codekiddie
Active Member
Due to the little use we had out of our other classic, (a 1936 Morris Eight Tourer), a couple of the batteries we had fitted had died
To alleviate this problem, roughly three years ago I purchased a trickle charger from Halfords, (I'm sure that other outlets must sell similar units), that was capable of charging either 6V or 12V batteries. Since its purchase, I have never had any more issues with the battery on the vehicle, and has been a godsend in that respect. The other day I realised that the battery status light was no longer lit on the unit, and after a quick look I saw this.
The unit looked as though an explosion had taken place inside, and the heat had melted the case and the toggle switch plastic part :shock: I opened the unit and found that a serious malfunction had occurred. Bearing in mind that the switch itself was still in the correct position on the PCB, the heat that had been generated must have either been intense, or extremely hot for quite a while to cause the toggle to melt :shock:
Turning the PCB over, I found that the heat had completely trashed the other side of the PCB as well.....
I found a capacitor rattling around in the unit, and looks to have either exploded, or had a serious meltdown. You can see on the top side of the PCB where the capacitor should have been, and seems to be at the heart of the charred area.
I tried to start the car, and it fired up without any issues, so at least it doesn't appear to have had any effect on the battery.
I count myself lucky that there were no other consequences, (unlike others I have seen on here), but since these chargers are meant to be designed as a permanently connected unit, it was a little bit of a scare that they may not be as safe to leave switched on as we may think. I had always positioned the unit so that I can see the LED when entering the garage with the lights off, so in theory it was probably spotted within a few hours of occurring.
I have since purchased another unit from Halfords, and I noted that although the website shows the same picture, the design of the purchased unit has changed a little. Although under normal daily use the unit does not seem to generate any substantial heat, I will still be keeping a close eye on it
Whilst this may be a rare occurrence, I thought I ought to post this in case others have had the same unit for a similar number of years and utilise it in the same way as I do. Better safe than sorry
To alleviate this problem, roughly three years ago I purchased a trickle charger from Halfords, (I'm sure that other outlets must sell similar units), that was capable of charging either 6V or 12V batteries. Since its purchase, I have never had any more issues with the battery on the vehicle, and has been a godsend in that respect. The other day I realised that the battery status light was no longer lit on the unit, and after a quick look I saw this.
The unit looked as though an explosion had taken place inside, and the heat had melted the case and the toggle switch plastic part :shock: I opened the unit and found that a serious malfunction had occurred. Bearing in mind that the switch itself was still in the correct position on the PCB, the heat that had been generated must have either been intense, or extremely hot for quite a while to cause the toggle to melt :shock:
Turning the PCB over, I found that the heat had completely trashed the other side of the PCB as well.....
I found a capacitor rattling around in the unit, and looks to have either exploded, or had a serious meltdown. You can see on the top side of the PCB where the capacitor should have been, and seems to be at the heart of the charred area.
I tried to start the car, and it fired up without any issues, so at least it doesn't appear to have had any effect on the battery.
I count myself lucky that there were no other consequences, (unlike others I have seen on here), but since these chargers are meant to be designed as a permanently connected unit, it was a little bit of a scare that they may not be as safe to leave switched on as we may think. I had always positioned the unit so that I can see the LED when entering the garage with the lights off, so in theory it was probably spotted within a few hours of occurring.
I have since purchased another unit from Halfords, and I noted that although the website shows the same picture, the design of the purchased unit has changed a little. Although under normal daily use the unit does not seem to generate any substantial heat, I will still be keeping a close eye on it
Whilst this may be a rare occurrence, I thought I ought to post this in case others have had the same unit for a similar number of years and utilise it in the same way as I do. Better safe than sorry