schumacher 275a troubleshoot problems with

Thread Starter

timberjack

Joined Aug 1, 2013
3
hi - new member; glad i found you. i'm an intermediate or maybe advanced beginner in electronics, but have done my own repairs, builds for electro-mechanical devices for many years. recently, not 1, not two, but three of the various battery chargers that i own for lead-acids have failed me. the one i'm trying to repair right now is a schumacher se1275a. can anyone help me with diagnostic/ troubleshooting procedures for this particular model. a thank you to sgt wookie for the link to century tool parts for schumacher parts (listed in a different thread for repair for a different schumacher model). i found their parts list for my model through that link, anfd it looks like i can get whatever i need through them; i just need to know what i need first. it looks like diodes are a very typical culprit from other posts and other research i have done. to boot my current dmm has chosen to crap out at the same time - anyone recommend a new one for the occasional but serious user for under a hundred $? i had a radio shack zzzz for about the last ten years, served me well for about the last 8-10 years; looking for one with about the same functionality and price point. thanks a million!
 

THE_RB

Joined Feb 11, 2008
5,438
Hi and welcome to the forum. :)

Also, please post small paragraphs in future, it's easier for people to read and you will get more reponses to your posts (because people will read them). :)

Sorry I don't have any information on your exact model battery charger, but if you post the details of the fault and some photos of the PCB etc then people will be able to help based on general faultfinding techniques.

If it is just a blown diode we can definitely help with advice to test/replace that. :)
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Recently, not 1, not two, but three of the various battery chargers that i own for lead-acids have failed me.
A common cause of this is setting both of the charging clamps on the engine or vehicle frame (under the hood) and shorting out the connection.
Battery charger failure isn't so common unless there is a mishap - or the unit is well used or just plain old.

It looks like diodes are a very typical culprit from other posts and other research i have done.
If you find the part number on the diodes, you may find exact replacements at a more consumer-friendly spot like Newark.com, Digikey.com or even Amazon.com

To boot my current dmm has chosen to crap out at the same time - anyone recommend a new one for the occasional but serious user for under a hundred $? i had a radio shack zzzz for about the last ten years, served me well for about the last 8-10 years; looking for one with about the same functionality and price point. thanks a million!
You are opening up a can of worms here - everyone seems to have an opinion on this question that comes up once per month. I would pick a Klien meter with auto-scaling digital display from Home Depot for about $80 if that is your budget. Model MM2000 - comes with thermocouple, case and leads.
 

Thread Starter

timberjack

Joined Aug 1, 2013
3
Thanks, Gopher.
I can see that's true from reading past posts. I just wanted to see what folks had to say to my particular case.
I've looked at Klein meters - own some of their other tools as well.Their hand tools are a favorite amongst electricians I've known - don't know if that applies to their meters as well.
 

Thread Starter

timberjack

Joined Aug 1, 2013
3
Hi to THE RB, and thanks for the welcome and advice.
I'll try to keep my posts more coherent in the future - this is the first time I've used a forum at all.
I'll work on posting the details of the fault; what is actually is going on with the charger if that's what you mean. It happened a while ago, so I'll have to review.
I thought maybe there was a common point of failure such as a blown diode when these small chargers went south; judging by posts on other forums I had seen.
Thanks again, TJ
 
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