What did you do to/for your club car today?

[yawood]

I did some quick Internet research on solder and came up with the following information...

With most tin/lead solder combinations, melting does not take place all at once. Fifty-fifty solder begins to melt at 183 C -361 F, but it's not fully melted until the temperature reaches 216 C - 420 F. Between these two temperatures, the solder exists in a plastic or semi-liquid state.

The plastic range of a solder varies, depending upon the ratio of tin to lead. With 60/40 solder, the range is much smaller than it is for 50/50 solder. The 63/37 ratio, known as eutectic solder has practically no plastic range, and melts almost instantly at 183 C -361 F.

The solders most commonly used for hand soldering in electronics are the 60/40 type and the 63/37 type.

So, assuming that one of the major reasons for motor damage caused by overheating is that solder starts to plasticise causing parts to move into interference with each other, this means that you would not want a motor temp to go beyond 183 C (361 F). That assumption could be wrong of course.

Mind you, this is for hand solder and motors would likely be put together using machine techniques and possibly 50/50 solder, or even silver solder, so the plasticising might need a higher temp. However, for safety, it would behove us to use the lower figure so my guess is don't go anywhere near 360 F. So your figure of 150-170 F seems good seeing that internally it would be hotter to get the case to that temp.

[Cruise Master]

IMO, it would be the insulation on the wiring that would go prior to solder.

[Tommy T]

I have not been on. the batteries were bought on 2-27, he had 2 pallets of 03-17 ?

[yawood]

Originally Posted by Cruise Master

IMO, it would be the insulation on the wiring that would go prior to solder.

Yeah, you might be right.

[yawood]

On the other hand. From Wikipedia....

Although described as "enameled", enameled wire is not, in fact, coated with either a layer of enamel paint nor with vitreous enamel made of fused glass powder. Modern magnet wire typically uses one to four layers (in the case of quad-film type wire) of polymer film insulation, often of two different compositions, to provide a tough, continuous insulating layer. Magnet wire insulating films use (in order of increasing temperature range) polyvinyl formal (Formvar), polyurethane, polyamide, polyester, polyester-polyimide, polyamide-polyimide (or amide-imide), and polyimide. Polyimide insulated magnet wire is capable of operation at up to 250 °C.

So that means that it would melt at a higher temp than solder (depending on the solder mix).

However the article goes on to say that

For ease of manufacturing, some low-temperature-grade magnet wire has insulation that can be removed by the heat of soldering. This means that electrical connections at the ends can be made without stripping off the insulation first.

So I don't think we're going to know what would go first (maybe it would even be some electronics component that would fry first) without knowing exactly what it was made from.

So I'm happy just to stick to Scotty's ballpark figure of 150-170 F on the case and know that the components should be well within the melting points of any of those things.

[Cruise Master]

Originally Posted by yawood

...snip...So I'm happy just to stick to Scotty's ballpark figure of 150-170 F on the case and know that the components should be well within the melting points of any of those things.

Good research. I'm happy with that rule of thumb also.

I have one of those cheap thermal heat guns. Just for giggles I'll shoot the motor from time to time to get a baseline. Always in the 100-125f range. Of course I use the stock cart drivetrain for up and down a steep hill, and for wife and I trucking down gravel roads for happy hour cruising/visiting friends.

[scottyb]

I believe the epoxy that holds the armature together melts first and then centrifugal forces expand the armature until catastrophic failure occurs.
Ask JOHNNIEB, he conducted this experiment

[Courtlandjs]

Plasti dip sprayed/color matched my motor

[scottyb]

What is the significance of the palm tree and moon? I think I have seen that before? I like it

[dawgfan316]

Originally Posted by scottyb

What is the significance of the palm tree and moon? I think I have seen that before? I like it

that's the So Carolina flag