CEN-TECH 10/2/50A 12v Manual Charger Burned out...

[Edward Hernandez]

I have a Harbor Freight Cen-Tech Battery charger SKU 60653. I was attempting to charge my riding mower battery when it fried. I inspected the insides and found that the thermal fuse was melted and a relay had burned out.

I replaced the relay with the same Songle Relay SRU-06VDC-SL-C type. The thermal fuse was different. I used a 50A Auto Automatic Reset Stud Type Circuit Breaker for the thermal fuse.

When I plugged it in and attached it to my mower battery it lite up and seemed to be in a cycle of charging. I had it set to 2 amps. I assumed by the noise it was making, buzzing followed by silence. Only thing was the analog meter wasn\'t moving, it was stuck at 100%. After a few cycles it popped and started smoking. The SRU-06VDC-SL-C relay went out in the same spot the original did. There is a metal leg? in between 2 others and this continues to blow out. I resoldered a 3rd one and it blew the same spot.

Can anyone suggest what I should be test/measuring and why the relay keeps going out? I\'m not giving up on the charger just yet.

I didn\'t test any of the diodes. Not sure how yet.

Thanks.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Your problem started with \"Harbor Freight\". Purchase a charger from a legitimate source made by a legitimate manufacturer, rated for the intended purpose and you will be fine.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Fox\'s Mercantile]

On 10/19/20 6:10 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

Your problem started with \"Harbor Freight\". Purchase a charger from a legitimate source made by a legitimate manufacturer, rated for the intended purpose and you will be fine.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

I buy stuff from Harbor Freight,and when it works, it works
well, but I certainly don\'t waste my time trying to fix it
when it dies.


--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Buying stuff from Harbor Freight is a choice. Between my neighbor having a job, or not having a job:

https://www.harborfreight.com/9-in-linesman-pliers-63820.html

Or:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SBD6/ref=dp_prsubs_1

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Monday, October 19, 2020 at 6:10:19 AM UTC-5, pf...@aol.com wrote:

Your problem started with \"Harbor Freight\". Purchase a charger from a legitimate source made by a legitimate manufacturer, rated for the intended purpose and you will be fine.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

I didn\'t ask for an idi0t opinion. Looking for people willing to provide helpful information about this charger.

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Monday, October 19, 2020 at 6:17:47 AM UTC-5, Fox\'s Mercantile wrote:

On 10/19/20 6:10 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Your problem started with \"Harbor Freight\". Purchase a charger from a legitimate source made by a legitimate manufacturer, rated for the intended purpose and you will be fine.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


I buy stuff from Harbor Freight,and when it works, it works
well, but I certainly don\'t waste my time trying to fix it
when it dies.


--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

I\'m happy to know you wouldn\'t waste time on this. But you will waste time by not providing anything useful. Now go troll someone else. Idi0t.

 

[Michael Terrell]

On Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 9:50:21 PM UTC-4, dtga... wrote:

I have a Harbor Freight Cen-Tech Battery charger SKU 60653. I was attempting to charge my riding mower battery when it fried. I inspected the insides and found that the thermal fuse was melted and a relay had burned out.

I replaced the relay with the same Songle Relay SRU-06VDC-SL-C type. The thermal fuse was different. I used a 50A Auto Automatic Reset Stud Type Circuit Breaker for the thermal fuse.

When I plugged it in and attached it to my mower battery it lite up and seemed to be in a cycle of charging. I had it set to 2 amps. I assumed by the noise it was making, buzzing followed by silence. Only thing was the analog meter wasn\'t moving, it was stuck at 100%. After a few cycles it popped and started smoking. The SRU-06VDC-SL-C relay went out in the same spot the original did. There is a metal leg? in between 2 others and this continues to blow out. I resoldered a 3rd one and it blew the same spot.

Can anyone suggest what I should be test/measuring and why the relay keeps going out? I\'m not giving up on the charger just yet.

I didn\'t test any of the diodes. Not sure how yet.

Harbor Freight, like other companies that sell battery chargers don\'t release service data. You can only test the common failures like shorted diodes, or other components. Do you have a meter to read resistance? Diodes connect in one direction. If they show zero resistance in both directions, they are definately shorted. That relay is intended to protect the charger and battery from being connected backwards. These \'intelligent\' chargers sense the polarity and a minimum voltage to stop you from using it on a six volt battery. Since the relay was damaged, I would look for a short on the area between it and the battery clips, first.

 

[Fox\'s Mercantile]

On 10/19/20 10:56 PM, Edward Hernandez wrote:

I\'m happy to know you wouldn\'t waste time on this.
But you will waste time by not providing anything useful.
Now go troll someone else. Idi0t.

I\'m not the one that is trying to fix something with ZERO
service documentation.



--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

It is helpful information you want?

a) Trash the HF charger. Clearly you are not competent to fix it, as they are fundamentally simple beasts with only a few failure modes - Mike pointed that out.
b) Purchase a proper charger from a reasonable source. Amazon has any number of options, just not at $29.99.
c) Read the directions. Carefully. And pay attention to the pretty pictures as only about 35% of Americans can understand written-only directions.

That is helpful information.

Now, try to understand something: The typical car battery contains about as much energy as it takes to operate 6.5 100-watt incandescent lamps for about an hour - at which point, it will be flat,. and probably damaged. However, it can release as much or more than 7.2 KW (that would be kilowatts) for a few seconds - what it does when it starts a car. That is a LOT of energy.. A poorly designed charger puts *you* in danger, as well as the charger. Repeat, a car battery contains a great deal of energy stored in a fast-release system that also happens to use some nasty chemicals. A small portion of that power damaged your old charger - and given your general understanding of the process, it is dubious that any repairs effected by you would be safe for you or those around you.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 6:18:23 AM UTC-5, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

It is helpful information you want?

a) Trash the HF charger. Clearly you are not competent to fix it, as they are fundamentally simple beasts with only a few failure modes - Mike pointed that out.
b) Purchase a proper charger from a reasonable source. Amazon has any number of options, just not at $29.99.
c) Read the directions. Carefully. And pay attention to the pretty pictures as only about 35% of Americans can understand written-only directions.

That is helpful information.

Now, try to understand something: The typical car battery contains about as much energy as it takes to operate 6.5 100-watt incandescent lamps for about an hour - at which point, it will be flat,. and probably damaged. However, it can release as much or more than 7.2 KW (that would be kilowatts) for a few seconds - what it does when it starts a car. That is a LOT of energy. A poorly designed charger puts *you* in danger, as well as the charger. Repeat, a car battery contains a great deal of energy stored in a fast-release system that also happens to use some nasty chemicals. A small portion of that power damaged your old charger - and given your general understanding of the process, it is dubious that any repairs effected by you would be safe for you or those around you.
Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Oh my, now you\'re worried for my safety? Pffft please. Move on already. You\'ve not mentioned one thing about what to look for on the charger. You\'re just rambling on while you eat you\'re fifth doughnut. Byeee.

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 3:29:29 AM UTC-5, Fox\'s Mercantile wrote:

On 10/19/20 10:56 PM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
I\'m happy to know you wouldn\'t waste time on this.
But you will waste time by not providing anything useful.
Now go troll someone else. Idi0t.
I\'m not the one that is trying to fix something with ZERO
service documentation.
--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

No but you\'re also not helping anyone. You\'re just providing garbage. Move on. Troll some other post.

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 1:26:30 AM UTC-5, terrell....@gmail.com wrote:

On Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 9:50:21 PM UTC-4, dtga... wrote:
I have a Harbor Freight Cen-Tech Battery charger SKU 60653. I was attempting to charge my riding mower battery when it fried. I inspected the insides and found that the thermal fuse was melted and a relay had burned out.

I replaced the relay with the same Songle Relay SRU-06VDC-SL-C type. The thermal fuse was different. I used a 50A Auto Automatic Reset Stud Type Circuit Breaker for the thermal fuse.

When I plugged it in and attached it to my mower battery it lite up and seemed to be in a cycle of charging. I had it set to 2 amps. I assumed by the noise it was making, buzzing followed by silence. Only thing was the analog meter wasn\'t moving, it was stuck at 100%. After a few cycles it popped and started smoking. The SRU-06VDC-SL-C relay went out in the same spot the original did. There is a metal leg? in between 2 others and this continues to blow out. I resoldered a 3rd one and it blew the same spot.

Can anyone suggest what I should be test/measuring and why the relay keeps going out? I\'m not giving up on the charger just yet.

I didn\'t test any of the diodes. Not sure how yet.
Harbor Freight, like other companies that sell battery chargers don\'t release service data. You can only test the common failures like shorted diodes, or other components. Do you have a meter to read resistance? Diodes connect in one direction. If they show zero resistance in both directions, they are definately shorted. That relay is intended to protect the charger and battery from being connected backwards. These \'intelligent\' chargers sense the polarity and a minimum voltage to stop you from using it on a six volt battery. Since the relay was damaged, I would look for a short on the area between it and the battery clips, first.

Diodes with zero, check. Look for short circuit, check. I replaced this with a Stanley Charger but I still want to try and salvage it and learn more. I\'m pretty sure I blew this charger by overusing the 50a engine starter on my mower. I do have a multimeter. I bought a 10 pack of the relays on ebay for cheap so I have many left over. Thanks for the info you provided..

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

> Oh my, now you\'re worried for my safety? Pffft please. Move on already. You\'ve not mentioned one thing about what to look for on the charger. You\'re just rambling on while you eat you\'re fifth doughnut. Byeee.

Oh no! If you wish to compete for a Darwin Award, far be it from me to get in your way. I worry after the innocents as may get caught in the crossfire. Likely few in your case, however.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 9:20:21 AM UTC-5, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

Oh my, now you\'re worried for my safety? Pffft please. Move on already. You\'ve not mentioned one thing about what to look for on the charger. You\'re just rambling on while you eat you\'re fifth doughnut. Byeee.
Oh no! If you wish to compete for a Darwin Award, far be it from me to get in your way. I worry after the innocents as may get caught in the crossfire. Likely few in your case, however.
Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Thanks so much for the advise regarding the charger lil buddy! Look at that, five posts and all so so helpful. You have a little doughnut on your face.

 

[Fox\'s Mercantile]

On 10/20/20 9:46 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:

Thanks so much for the advise regarding the charger lil buddy!
Look at that, five posts and all so so helpful.

You haven\'t figured it out yet have you.
There won\'t be any help forthcoming because there isn\'t any
service data available.

We\'ve tried to explain this to you.

So have fun flailing around with your multi-meter and relays.



--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 10:52:44 AM UTC-5, Fox\'s Mercantile wrote:

On 10/20/20 9:46 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
Thanks so much for the advise regarding the charger lil buddy!
Look at that, five posts and all so so helpful.
You haven\'t figured it out yet have you.
There won\'t be any help forthcoming because there isn\'t any
service data available.

We\'ve tried to explain this to you.

So have fun flailing around with your multi-meter and relays.
--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

I get it. You don\'t have the answers. You don\'t have any experience with this type of charger. I\'m reaching out to those who have had their hands in one one of these or someone who can guide me to anything like Terrell did earlier. You really shouldn\'t be posting if you\'re not going to provide any useful info. You should \"view\" and move on. You don\'t have to spout your garbage just because you can sweet heart. K?

 

[Fox\'s Mercantile]

On 10/20/20 10:58 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
> You really shouldn\'t be posting if you\'re not going to provide any useful info.

Oh look at the man baby pounding on his keyboard in frustration
because nobody will fix his cheap, non-supported piece of shit
from Harbor Freight.

Here\'s a clue for you cupcake, I\'ve fixed shit like this before,
just because I can. But right now, I wouldn\'t even piss on you if
you were on fire.

So go fuck yourself.


--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[Feather Duster]

Fox\'s Mercantile <jdangus@att.net> wrote:

On 10/20/20 10:58 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
You really shouldn\'t be posting if you\'re not going to provide any useful info.

Oh look at the man baby pounding on his keyboard in frustration
because nobody will fix his cheap, non-supported piece of shit
from Harbor Freight.

Here\'s a clue for you cupcake, I\'ve fixed shit like this before,
just because I can. But right now, I wouldn\'t even piss on you if
you were on fire.

So go fuck yourself.

Do note that the OP is a google grouper.

That should help explain his privledged attitude that he should be
given free of charge help exactly as he wishes it to be given and
nothing else.

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 11:04:58 AM UTC-5, Fox\'s Mercantile wrote:

On 10/20/20 10:58 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
You really shouldn\'t be posting if you\'re not going to provide any useful info.
Oh look at the man baby pounding on his keyboard in frustration
because nobody will fix his cheap, non-supported piece of shit
from Harbor Freight.

Here\'s a clue for you cupcake, I\'ve fixed shit like this before,
just because I can. But right now, I wouldn\'t even piss on you if
you were on fire.

So go fuck yourself.
--
\"I am a river to my people.\"
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com
Haha! There he is ladies and gentlemen! He finally rears his ugly face. Sad really. I\'m enoying myself quite nicely. This is certainly not my main source for information. So much on the internet. I\'ll learn and figure it out without your sad pee lil buddy. Lol. Thanks for the laugh man. *tear*

\"He is a river of pee\" Ahahaha!

 

[Edward Hernandez]

On Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 11:16:19 AM UTC-5, Feather Duster wrote:

Fox\'s Mercantile <jda...@att.net> wrote:
On 10/20/20 10:58 AM, Edward Hernandez wrote:
You really shouldn\'t be posting if you\'re not going to provide any useful info.

Oh look at the man baby pounding on his keyboard in frustration
because nobody will fix his cheap, non-supported piece of shit
from Harbor Freight.

Here\'s a clue for you cupcake, I\'ve fixed shit like this before,
just because I can. But right now, I wouldn\'t even piss on you if
you were on fire.

So go fuck yourself.
Do note that the OP is a google grouper.

That should help explain his privledged attitude that he should be
given free of charge help exactly as he wishes it to be given and
nothing else.

Well, I checked the group requirements and... I didn\'t see a chart for levels of privilege lil maid. Just a guy who happens to have a dead charger wanting to see if he can bring it back to life. Instead of help I get the first few jerks who happen to view my post. All they did was waste time, which i really have plenty of. \"That product is garbage!\" \"You don\'t know what you\'re doing!\" Hear them roar. lol. I have never felt so alive! Weeeee.