On Tue, 24 May 2011 17:03:17 -0500, Puddin' Man
wrote:
I don't think they really wanna
honor the recall.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03082.html
Looks like the $25 rebate is all that they are offering.
Maybe calling them back and asking for the name of the company
attorney and whether this recall is defacto admission of their
responsibility if your garage burns down, might get their attention.
Are there any guidelines for substituting these things? I'd like to keep the drill,
but can hardly afford to burn the house down. :-)
Not without knowing where the charge controller (probably just a
resistor) is located. If it's inside the wall wart, you'll need to
add an identical resistor. If it's inside the drill, you can probably
get away with your 12VDC substitute. Measure the current drain at the
charger output.
Lost me there. Measure the *drain* at the charger output? But I'm
pretty sure it is inside the buggered charger.
I guess it might be difficult to measure the current if the charger is
dead.
The problem is that we don't really know how the charging system works
without tearing it apart. If the blown charger has a resistor in
series with the output, there's no way to know at this point without
cracking it open, or comparing it with another working unit.
Start by using an ohms-guesser on the charger base. Cut the cord. Is
there DC continuity between the two wires and the contacts on the
charger base? If there's a measurable resistance, then the charger
base has either a resistor, or complexicated charge controller in the
base. I would therefore guess(tm) that the wall wart is just a simple
wall wart with nothing more complex than a thermal fuse inside.
However, if there is DC continuity between the leads and the battery
terminal connections, then the charge controller is inside the wall
wart, and a simple replacement isn't going to work.
Since the power supply is obviously blown and useless, tearing it
apart should reveal if there's anything inside. You'll probably find
a thermal fuse. If it's blown, just replace it with a similar thermal
fuse, glue the case back together, and continue charging. However, if
there's a series resistor inside (which is what I suspect), then use
the 12V adapter, add a similar resistor in series, measure the
charging current, and see if it's reasonable 0.1C. If not, adjust the
resistor value for 0.1C charging current.
My guess(tm) is you should have a mess of AA size
NiCd batteries inside the drill, which are usually rated at 750ma-hr.
Using the 0.1C rule, that would be a charging current of about 75ma
max.
It's evidently all original: charger is 92950, power pack is 92955,
and is a *sealed* unit. I see no way to take it apart.
Am I missing something here?
Most chargers and charging bases are solvent welded together. They
can usually be cracked open with brute force. Place a masons chisel
along the glue line, and beat on it with a hammer. The glue line
should crack as the plastic bends. If not, just use a hack saw to saw
along the glue line. Do the repair, and then glue the case back
together.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558