redwood wrote:

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
S4VB is a 4A bridge rectifier, and the 10 means 100V working.

A 10A or higher (50V or higher) bridge rectifier will be fine.
(A 4A bridge rectifier was obviously inadiquate.)
I would also get some heat sink compound to smear between the
new rectifier and the heatsink.

Got the rectifier from my local Maplins and is now fitted. It's twice
the size of the original with bigger spade connectors so had to replace
the ends of the 4 wires. It was a bit confusing knowing which way round
the - wires go as the only markings on the new rectifier only displayed
on one side showing the AC & +. Going round in a clockwise direction,
if the 1st terminal is AC+, the 2nd terminal is DC+, I connected the 3rd
terminal to AC-, and the 4th terminal to DC-

I've not yet tried it connected to a battery but it now powers on
without clicking and connecting a DVM to the croc clips shows around
12.06v or 6.02 on the 6 volt setting. I shall give it a test on a
battery tomorrow.

Don't buy anything from Maplins. My broadband started to go slow and my
ISP said I needed a new filter. Maplins said I needed new cable. I
bought new cable but the broadband speeded up again - must have been
BT. So I took the cable back. But because it had been machine packed
there is no way I would return it "in the same condition". The cable
WAS "in the same condition". But the idiots said the packing had to be
the same -- impossible!

If they want to get things back "correctly" they should use packing it
is possible to pack.

Every other company I've taken anything back to, in living memory has
accepted it back with full refund.

Except Maplins.

Don't even think of shopping with them.