A golf cart that runs on electricity is cool. These not only enable cheaper wheeled transportation but also protect the environment. Yet maintaining its charge is essential. So that it operates as efficiently as possible, you must know how to test your battery charger. You can test a golf cart battery charger by reading this article.
Why Should You Test Your Charger?
Anyone who owns a golf cart must be required to upgrade it in a number of different ways. Golf carts must, however, be put through various types of testing by users. As an example, verifying the charger’s output. There are many different types of explanations.
- if the batteries in your golf cart don’t charge properly.
- A potential electric issue is brought on by your charge.
- When a charger’s age has passed or when it is about to be retired.
After all, these kinds of problems arise when the user needs to switch out the charger because doing so could harm the golf cart batteries. Then, there could be a significant financial loss. You must therefore replace your golf cart battery charger before a serious issue arises.
We adopt the newest technology, which makes our equipment smarter, as a secondary factor. however, all the latest models released into the market golf cart battery. You may be interested in How To Trick A Golf Cart Charger.
What You Need To Test A Charger?
We needed a straightforward test kit in order to test anything. We needed a golf cart charger testing kit in order to test a golf cart charger. Users also need a platform where the performance of the charger can be tested.
Or, to put it another way, the user needed batteries for the golf cart. To test the charger’s output, a voltmeter tester is required. A minimum output of between 20 and 35 volts is needed.
The golf cart batteries must then be charged for the bare minimum of time. Consider the case where you use a different golf cart charger and your batteries respond. Test your golf cart charger with a different cart or vice versa to see if the issue is with the batteries, though.
Benefits Of Testing A Golf Cart Battery Charger
Ensures Strong Batteries
When you use this device, your batteries will always be fully charged if your battery charger is in good condition. They will therefore be more durable and retain their charge for a longer period of time than if you use a less effective charger.
Catches Potential Electrical Problems
Your charger may experience an electrical issue as it gets older and more used. You must test the charger if this problem persists to make sure it won’t short out when you try to power a battery.
Enhances Battery Life
A battery’s charge life will be extended and your golf cart will run smoothly even after you’ve stopped using it for the season for a while with proper draining and charging.
These advantages make testing well worth the effort. Once you’ve mastered the skill, most tests won’t take longer than 10-15 minutes to complete, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t test your golf cart battery charger at least once a year.
Steps To Test Golf Cart Battery Charger
Step 1. Determine If The Battery Charger Is At Fault
Did you know that if the battery’s initial charge is insufficient, the majority of contemporary battery chargers won’t even start to charge the batteries? To even start operating, the batteries must have a minimum voltage of 20 to 35 volts combined, according to the automatic battery charger.
It would be easy to say “Oh, let’s just test it out on a different golf cart to see if it works.” Well, the majority of us don’t have access to another golf cart, much less one that the battery charger would work with. In order to see if the golf cart can be ruled out as the issue, let’s try one more step.
Step 2. Test The Batteries
The output voltage of each battery should be measured collectively using a voltage tester. Check to see if they take the voltage that your charger needs to operate. If you have the manual for your battery charger, you can find the minimum voltage listed there.) if the batteries do not equal the minimum voltage and above, then you’ve found the problem. Currently, what do you do?
Step 3. Charge The Batteries Individually
If the batteries are too low, charge them separately using a standard 12-volt car battery charger.
You have the option of charging them fully or just enough to reach the necessary voltage. If your cart uses 12-volt batteries, this process will be simple; however, if it uses 8-volt batteries, you have two options.
- You can use the 12-volt setting if you connect the charger in series with a 4.5-ohm 10-watt resistor. This will cap the current at about one amp when fully charged.
- The alternative method would be to charge each battery for an hour on a 6-volt setting on your automotive battery charger, then check to see if it reaches 7.8 to 7.9 volts. This voltage will enable each battery to turn on the golf cart battery charger independently.
4. What Now That The Battery Charger Is The Offender?
Manual Charger Symptom: Charger Doesn’t Turn On
You will need to rotate a timer dial on a manual battery charger. You can program the timer to control how long your batteries will charge before the charger is turned off.
Step 5. Listen To The Battery Charger
Turn the dial while the battery charger is connected to see if the relay responds with even hum or anything at all, like a click and a hum. If not, examine the charger’s fuse. A shorted diode inside the case is probably to blame if the fuse blows and replacement with a new one only cause it to blow again.
How Do You Test A Golf Cart Battery Charger With A Multimeter In Step Six, “check Output Voltage”?
Before opening the case, let’s check the voltage at the charger plug to make sure the battery charger is receiving power because the absence of a relay clicking noise followed by a hum or slight vibration to the case is a good indication. With the battery charger off, set the multimeter to measure voltage and hook it up to the output contacts on the plug, then turn the timer knob to “on”. It is time to try something else if there is no voltage.
Unplug the charger and connect the continuity tester leads to both blades of the power cord (8 and 9) and then twist the timer know to “on”. At this point, there should be continuity.
Step 7. Continuity Test The Battery Charger Output Plug
If there is at least some continuity, possibly with resistance, your continuity tester can be connected to the output plug positively to positively (10) and negatively to negatively (11). No continuity should be detected after switching the tester leads. A shorted or defective diode may be present if one or both of these tests are unsuccessful.
Step 8. Open The Case
Use the continuity setting on your multimeter to first check the timer switch after you have gained access to all of the internal components. This is the charger’s most typical failure point after the fuse. There won’t be a front-mounted knob that can be turned if your charger has an automatic timer.
The leads should be connected to contacts 6 and 7. Turn the dial. there should be continuity at this point. if the meter reads that there is no continuity then you have a bad timer switch.
The next step is to check the continuity between the termination point inside the case (12 or 14) and the end of the charger contact (10 or 11). If the positive, negative, and ground connections are all sound, move on to testing the connections between the parts on the front of the battery charger. Ensure that the connections leading to the fuse and the meter are continuous.
Step 9. Testing The Ammeter
Replace the ammeter if there is no continuity or discernible resistance between points 12 and 13.
Step 10. Testing The Capacitor
- Good Capacitor: The capacitor leads are disconnected from the transformer after setting the ohmmeter to read resistance (in ohms). When the ohmmeter leads are connected to the capacitor terminals (4 and 5), in a good capacitor, the meter needle quickly moves to higher resistance and jumps to the middle of the scale.
- Open Capacitor: The meter needle remains at a high resistance when the ohmmeter leads are connected to the terminals. If the capacitor has failed “Open”, there may be a visible bulge on the top.
- Shorted Capacitor: The meter needle immediately jumps to zero ohms and stays there when the leads are attached to the capacitor terminals.
Step 11. Test The Diodes
Diodes are one-way gates that only allow dc voltage to flow in one direction. Connect your continuity tester leads to positions 1 and 3 as shown in the above illustration, then swap the leads. In either case, you should experience continuity. Follow the same steps for numbers 2 and 3.
Step 12. Test All Transformer Windings
Use your multimeter to check the primary and secondary sides for any open windings by referring to the schematic for the battery charger that you are using. In the aforementioned illustration, the two white/tan leads represent the primary winding, and the tan leads represent the secondary winding.
How To Tell A Bad Golf Cart Charger?
We are researching this question in general and sometimes get confused between our golf cart charger and golf cart battery. This situation frequently arises when the power supply is inadequate or the charger is not receiving enough voltage to charge golf cart batteries. These considerations should be kept in mind as we examine the charger in our golf cart to see if it needs to be replaced.
- After being powered on, the charger for the golf cart is not acting in any way.
- Once you’ve used a different golf cart charger, see if your batteries respond.
- If the issue is with the battery, test your golf cart charger with a different cart or do the opposite.
You can determine whether your golf cart charger is functioning properly or not with the aid of the aforementioned key points.
