[whiterice07]

This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

So I built my pack a couple of years ago, and I have a 9800mah 12v battery in it. From day one, the original charger was enough to turn the whole system on, but as soon as I unplugged it, the system wouldn't run. I went to the hobby store near me and I bought a 12v 600mah charger that has alligator clips for it's connection, tapped those into the plug from the original charger, and it worked like a charm. Well, I left it in the garage and the Texas heat killed the charger. So I ordered one of the original chargers from eBay (the first one I had broke, it wasn't constructed very well), and it claims to be 12v 1000mah charger - but I have the same issue as I had the first time.

Any ideas why a 600mah RC charger would charge my battery, but a 1000mah charger wouldn't?

For reference, this is the battery I'm running in my pack:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Li-ion-Battery ... SwV6ta6rsn

This is the charger I was using that worked fine until I killed it:
https://www.amazon.com/Hangar-12V-600mA ... B0006OBM8E

And this is the charger I bought that will power the pack, but won't actually charge it:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/UL-Listed-12V- ... 2749.l2649

[grogking]

Probably a bad battery. I'd look at getting a new one. Also, you have to make sure that if the battery has an on off switch, it is switched on. If its off, it wont charge.

[Christof]

I've seen a lot of guys on here mention that the basic charger that came with their blue brick was dysfunctional in some way so it doesn't really surprise me. Have you pulled out a volt meter and checked the leads? That would give you a definite answer, though I think you can already say pretty conclusively that the original charger is a dud.

[whiterice07]

I've seen a lot of guys on here mention that the basic charger that came with their blue brick was dysfunctional in some way so it doesn't really surprise me. Have you pulled out a volt meter and checked the leads? That would give you a definite answer, though I think you can already say pretty conclusively that the original charger is a dud.

I haven't yet, but I can. That's kind of my thinking; it's a lightweight plastic plug/transformer whereas the hobby charger is a lot heavier, albeit a lower amperage. I'm thinking it's something to do with the quality of the transformer itself. I plan on picking up another hobby charger and trying that again.

[Christof]

It might be worth it, while you have a volt meter out, to double check the output on your blue brick as well. If it's a couple of years older if might be losing some of it's oomph.

[whiterice07]

Ok so I bought a new charger at the hobby store last night, ended up not needing it. I took my pack apart and made sure they battery switch was on, then used my meter on pretty much everything. My original charger that I thought was busted is working, oddly enough. It has a strong output and a constant amperage output. The new cheap-o charger I bought on ebay (the original one for the battery) does seem to spike up to 1000 mah on charging, but it's a pulse and not a constant output, which is odd. Anyways, turns out the battery is shot; as soon as I pull the power, you can see the status LED on my sound board dim a little bit and there's no output anymore. Ordered a new battery today.

[Christof]

I suspected that might be the case, LiPos, especially older ones are notorious for losing their lifespan as soon as you sneeze at them. Glad to hear you nailed down the issue though!