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- Subject: ET charging and controllers
- From: John G <zoo_keeper_johng yahoo com>
- Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 12:26:50 -0700 (PDT)
Well, I finally did it. I sprang for a "Landis Controller". I
installed it Saturday, and it should be no supprise to anyone,
it worked flawlessly right out of the box. Shipping was
ligntning quick too.
Because I have a factory three-prong 36Vdc cord tapped into the
accessory plug under the hood of my tractor, I simple wired the
Voltage sense wires to a three pronged plug and plugged it in to
the existing factory recepticle. The sense circuit was now
complete. I measured the voltage at the batteries, accessory
recepticle (rivited to the left side), and at the controller.
The volateges were all the same to two sig-figs.
Since my timer had been bypassed long ago, it was a simple task
to take the old wires (black) that the timer interruped from the
line cord to the charger, and connect them to the Landis
controller using the provided terminal rings. I ran the line
wires up thru the hole where the old timer had been, and affixed
the controller to the timer mounting board with two #10 machine
screws and locknuts.
Project #2 was to replace the long-dead charging capacitor. Two
hours of phone work yielded ony one cap and thatwould cost me
just over $20 after shipping and sales tax. I logged onto the
'net, checked www.grainger.com, and after closing Opera (my
browser of choice) and opening IE, found just what I needed. A
4 MFD 440Vac/1000Vdc motor RUN capacitor, all for $4.99 +tax.
Ok, called our local #, four in stock at the local branch. I
ran over and picked it up.
On the advice of Larry E., I had removed (and throughly taped)
one of the wires from the old cap earlier this year. I drilled
a 1/4" hold (actually enlarged one of the perforations in the
charger cover) to allow room for a "ny-tie" to be used to secure
the new cap. I was not about to be sticking my hand or a metal
object where 40+Vdc and 120+Vac meet. No thanks. I pulled the
cap wires (red) up thru the timer hole one at a time, connected
them to the new cap, and judiciously taped the H#LL out of them.
Confident that no shorts were possible, I secured the cap to
the top of the charger cover on the right side. I then replaced
the timer mounting board, with my new Landis controller
installed on it and plugged it into the line.
WOW! 45.1 Vdc!!! Before the new cap, the volt meter (digital)
read 41.6!!! I also noticed that the charger is MUCH quieter
now, I would guess about 1/4 as loud as before.
I am very pleased. I will now be able to prevent overcharging,
provide for a maintenance charge, and provide more amperage over time.
=====
John G, '73 E12
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