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Electric EZGO Electric EZ GO Marathon, Medalist, TXT and RXV.



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Old 06-07-2013, 10:15 PM   #1
gadavis
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Default Gadavis

Hello. I would like to ask a few questions. I just entered the world of solid state controller golf carts. Came from the resistor cart world. That would be my 1988 model G- 2 Yamaha. The G-2 is pretty much "old faithful" and has been very reliable. I bought the 1990 Marathon last week. It needed batteries and had been parked for about 3 years. Brought it home and washed all the dust from it and to check it out I put in 3 automotive 12 volt batteries which will not give much run time but do run well while checking out what I need to fix. The battery boxes of course are toast. I am going to install a stainless battery box I got in one I bought for junk a few years ago. I presume that battery box replacement is a given need for most any older cart. My Yamaha does have the plastic or maybe nylon battery trays with the drain and doesn't rust out. Of course it helps to clean the batteries regularly when you water them.

The controller looks to have been replaced . It has an Alltrax, is this O E M for this cart? It has a pot-box setup instead of the I T S unit I read about. Is the pot-box common to older units and what year did they go to the ITS? Which is better? I see there are no resistors or diodes on the solenoid wiring like I see on many of the posts on here. Are they needed? Should they be added and will they prolong the component life?
One other question comes to mind. On the left side of the back body close to the floor opening for putting your feet is a sticker. It is about a 4" circle with a deep blue background that has what looks like the wheat heads on a wheat penny and in the center it has a large 35th anniversary superimposed on the Ez-Go logo. All this lettering looks to have been white in color. Any body familiar with this?
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Old 06-08-2013, 11:26 AM   #2
JohnnieB
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Default Re: Gadavis

The stock controller (275A) was made by Curtis. Was probably replaced with an aftermarket unit for more oomph.
The ITS system was introduced in 1994 in the Medalist and TXT body styles.
All Marathon controller carts used a pot-box and retrofitting an ITS system into one might be possible, but it would take some cutting and fabricating.

The diode and resistor are not needed for operation, but they do prolong component life.
The diode protects the pedal microswitch contacts and the resistor protects the solenoid contacts.

I don't know about the Logo stuff.
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Old 06-08-2013, 12:57 PM   #3
crash test dummy
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Harley-Davidson had one like that

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Old 06-08-2013, 09:56 PM   #4
gadavis
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Default Re: Gadavis

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnieB View Post
The stock controller (275A) was made by Curtis. Was probably replaced with an aftermarket unit for more oomph.
The ITS system was introduced in 1994 in the Medalist and TXT body styles.
All Marathon controller carts used a pot-box and retrofitting an ITS system into one might be possible, but it would take some cutting and fabricating.

The diode and resistor are not needed for operation, but they do prolong component life.
The diode protects the pedal microswitch contacts and the resistor protects the solenoid contacts.

I don't know about the Logo stuff.
Johnnie B., how can I go about adding the resistor and diode to extend the component life? Can you give me the values of the ones I need and are they available at someplace like Radio Shack?
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Old 06-08-2013, 11:07 PM   #5
JohnnieB
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Default Re: Gadavis

Quote:
Originally Posted by gadavis View Post
Johnnie B., how can I go about adding the resistor and diode to extend the component life? Can you give me the values of the ones I need and are they available at someplace like Radio Shack?
For a 36V system, the resistor is 250 Ohm 10 Watt. It connects between the two large terminals on the solenoid.

A 1N4004 will work for the Diode. It connects between the solenoids two small terminals. The banded end of the diode connects to the terminal with the wire from the pedal switch connected to it. (Positive voltage)
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Old 06-09-2013, 08:10 AM   #6
gadavis
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Thanks Johnnie. I will see about getting those and adding them to the system. I presume the resistor across the big posts cushions some of the shock of the voltage rush when engaging and maybe the diode prevents some of a flash back to the other line.
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Old 06-09-2013, 08:54 AM   #7
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Default Re: Gadavis

Your presumption is fairly accurate.

The controller has a bunch of filter capacitors in it and the resistor keeps them charged, otherwise they would draw a phenomenal number of amps the first instant the solenoid's contacts closed.

The diode is in the solenoid coil circuit. When the coil de-energizes, a huge voltage spike is generated with the opposite polarity. The diode directs it back into the coil instead of letting it hit the switch contacts of the switch that is opening to de-energize the coil.
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Old 06-09-2013, 11:49 AM   #8
gadavis
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Thanks, Johnnie B. It is good to know why we do things and what things do when we add them and just not wildly throw parts at the things we repair or upgrade.
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