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12V golf car lights using 36V power - overview guide

by: tizgolfcars( 125Feedback score is 100 to 499) Top 10000 Reviewer
7 out of 7 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 1140 times Tags: ezgo | golf | car | batteries | 36V power


The best solution is a heavy duty voltage reducer.  Voltage reducers come in many different configurations, capacities and prices.  This is a complex subject and you need some experience in 12VDC systems.  For the sake of simplicity I will speak of voltage in terms rounded to the nearest full volt.  (So if an 6V battery reads 6.14 volts its simply an 6V battery)

Golf car light kits and universal light kits are 12 volts.  12V from a 36V battery pack is obtained using one of two methods.  Use two batteries in series or install a heavy duty voltage reducer.  Also keep in mind you must use a heavy duty voltage reducer on 36V golf cars.  Economy reducers are not suitable or relevant for making 12V power in a 36V electric system. 

We sell heavy duty voltage reducers in our eBay store.

You may not even need a voltage reducer for your golf car.  The advantages to installing a heavy duty voltage reducer are many and include:
  • even battery wear, all six batteries discharge equally
  • longer overall battery life
  • longer running cycles, car travels longer distances on a single charge
  • consistent electric power supply for radios and CD/MP3 players
When deciding if you need a reducer you need to consider what accessories you wish to power.
  1. 12V lights only
  2. 12V lights and an accessory port for your cell phone charger
  3. 12V lights, accessory port, horn
  4. All of the above and a radio
Options one through three do not require a reducer, simply use two batteries in series for 12V.  Option four requires a six battery voltage reducer with a high amp output. A six battery voltage reducer uses all batteries in series to drop 36V down to 12V.  Radios require the full battery pack reducer because radios require a constant 12V input.  A two battery reducer will have its output interrupted every time you step on the "go" pedal of your cart.  In other words with the radio on the cart standing still you start the cart forward and your radio cuts out using only two batteries for 12V power.

This guides examples uses a year 1995 36V ezgo medalist brand golf car.  Open the battery compartment and set aside the cushion.  Standing on the drivers side of the golf cart will look similar to the following:




Battery compartment conceals some of the batteries and are best shown as an illustration.  The battery cables in the photograph are black, the illustrations use red battery cables for clarity.





12V power using two batteries in series: Obtain 12V power using the first battery in the series.  Only first and second batteries are used.  Positive terminal A for positive "hot" and negative battery terminal B for "ground".  Remember its manditory to ground all of your accessories to the battery pack.  Frame ground is unacceptable and can start an electrical fire.  If you do not know what frame ground is thats fine, forget about frame ground and move on.  Simply take the positive terminal A to the hot side of the accessory.   Return the power from the accessory to battery pack, ground the accessory to the negative termial B.

12V power using a voltage reducer: Positive terminal A goes to voltage reducer, voltage reducer grounds to negative terminal C.  There are several different voltage reducers on the market a single guide cannot include them all.  See my upcoming model specific guides for installing voltage reducers.

This is a lengthy topic that could fill several pages with dozens of photos.  See my guides in the near future for more exacting details and how to instructions with illustrations for all of the various accessories.

Guide ID: 10000000006371921Guide created: 03/28/08 (updated 06/20/08)

 
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