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Craftsman C3 Battery Charging, Part 3b
The other feature of my C3 battery adapter is to be able to measure power tool current, so lets see if that works.
On first pass, I confirm that these DC watt meters do not measure reverse current, that is current flowing from the load to the source. They permit that current to flow (through the internal shunt), but likely filter out negative shunt voltages and thuis display 0.00 amps.
So a quick set of Deans "gender changer" adapters solved the problem by allowing the Watt Meter to be connected the other way around, and success. Current and power flowing from the battery to the tool can now be measured easily.
While that in itself is interesting, this test also disproved my hypothesis that the "T1" and "T2" side terminals were somehow used by the power tool to read something about the battery pack, temperature perhaps? Apparently the power tool has no connection to those side terminals and works just fine off the "+" and "-" front/rear terminals. So the sole purpose of those side terminals must be for the charger and battery to "communicate" with.
The next step will be to perform some further experiments to try and determine how those side terminals are used by the charger. To do that, I'll attach some wires to the adapter and try connecting those to a battery pack and see how the charger reacts.
Stay tuned for the next installment. If anyone has had any experience with the C3 battery/charger connections, feel free to post up your experiences in the comments section below.
Top tip: If you are planning to purchase some of these small power connectors (Deans, XT60, etc.) buy a lot of them, 10-20 pair at a minimum. I used 4 pair just for this one test setup. 10 pair will get used up just like that!
As always, thanks for watching!
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ESIEa5wGMk
On first pass, I confirm that these DC watt meters do not measure reverse current, that is current flowing from the load to the source. They permit that current to flow (through the internal shunt), but likely filter out negative shunt voltages and thuis display 0.00 amps.
So a quick set of Deans "gender changer" adapters solved the problem by allowing the Watt Meter to be connected the other way around, and success. Current and power flowing from the battery to the tool can now be measured easily.
While that in itself is interesting, this test also disproved my hypothesis that the "T1" and "T2" side terminals were somehow used by the power tool to read something about the battery pack, temperature perhaps? Apparently the power tool has no connection to those side terminals and works just fine off the "+" and "-" front/rear terminals. So the sole purpose of those side terminals must be for the charger and battery to "communicate" with.
The next step will be to perform some further experiments to try and determine how those side terminals are used by the charger. To do that, I'll attach some wires to the adapter and try connecting those to a battery pack and see how the charger reacts.
Stay tuned for the next installment. If anyone has had any experience with the C3 battery/charger connections, feel free to post up your experiences in the comments section below.
Top tip: If you are planning to purchase some of these small power connectors (Deans, XT60, etc.) buy a lot of them, 10-20 pair at a minimum. I used 4 pair just for this one test setup. 10 pair will get used up just like that!
As always, thanks for watching!
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ESIEa5wGMk
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Intro:
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A 1/2W GE LED night light bulb screwed into the housing.
In the next video, we'll look at the finished fan:
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moGIfUDRVs0
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