Q-81: I took your advice and bought an AstroFlight 109 Lithium Charger
(the one with the green label). I certainly am pleased with the overall
operation. But one thing bothers me. When I attach the two alligator clips to my
automobile battery, the sparks go flying!
I don’t like having sparks fly in close proximity to battery gas vapors or even
gasoline fumes. I’m sure if a main power switch was incorporated into this
charger, I wouldn’t have any problems. Do you have any suggestions?
A-81: The reader is correct, and you may also have noticed the “sparks fly” when connecting this charger (and many others) to car-battery terminals. I haven't had any problems with the sparks and haven’t heard any complaints registered, but I recently tried a solution on my own.
I could have drilled a hole in the charger case and permanently installed a
heavy-duty toggle switch, but that would likely void the terms of the charger’s
warranty. I found a better way.
I bought a heavy-duty, automotive-type toggle switch from RadioShack (part
number 275-701, rated at 16 amps/12 VDC). All I did was cut the red (positive)
input wire (one of the long wires) close to the alligator clip. The two wire
ends went to the two switch terminals. I had to add some heat-shrink tubing to
prevent a short circuit. A nylon tie can act as a strain relief. Since the
switch wasn’t marked, I added an “on” label. When not connected to the car
battery, this switch is “off.” After connecting the alligator clips to the
battery, turn the switch on and operate the charger in the normal manner. Doing
it this way, there will be no sparks!
When you're finished with the charger, turn the switch off and then remove the alligator clips from the battery terminal. Again, no sparks!
I’ve seen switches that are intended for “in-line” insertion and would probably be perfect for this application. If any reader can find one of these, please drop me a note so I can share it with everyone.