Hitachi Battery Charger

[RCrosby]

Battery charger on my Hitachi 12V power drill died. I opened it up and was pleased to find a blown fuse, but when I replaced it with a new fuse of identical specs, it immediately blew. I can't see any obvious signs of a short; worn wire coatings, etc.

Is it now just a shop paper weight, or is there something I might look for that would solve the problem?

Thanks,

Rob

[RCrosby]

Called local Hitachi dealer. $60.00 to replace charger. Stopped at roadside yard sale and picked up a Hitachi 9.6 V. charger for $1.00. Works great and is putting a charge on my batteries as we speak.

Both chargers, my original 12 V. (for my 12 V. drill) and the 9.6 replacement, say "1.4Ah-1hr"

The 12 V. charger warns against using it with 7.2 and 9.6 volt batteries, and the 9.6 charger warns against using with 7.2.

Question:

Will this 9.6 V. (1.4Ah/hr) charger fully charge my 12 volt batteries? Or only up to 9.6 volts?

(My electrical ignorance is considerable, as you may have guessed.)

Thanks,

Rob

[RCrosby]

This is kind of fun. Every morning I get up and have an on line conversation with myself.

Both chargers (9.6 and 12V) are blowing fuses. Wondering which is most likely:

a. Both chargers have gone bad.

b. Both of my batteries are bad and causing shorts, or,

c. Some gremlin in my house wiring is causing the problem. (But everything else, from microwaves to computers are working fine.)

I suppose if I find any yardsale batteries I may check theory "b". In the meantime, I'm shopping for a new drill. Likely 18 V., maybe Lithium Ion.

Any suggestions?

Thanks all,

Rob

[Eric - TIA]

Interesting. I would stick to what the charger says it can charge. What Ah hr ratings are the batteries? If they have a higher Ah rating then what the charger indicates, that might be blowing the fuse. To me if two chargers are blowing fuses, but everything else else such as the microwave works, it sounds like a compatibility issue. Sounds like the charger is working to hard and heating up causing the fuse to blow.

[David]

RCrosby,

I'm not sure what would be causing multiple shorts in that charger; perhaps your batteries have oxidized to the point where the amount of current and heat needed to successfully charge them is causing the short.

As for a recommendation of what to replace them with, if you haven't already... if you're looking at sticking with Hitachi, the DS18DSAL is a good bet. If you keep your eyes open you can find a good deal on one, but they'll generally run around $169. It's an 18V lithium ion drill with "compact" 1.5 Ah batteries. My neighbor has one and loves it. I personally like the higher amp hour hammer drills, but they're expensive and heavy (which can be annoying if you're doing small jobs like installing blinds or towel racks, etc.)