DSD charger PS is POS!

Another power supply for a DSD charger stopped working for no apparent reason. It made a popping sound before it died, it had been charging a protected R123 for a while. The charger still works fine if used with a different PS. I think I have had over 6 DSD power supplies die on me know and I'm getting worried about using them, who knows if they are going to start a fire.
Anyone else with this problem?

Is there anyone that has a good source for those Nokia power supplies that some have been using?

Should I junk them and instead use a combination of Nano charger and Pila charger? Can the new Pila charger be used on AW's protected cells or other Li-Ion cells like LG 2600mAh?

Hello MSI,

The new Pila charger will charge protected and unprotected Li-Ion cells without problems.

Tom

The stock PSP quit or the Nokia?
I use the Nokia and I got two off of eBay for around $12 shipped.
Model number is at work but I can post it tomorrow.

EDIT:
It's Nokia model ACP-12C
Input: 100-240V 50/60 Hz 125mA
Output: 5.7V 800mA

Mine quit after a week, the DSD is junk. :thumbsdow

Thanks for the information! I've got a DSD charger on order!!

Looks like I may have to find another PSU for the charger unit!!

leukos said:

Mine quit after a week, the DSD is junk. :thumbsdow

Click to expand...

I have two and none are running the original PS any longer. I'm using a Siemens cell phone charger PS (450 mA) (using the original plug) and a 12V car-charger from an older Nokia that I found lying around (800 mA).

Both work very well with the new PS.

I seem to remember somebody posting that the original PS would die if a battery was placed in the reverse direction, but mine died even though I'm pretty sure I never did this...

SilverFox said:

Hello MSI,

The new Pila charger will charge protected and unprotected Li-Ion cells without problems.

Tom

Click to expand...

Hi Tom, can various protected Li-Ion cells be 'mixed' on the new Pila charger? For example, a Pila 600P charging side by side with an AW 17670, and so on? I assume so, but my knowledge in this area is limited and I want to be on the safe side. Thanks, Patrick

Thanks Tom, does the Pila prevent overcharge on unprotected cells or do you need to keep an eye on them and pull them out when the green light comes on? I'm wondering since it say that it has a stand by mode trickle charge.
As far as I can see, the Pila charger will charge a pair of batteries almost four times as fast as a DSD (2x600mAh instead of 1x350mAh), so it can replace two DSD chargers. Now I have only charged one battery at a time in the DSD charger (and used multiple chargers) to reduce the charge time. The Pila charger is more expensive, but when comparing charge time vs price, it is better value than the DSD, I haven't looked at it like that before so I got a little surprised by the result.

GJW, it is the stock power supplies that quit working. I will have to start searching for some cheap Nokia supplies, if I can't find some (cheap) then the DSDs are headed for the trash can.

NoFair, you are running the DSD on 12V?? Or is it the Nokia that takes 12V as input?

I think it would be a good idea if there was sticky in this forum listing chargers/batteries (and other related products) to avoid or that have serious issues. The DSD should be on top of the list!

I use the new Pila charger and really like it.
It does have 2 separate channels so I think you can charge 2 different cells at the same time.
I have never tried it with unprotected cells,however.

I had two PS that quit with the same resistor defetive.
The blue 4,7 Ohm resistor was open circuit.
Also check the other resistor marked.

I do not recommend DSD, cause it's not reliable, also it charges cells only 80%

I read in another thread that the reason for the DSD only charging to 80% was because people are using nokia 800mah chargers.

If they use the supplied 350mah charger, It charges closer to 100%.

I have not tried this myself yet.

regards.

I had the same problem. There is a resistor, 4.7 Ohm 1/4 Watt in series with the main power. The type of resistor is not intended for use on main voltage, so from time to time it "pops" - in the sense that it gets open with a spark and a popping sound.
It is enough to replace that resistor with a real one, to have no more problems.
I suggest replacing it, even if the power supply is working correctly.

Anthony

Hello Patrick,

As Led-Ed pointed out, the new Pila charger has two independent channels. It charges each channel independently. There is no problem putting cells of different capacities in and charging them at the same time.

The Pila charger has a reset button. Sometimes the low voltage cut out protection circuit can be difficult to reset. It is suppose to automatically reset when you put the cell in the charger. If your protected cell does not start to charge when you put the cell in the charger, you should push the reset button to get things started.

The inside "word" is that Pila felt that this may be viewed as a weakness of the charger, so rather than explain how the system works, they simply stated that the Pila charger should only be used with Pila batteries. This is a very conservative position, but since they carry product liability insurance, it probably helps to keep their insurance rates lower.

Tom

Hello MSI,

The Pila charger clamps the voltage at around 4.2 volts. At the end of the charge, it shuts off. This is perfect for unprotected cells, and with protected cells, you should never trip the high voltage protection circuit.

I should point out that the DSD charger charges cells in parallel. Parallel charging of Li-Ion cells is safe and it is OK to parallel charge Li-Ion cells of different capacities or different states of charge. The disadvantages of the DSD charger are, a questionable power supply, a low charge rate, and it does not seem to shut off after the charge is completed. The "work arounds" include, replacing components of the power supply or the entire unit, allowing ample time for charging, and pulling the cells from the charger as soon as the green light comes on.

Tom

Here in New Jersey, USA, I have been using several DSD chargers without any problems. From the posters who have indicated problems with the DSD
OEM charger, I see countries of UK, Norway, Germany, and Italy listed. MSI
didn't identify his home country.

It is my understanding that Europe has standardized on 230 VAC 50 Hz
supply/mains power, whereas here in the USA we have 120 VAC 60 Hz power.
Could the problem with the DSD charger power supply be focused on running
the OEM power supply on 230 V? That would correlate with the reports
from HiltiHome (Germany) and Ray_of_Light (Italy) concerning the failure of
the 4.7 ohm input resistor, and the possibility of that resistor not being
rated to 230 VAC.

George

MSI said:

NoFair, you are running the DSD on 12V?? Or is it the Nokia that takes 12V as input?

Click to expand...

It is a Nokia 12V cell phone charger. So it is just delivering something in the 5-7V range to the DSD. It does charge at about 800 mA so the 18650s don't take forever anymore.
I think a direct drive DSD of a 12V car battery would be interesting in a bad way

Sverre

gchand: mine is working fine in sweden but it haven't been used so many times yet, perhaps 10-15 times, still working anyway, with 230-240 V.

Anders

If you can't leave the house, there are various web resouces for cell phone vendors and of course you could take your chances with the auction sites.

If you are able to get to a department store like Target or Wal*Mart, you can find them in the electronics department sometimes they'll have both the OEM and third party units. They may also be available at local hardware or drug stores. If you feel adventurous and seek convenience more than price, you could also take your chances with local cell phone dealers, however many of those places have the kids working there on the same arrangement as car dealers; the more that they can fleece you for, the better their paycheck.

MSI said:

Is there anyone that has a good source for those Nokia power supplies that some have been using?

Click to expand...

Just to clarify, we're talking about this Pila charger?: http://www.pilatorch.com/BatterySys_charger.htm

Can this Pila charger recharge 18650s? If so, it sounds like THE 18650 charger to have.

SilverFox said:

Hello Patrick,
There is no problem putting cells of different capacities in and charging them at the same time.
If your protected cell does not start to charge when you put the cell in the charger, you should push the reset button to get things started.

Tom

Click to expand...

Thanks much, Tom, this answers all my concerns. Patrick