eBay


Over 2,023 OF THESE HAVE BEEN SOLD ON THIS AUCTION AS OF 8/7/2015! (See upper right hand corner of this auction page, just below the auction price, for the current number)

 

Bid/Buy with Confidence;

I have a 99% (or better!) feedback rating, comprised of over 29,600 total positive feedback.         

You don’t get a rating like that by selling things that don’t work as advertised, or by treating customers with only the utmost respect!!!!!

I have a Bachelors Degree in Business (4-year degree) and an Associates Degree in Electronics Technology (2-year degree), so I am well versed in what I discuss below. I had a 22-year career with GE Healthcare involving electronics before I started this eBay business.

If you find an item cheaper ANYWHERE, email me with the price and web address (URL) and I can usually meet or beat it.  Just email me if you need something, or a part of something like a drill trigger switch, motor, etc.   For how to email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.


Get $7.00 Cash Back for sending me your old charger!

If you return to me any of the Coleman battery chargers shown in the pictures on this auction, you will receive a $7 refund ($10 for a 1-hour model PMD8146 Coleman charger which is shown in the last picture on this auction) on your PayPal account once I receive it.  Some of the chargers did not have the Coleman name or model listed on them, but they are still eligible for the refund.  If you don’t see your charger in my auctions, then it would be best if you emailed me to verify it really is a Coleman charger.  For how to email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.  When I ship this new charger to you, you will receive a sheet with a label on it that you can cut out and paste onto you box.  This sheet also contains details on how much it will cost to ship, and how to protect the item from damage.

I require that the charger (or charger parts) is/are complete for the $7 cash back offer, and not cosmetically damaged (case cracked or taped together, etc).  Paint or scuffs and scratches are OK.  If you only have one of the TWO items that make up the slow charger, I can only give you a partial credit.  The two items are the AC adapter (wall-wart) and the battery base (part that the battery plugs into).  You can email me if you don't have a complete charger, or if you are unsure it is a Coleman charger.  You can also get the credit if you send me the 1-hour charger, which is only comprised of one part, not two.  For how to email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.

The charger parts sent for the cash back must not be missing any electrical parts, or missing pieces of the plastic housings.   If you cut the cord, it may still be eligible for the cash back, but usually only if you left at least 3 inches of cord coming out of the ends of the devices.  I have been sent chargers where the battery portion looks as if it were run over by a car (well, OK, not quite THAT bad, but where large pieces of plastic were gone).  Those would, of course, NOT be eligible for the cash back.

The company that made the original chargers, Team Products, went out of business in 2007.  Therefore I can't buy new plastic body components (I CAN get almost any electrical or electronic component however).  So that is why I must require that the charger be COMPLETE for the full refund.  

NOTE:   If you DO NOT have an old Coleman charger to send back for the $7 credit on your PayPal account, then you just won't get the credit, and that is fine.   You just pay for the auction and ignore all information about the $7 cash back offer. And if you send two chargers, you get $3 for each additional charger (I only pay you for the shipping expense once, not for each one sent).  

Product Information;

This auction is for one NEW and MODIFIED name-brand 3-4 hour charger that will charge all the various types of Coleman 18 volt batteries with FULL OVAL posts (as opposed to slide-in type batteries or batteries with half-oval posts... see auction pictures). It will work with Coleman batteries with TWO or THREE terminals.  AND this charger will not easily burn out like the original Coleman chargers did. I cosmetically and electrically alter this brand NEW name-brand charger to fit BOTH styles (and all 8 variations too) of the Coleman 18 volt batteries. This charger is a replacement for the SLOW and the FAST chargers made by Coleman. It may not fit into your Coleman tool case, as it is slightly larger, but you can just cut away a portion of the inner plastic casing to make room for it.  For instructions on how to email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.


I have applied for a patent (patent pending) on this design also. That is why this auction states it is “NEW (other)”. I buy them new, and then alter them electrically and cosmetically.  I then test them immediately before I ship them with Coleman batteries. There is no picture of this item on the auction for proprietary reasons.


There are about different 8 styles of batteries sold by Coleman with full- and half oval posts, and if you view all 12 pictures on this auction (upper left hand corner of this page), you will see some of them. But there are 6 other variations also. One is all green, one is mostly black with red tabs on the side. Some have 2 metal contacts (terminals) on the post for the electrical connection, and some have 3. This charger will charge ALL of the FULL OVAL post batteries.  It will NOT charge the HALF oval post batteries. See pictures for the difference!!


Types / Models of batteries this charger WILL work with;

Coleman Batteries with FULL-OVAL posts;

  • PMD8127, PMD8127BAT (12V)

  • PMD8128, PMD8128BAT (14.4V)

  • PMD8129, PMD8129BAT (18V)

  • PMD8130, PMD8130BAT (18V)

  • PMD8131, PMD8131BAT (PA1801 or BA1801) and PMD8131BA-PR (18V)

  • CMD8191, CMD8191BAT (18V)

  • Battery models #141 and #166 and #222 (18V)

  • Many other Coleman batteries with the FULL-OVAL battery post.  Some had NO model number on them anywhere.  They just had "18 Volt" on them.  Some were all green, some were green with black tabs, some were all black and some were black with red tabs on the side.  Won't work with PT18BAT battery which is half oval post!!!

  • WILL NOT WORK with;
  • the Coleman PT18BAT 1/2 oval battery shown on the 4th picture on this auction.  That battery does NOT have a FULL-oval post on the battery, and the polarity of the battery is  backwards from my 6th picture on this auction that shows the correct polarity.  That means plugging that battery into this charger will burn out the charger on this auction immediately!  I have put a big red "X" through the picture of the PT18BAT battery on this auction to warn you that it will NOT work with that style battery.
  • the Harbor Freight Battery labeled with just "18 Volts".  That battery DOES have a FULL-oval post, but the polarity of that Harbor Freight battery is  backwards from my 6th picture on this auction that shows the correct polarity.  That means plugging that battery into this charger will burn out the charger on this auction immediately!

  • This charger will also charge any Ni-Cd (Nickel Cadmium) 9.6 volt, 10.8 volt, 12 volt, 13.2 volt, 14.4 volt, 15.6 volt, 16.8 volt and 18 volt batteries from other manufacturers as well, as long as they have the FULL OVAL post (as opposed to the half-oval post), as long as the positive (+) metal contact on the battery post makes contact with the positive (+) metal contact inside the charger when the battery is put into the unplugged charger.

A detailed description of the batteries this charger will charger will have ALL of the below characteristics (all 18V Coleman batteries have all of them, as well as many other brands);

  • a rated voltage from 9.6 volts to 18 volts (9.6V, 10.8V, 12V, 13.2V, 14.4V, 15.6V, 16.8V or 18V)

  • the cells inside the battery use nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) technology. All Coleman batteries used this technology. (example; a 12V battery contains TEN Ni-Cd cells)

  • a post that has the shape of a full oval that protrudes from the base of the battery. All Coleman 18 volt batteries with a post have this shape.

  • alignment of the the small “+” (positive) and “-” (negative) stamped into the top of the post of the battery align the same way as shown in one of the 12 pictures on this auction. I have yet to find a battery that does not have the “+” marked or stamped on it somewhere. I think it is a law that they be marked. If the “+” and “-” are reversed on your battery, this charger will not work for you. All Coleman batteries have the orientation shown on the picture on this auction. You can easily check this with a voltmeter as well, if by chance it isn't marked.

If the (+) and (-) metal contacts are reversed from the picture, you will burn out this charger. I check all chargers before I ship them, so I know they are working before I ship.


If the “+” sign marked on the top of the charger DOES NOT align with the “+” metal contact on the battery post when inserted into the unplugged charger, DO NOT PLUG THE CHARGER INTO THE WALL OUTLET! It will burn it out!


I mount a small object on the top of this charger to prevent you from accidentally plugging your battery in backwards. You could remove this small object, but that is not recommended since SOMEDAY you could forget that it goes on “backwards” (180 degrees from the way it is made to plug into the charger). This will burn it out immediately. I will eventually make a modification to this charger so that batteries that are “oppositely orientated” will work with it.


Items that this charger is meant to work with or replace;

Coleman Chargers (Battery Bases/ Ports  (see section below for the AC adapters used with the slow and fast chargers from Coleman and Harbor Freight, but NOTE that THIS charger on THIS auction will not work for Harbor Freight batteries which have reversed polarity as shown on the 6th picture on this auction); 

  • 1-hour fast charger PMD8146 (PA1801) for three terminal batteries;

  • 3-4 or 6-8 hour slow chargers (both rectangular and rounded battery bases, for 2 or 3 terminal batteries);

    • 18V Coleman ( Powermate ) rounded battery bases, models 141, 166 and 205 (some have two charging terminals, and some have three)

    • 18V Coleman rectangular battery base with "Charging Stand" printed on label, with red LED light on left, and green on right, and numerous other similar versions

Coleman / Harbor Freight AC / DC adapters (wall-wart), which came in 200ma, 400ma and 500ma versions;

  • Hongda Tool Factory Company Ltd., models HD-DC18-200, HD-DC24-200 and HD-DC24V-200ma (WARNING, this AC adapter was used on BOTH Coleman and Harbor Freight tools, but the charger sold on THIS auction will NOT work with the Harbor Freight battery.  If you want THAT charger, you must contact me via the section below entitled "How to contact me with questions".  It is not ready for production yet, as of 6/2015.)

  • Ktec model KA12D240020034U (WARNING, this AC adapter was used on BOTH Coleman and Harbor Freight tools, but the charger sold on THIS auction will NOT work with the Harbor Freight battery.  If you want THAT charger, you must contact me via the section below entitled "How to contact me with questions".  It is not ready for production yet, as of 6/2015.)

  • Shanghai Topower Industrial Company Ltd, model THU-21-500 (WARNING, this AC adapter was used on BOTH Coleman and Harbor Freight tools, but the charger sold on THIS auction will NOT work with the Harbor Freight battery.  If you want THAT charger, you must contact me via the section below entitled "How to contact me with questions".  It is not ready for production yet, as of 6/2015.)

  • Changzhou Sanhong Electric Company, Ltd, Models SH-DC0240400 and SH-DC24V400 (WARNING, this AC adapter was used on BOTH Coleman and Harbor Freight tools, but the charger sold on THIS auction will NOT work with the Harbor Freight battery.  If you want THAT charger, you must contact me via the section below entitled "How to contact me with questions".  It is not ready for production yet, as of 6/2015.)

  • Ningbo Hi-Tech Park Xinrong Electron Industries Company, Ltd,  model XR-DC240400 (WARNING, this AC adapter was used on BOTH Coleman and Harbor Freight tools, but the charger sold on THIS auction will NOT work with the Harbor Freight battery.  If you want THAT charger, you must contact me via the section below entitled "How to contact me with questions".  It is not ready for production yet, as of 6/2015.)

Coleman Drill, Saw, Sander, Vacuum, Flashlight, polisher /buffer or Combo kit models;

  • PMD8127 (12V), PMD8128 (14.4V), PMD8129 (18V), PMD8130 (18V), PMD8131 (18V), PMD8132 (18V), PMD8133 (18V), PMD8134 (18V), PMD8139 (18V Circular Saw),  PMD8141 (18V Reciprocating Saw), PMD8145 (18V Cordless Sander), PMD8144 18V (18V Jig Saw), PMD8145 (18V Cordless Sander), PMD8147 (18V Worklight / Flashlight), PMV6997, PMB8138, PMB7285 (18V Cordless Polisher / Buffer)

How this charger functions;


This is a SLOW charger... it will charge any Coleman 18 volt Ni-CD batteries in 3-4 hours. BUT YOU MUST THEN REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THE CHARGER! If you don't, you will OVERCHARGE the battery, and that shorten the battery's life. The original Coleman slow charger was a 6-8 hour charger, so this one is TWICE as fast.


After making sure the “+” (positive) sign on top of the charger aligns with the metal contact on the battery marked with “+” (positive) sign, plug the charger into a working 120V AC wall outlet. Then insert the battery fully (firmly) into the oval opening in the charger. You should then see the green LED light come on near the pointed end of the charger. It will stay on as long as power is supplied to the charger and the battery is inserted into it. It will never blink. All the light means is that your battery is being charged, and that the charger is working.


If you want to avoid overcharging your battery, plug the charger into an hourly timer (like the ones used to turn lights on or off when you aren't home) and set it to stay on for 4 hours. Remember to remove the battery within the next 24 hours however, or it will charge it again for 4 hours, and that shortens the life of a battery that is already fully charged!


What do I do if the light does not come on?

The light on the charger will not come on in these situations;

  • if you have plugged the charger into a wall outlet that has NO power going to it (some outlets are controlled by a light switch somewhere in the room, some are controlled by a ground fault interrupter that may have been tripped, or some could be controlled by a circuit breaker or fuse that may have been tripped)

  • if you have not firmly pushed the post of the battery into the charging hole of the charger

  • if your battery has a broken solder joint between any of the cells inside. To check for that, do a resistance (ohm) test between the “+” and “-” terminals on the battery. If you get no resistance/ohm reading, then you have a broken solder joint inside the battery. You can take the battery to anyone with a multimeter, such as Radio Shack, and they will test it for free usually. If you get a resistance reading, then do a voltage test on the same terminals. If the reading is ZERO, or a very low reading, see the next bullet below

  • if your battery has MANY of it's cells inside shorted out (that is what happens to them as they get old or have been charged too many time). This charger is designed to shut itself off almost immediately when it senses that your battery is defective (if you look closely, you will see it light VERY briefly, and then go out... or it will just remain very dimly lit). If it did not shut itself off, then it would burn itself out. The old Coleman chargers did just that... they burned themselves out. That, incidentally, is why that company went bankrupt in 2007 (Team Products)... too many charger failures under warranty. It was cheaper for them to go bankrupt than to support all the charger failures with replacements. If you check the resistance of this type of battery, it will be either ZERO or a very low reading (less than 1000 ohms). A zero reading means that ALL the cells are shorted out. That happens when batteries are left on a slow charger for days/weeks/months at a time, or a battery that has been already charged 100's of times.

How do you get the maximum life out of a Ni-Cd battery?


I have detailed information about this on my website of ChargerPro. I would have put all that information on this auction, but it is already pretty long, and I don't want you to fall asleep reading my auction!


What if I have any questions?

See the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions, if you have any questions.

Weight;

This item weighs 1 pounds 1 ounce before it has been put into a shipping container.

Shipping (Domestic and International);

I only NORMALLY ship to the 48 contiguous United States, but I do make exceptions.  If you live outside of those 48 United States (Hawaii, Alaska, Peurto Rico, a US Territory or use a military address) or live in another country, please email me for a shipping quote BEFORE YOU PURCHASE THE AUCTIONIf you buy the item and THEN email me, I will not be able to offer you the best rates I have available.  To email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions

Standard shipping is either via USPS 2-3 day Priority Mail with tracking or USPS First Class Mail with trackingNo matter which method you choose, you will receive a tracking number emailed to you from that carrier.   It is my choice which one I use. If you want a specific method that I use, then email me before you buy the auction, as it is difficult to change it once you have made the purchase.  To email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.   If you want FedEx, be sure to give me a NON-PO BOX address, since FedEx does not deliver to PO BOXES!

My auctions are shipped almost every day of the week and sometimes on Saturday, unless something unusual comes up.  If something does come up, orders will be shipped out the following business day. Never does it take more than one extra day for me to ship an item.  Overnight service is available also, for an additional fee (see the OVERNIGHT shipping section below for info on that).

Picking up an order at my business;   

There is a $3 fee to pick an item up at my location if you live near Milwaukee, WI.  And you will also pay WI State Tax of 5.6%.  This fee pays for my time to make arrangements with you. It would be best to email me if you want to pick an item up.  To email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions

Overnight FedEx service is no longer available.


Wisconsin shipments;

I must charge STATE sales tax of 5.6% on shipments to Wisconsin locations (or items picked up in Milwaukee). There are no additional shipping or handling fees to pick this item up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin other than the sales tax of 5.6%.

Please give me a CORRECT address and your phone number!!

If the Post Office cannot locate your address, the item will be returned to me. If this happens, I can either refund your auction payment (minus the original shipping fee, the return shipment delivery fee if any, the eBay listing fee, the selling auction fee and the PayPal fees if any), or I can ship it to another address if you pay another shipping fee of $4.99. So it is a good idea to provide me with your phone number in case I need to contact you. It is also a good idea to be sure your email and physical addresses on your PayPal and eBay accounts are correct and up to date.

If the FedEx cannot locate your address, and it is incorrectly given to me, then there will be a $10 fee charged to you in order to receive your package.  That is what FedEx will charge me, and I just pass the charge on to you for providing me with an incorrect address.  Sorry, but you’ve been warned!

I ***WILL*** combine shipping!

If you would like more than one of an item on an auction, or win more than one of my auctions, email me for the discount you would get.  To email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.  Usually, the shipping fee is about $1.49 more per additional pound of weight, but not always.  Some auctions are special.  If you wait to pay for all the items you buy at once, then the combined shipped will be automatically calculated for you when you attempt to pay for any of the items.

International Shipping:

BEFORE YOU PURCHASE THE ITEM, email me for a shipping quote.  To email me, see the section below entitled “How to contact me with questions.  If you buy the item and THEN email me, I will not be able to offer you the best rates I have available.

How to contact me with questions;

Email me by clicking anywhere on the words "Ask a question", which are located very near the bottom of this auction page. 

Return Policy;

If you ordered the wrong item (this happens more often than you would imagine!);  

All items may be returned to me within 14 calendar days of receiving the item.  You will have to pay to ship it back to me.  A full refund (minus certain fees) will be given once the item is received back in the same working condition that it was sent to you in.   The fees not refunded are the shipping fee, the PayPal fee and a processing fee of 20% of the auction price (to test the item and restock it).  You also will not receive the refund until you respond to the eBay email that I will have them send to you.  It will  state that you are returning the item to me for a refund.  That will then allow me to get back the 15% in selling fees that I have paid to eBay for selling the item to you.  

If I shipped the wrong item (very rare… see my feedback!);  you have your choice of the following –

If you are in a hurry to receive the right item, just order another one, and then you can ship me the incorrect item later.  When I receive it, you will get FULL CREDIT (no fees at all) for the initial order.  I will email you a prepaid shipping label for FedEx, so all you do is drop it off.  You pay no shipping fee to get it back to me.

If you aren’t in a hurry, or you don’t want to purchase a second one, then I have to require that you ship the wrong one to me first… THEN I will ship the correct one, once I get it and test it to be sure it is indeed the same one I sent you and is in working order.  I will email you a prepaid shipping label for FedEx, so all you do is drop it off.  You pay no shipping fee to get it back to me.   I have to do it this way, as otherwise I have found that the buyer just seems to “mysteriously” forget to ship back the incorrect part!

If an item arrives damaged or not working (even more rare, since I test all items before they ship);  See the WARRANTY section below. 

Warranty;

This new item is sold as-is.  No warranty implied whatsoever.  The reason is because many of the items I sell are electrical in nature, and lightning could strike your house (or the item).  I can’t expect to be held responsible for situations like that!  My 21,000 positive feedback record (over 98.5%) should indicate to you that I do NOT sell junk.  I test all items thoroughly.   It never pays to sell someone a defective item… it is more of a hassle than anything, so that is why I test EVERYTHING.  You may have heard the expression, “you spend 95% of your time on the 5% of your sales that have problems”.  I have found that to be VERY true and don't like wasting my time!

Payment Policy;

YOU NO LONGER NEED TO OPEN OR HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT (this is new as of 11/09).   Just go to PayPal.com and you will see the options you have to choose from.  But opening a PayPal account is NOT required any longer!!!!!!

I accept PayPal, Paymate, ProPay and Moneybrokers USA.  But you can also easily pay via your checking account, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express.    WI residents will be required to pay 5.6% State sales tax.   Free Pick Up in Milwaukee, WI.  Email me by clicking on the link entitled "Ask a question" located in the upper right-hand corner of this auction page if you want to make other arrangements.  Please pay within 4 days.

Feedback Policy;

I will ONLY leave feedback after feedback has been left for me.  Too often sellers get threatened with negative feedback after they have left positive feedback in advance. Sorry about that, but it is what ALL the savvy sellers on eBay now do, which is to leave feedback once feedback has been left for them!

WARNING ONE! Be kind to your Ni-Cd batteries, and they will last a very long time!!!!!!!!

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. This mean you NEVER leave your battery pack charging on a 3-hour charger for more than 4 hours (4 hours is needed to charge a battery fully if it has not been charged in a while)! Those 3-hour chargers constantly charge at .4 amps (400ma), even when fully charged. If you charger a battery for more than 4 hours, all that does is heat up the cells. And remember, heat is NOT a friend of the NiCd cell (see the below section on 1-hour chargers)! It will make the life of your battery pack much shorter. If at all possible, buy a timer and set it to be on for only 3 to 4 hours. You will get much longer life out of the battery pack that way.

WARNING TWO! Beware of other battery sellers on eBay!!!!!!!!

Often, these sellers have bought batteries that have been on someone’s shelf unsold for many months or years. A NiCd battery cell has approximately an 18-month shelf life if not recharged. If the seller is unwilling to charge the battery for you, and you want a refund, you may be stuck shipping it back to them (with you paying shipping back to them, and possibly paying the shipping for a new battery sent to you).

WARNING THREE! Beware of non-BRAND tools sold on eBay!!!!!!!!

The price may look good, but wait until the battery pack needs replacing (prematurely, as often they are made with inferior NiCd cells), or the tool needs servicing! Try to locate a dealer that sells parts or does repairs! Or find out FIRST what you have to do to get service, once you pay to ship it to them for repair! The cheap imports often use cheap materials that aren’t made to last like name-brand tools.

WARNING FOUR! Beware of “FIX YOUR BATTERY PACK” auctions on eBay!!!!!!!!

I have had numerous buyers tell me horror stories of auctions that purchased for information on how to fix their defective battery packs. 1) You can replace NiCd cells that are bad, BUT YOU CAN’T SOLDER THEM! Heat is NOT a friend to a NiCd cell… it makes their life MUCH shorter if exposed to excessive heat. They must be fusion welded, which produces virtually no heat. Fusion welders are VERY expensive! 2) Yes, there is a trick that you can apply a voltage to a cell to “shock” it into pretending to be good again, BUT THIS IS A VERY TEMPORARY SOLUTION! The cell will very quickly revert back to its defective status in a few hours or days in most cases. If that really worked, don't you think I would also sell a version of it? I don't like to disappoint people, so I won't sell it

BATTERY TEST;

To check whether your Ni-Cad battery pack is good or not, read the next couple of paragraphs. Or, if you don’t trust me, there are other sites on the web that will explain how to do this test. But if you don’t have a voltmeter, try to find someone who does (or go to Batteries Plus, or Radio Shack, or you local auto repair shop who will all probably gladly check the voltage of a battery or two for you for free), as it is the only TRUE way to determine if you have a good battery or not. Many people on eBay sell voltmeters on their auctions… both the old analog style with the sweeping dial, and the newer digital style with the numeric readout. They aren’t expensive either… less than $10!

A little background on batteries: Ni-Cad cordless drill battery packs are usually made up of numerous 1.2 volt Ni-Cad cells (10 of them in a 12-volt battery pack). And if even just one of those ten cells goes bad (they short out, actually), it can cause your charger to burn out. Skil designed the charger to PURPOSELY burn out, so that is doesn’t melt and start on fire. Their previously designed charger for the Skil Warrior series did just that, so this new current design (which burns out when trying to charge a bad battery pack instead of melting/starting on fire) was the way that they remedied the problem!

The actual battery test is nothing more than to charge your battery for 5 minutes with a good charger and then check the voltage with a voltmeter. WARNING!!! If you need to test more than one battery, and the first battery turns out to be bad per the test described here, be SURE to let your charger cool down for a few hours before testing another one. If you don’t, and you have two bad batteries, then that is just like charging ONE bad battery for TEN minutes!!!

That is enough to burn out a charger for sure!

If the voltage reading that you get after charging your battery for 5 minutes is below the batteries rated voltage (for a 12-volt battery, that would be 12 volts, of course), then there is a chance that your battery is going bad, and more and more of the Ni-Cad cells inside will likely also be going bad shortly. A good or new Ni-Cad cell with charge up to about 1.4 volts. A good used cell will charge to about 1.35 volts. See below for a list of battery ratings, and what a good battery should charge to after 5 minutes.

A 9.6 volt battery pack has 8 Ni-Cad cells inside, and should charge to about 10.8 to 11.2 volts. If one cell is shorted, it would charge to about 9.45 to 9.8 volts. If it charges to somewhere in between (9.9 to 10.7 volts), the battery is still good, but has some weaker cells that may be on their way to shorting out. It could take days to short out, or it could take months. There is no real way to tell. Just be sure to watch it so that it doesn’t drop below 9.6 volts, or you risk burning out your charger!

A 12 volt battery pack has 10 Ni-Cad cells inside, and should charge to about 13.5 to 14.0 volts. If one cell is shorted, it would charge to about 12.15 to 12.6 volts. If it charges to somewhere in between (12.7 to 13.4 volts), the battery is still good, but has some weaker cells that may be on their way to shorting out. It could take days to short out, or it could take months. There is no real way to tell. Just be sure to watch it so that it doesn’t drop below 12 volts, or you risk burning out your charger!

A 14.4 volt battery pack has 12 Ni-Cad cells inside, and should charge to about 16.2 to 16.8 volts. If one cell is shorted, it would charge to about 14.85 to 15.4 volts. If it charges to somewhere in between (15.5 to 16.2 volts), the battery is still good, but has some weaker cells that may be on their way to shorting out. It could take days to short out, or it could take months. There is no real way to tell. Just be sure to watch it so that it doesn’t drop below 14.4 volts, or you risk burning out your charger!

An 18 volt battery pack has 15 Ni-Cad cells inside, and should charge to about 20.25 to 21.0 volts. If one cell is shorted, it would charge to about 18.9 to 19.6 volts. If it charges to somewhere in between (19.7 to 20.2 volts), the battery is still good, but has some weaker cells that may be on their way to shorting out. It could take days to short out, or it could take months. There is no real way to tell. Just be sure to watch it so that it doesn’t drop below 18 volts, or you risk burning out your charger!

If your battery pack does not fall within the above ranges, there is a chance that your battery will eventually burn out your 3-hour charger. Sometimes that may take hours, but as the battery loses more and more cells, it will heat up the transformer in the charger more and more until it eventually burns out.

Yes, I know… you are saying "but I am viewing your auction because I have a bad charger!!! How can I test my battery?” I realize that… and am sorry to say that there is a VERY good chance that the reason your charger went bad was because one of your batteries is bad. That is just a fact of life. You will need to somehow charge the battery for five minutes (and in this kit, I provide a way you can do this without repairing the charger), otherwise you may be buying a charger now, and then finding out that your battery is also bad. Many people do that, and I make two separate sales instead of one with discounted shipping.

But not to fear, if you think that both items are bad, I may buy your charger, battery and/or drill from you, if you like. Then you can purchase a new one if you like, or use the items as trade toward a new or used drill set from me. Or you can send both items to me, and I’ll test them for you. It is up to you!

If you read the warning listed further down this page, you may find out why your battery didn’t last long. Many people abuse their batteries by not following the recommended usage, charging and storage instructions supplied with their drill set.  


Copyright JRL Enterprises, LLC, February 24, 2011