How Do You Troubleshoot A Battery Charger?
Electric toothbrushes, cordless shavers, cordless drills, cellular and portable phones, and a whole mess of kitchen appliances rely on rechargeable batteries to keep them running. What do you do if they won’t charge? Step 1 Make sure the charger cord is plugged in and the outlet is getting power. Step 2 Look closely at the battery pack. Is there corrosion or leakage? If so, replace the battery immediately. Step 3 Test the charger. For DC chargers, set a voltmeter to 25 VDC and touch the contacts with the probes. The meter should read about 1 V more than the charger’s rating. If the reading is zero, switch the probes. Step 4 Test an AC charger by setting a voltmeter to 25 VAC. Touch the contacts with the probes. The transformer in the charger is bad if you get no reading at all. Step 5 Check the contacts. These are metal strips or points located on the appliance and in the charging base. With the charger unplugged, wipe them with a cotton swab. Use a fine emery board to remove visible c
