the controller. Seems like it should be fairly easy to use tha existing wire to either ground the controller lockout pin, or provide power to it via relay if that’s what’s necessary. Assuming the wire isn’t damaged and the in-line fuse is not blown.

[Sergio]

We have several threads for specific non-club car charger lockout implementations depending on on-board, external, Sepex, Series, Curtis or Alltrax controller combination.

For any external charger, the 3rd pin (aka: sense pin) should be connected to negative inside the charger or directly at the 3-pin plug.

The Sepex are the easiest since we are dealing with logic level currents (milliamp).

All you need is a 10kΩ x 1watt pull-up resistor on the Controller lockout pin.

For Series carts (or alternative for Sepex) You will need a 48v N.C. relay with the coil connected between the KSI and the "sense" wire so you don't create a parasitic load on the cart while the charger is plugged but you disable the cart if the KSI is turned ON.

This setup also prevents a regular PowerDrive type charger from working if plugged into the cart (for safety).

[Fairtax4me]

So for a sepex controller pulling the lockout pin to ground activates the lockout?
What is the pull-up resistor used for? Does the pin need pack voltage to then de-activate the lockout?

[Sergio]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

So for a sepex controller pulling the lockout pin to ground activates the lockout?
What is the pull-up resistor used for? Does the pin need pack voltage to then de-activate the lockout?

I think this post will help and it also has the diagram for both methods:

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/extre...ml#post1322529

[Fairtax4me]

Thanks Sergio! I think I got it now...

In the case of the Summit II at least, there is already a 10kohm resistor installed the charger from the Charge + lead to the interlock lead. Which is good for on-board use since you can then connect the interlock wire directly to the controller with nothing else required. Configured for On-board use, the charger activates the interlock only when AC power is supplied.
For off-board use the charger activates the interlock when B+ voltage is present on the charge lead. But the resistor is no use for the interlock on the controller. It still needs input on the cart side to operate properly after the charger DC cord is unplugged.

So it seems it's dependent on the controller being used, but Most should need a B+ input to the interlock pin on the controller to De-activate the lockout. Grounding the pin Activates it. So somewhere between the charge receptacle and the controller a 10kohm resistor is installed between the controller interlock pin and either KSI or some other B+ supply. And this will be the same regardless of which charger is being used.

Then controllers without an interlock function, you would just interrupt the KSI via relay.


Just wanted to make sure I have this right. Have a customer who wants a smart charger and asked me for suggestions, and they did ask specifically about the interlock function (presumably to keep the grand kids from trying to drag the charger out of the garage).

[Sergio]

As far as I know the Summit does not come with a built in "pull-up" resistor, it needs to be added and it is not needed for onboard use with a Curtis Controller.

On the Curtis Sepex Controllers: IQ, Excel and ERIC, a "high" signal (pack voltage) on the Controller lockout pin is needed for the Controller to operate.

The absence of a "high" signal, which means either connect the Controller interlock pin to negative or leave it disconnected (floating) activates the interlock and prevents the controller from working.

If You are using an external charger and by-passing the OBC, instead of just connecting the Blue and White wires together which will disable the interlock, just add the pull-up resistor to keep the interlock pin "high" when the charger is not plugged.




10kΩ Resistor: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...zOC9bCL9VxU%3d

[Fairtax4me]

This is from the Summit II manual. Sounds like it has the 10k resistor built in.
But as I said, doesn't do any good for off-board use. Just simplifies the installation for on-board use.

7. VEHICLE LOCKOUT CONTROL
The charger lockout/interlock control signal can be interfaced with the vehicle/equipment to prevent
use/movement of the vehicle while the charger is in use. The lockout control signal, available on Terminal 2
on the DC terminal block (see Figure 6.2-1), is internally pulled high through a 10k ohm resistor to battery
positive (+) when lockout is not active and is pulled low to < 1 Vdc when lockout is active. The lockout control
signal is typically interfaced with the vehicle motor speed controller. If you are uncertain of how to interface
the lockout control signal with your vehicle, please contact your vehicle dealer.
If the charger is configured for on-board use, the lockout control signal will be active while AC power is
applied to the charger. If the charger is configured for off-board use, the lockout control signal will be active
while a valid battery is connected to the charger. Based on your application, you can configure the charger as
on-board or off-board via the ChargerConnect app under “System Profile” (see Section 8.

[Sergio]

As long as You understand how it works, it is just a matter of matching charger features and controllers needs, there are many possibilities and combinations.

Interesting the Summitt II 650W and 1050W are different on that aspect, the 1050W uses an external 10kΩ jumper (if needed).

Summit II 1050w: https://lesterelectrical.com/wp-cont..._D.pdf#page=13

Summit II 650w: https://lesterelectrical.com/wp-cont..._D.pdf#page=14

If used onboard with a Curtis or Alltrax Sepex Controller, the pull up resistor is not needed since the controller just needs "full pack voltage" or nothing.

[Fairtax4me]

I hadn't looked at the 1050w model, but that is interesting that it's different.
I see they also do not have the temp sensor lead input on the 1050w model.