Over the years I have developed a big collection of small battery chargers for for tools, lights, calculators, etc. Every one of them seems to have a different plug-in fitting. I have a garage shelf dedicated to these. Unfortunately I no longer remember which device uses which charger, and many of the devices have long ago disappeared. A few are labeled (Black & Decker for instance). I am ready to just trash all of them that I can't determine what they fit. Anyone else faced with this? Just throw the all away?
battery chargers everywhere
- Thread starter Wes Tex
- Start date
nadogail
Well-known member
All my battery operated Cordless Tools use batteries from the same manufacturer.
I am a follower of the KISS System; Keep It Simple Stupid.
I am a follower of the KISS System; Keep It Simple Stupid.
Main power tools I stick to Makita 18v or Milwaukee 12v to try and limit the chaos in the garage. For all the wall wart type transformers going to round plugs I try and make a labelmaker label to put on them when I get them to label the plug...it helps but isn't a guaranteed. I keep a stock of old plugs sorted by output voltage(5V, 9v, 12v etc), once the ziplock bag gets full excess ones go in the trash.
whateg01
Well-known member
Battery charger for a calculator? Do you mean wall warts? They should be labeled with voltage, current, and polarity if that's the case. I toss a bunch but they can be handy for when you lose one of similar voltage or can be used for other projects. Mostly though, they just hang around until you die, then the kids can deal with them.
Take the one out of the garage that is not tool related.
(1) You should be able to match tools in garage with chargers
(2) I assume you have been charging the devices you currently use . Mark the chargers somehow.
(3) If there are devices you haven't used in a while but are intent on using in the future, find out what charger they take via Internet search (4) Take the rest to Goodwill or equivalent (if they take them) or recycle them.
(1) You should be able to match tools in garage with chargers
(2) I assume you have been charging the devices you currently use . Mark the chargers somehow.
(3) If there are devices you haven't used in a while but are intent on using in the future, find out what charger they take via Internet search (4) Take the rest to Goodwill or equivalent (if they take them) or recycle them.
dave*99
Well-known member
Notgrownup
Well-known member
For now all my cordless tools are still Porter Cable. I’m surprised they are still fairly usable. I wish I would’ve started with a different brand like Dewalt but it was on special . I sold, gave away or threw away all my other cordless ones years ago.
dave*99
Well-known member
I suspect the OP is asking about wall warts with charging cables dangling off of them.
If the charger fits a slide in battery pack and is from DeWalt, Makita or Milwaukee he probably knows what fits in it.
That said, most of the products I have that use those wall wart/corded chargers are quite old (and probably trash) Still, I have a box of those chargers like many here. It rarely gets opened.
Some modern small tools, lights, and battery packs are now using USB charging.
The vast majority of the “wall wart” devices are USB-C in my life. I do still have two or three USB-Micros floating around, and thank God Apple left Lightning behind, but there are a couple of phones that still use that charger.
I haven’t seen or bought anything that uses any of the old various round port chargers in years.
I haven’t seen or bought anything that uses any of the old various round port chargers in years.
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I would dump them all & get one universal charger with multiple ends & voltages, if you even need that.
bwringer
Well-known member
I standardized on one battery system in my garage some while back, and I've been very happy with the decision.
I did add some Milwaukee M12 tools where the smaller form factor carries its own advantages, but that's definitely going to be the end of the battery proliferation.
At least until the next Great Leap Forward in battery tech, anyway. We went from NiCad, to NiMH, to lithium batteries because the advantages were so overwhelming. Sooner or later, the Next Big Thing will come along, and hopefully they'll make some batteries or adapters to fit my tools...
I did add some Milwaukee M12 tools where the smaller form factor carries its own advantages, but that's definitely going to be the end of the battery proliferation.
At least until the next Great Leap Forward in battery tech, anyway. We went from NiCad, to NiMH, to lithium batteries because the advantages were so overwhelming. Sooner or later, the Next Big Thing will come along, and hopefully they'll make some batteries or adapters to fit my tools...
Captain Spaulding
Well-known member
I use a silver Sharpie to write on them what they are for.
lolaetype
Well-known member
I went through this a year or so ago. I identified which charger went with which device. If the matching wasn't obvious, I labeled the charger with what it charged. Orphaned chargers went in a box that will go to the scrapyard the next time I go there unless I can think of a better thing to do with them.
When I was managing an IT department, I made it a rule that all those wall warts had to be labeled. We had hundreds. Unfortunately, 100% of the ones I inherited were unmarked. If you got really lucky, you'd find one that was at least the same brand as the equipment. Didn't ensure compatibility though.
dave*99
Well-known member
True, but that trend seemed to die long ago. Somewhere I think I read the proliferation of wall warts was partly because they can be tested and "certified" maybe by UL or an independent lab. Then the low voltage device (your calculator or whatever) didn't plug into line voltage and need not be certified. Or I made that up.
YMMV.
I suspect most devices in my possession that use wall warts and round power plugs are old dead battery, old tech, obsolete..... trash.
Maybe this thread will inspire me to toss them.
kbuhagiar
Well-known member
I still have a collection of wall warts, mostly 12VDC output, which can be handy when testing automotive electrical accessories.
I've donated a bunch in the past to some of my model railroad buddies for their layouts, as they can be used to power low-voltage landscape LEDs for signals, signs, streetlights, etc.
I've donated a bunch in the past to some of my model railroad buddies for their layouts, as they can be used to power low-voltage landscape LEDs for signals, signs, streetlights, etc.
Obviously, a very common problem.
While I always tried to label them, every now and then I run across an orphan. I just toss it in a box until I need a replacement. If the fitting is different but the voltage is compatible, I splice in a replacement.
IT's nice that most are finally standardizing on USB-C, but I'm not holding my breath for that to last.
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
I used to have a square milk crate of various wall wart transformers. I kept the higher amperage 12 volt units and tossed everything else some time ago. USB charging cables have replaced the wall warts as things to hoard...
Cheers
Jim
Cheers
Jim
Low voltage devices are generally safer— harder to electrocute the user, less likely to burst into flames, etc. so there’s probably something to that.
Putting the power supply in a wall wart lets the device be smaller, the wires between the wart and device can be thinner. It was also a cheap way of getting a device that could use either batteries or wall power. As a bonus, if you sell the device in areas with different wall voltages, you merely have to supply the correct wart, instead of a different version of the main product.
Using usb as the power source lets the manufacturer skip providing a power supply altogether, while keeping the other advantages.
You may have read that in a recent post I made.
dave*99
Well-known member
Too recent.
supersaiyan93
Well-known member
finn
Well-known member
I have probably six or eight power tool platforms between Dewalt, Milwaukee. Busch, Skil, and Metabo HPT. No problem with that at all. They’re all used regularly in various locations. I don’t really want to add more, but on the other hand I’m not totally averse to it if the deal and need are both there.
My issue isssues center around the dozens of obsolete tools and gadgets with unlabeled and unidentified wall warts that have accumulated over the past forty years. I’m ready to purge. Just need to make time.
My issue isssues center around the dozens of obsolete tools and gadgets with unlabeled and unidentified wall warts that have accumulated over the past forty years. I’m ready to purge. Just need to make time.