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Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Battery charger voltage tolerances - worth a shot or doomed to failure?

mdf

mdf

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#315716 9-Aug-2024 10:28
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I've got a vacuum cleaner with - I suspect - a faulty charger. I've just happened across a laptop charger with the exactly right barrel connector and +/- arrangement, but with the voltage a couple of volts off. I'm guessing that this would be enough of a difference that vacuum battery + laptop charger = magic smoke. But really have no idea about variances or tolerances with this type of thing so though I would see whether the GZgestalt thought this was worth a try?

 

All readings from the respective labels:

 

Battery: 14.8V

 

Original vacuum charger: 16.75V

 

Laptop charger: 19.5V

 

 

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richms
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  #3269772 9-Aug-2024 11:01
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14.8 is 4 3.7s in series - so possibly a li-ion pack.

 

16.75 is basically 4.2 * 4 - so standard max voltage for a 4S pack when on charge.

 

First option is that there is a full charger in the vacuum to limit the current and cut off when it is done. This would just get a bit hotter with slightly higher voltage, but be fine in most cases as they have thermal throttling in many charger chips to stop them overheating.

 

There is a chance that it will have a protected battery pack and just trigger the protection and do nothing when a too high voltage is attached.

 

There is also a chance that the battery terminals go straight to the input jack and rely on protection in the original power brick is actually a charger, so has the cutoff and monitoring in there instead. This would result in the cells just blowing up from being over voltaged.

 

 

 

I would not do it. I would get a 4S capable hobby charger and use that so it limits the current and has a cutoff when done. Still doesn't help if there is no balancing inside the vacuum to stop it going out of balance and having one cell give you some excitement.




Richard rich.ms

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