# Relay size and wiring help for golf cart project.



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I am assuming those number are pin numbers typically seen on an auto-style DC relay.

You would need a relay that is rated for the current and voltage of both the primary (trigger) side and the secondary side. I imagine the secondary side would see a fair bit of current. You can reduce the voltage on the primary side but you are still left needing a relay that can handle x amps @ 48 volts.


----------



## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

Not all that familiar with golf carts. Have no idea what 48v to 12 volt reducer is. Getting a seloniod that is rated for 48v and is operated by 12v is doable. 
You can make the circuit as complicated as you want. Keeping the power circuit as short as possible is a good idea. The 48v side has a lot of current running thru the wires. Keeping those as short as possible will help out in the long term.
As for you choices in what your trying to use. They are not the type of switch I would use. 
It is important to know what is OFF. There are lots of conditions that knowing the cart is OFF is a really good thing. Your type of switch in my experience will not provide the visual backup of the switches position. 

Try this page


https://cartaholics.com/resources/categories/club-car-electric-diagrams.3/



To me it seems more logicial to create a 12v circuit(s) for lights, radio, etc using a voltage changer, rather than a separate battery.


----------



## Iceberg62 (11 mo ago)

It wouldn’t be a separate battery. It’s one 48v battery. The switch I want to use is only rated for 12v though. All of the accessories run through a 48v to 12v reducer. So I was wondering if a 12v relay would handle the 48v current or if the 12v switch could open and close a 48v relay. And the switch I want to use is lit when it’s on and not lit when it’s off so it does have a visual indicator of power. Make sense?








28mm 'ENGINE START STOP' Billet Push Button Switch Push Start


28mm laser etched billet buttons *You need to have a push button start module installed to make a push button start and also stop the car. Made to order laser etched billet buttons are fitted with an LED that can be wired so that it is active when the button is pushed in or when the headlights...




billetautomotivebuttons.com


----------



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

delete


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I suppose I'm not getting the point of a automotive-type start-stop button. If you want to replace the key switch, any toggle switch rated for the voltage and current would do the same thing. You said that the current switch connects the battery to the solenoid - what solenoid? I have been assuming this is an electric cart. Without knowing the wiring diagram we are dancing in the dark.


----------



## Iceberg62 (11 mo ago)

It is an electric cart. The solenoid brings power from the battery pack to the rest of the cart, including the controller. The key switch closes that circuit and engages the solenoid. The point of the push button is that I would like to use a push button, not a toggle. It’s a personal preference. I like to do things in a unique way. I don’t want what everyone else has or does. No worries, I’m pretty sure I got it figured out. I’m going to use a solid state relay that allows me to switch the 48v key switch power with a 12v switch.
Like the picture below. The push button looks cool. Toggle switches look like…toggle switches.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Iceberg62 said:


> It is an electric cart. The solenoid brings power from the battery pack to the rest of the cart, including the controller. The key switch closes that circuit and engages the solenoid. The point of the push button is that I would like to use a push button, not a toggle. It’s a personal preference. I like to do things in a unique way. I don’t want what everyone else has or does. No worries, I’m pretty sure I got it figured out. I’m going to use a solid state relay that allows me to switch the 48v key switch power with a 12v switch.
> Like the picture below. The push button looks cool. Toggle switches look like…toggle switches.


Fill yer boots. I'm assuming there is a 12v circuit in the cart to power lights, etc.

I'm still not getting the role of the solenoid, which turns electrical (magnetic) energy into physical motion, but perhaps it's just me.


----------



## Iceberg62 (11 mo ago)

On a golf cart, 36v or 48v reducers are used to power 12v accessories. That’s where the 12v power comes from for the switch.
A solenoid is a basic component of all golf cart electrical systems. Whether it’s gas or electric.


----------



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

The solenoid in the cart works like the starter solenoid in a car. The ignition switch is a low current device used to operate the solenoid (a relay) the controls the high current to the starter.
In the golf cart the solenoid controls high current from the battery to the electric drive motor. The key or pushbutton switch supplies the low current to the selenoid.

Sent from my SM-T500 using Tapatalk


----------



## myz8a4re (May 5, 2020)

Iceburg62, what you are trying to do is basically the same thing I did with the the RFID kit. The automotive relay did work using 12v to trigger 48v for the ignition but I didn't have it installed long before removing that set up. Eventually you will need a better relay designed for higher voltage. Club car actually uses 48v relay behind the dash. You could use the same or similar relay for what you are trying to do. I know they make one that works for a wide range of voltages with a low voltage trigger capability. I believe the automotive relay will eventually fail with 48v running through it constantly when the ignition is turned on. It's funny because that's where I started initially, wanting the "push button" start, which led to the RFID kit and now my remote start set up. I totally get the cool factor and uniqueness you want.


----------



## Iceberg62 (11 mo ago)

I appreciate it. Dayton makes a solid state relay (as well as others) that lets you switch high voltage using lower voltage. It’s about $35. I’m going to give it a shot. If it all fails, I’ll figure something else out. This isn’t my zombie apocalypse vehicle. It’s my, drive to the community park when it’s not too hot or too cold, vehicle. 🤣


----------



## myz8a4re (May 5, 2020)

Hahah, I hear ya....That must the same or similar relay I found when I was doing research on my project. Sounds like you got it pretty figured out at this point. Be sure to post up your results, I'm curious to hear how your project pans out.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

rjniles said:


> The solenoid in the cart works like the starter solenoid in a car. The ignition switch is a low current device used to operate the solenoid (a relay) the controls the high current to the starter.
> In the golf cart the solenoid controls high current from the battery to the electric drive motor. The key or pushbutton switch supplies the low current to the selenoid.
> 
> Sent from my SM-T500 using Tapatalk


Might be semantics. To me that is a controller; a solenoid implies physical motion, like an automotive starter solenoid, electric valve, old-style doorbell, etc.


----------



## Iceberg62 (11 mo ago)

You must have both, but they are very different. Simple explanation of a DC solenoid:
An electromagnetic device, a “plunger”, it is simply a coil of wire commonly configured to create/move a magnet via its action. A door lock for example.








On a golf cart, when the ignition is turned on the circuit is completed which charges the coil of the solenoid. That actuates the plunger to make the connection to let that current flow to the controller and allow the cart to move…as I understand it. The higher the current requirements of the motor and controller, the larger the solenoid must be.


----------

