I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. The battery was still uncharged. I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Thanks,
Piers

"Piers Finlayson" wrote in message
.. .
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. The battery was still uncharged. I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

Assuming the batteries are also near freezing, they will appear to charge
but depending on type need need to be at least 5-10 deg C.

In message , Piers
Finlayson wrote
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. The battery was still uncharged. I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).


The components themselves in your charger should work at 0C or below
however you can get condensation forming on the exposed electronics
causing a short or resistive path between components or component
connections. Brining the charger into a room at 20/25C would have dried
out the moisture and allowed it to work again.

--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

"Piers Finlayson" wrote in message
.. .
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. The battery was still uncharged. I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Google as usual answers most problems.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-14.htm
--
Dave Baker

In article ,
Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I
put an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the
charger indicated charging was complete. The battery was still
uncharged. I then tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house
instead of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same problem so
rang the service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and
they'd send a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Typical Ni-Cad behaviour. Useless at low temperatures. Think Li-Ion may be
ok.

--
*I pretend to work. - they pretend to pay me.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend.
I put an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds
the charger indicated charging was complete. The battery was still
uncharged. I then tried with the other battery and got the same
problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house
instead of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same
problem so rang the service center up and they said the charger must
be faulty and they'd send a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault?
There's no operating temperature in the instructions, although the
charger does say for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding
is still indoors!).

Typical Ni-Cad behaviour. Useless at low temperatures. Think Li-Ion
may be ok.

Highjacking this thread, I've noticed my LED torch doesn't seem to light up
when cold - e.g. left in the van overnight, but lights up after a while in
the warm.

Do LED's do this or do I just have a duff torch?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Dec 29, 9:41*am, Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. *I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. *The battery was still uncharged. *I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. *Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? *There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Thanks,
Piers

Im sure the manual would have informed you it was out of range, mine
does. LiIon will be ruined trying that.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:39:36 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Highjacking this thread, I've noticed my LED torch doesn't seem to light
up when cold - e.g. left in the van overnight, but lights up after a
while in the warm.

Do LED's do this or do I just have a duff torch?

The LEDs don't care about the cold but the battery does. Some fail
completely around or below 0C but recover when warmed back up. Others also
fail and lose all their charge as well. Lithium based battery technology
does best in the cold.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:16:52 -0800 (PST), ransley wrote:

On Dec 29, 9:41*am, Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. *I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. *The battery was still uncharged. *I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. *Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? *There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Thanks,
Piers

Im sure the manual would have informed you it was out of range, mine
does. LiIon will be ruined trying that.

As I said, the manual does not indicate any operating temperature for any
of the equipment.

Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. The battery was still uncharged. I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Thanks,
Piers

Plenty of kit is so badly designed that it fails to work at quite small
deviations from 'room temperatures'

If its a nickel fast charger, its rather critical ..they work by
detecting a voltage drop that indicates the pack is as full as it can be
got.

If the kit itself is heating up enough to fool the sensing that the
voltage has dropped, it might well terminate early.

On Dec 29, 9:41*am, Piers Finlayson wrote:
I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. *I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. *The battery was still uncharged. *I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. *Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.

However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? *There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Thanks,
Piers

It is not the charger. It is the battery which won't take charge at
low temperatures.

M. Moorthi
www.battery-consulting.com

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:39:36 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Highjacking this thread, I've noticed my LED torch doesn't seem to
light up when cold - e.g. left in the van overnight, but lights up
after a while in the warm.

Do LED's do this or do I just have a duff torch?

The LEDs don't care about the cold but the battery does. Some fail
completely around or below 0C but recover when warmed back up. Others
also fail and lose all their charge as well. Lithium based battery
technology does best in the cold.

Yes of course. It has bog standard AAA's in it, I wonder what temp they
stop working at?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:32:29 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

It has bog standard AAA's in it, I wonder what temp they stop working
at?

Most batteries give up or become seriously impaired near or below 0C.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:32:29 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

It has bog standard AAA's in it, I wonder what temp they stop working
at?

Most batteries give up or become seriously impaired near or below 0C.

Didn't Ice Station Zebra go on and on about NiFe batteries and low
temperatures? (Must be well over 30 years since I read that.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On 29 Dec, 17:47, "Dave Baker" wrote:
"Piers Finlayson" wrote in message

.. .



I cracked open an el cheapo cordless power tool set at the weekend. *I put
an uncharged battery into the charger an after a few seconds the charger
indicated charging was complete. *The battery was still uncharged. *I then
tried with the other battery and got the same problem.

I tried again today, this time using the charger inside the house instead
of an unheated outbuilding. *Initially I got the same problem so rang the
service center up and they said the charger must be faulty and they'd send
a new one.
Some fast chargers measure the battery volts first and if it's zero
assume the battery is a dud and won't try to charge it. The battery
needs to be trickle charged a small amount to get the volts up then it
will fast charge.

J




However, after a few hours - now the charger has come up to room
temperature (from around freezing) - it seems to be working fine and
charging the batteries

Have others experienced this, or does it sound like a fault? *There's no
operating temperature in the instructions, although the charger does say
for indoor use only (and I'd claim my outbuilding is still indoors!).

Google as usual answers most problems.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-14.htm
--
Dave Baker