How to test an electric golf cart motor?

How to test an electric golf cart motor?

OUTL4W

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How do I tell if my motor is series or shunt wound? I have a 1995 ds 36v with a controller.
There’s nothing visually different between the two that I know of but a shunt motor has the field windings connected in parallel with the armature .. and a series motor has the field windings connected in series with the armature.

But perhaps Crash Test Dummy crash test dummy has a better idea?
 

Crash Test Dummy

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How to tell the difference between a Series and a Regen cart. CLUB CAR
(4 easy ways to tell the difference - Use at least 2 of 5 to confirm.)

1. Does the Golf Cart have a Tow/Run switch or Run/Maintenance switch? This would be under the seat. If the cart DOES have this switch, it is a Regen (Regenerative Braking) cart.
If there is NOT a switch, then its a Series cart.
See examples below

Club Car
Tow/Run Switch


2. Series Vehicle Features
Club Car Series Cart Features
-
OR


3. Does the motor have a speed sensor wire protruding from the end head? If the answer is YES, then it is a Regen motor.
If there is NO speed sensor lead on the motor, then it is a Series motor.

Club Car Regen Motor

4. Are there 2 smaller diameter (1/4-20 UNC) terminals and 2 larger diameter (5/16-18 UNC) terminals on the motor?
Or are all 4 terminal studs on the motor the same size (5/16-18 UNC)?
If there are 2 smaller and 2 larger terminals bolts, its a Regen motor.
If all 4 bolts are the same size, then its a Series motor.


5. What do the motor Field Coil Windings Look Like?
a. Regen motors have "shunt" or "round wire" coils, usually with smaller gauge wire (12AWG - 24AWG range). Usuaully, with a large amount of turns (60 to 200+ turns) per field coil.
b. Series motors have "flat wire" coils with larger wire sizes. Usually, the wire is rectanular in shape (cross-section). These coils have a much lower number of turns (usually 5 to 15 turns) per field coil.


Note: A Regen cart will normally automatically slow down when you hit approximately 15 MPH going down a hill. This is for safety reasons (as not to over-spin the armature).


EZGO CARTS
 
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Wow!! Lots of info , thank you !! Mine doesn’t have a tow/ run switch so I can use the series wound schematic to test it. Bought this thing as a basket case somebody gave up on. Figured it’d be a good way to learn. Thanks again, Mark
 
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Thanks, the diagram will be extremely helpful. Hopefully I can get out to the garage this weekend and get this thing moving
 

Snotty B

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Series motors are almost always marked A1,A2 and S1, S2 S stands for stater and that is the stationary windings of the motor.

Sepex or Separately excited motors are almost always marked A1, A2 and F1, F2 The F stands for field and that also is the stationary windings in the motor.

These markings can almost always be found on the outside can next to the terminals
 

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