Cordless tools charging

 Having learned that Craftsman 19.2 cordless tools can't be charged using
either my Honda E1500 generator or the solar powered inverter, I wonder
if there are any 18 volt cordless tool sets that will work.

My 9.2 volt Ryobi drill set works great with the solar, but I need a
trim saw and larger drills.

Thanks

 
I'd guess that the reason your Craftsman cordless tools aren't charging
with your inverter is because you're more than likely using a cheap modified
sine wave inverter that is trying to simulate a sine wave but actually making
something closer to a square wave.  Some electronic devices refuse to work
in these conditions.  IF you're using a inverter like this such as one you
can get at your local Home Depot, Comp USA, etc, you may find that moving to
an inverter that puts out a true sine wave will solve your problem.  The
price difference between then is somewhat larger (a true sine wave inverter
from the alternative engergy store comes in around $230 for an Exeltech 125W
model and I think I saw a Samlex 300W model for ~$150)..

YMMV..

 

I wonder how you learned?  By bad experience or from somewhere else?

I once ruined a charger for a cordless drill probably by running it on
a square wave (not modified sw) inverter. But I know of others who
have successfully used mod square wave inverters with chargers. It
depends on the charger.


  - This rather surprises me. Have you actually tried it?
I would have thought that such a generator was a pretty reasonable
sine wave. Maybe there are spikes of voltage that cause problems.


As Rick points out in the other post - a small sinewave inverter
should cure the problem (and will probably be cheaper than trying to
find specialist tools).

On the other hand - depending how much you know or who you can get to
help you, it may be possible to add either a small 6 volt solar panel
(or another 12v panel), and charge 18v tools directly. You would
probably need to be carefully of overcharging - have some current
limiting etc - so it not a thing to do unless you get advice.

A further alternative would be to use a transformer charger (NOT
switched mode as I suspect your present charger is). Once again,
overcharging is a possibility if you are not careful, since most
switched-mode chargers sense the voltage of the battery and cut back
the charging rate.

Overall the simplest solution is the small sinewave inverter.

Best wishes

Eric Sears.

 
If you decide to try the direct recharing method, make sure you check
the specs on your battery as some such as LiON batteries require
special circuits to monitor their charging to ensure you won't have
the battery explode or similar bad events.. I think it's the LiON
batteries that can explode under certain circumstances.. Anyway, YMMV!

-- Rick

 

Eric Sears wrote:

Here is what I learned:
when I attempted to use the generator, the Craftsman charger made smoke
and blew the varistor.  I was able to replace the varistor and the
charger works fine.  There may have been surges, but the charger was the
only thing connected at the time.  Maybe I should have tried it with a
load.

When I attempted to use the inverter (modified sine wave) error lights
flashed on the charger and the battery was not actually charged.

The Sears manual for the charger is quite explicit that only normal
household current will work with this charger.  I believe they are correct.

I no longer have the Craftsman set and am considering my options for
replacements.

Thanks

That is exactly why I posted my question.  What chargers will work with
mod square wave inverters?