"ed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I know little about electrical issues, so I am looking for some help
answering two questions:

1. I have a cordless drill with an 18V nicad pack. At some point,
the
charger failed (no voltage measured off the leads).

I read the thread to date - agree with all points made.

BTW, not totally O/T but I have given up on Nicad powerd screwdrivers.
In the three I have had, all of them had failed sub-C size NiCads
would have cost more to replace than the whole unit cost in the first
place! I had modest success in the beginning by canibalizing good
sub-C cells from dead drills to keep the other running. I right PITA,
they are welded together. Eventually, I gave up and now I just power
them from a junked PC power supply (the 5 VDC high current output.)
Don't worry obout the higher voltage; the nominally 3.6 volt motor
thrives on 5 volts - lots of torque and still going strong! You do
have to live with a 16 gauge wire lead, though, and plugging in the
P/S at the worksite.

I also have a small B&D drill (6 VDC.) While it's still going
"strognishly", it now seems to need charging more often - I suspect
its going the way of the screwdrivers. I'll have to find a wired P/S
solution again!

Cheers,
Roger