DC-DC Converters

A DC-DC converter is a discrete solid state device that converts DC voltage from one level to another. The ability to do so becomes interestingly handy primarily when adding accessories to electric vehicles. For instance if you had a golf cart or LSV which uses eight, 6 volt batteries in series for a total pack voltage of 48 volts, you could simply wire your 12 volt headlights to two of the batteries which would supply you 12 volts, but why is this a bad idea?

This becomes a bad idea when you take into consideration the battery recharging cycle. The two batteries that you are using to provide 12 volts to your new lights has discharged those two batteries below the rest of the batteries in the pack. One of two things will happen during a recharge cycle; the two batteries discharged further than the rest of the pack will never catch up to the other batteries, or the rest of the batteries will be overcharged as a result of the charger trying to bring up the two deeper discharged batteries. This continual undercharging or overcharging of your battery bank will lead to premature failure and drastically reduced run times.

While typical electric vehicle chargers do provide for some pack equalization during recharge cycles they are in no means a substitute for proper system design. Employing a DC-DC converter in the above scenario allows you to spread the additional load of your new headlights among all eight batteries in your pack, keeping discharge and re-charge cycles equal.

While a DC-DC converter is an additional upfront expense, it is a fraction of what you will spend prematurely replacing your battery bank and necessary when using accessories for electric vehicles. Order yours today! 1-800-333-1194 or www.fsip.biz