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Need help with a bad Charger

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burnselk

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My friend has an older Dust Buster made by Black and Decker that quit charging........the AC charger/adapter has stopped working for whatever reason it appears. I'd like to try to repair it if at all possible.

The Dust Buster is model CHV 1500 Type I and says 15.6 V DC. I called Black and Decker but they couldn't help me. They said buy a new one.........I like to fix what I can so I'm here looking for advice on making a repair not to have someone say "go buy a new one". Or if someone knows where on the web I can find a replacement for this charger I'll go that route.

The AC adapter/charger has the following on the little AC plug whatshamacallit: Input 120 V 14 watts; Output 18 V 300 milliamps.

Can anyone guide me as to what to do?
 
Input 120 V 14 watts; Output 18 V 300 milliamps.
Does it indicate if the output is AC or DC? If AC, it usually says so. If DC it says so, or has a symbol of a solid line above a dashed line.

Ken
 
Hi Ken,

I wondered the same thing. I always thought those little square AC chargers were AC in and DC out but that's not necessarily true I'm finding out. And.......I never noticed a dashed or solid line.

And guess what, this charger didn't say AC or DC either.....just said input was 120 V and output was 13 V....maybe we have to assume it's AC since the 120 didn't say. It's supposed to have 300milliamp coming out of the charger if that helps.

Maybe the actual Dust Buster is giving us a clue.......it's a CHV 1500 Type I or 1.....and has 15.6 V DC on it (the actual dust buster not the AC charger)......sort of like these cordless drills........they have like 19.2 V on the handle of them.......or the one I have does.

So I cannot answer your question Ken........wish I could.
 
I just checked my "7.2V" Dust Buster. The charger's output is "11V ac~ 130mA". There is no way (well easily) that you can charge a 15.6V battery with 13VDC. But the peak voltage of 13VAC is ~18.4V. So rectified and filtered 13VAC would probably work. Are you sure that there isn't an symbol, like a "~" with the output voltage label?

Ken
 
Ken, my mistake. I meant to say 18 V not 13 V. Sorry about that.

I'll have to check with my friend to see if there's such a symbol on the charger.

I'll let you know what I find out...maybe tonight.

Thanks Ken.
 
That's quite a Dust Buster with 15.6 vdc battery. It is likely 13 NiCad batteries in series (unusually large). Usually they do a charger that is 10% of battery mA-Hr that allows continuous charger applied. Assume you have checked the wall wart to see if it is dead. Just find a new one that is 18v and at least 300 mA output.
 
The adapter input should measure about 300 ohms. If this is ok, then the cord could be open. Wiggle the cord at both end while checking for voltage. If no voltage or intermittent, cord can be cut off and reconnected. The charging stand side can usually be taken apart. At the adapter end, slide a small screw driver along side the cord into the adapter and pry/break the container open. Cut off the cord, reconnect and repair container. I made the assumption the diode is in the charging stand and is ok..
 
The adapter input should measure about 300 ohms.

Are you saying the resistance across the two prongs of the adapter's AC plug should measure about 300 ohms?

The charging stand side can usually be taken apart. At the adapter end, slide a small screw driver along side the cord into the adapter and pry/break the container open. Cut off the cord, reconnect and repair container.

I might be able to do this. The charger is no good the way it is anyway. It's certainly worth a try.

I made the assumption the diode is in the charging stand and is ok..

I have no idea where the diode is or whether or not it's good or bad.

BTW, I found a site that has the dust buster charging stand for $20 including shipping. I'd prefer an attempt to repair the old one. Target has a new Black and Decker 15.6 V Dust Buster for $47.
 
Have you checked the AC input prongs?
The output can be measured with either voltmeter settings ( AC or DC). Without the tilde (~) on the wallpack or label, you can assume it is DC output.
 
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