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Does anybody out there have trouble with the charge on their 12V dewalt XR drill? When I charge these batteries they go only about half as long as my Makita 12V. I charge them in a warm area, Ive tried leaving them in charger overnight several tlmes. I dont let them drain completely (as instruction sheet suggests),before I recharge. Im thinking I have a bad charger? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Marty,I had the same problem it was the charger.Vince
*Of my 4 Dewalt 12-volt batteries, one died pretty quick, after about 8 months. It wouldn't take a charge from the charger or even from a dumb source of 12 volts (i.e. my toyota's cigarette lighter). Admittedly, they've been used for DeWalt tools, powering headlamps for caving and dog sledding, and for operating the sonar fishfinder in my sea kayak. "sea" as in salt water. The other 3 have behaved themselves for 2 years.With any electrical/electronic problem, swap components around and see which component the problem moves around with. Try a friend's charger, try his/her battery for comparison. This works for PC's, fuel-injection computers, and home appliances. Check on the tool magazine's rating of these drills (DeWalt and Makita). Do they normally drive the same numer of screws? -David
*Marty,My DeWalt 12vXR batteries did just fine for about 3 years and just wouldn't hold charge anymore. How old are yours?If I understand your post you are NOT running the batteries all the way down? That could be the problem. Many rechargeable batteries display a "memory" effect. They "remember" how long between charges. So if you re-charge at 50% of full run time, that's when they will want to be charged again. And if you keep up the pattern, 50% of 50% is only 25% and so on.Try running them all the way down and see what happens. Call the DeWalt 800 line and ask.I think some of the newer chargers (?DeWalt?) have a chip built in that discharges the battery completely before re-charge. There was a good FHB article a while back that explained battery types and performance very well.Scott
*I think the battery "memory" thing hasn't been a factor for quite a few years now. More likely either bad batteries or charger. After I worked for a building supplier for a while, I learned that one should return both batteries and chargers during the warranty period as soon (repeat) as soon as either shows a problem. They both have had high infant mortality rates across brands, and it just doesn't pay to nurse them along.
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Does anybody out there have trouble with the charge on their 12V dewalt XR drill? When I charge these batteries they go only about half as long as my Makita 12V. I charge them in a warm area, Ive tried leaving them in charger overnight several tlmes. I dont let them drain completely (as instruction sheet suggests),before I recharge. Im thinking I have a bad charger? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
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