Corless Drill Battery Charger Kaputz!

[originel]

Well out of that crop firestorm is the only real budget drill. I've seen it happen to skills and some other budget drills. Plus the chargers that come with dewalts, makitas, and the like have protection in them to keep a bad battery from killing them. This firestorm charger is just a transformer with leads, i.e. absolutely no protection.

I hope you can get that charger for free, that would be really great! the chargers that those places sell aren't stock and should have that protection in them

[Xtreeme]

Watch useing dewalt charger and batt. I had a dewalt 14v now for 7 years or so. And bought a second one cause how good they are two years ago. Anyhow they have a IC int eh batt that tells charger if its too hot, if its charging right, if its got bad cell. You name it. This wont like a dumb batt. from a firestorm less they too have IC integrated but I doubt it. Oh by the way Dewalt is Black and Decker just their high end sold under diff name.

[JW]

Had a simular problem with 2 new 14.4v skil cordless drills.
4 batteries and 2 chargers are shorted out. Less than 1 year old.
Here's a link for the skil

http://store.yahoo.com/boschpowertoo...toteyobos.html

The chargers they sell with the skil drills are cr@p.

Smart charger link.

http://store.yahoo.com/boschpowertoo...oimliofyo.html

[Xtreeme]

I got the cure for all those batt. and charger problems. Buy dewalt. I used to be a contractor and Im telling you-DEWALT rules for long lasting and hard working. Mine 14.4 v one is so old -its the first model they made. Been dropped from step ladder 4-5' to concrete floor, beaten, heated up from continues useage. You name it. Still rocks though. Cant beat that quality..Have one of their saw-zaw's too, same thing unstoppable.

[OuTpaTienT]

I agree about DeWalt. They are pricey but worth every penny. And yes they will stand up to some incredible abuse and keep right on chugging along.

However my current favorite drill/screwgun is my Craftsman. It too has been taking quite a bit of torture and just keeps on working. It's was originally a 12v drill, and I guess technically it still is a 12v drill, but I've modified it to use an 18v battery pack as well as a 19.2v pack. When I did this I completely expected the motor to burn out within a week or so. That was over a year ago. It gets almost daily use...usually with the 18v batt. Still going strong.

[OuTpaTienT]

Hehe. I just realized what I have done. Never really thought about it before. I've overclocked my drill.

[Xtreeme]

Hehe, I did that with one co workers 12v dewalt. Put my 14.4v in it. It worked fine. Little warmer than before but not hotter then my 14.4 gets anyways. Just from extra power is all. I looked at the motor in mine, upgraded the chuck to dewalt keyless 1/2 inch instead of 3/8ths. Really a jacob chuck. And the motor in mine and his 12v look the same even. I think up to 18v alot of these co's use the same motor. At 18v however it changes cause I tore a 18v Dewalt apart and it has a larger motor, but gear box is same.

[Beemer]

Update:
I used Black & Decker Online Support to get some info.

re: Need Firestorm 14.4V charger, ps180

Hello Gene and thanks for using Black & Decker's on-line support.

If you are experiencing charger failure, your batteries should be tested for the correct voltage. When a charger fails, it could be because one of the batteries has a shorted cell. This can put an excessive load on the charger causing it to fail.

The batteries should be tested at our Vancouver service center:

Black & Decker
1735 Boundary Road
Vancouver, BC
604-291-9942

You can also test a battery by using a digital multimeter. To test the battery, it should be charged on a good Firestorm three-hour charger (do not use any other charger). The battery only needs to be placed on the charger for two minutes (this will not damage the charger if only done for two minutes). After charging for two minutes, its normal voltage should reach (example: 9.6 volt will read 9.6 volt). Batteries that do not reach their potential voltage will have a shorted cell.

A battery that has a shorted cell should not be used.

Along with getting the batteries tested, you may also obtain extra batteries and chargers through that same service center.

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you. If your question remains unresolved or if you require additional information please update this incident.

Sincerely,

Lynda

Appearently, there can be a dead cell in a battery that will screw up the charger as originel has said.

Cheers!

[OuTpaTienT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beemer

Appearently, there can be a dead cell in a battery that will screw up the charger as originel has said.

Yep. Have you ever opened up one of those battery packs? All they are is bunch of small cells (about the size of a "C" battery or smaller) wired in series. The higher voltage packs simply have more cells in them.

[Beemer]

Never had the chance to open one up. May have the chance soon though. lol

Cheers!