Battery Charger...?

David Agnew

Member
Messages
285
Hey guys, please check my logic.

I have an electrolysis setup that's been running fine for about 10 months now. Today, I couldn't get it to work to save my life; I think the charger is toast.

I have a cheap HF 6v/6a - 12v/2a - 12v/12a charger.

I used my multimeter to test and here's what I did:
-Set meter to 20v DC
-Clipped the red charger clip to the red meter lead
-Clipped the black charger clip to the black meter lead
-Set the charger to 12v/12a
-Turned on the meter and the charger

The meter read zilch. In my mind, it should read 12v, right? I set the charger to 6v also, still ZERO. The little ammeter on the charger jumps every time I change the setting on it.

My multimeter is fine; show's my car battery at 12.56v.

Think the charger is busted?

Thanks.
 
If it is a smart charger it will not read anything unless it senses at least 6 or 7 volts across the terminals. Connect your meter to a battery then connect the charger across the battery also the battery voltage should go up, if it does not then the charger is zapped.
 
Thank you all for the tips.

Jim - Nah, I've got 2 months left on my 1 year replacement plan, so I'll take it back before I take it apart.

Wayne - I own a multimeter but don't know how to do that. :)

Robert - That thought had crossed my mind also. Although it has a note on the front that says "6v setting requires manual turn off" which suggests to me the 12v settings are "smart" but the 6v is "always on". Well, I'll take 10 minutes to hook it up to the car, see how that works.

Thanks.
 
Cool...glad you got it handled. Bummer you had to deal with it, but HF is pretty good about replacing faulty tools.
 
Glad it all worked out for you. Good to hear HF stands behind their warranty.

But now yu gotta show is what you cooking up.....planes?????

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
HF now is like Sears used to be... no questions asked, just get a new one.

Yup. WWII #5 Bailey plane.

As seen here: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?27820-My-First-Plane-Restoration-Purchase

I've done the lever cap, chip breaker and blade. I'll be doing the frog today.

It's interesting because I've never done this kind of stuff detail-level stuff before. All of the stuff I've done before is big dumb wrenches. No small parts (screws), no paint or japanning; just cook it for a day, wire wheel it, wax and you're done. I'm really hoping all the japanning cooks off the frog and bed so I can easily start over from scratch on them, but I guess I'll find out in about 12 hours! :D
 
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