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MrGnome
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:00 am Post subject: Braun NIMH trimmer not accepting charge. |
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Hi.
My beard-trimmer a Braun EP100 (Exact power 100) has stopped accepting charge. It has an NH-Cell. It also does not work with the cord anymore.
Normally as i connect the power coord a green led shines up to let me know it is charging, when charging time is over the green led still shines but not as bright, to let me know it is fully loaded.
I started getting low voltages from the battery and had to use the cord while shaving. I decided to empty the battery and then recharge it from empty. I had the machine going for several hours until it ran out of battery. I then charged it over night but it didnt accept any charge. Furthermore it doesnt work at all now even though the cord is connected. If i remove the shaving head the motor has enough juice to spin, so i know it's not completely dead.
I opened it up and unsoldered the cell, and also tried to short circuit the cell's solder points with the cell removed, but to no avail.
What can be wrong?
There is a AC-DC converter IC connected to the led, which makes me suspect that's what has overheated...
If anyone wants to help me wake this old machine before i look like santa claus, I'd be very greatful. |
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torbjorn
Joined: 07 Jun 2007 Posts: 370 Location: Sweden
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Try temporarily connecting an ordinary 1,5 V dry cell instead of the NiMH cell and see if the unit powers up. (but don't try charging with that cell connected).
A common problem with NiMH (and NiCd) cells is that they can get short circuited after a deep discharge, in particular if the cell already is old and in bad condition. In some cases (for example, Black & Decker electric screwdrivers from the early nineties), there are badly designed chargers that overheat and fail if the battery has got a short. But i don't think Braun should make such mistakes.
However, there are also cases where the charger does not even switch charging on if the battery is too deeply discharged (or shorted). |
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MrGnome
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 2:12 am Post subject: |
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Torbjörn,
Thank you. That was very important information. It seems the charger does NOT switch to charging mode. However there seems to be enough power in the cell to run the motor, when the motor is freed from the load of the clipping heads. I'll try to switch the cell! thank you!
However, I think it's strange that the machine does not run even with the power cord connected to an outlet. This is what baffles me. |
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bloodgood
Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 4
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:45 pm Post subject: Braun EP100 - Battery Change or PSU error? |
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Hi MrGnome,
Thanks for your detailed description..
My Braun EP100 is 8 years old, but in mechanical great shape.
After 4 years the battery's capacity dropped beyond useless.
Until a week ago it was working with the cord attached.
Now it shows the same behavior as you describe.
I fear that one or more PSU components is failing.
Did the "new battery" fix your problem? |
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MrGnome
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
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Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:13 am Post subject: Re: Braun EP100 - Battery Change or PSU error? |
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bloodgood wrote: |
Did the "new battery" fix your problem? |
Sorry I haven't tried it yet! Will do soon, and let you know! |
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bloodgood
Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 4
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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In my case a new battery didn't fix the problem. ( at least not after it discharged. )
I will go thru the pwr-supply to see what's wrong.
Hopefully the error lies in it's early stage.
This is also consistent with the behavior. ( Not running, even when plugged in. )
( Probably the common yellow alert: "Chinese 110V rated components in 230V gear!" )
Stay tuned. |
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minnie
Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 2880 Location: Hell
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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Have you taken a multi meter and checked the charger? In side post should be + and the out side ring should be -. |
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bloodgood
Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 4
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:27 am Post subject: |
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Hi Minnie,
My Braun EP100 uses a mains cord plugged directly. ( No external pwr-supply. )
The circuits inside can be divided into 3 stages:
1. Switching supply ( Most certainly damaged )
2. Charging circuit ( hopefully not damaged )
3. Motor control ( simple 2 speed via resistor - working )
Do you have a newer EP100 with external supply or perhaps another model? |
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Guest
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:20 pm Post subject: Re: Braun EP100 - Battery Change or PSU error? |
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Mine won't accept a charge, and even when I run it plugged in the battery is still dying, and the thing eventually comes to a stop. Can anyone help me figure out how to even open it up? |
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Guest
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:24 pm Post subject: Re: Braun EP100 - Battery Change or PSU error? |
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Anonymous wrote: | Mine won't accept a charge, and even when I run it plugged in the battery is still dying, and the thing eventually comes to a stop. Can anyone help me figure out how to even open it up? |
[email protected] |
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