2005 EZGO TXT 36V PDS Falls Flat On Incline/Hill

[BrandonD]

JohnnieB,
Thank you for the crash course in DC motor mechanics. It makes what Alltrax told me yesterday make much more sense. The technical support guy grabbed one of their lead engineers to look at the data file and the issues that I've had to see if he could tweak the map to make it do what I am looking for. The engineer said that 502-V7 is by far the best mapping for that motor that Alltrax could come up with. Apparently in 2012, D&D went to a machine wound motor production instead of a hand wound process. Pre-2012, he said that the motors did everything that they claim and more. Since 2012 when they changed their motor winding process, he said that motor is designed for 48V systems at best, but "can" work on 36V systems with a lot of limitations. At this point, D&D and I are trying to see what we can do to fix this "problem".

I did order the 2G cables that you showed me, so I will see what those do when I get them. The battery and battery charger are quite expensive for "another" investment for the time being with just buying the cart and putting in the "upgraded" system. The batteries aren't too bad, but the charger is quite pricey, so I'm going to have to acquire them in stages. Thank you so much for your help! I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,
Brandon

[JohnnieB]

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Unfortunately, and I hope I'm wrong, I think this may only result in "well, I have some wire laying around, cant I just add a few loops in my motor for more torque/mph?"

Trust me, it ain't that simple....

Sounds like you've tried it.

[BrandonD]

JohnnieB,
Just a quick update. I upgraded to all 2G cables and didn't see much difference in the performance. I added 2 new 6v batteries tonight in the bagwell, and the golf cart just hauls off like crazy. The cart went about 4 MPH faster throughout the different terrains than previously. The cart still "struggles" at the very end of the hill, but it was about 4 MPH faster with the 2 new batteries. I feel like it has more than enough torque at this point. I wouldn't mind a little more top end speed, but it is PLENTY for what I need off-road. Now, I feel MUCH more comfortable taking it off road in the field! Thank you for your help!

I got the Lester Summit II charger that you recommended. Now, I have to figure out how to wire it up so that the charger cuts off when it is "full" and left plugged into the outlet. I'm going to leave it onboard.

Would too small of a resistor on the solenoid cause the solenoid to get hot? When I got home, everything was cool to the touch, but the metal bracket sides of the solenoid were pretty hot, too hot to keep a hold of.

Again, Thank you very much for your help! Your advice was the ONLY advice that helped me get this thing moving!

Cheers,
Brandon

[JohnnieB]

Post some screen shots from Toolkit showing how the various sliders are set. Attached are some screen prints from my XCT, but captured from a very early version of Toolkit and the controls have moved around some in later versions.

Maybe there is some tweaking that can be done.

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Depending on the battery charging profile selected, the Lester Summit II charger either goes into float charge or periodical initiates a maintenance charge after the normal charge cycle finishes. The float charge one is the best for getting maximum lifespan from the batteries.

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Solenoid getting too hot to hold onto.
In an earlier post in this thread you identified it as a SW180 500A 36/48V and that info appears to be inconsistent with the manufacturer's specs, but I may not be looking at the right specs since the SW180 family of solenoids is pretty broad.

I've heard that there are SW180 solenoids that will work at at 36V and 48V, but the data on this website: https://www.cartsunlimited.net/solenoids.html indicates it is either 36V or 48V. So if it is a 36V being ran on 48V. it most definitely will get hot.

AS for the resistor size, there shouldn't be a resistor attached to it. Instead there should be two diodes, a smaller one between the coil terminals and a larger one between the large terminals.

The banded end on the small diode is attached to the same coil terminal that has the yellow wire on it.
The banded end of the larger diode connects to the large terminal that has the 2Ga cable from the battery pack's main positive terminal connected to it.

[BrandonD]

JohnnieB,
I will have to get some screen shots from the toolkit. I haven’t been able to do them just yet. I have attached a wiring schematic that D & D sent me for my motor and solenoid. They say to use a 470ohm resistor instead of the diode. The carts unlimited site shows using resistors on some of the solenoids, so I’m not sure. You have been the only person who has been right this whole time, so I believe you more than the other folks!

I spoke to Lester Electronics, and they confirmed that I only needed a 10 gauge cable going from the charger the battery pack. I bought 2 10’ long pieces of wire to rig it up on board.

Now, I just have to figure out how to put a wrap on it, and it’s done for now!

Cheers,
Brandon

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by BrandonD

JohnnieB,
I will have to get some screen shots from the toolkit. I haven’t been able to do them just yet. I have attached a wiring schematic that D & D sent me for my motor and solenoid. They say to use a 470ohm resistor instead of the diode. The carts unlimited site shows using resistors on some of the solenoids, so I’m not sure. You have been the only person who has been right this whole time, so I believe you more than the other folks!

I spoke to Lester Electronics, and they confirmed that I only needed a 10 gauge cable going from the charger the battery pack. I bought 2 10’ long pieces of wire to rig it up on board.

Now, I just have to figure out how to put a wrap on it, and it’s done for now!

Cheers,
Brandon

That is a schematic for an Alltrax DCX controller in a EZGO DCS drive cart.
EZGO stopped selling DCS drives in 1999 and Alltrax stopped selling DCX controllers in 2015.

XCT controllers do not use precharge resistors. They used regen diodes in EZGO carts and nothing in Club Cars and Yamahas.

Attached is the latest version of Alltrax's schematic of an XCT in a PDS cart, but if you want you can contact Alltrax and get the info from the horse's mouth.