Portable Phone / Tablet charger for electric golf carts

mikeintopeka · 2017-12-22T03:46:48+00:00

I wondered why a portable charger was not available for golf carts and now there is at least one on the market. Looks pretty neat and will be for the guy tha...

mikeintopeka

Rickochet - The 12v outlet seems a lot more practical and that is neat you actually made the modification. That opens up so many other uses in addition to the air compressor. Maybe Santa will bring you one of those hot/cold plug in coolers, or a portable TV, or a boom box! How about a power drill to keep those grooves sharp during the round? 😁

Rick, I'm planning to be out to Lex visiting my daughter when she delivers her first baby in March. Maybe we can tee one up together?

Rickochet

mikeintopeka Rick, I'm planning to be out to Lex visiting my daughter when she delivers her first baby in March. Maybe we can tee one up together?

Sure, let me know. Lots of nice courses in the area. I play Golf Club of the Bluegrass quite a bit. March weather if usually iffy.

JeffTilley

puttnfool

It’s a good idea for those of us who listen to music while we play ALL day.

PA-PLAYA

Over the past year I've used several "newer" carts at upscale clubs that came equipped with smartphone USB cable connection chargers.

And none of them have worked.

Great concept in theory, but not reliable given my experiences.

Rickochet

PA-PLAYA Great concept in theory, but not reliable given my experiences.

That is strange. Most every automobile today has both 12v and USB outlets and I have never seen one of those that didn't work.

PA-PLAYA

Rickochet

Just my experiences, which do not represent the mean, mind you.. just that in the several occasions I've brought a USB cable and plugged in - my phone doesn't charge.

Not that I really cared... My phone is generally 80% charged or better when I take to the course. I keep it on silent mode, and I'm never disrupting those I play with.

I do enjoy an occasional bluetooth playlist when play my home course, but I tend to keep my phone in "do not disturb" status as to not disrupt those I play with.

Never had an issue really. But if a facility is going to promote that "perk" with the latest and greatest features of their carts - at the very least they should make sure it functions accordingly.

Martee

Cart has 2 usb ports and a 12v aux port. I find it Very handy. It came built into the dash on my Yahama. I do wonder since it is gas what the drain is on its battery, but Yahama did put in a real battery, not a lawnmower or motorcycle one.

Check out Jan 2018 golf mag, article on Greg Norman and in it about investing in ezgo golf carts that are well equipped.

Rickochet

Martee Cart has 2 usb ports and a 12v aux port. I find it Very handy. It came built into the dash on my Yahama. I do wonder since it is gas what the drain is on its battery, but Yahama did put in a real battery, not a lawnmower or motorcycle one.

Anything you use on the USB ports is going to have minimal drain on the battery. You can get into some higher power hogs with dc powered beverage coolers or air cooling units. Something that you can add easily is a digital volt meter to monitor battery status if it is a concern. Voltage monitoring is more critical on an electric cart than a gasser. This past spring I converted my EZGO 36v electric to a lithium pack. It weighs 45lbs compared to the 450lb. pack of lead acid batts.

Martee

Rickochet That is interesting, conversion... Hadn't thought of that, just decided I was tired of replacing batteries so I went for a gas cart. What was the source for the lithium pack?

Rickochet

PA-PLAYA Never had an issue really. But if a facility is going to promote that "perk" with the latest and greatest features of their carts - at the very least they should make sure it functions accordingly.

I would suggest trying another USB cable. If that doesn't work just ask the pro shop dude why the port doesn't work. They may not be aware that they don't work or they may have disabled them for some reason. Odd if this happens on different courses.

PA-PLAYA

Rickochet

Perhaps.

Visited my buddy and played his private course down in Orlando for 4-5 rounds. The USB charging port didn't work despite using different carts/different cables. Also played several other upscale area courses down there and experienced the same thing.

Might be a regional thing.

Not that it matters to me, other than if you're gonna offer that privilege - make sure it works. Otherwise don't advertise it as an additional perk.

Rickochet

Martee Rickochet That is interesting, conversion... Hadn't thought of that, just decided I was tired of replacing batteries so I went for a gas cart. What was the source for the lithium pack?

There is a company in Nevada that makes battery packs for golf carts from harvested lithium cells from Nissan Leaf vehicle packs. EVbatterycenter.com.

Here is the lith pack sitting next to a 24 size auto battery. The six 6v cart batteries it replaced were much bigger than the battery shown.