Fudmucker
Grey Hound
As their core business, power tool manufacturers sell tools and power packs as extra parts. They have no incentive to sell accessories that will prolong the life of the battery packs during use. It struck me that there is a gap in the market for just such an accessory.
For maximum operational life, a portable power tool battery pack should be fully discharged, then fully charged for a maximum duration of X hours. Having a spare pack normally works for people who use their power tools a lot, where they have one pack in the tool and one in the charger and exchange them as they go.
But what of the user who has a single power tool and wants to keep it charged for use, or would like to charge it for a task the next morning or when he gets home from work, etc. Many battery packs should not be charged for more than a set number of hours (my Ryobi drill says 3 hours maximum). So I can’t plug it in and leave it while I go to work or go to sleep without causing permanent damage to the battery pack.
atch:
I thought of a timer similar in action to what one gets in any microwave. Either mechanical or digital, the timer is set, you push start and then at the end of the set period, the appliance switches off. The trouble is that the microwave timers work in minutes and seconds, whereas my need is for hours and fractions of an hour at most.
I am sure that there are charging stations with microprocessors available (for radios etc.) that will control a discharge and re-charge cycle for single or even multiple packs, but they cost more than the power tool and battery packs themselves. :eek7:
Are there any such SINGLE point countdown timers available that are reasonably priced? :sip:
PS: I have Googled but all I find are typical 24-hr cycle plug in timers. :lamer:
For maximum operational life, a portable power tool battery pack should be fully discharged, then fully charged for a maximum duration of X hours. Having a spare pack normally works for people who use their power tools a lot, where they have one pack in the tool and one in the charger and exchange them as they go.
But what of the user who has a single power tool and wants to keep it charged for use, or would like to charge it for a task the next morning or when he gets home from work, etc. Many battery packs should not be charged for more than a set number of hours (my Ryobi drill says 3 hours maximum). So I can’t plug it in and leave it while I go to work or go to sleep without causing permanent damage to the battery pack.
atch:I thought of a timer similar in action to what one gets in any microwave. Either mechanical or digital, the timer is set, you push start and then at the end of the set period, the appliance switches off. The trouble is that the microwave timers work in minutes and seconds, whereas my need is for hours and fractions of an hour at most.
I am sure that there are charging stations with microprocessors available (for radios etc.) that will control a discharge and re-charge cycle for single or even multiple packs, but they cost more than the power tool and battery packs themselves. :eek7:
Are there any such SINGLE point countdown timers available that are reasonably priced? :sip:
PS: I have Googled but all I find are typical 24-hr cycle plug in timers. :lamer:
