I accidently let the smoke out

[JPSmit]

Yesterday I went to check SWMBO's car as it had been sitting in this cold. Sure enough the battery was flat. Boosted it with a battery charger and when the car started and I went to disconnect it, smoke was coming out.

Am I to assume it is dead? are the checks I can do? It's an old charger but I don't want to buy new unless I have to.

thoughts?

 

[TR3driver]

Kind of depends on what sort of charger it is. If it's a simple charger and you've just gone over the duty cycle on the boost setting, the charger may be OK. I'd hook it up to a charged battery, and check the output voltage. If it brings the battery voltage up to around 14-15 volts without smoking, it's probably OK.

Some of them are very simple, just a transformer and some diodes (with a few controls, perhaps a timer and circuit breaker). If so and it's just a bad diode, might be worth replacing the diode. But if the transformer is smoked, it's trash. Or if it's electronically controlled, then most likely one or more transistors are ruined and probably not worth fixing.

I've got an old Schumacher 10/30/50 amp charger that I was given after it stopped working. (Former owner forgot and left it on boost overnight.) Used some old alternator diodes to repair it and it still works 20 years later (although I did later replace the battery clamps and wires and it now needs a new power cord).

 

[JPSmit]

Thanks Randall, it is an old one - nothing electronically controlling anything

 

[Guest]

Throw it away or let us know how you want your obit to read.

 

[Guest]

I don't trust JP with fire, sharp objects or electricity.

 

[TR3driver]

I figure doing is the best way to learn. Like the man said, "Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."