I got the first model of the MX5 (1049) and it's better constructed. This newer (and more expensive, fancy that!) version is obviously built as cheap as possible, The 1049 model of the MX5 have several filter coils on the primary side, MOV, diodes and resistors are through hole. A lot more going on to protect the charger. Larger cooling plates. Whole layout is different. 1049 also has a large silicon gasket which seals it from water ingress completely. Only thing functionally different is that the 1049 only has 4 programs, you can't combine small battery with recond for example. Being a Swede I actually tried to call and talk to the company because I had some technical questions, but they were totally uninterested in any "normal" customer contact. I got 2 newer models of the MX5, I'll have to take a look inside those too. I've been using mostly the more expensive MX5 Polar (-30C model) for the last couple of years and it's still working good, but huge thanks for this great video which will help immensely if I run into problems!

@razenby

17 күн бұрын

Thanks, For all that I believe they are a vastly overpriced unreliable design.

I really enjoy your videos! Your expertise is exceptional. Thank you once again!

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Is there anything you would like to see on the channel?

@dpyles9396

2 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Microwave Oven repair perhaps? they have some creative electronics in the newer ones.

This guy is legendary, explains everything great to watch, found me self talking back to tv as if you could hear me lol. Enjoyed it very educational thank you. Maybe you should do a few TVs or something bring the audience up"? ... on a side note I said to the wife the other night I need to order some more flux, and quoted your saying (things go better with flux) she gave me a look that could kill and said make your own dinner I’m going out lol 😂

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Lol, maybe she misunderstood 'flux'

Thanks for excellent video Mr Magic Smoke.👍

@razenby

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure....

Well presented , no waffle. Educational and a little entertaining. Yes , I watched the whole hour. And learned a bit. Well done - keep 'em coming.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the encouragement. Glad you found it useful.

" An expensive piece of very cheap hardware design" That's my experience with CTEK as well.

@razenby

4 жыл бұрын

Totally agree

@lesbrock6719

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Would you like to have crack at an MSX 10 with the same fault, you could review at same time ?

@lesbrock6719

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Hi Thank you, Just filled out form, will get it on its way to you hopefully it will be interesting for you as well as everyone else

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

@@lesbrock6719Standing by, thanks I will delete the thread else I will receive at ton of faulty chargers!

@E3CB

3 жыл бұрын

@@lesbrock6719 Thank you. I'm one person that's looking forward to that video. My MSX 10 stops supplying voltage after about 7 days with all leds lit. When I unplug and replug, it works again. Very annoying.

Excellent. As I retired many years ago I have never worked on surface mount components, so it was a good introduction to SF components. As I no longer have the eyesight to work on very small components I do have a 2013 year made CTEK 5.0 (with a black mode button) that has developed an interesting fault. It is appearing that it works but shows the light no. 6 all the time. If you want to have a go at repairing it let me know.

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

Hi Dinkar. I am sorry, I don't have time to do repairs. Most of my videos result from me repairing something I own and then putting the info out there so others can have a better chance of fixing stuff rather than throwing it in landfill. Thanks for watching.

Brilliant video thanks, my MSX 10 has just died so I will have a go with your multimeter checks.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

I am just about to release a MXS10 repair video. It is in the can but not edited. There will be a lot more info..

@jeremytodd4906

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby That's even better thanks! It's annoying that my expensive charger has managed about 4 years but the good old Gunson transformer charger I bought 25 years ago still works a treat! The joy of progress 😂😂

Hi, I'm shocked to see this here and to read the experiences down in the comments. My CTEK's are old and bought in 2007 (20 pieces XS 0.8 for glider batteries of my club) and private use four different chargers between 2007 and 2013 (MXS 4003, MXS 7.0 and two XS 0.8). In the beginning we had five chargers of my club that stopped working in the first six months but with no discussion replaced by CTEK. After that the MXS 0.8 are still working since 15 years 24/7 without any failure. What I was surprised are the casing of the CTEK in your video: The casings of our CTEK's are closed with screws and a rubber seal between upper and lower case. It is IP65 what was prooved several times because of use in rain. Does CTEK drop the quality down over the years? It looks to me like that.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

I can say anything about the consistency of build quality - just the lack of prowess in the design. I can speak for all but the ones I tested and repaired (see IP65 test video) leaked like a sieve. If it gets near to the dew point after a humid period outside it will blow as there is no conformal coating and the case isn't sealed. I have repaired a lot of MXS5.0 MSX20 and MX3600 CTEKs. I cant speak for older or other designs.

Thanks a lot for the video and repearing process ! My CTECK MXS3.8 had exactly the same problem. Now it'sOK.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Great job. Very weak design.

Great video, hope for more.

@razenby

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. I will be back on it soon. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for an excellent video mine had the same symptom but the diode was ok poking around with the trusty DVM I found high resistance from the Pin 5 Drv to FET gate this was somehow induced by the water that was inside the unit at one time still not sure where the fault is. So I added a 10ohm resistor from Pin 5 to the gate and up it came. Cheers Subscribed!

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

Great job.

Well, that's that CTEK off my list. Been using the el-cheapo Lidl chargers for years but have discovered they tend to show a green light prematurely. Not really been a problem, but the batteries haven't been as charged as I thought they were, so was looking for an upgrade. CTEK were in the running.

@razenby

6 ай бұрын

Glad it was useful. Don't fall for the smoke and mirrors.. Thanks for watching.

Annoyingly mines just failed. I plug it into the cigar lighter and it shows it's only charging at half and will not go past it. I'll try it on the battery itself (although I have already on my motorbike) and if no success I'll crack it open and pretend I know what I'm looking for. Very informative clip 👍👍👍👍👍

@razenby

6 ай бұрын

Open it up and have a look for burned components. A bad crocodile clip or cable can cause this. Bear in mind a bad battery or a parasitic power drain on the vehicle can cause this. A bad connection in the lighter socket could also cause ethe problem. If the battery voltage cant get up to the correct level then it will sit half way for ever, Best try a known good battery before you condemn it, Isolate the battery from the car (disconnect) and try it, Good luck.

So after watching and really enjoying a couple of your ctek videos, I bought a broken one to see if I can get it going. The model is the xs 7000. The power light flashes but nothing else and it looks like it's had a hard life. Once opened I could see that there are 3 caps on the low power side that are bulging on the tops, so I thought I'd change these and the little switch. However, when trying to unsolder the caps, one of the rings came off. This happened on two if the three caps. I soldered these in without the rings, but after switching on I had the magic smoke and it blew both (there are fuses on the live and neutral) fuses on the high power side. I'm waiting for the new fuses to arrive but in the meantime I took the caps back out to try to trace the next point on the board. I cannot really see where they track but it looks like one goes to a relay and the other goes to the other cap. This would mean that they are connected in series. Does this sound right?

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

If the mains fuses blew then the board is fried and you will have to change all the active electronic parts on the HV power side. The secondary side capacitors have bulged either because the battery was connected the wrong way around and the reverse connection protection circuitry / FETS failed OR the PWM power supply side went wild and started producing a voltage way to high for the caps/ Good luck with the repair..

@nathanbuffery4734

2 жыл бұрын

Ok.......so I went through the high voltage side and tested all of the components I could. I found the FET, some resistors, and a Diode faulty. I decided to swap the optocoupler and the chip as well, as I was unsure on how to test these. Unfortunately, the new chip that came was a bigger unit and would not fit in. I tested the new chip against the old chip and it read the same. I hooked it up to the mains with a bulb connected in series and had the LED'S come on and the bulb stayed off. So far so good. I then resoldered the battery leads on and put the the case back together. I hooked it up to a battery and........I dont seem to be getting any voltage out of the charger. The voltage stays the same as the battery. The LED goes to position 1 and sometimes it'll go to 2 and I can hear a relay clicking. Any ideas??

@nathanbuffery4734

2 жыл бұрын

I managed to get the new chip (the right size one) and soldered this in. But it's doing the same. Relay clicking in and out, but I dont seem to be getting charging voltage out.

@nathanbuffery4734

2 жыл бұрын

Is there any way of telling what the values of the little capacitors are? I cant find any marking on them.

i was starting to wonder if the snubber capacitor had a leak of some kind. But i'm not as deep into swithmodes as you are. Most of my switchmode repairs have been output caps and rectifiers, and the primary transformer mosfet. I use panasonic low esr 105deg caps in the output side, they last well but i i need to sell another kidney to afford them :-D. Keep up the good work, and drink Tea, not coffee lol.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

They can go but usually the diode as they use High voltage schottky diodes from obscure Chinese manufactures. They are a major reliability issue.

excellent work. can you replace it with a dual diode pack and connect them parallel so they share the current? As long as both diodes are part of the same package should be fine

@razenby

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I might have a problem finding one with the correct characteristics. To account for slightly different forward voltage drop the best option is to put 2 diodes with a small ohmage series resistor in series with each to ensure that they both share the share the current. The power supply is very basic for a ~70W design - it is really pushing it for a fly-back design. I think the transformer is wrongly designed or poor quality. I am curious so I will fiddle with it when I get a moment to see what the root cause is.

When I bought my first C-Tecs some years ago, I very much appreciated the brand. But, after the fail of the second M300, I got a bit more sceptical on the quality over the time? At present, I find the M300 "starter" device totally dead. This is the small batt-charger for the longterm starter- batt, which comes as part of the M300 kit. I used it for bringing my Aprilia batt over winter, not checking the status regulary. Now, the batt is gone, too. I am now going to buy chinese chargers for 20€ instead of buying C-Tec, starting at 60€

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

CTEK must stand for something - any suggestions?

@MarcusRangell

2 жыл бұрын

@@razenby For what its worth, it is most likely something as boring as a derivative from "Creator Teknisk Utveckling AB", meaning "Creator Technical Development", the Swedish company that CTEK stems from.

Thanks for the insight. One basic question I have had for a time... Can I use a normal power supply like ~15.5 V to charge a 12v car battery? Same, can i charge a litIon batt with a power supply with 4.2 v/ 4 Amps? Or do I need some special charger like CTEK. Thanks up front!

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

You can easily use a power supply to charge a lead acid battery. You need to emulate the two or three stages otherwise you will erode the battery plates and lose electrolyte. A good power supply is far more accurate then even the most expensive battery charger. Set the voltage and then the current limit. Allow the supply to current limit whilst the terminal voltage climbs. For a 60 Ah battery normal non AGM 12V Lead acid: Stage 1. Setting 11.0V @ 0.8A max. Stage 2. Setting 14.0V @ 3.0A max Stage 3. Setting 14.4V @ 170mA max . Disconnect when current drops to about 70mA. ( The voltage during this stage should be adjusted to compensate for the battery temperature).

Mine just died. Only had it new for about a month.

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

Warranty replacement needed. They drop like flies especially if you leave it connected to the power 24/7. They just don't have transient protection. they may ask you to cut the wires off and send a picture, if they do then just cut the mains lead off 30cm from the unit. This usually satisfies the warranty department and makes it easy to restore with a new mains plug. If they don't wan the old one back then let me know. We may be able to salvage it.. cheers support@invebo.com

I have the Porsche Charge-O-Mat which is very similar. It works reasonably well, but is there a better designed battery minder that you recommend? I wanted one with a combined voltage/ammeter built in but would have to DIY to get that.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

I am not sure. I understand that Bosch make a charger. Bosch stuff is usually good so I plan to try a Bosch..

Why’d I watch this right after I bought one, was staring at a Noco Genius 5 for a couple of quid cheaper too and went with the CTEK for the longer warranty. Ah well, hopefully it’ll be better than my old halfords advanced one.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

It ll work OK. Dont leave it connected to the mains for expended periods and keep it dry. If you use an extension lead then don't use a vaccum cleaner , power washer or power tool on the reel or on a nearby mains socket. Poof!!

A very watchable video. I tried to split the case to get to the power cord connection, gave up as I was starting to damage the plastic.is there something I’m missing?

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

A bit of 'Application' is needed. You need a vice to gold the charger in and a wood chisel. Just tighten the vice to put the plastic under stress. Position the charger so the split line is just above the jaws and than position the sharp end of the chisel in the join line. Tap gently at first and work your way around. You may hear the occasional click as the join gives way. It is a progressive process. If you don't succeed the go around again tapping a little harder. Eventually the joint will give way. I have opened about 15 of these this way and never had a problem. The trick is to apply some force with the vice to stress the plastic in the join but not so much as to crack the housing, Tappy-tap-tap not whacky-whack-whack.

I wish they used better cable connectors. I'm my experience they inevitably corrode relatively quickly, causing a lot of problems. 😕

@razenby

26 күн бұрын

True. They like to be kept in a dry environment.

Well as l am complete dummy l have learned a lot in the past hour , the bad for me is l have waisted load of dosh on ctek chargers x2 that have failed.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Glad you found it useful.

@lindsaybaker6896

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby l have bought 3 a 7000 and 2 5s, the 7000 has failed along with 1 5 all out of warranty may l add. Question , do you repair and if so would be very pleased . Regards LB.

I always use mine upside down because they get hot and the heat sink is near the bottom of the case. So the design kinda bakes the electronics.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Good idea.. It does get hot.

@winblasers2

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I put mine upside down in front of a fan from now on!

@winblasers2

Жыл бұрын

Also noticed that the coupling where you can change between normal alligator charging clips and the eyelet ones got very warm on mine, probably was a bit of oxide in the connection. hadn't unplugged for a long while. Unplugging and plugging in a few times helped!

@johnshaw359

Жыл бұрын

@@winblasers2 I found the same thing and soldered them.

Great info. My MXS 5.0 has died, over 5 years old. I have asked CTEK where can I get it repaired and no reply. Before I open it up, I wonder if I could send it to Magic Smoke for repair because I am no electrician and I can see it ending up in the bin.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

I ll have a quick look at it just to spite CTEK's shoddy design team!! Are you in the UK?

@kennethoakes4182

2 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Yes my address is 28 Ashton Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH9 2TW, United Kingdom . Give me the address & I will post it for your inspection.Thanks.

Thank you for the video. I have been on the fence about buying this charger as a different one to the battery minder 1510 and Noco genius 5 that i already own. I had hesitated when i learnt about the mode button issue. Now your video has shown a significant issue.. Seems in a year's time a good number of this recent model ( mx5) will fail. Not sure if the ones you diagnosed are an older design batch, or if the newer ones have resolved this issue.. but i won't take the risk to find out. Thanks.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

I have just tested a NOCO Genius 2 and it looks to be the best maintenance charger so far.

@mpcp27

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby .. Thanks..i already checked all 3 of your videos as you released. It looks a lot better than i thought it would. I had bought the genius 5 over the 2 because of the additional amps, and the recovery mode.

I’m just checking my dead Ctek 3.8 and I think the diode just below the one you replaced in the snubber is shorted. Any idea what that one does and what type smd it is? I can’t read the numbers off mine :( Great video though!

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

See www.farnell.com/datasheets/1840612.pdf the diode is D5 or D6 on page 18. Buzz it out to determine which one..

I have now had 3 Ctek chargers die in the last few years, I will never buy another one.

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

Lots of nice lights and shiny gooooollllld paint does not a reliable product make.....Amen

I will stick with my Battery Tender Plus for now. I do like the Ctek though.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Stay away from the lights!!!

@harryharry3193

Жыл бұрын

@@razenby what lights? i have a ctek. ITS FING BROKEN

(57:56) - What about connecting two or three diodes in parallel to address the peak current. Would that work, or is that just a stupid idea ? >

@razenby

4 жыл бұрын

The main issue us that the peak current shouldn't be this high - It indicates that the parasitic inductance of the transformer is alarmingly high. I am just uploading a video that showed a bodged solution with 2 diodes. Diodes in parallel don't share current 50/50 due to minor differences in forward volts drop.

Mine just stopped working, seems like everyone is having reliability issues, any recommendations on a trickle charger that can also revive batteries? But maybe cheaper or better quality? Not sure if aliexpress ones are any good

@razenby

3 ай бұрын

Unfortunately they do that. I buy and use Noco chargers. See other videos about that brand .

Show device that has CrapXon caps inside any device in any repair forums.. you will get answer pretty quick. P.S. Thanks of the video i am enlighten how bad Cteks are now. They have nothing for me.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Pretty much all Chinese capacitors are crap. When they stole the formula ingredients from Nippon Chemi-con they got an incomplete formula and understanding of how to make good capacitors. For voltage rating remember 1 western volt = 1.5 Chines volts and if a cap is 100uF +- 20% then a Chinese one will be 70uF.

@XantheFIN

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby You got me interested.. is there story of this stealing thing?

@Vincent_Sullivan

Жыл бұрын

@@XantheFIN Yes, the story of the stolen incomplete electrolyte formula is well known in electronic engineering circles. You can read up on it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

Hi. With so much experience behind you, which battery charger do you dare recommend to people? Are there any good quality battery chargers on the market?? I've been using CTEK chargers for quite a few years now (xs 0.8 / mxs 10) and so far no problems with them. The mode button of the mxs 10 didn't work properly, but after pressing it a few times it was fine. For most people, the mode button breaks down because they don't use it. He simply loses contact, he doesn't sense it. Sometimes you have to press it and then it won't break. Not a single quality piece is used. Looking around the internet now, I have to say that I wouldn't buy a CTEK charger anymore. What looks better is the Tecmate Optimate 7 TM 250 and Victron Blue Smart 10A charger. Do you have any experience with these? Thanks, K.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

I have the Optimate and Bosch chargers here but I haven't tested them yet. As for CTEK and NOCO, given the choice, for me the NOCO is the obvious choice. They are both small compact chargers and dissipating so much heat in a small enclosure isn't a great idea especially in high ambient environments. The NOCO is much more resistant to damp/condensation and has a sealed tact switch that will not be affected by damp. In short the NOCO is much more reliable than the CTEK. (see comments below re CTEK reliability). I should think the Bosh or Optimate or Victron are good bets. If the Victron is a real Victron design (not branded) then I would expect Victron to have a very good handle on the power circuitry design as inverters and chargers is their bread and butter. Pls remember to like and Subscribe. Thanks.

@krisztianivanics369

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the reply. Yes, NOCO also looks like a very good charger, worth considering. If there will be a test or a report on the Optimate and Bosch chargers, I will wait for it. Yes, like and subscribe :)

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

@@krisztianivanics369 Ill do it soon. They are here on my shelf.

I have seen alot of people who say the ctek 5.0 charger is very good, made their batteries reconditioned and last longer . But i also hear alot of people that say the ctek charger is cheap quality and it brakes down very easily, that it does not charge what it say it will charge and the "Recond" option actually does not do anything. What charger would you recommend for the same price ( or less ) as the ctek charger which is 80 dollars in Sweden right now?

@razenby

7 ай бұрын

The CTEK is susceptible to mains transients due to limited protection on the mains input side, vulnerability to dampness (lack of conformal coating), and potential mechanical damage to the tact switch. While the battery repair function is effective for slightly sulfated standard wet cell vented batteries, its usefulness is restricted when it comes to repairing Sealed Lead-Acid car starting batteries. I cant say what the current best market offering is. If you want a reliable unit then the Noco is a good bet. I have had a Noco supporting my Jaguar XK battery for four years 24/7/385 with no problems. The charger is under an open lean to roof against the back wall. No rain but otherwise open to the weather. 3 CTEKS died there in under a year,

So whats a good inexpensive 12v charger with desulfation mode? Thank you for your time.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

I hesitate to recommend desulphating chargers as they are from the past wet cell lead acid batteries that were chunky and not minimalist in design. Very often they do more harm than good to modern VRLA car batteries.. The best bet is to prevent deterioration of the battery in the first place. If you wait until the battery is ailing and you notice it then it is already too late. It is similar to a doctor providing a powerful drug with harmful side effects to an otherwise healthy patent just in case they get sick. If you are making short or infrequent journeys In the winter months then just charge your battery with a decent charger once per month otherwise it will never get the full absorption charge to clear the plates of the amorphous lead sulphate.

@SnowCamo45

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby gotcha. I have an xs power d3100 I need to restore. Im currently thinking batteryminder 2012 as a candidate. I'm hoping the frequency pulses will restore the batt. Its not dead. Just has reduced capacity due to another batt dragging it down.

Great Video - Thanks! I have what I think is an earlier model (I've owned it about 10 years), and it's been great. It recently stopped working and when I checked inside their was a 5-Band resistor located by the main transformer with obvious damage. Colours were: Orange, Orange, Black or Blue (I think black, but damaged), Silver, Gold. 3.30 Ohm, 5% tolerance? I replaced this with a 4-band resistor: Orange, Orange, Gold, Gold, which I think is the same? When powered the charger lights came on but only for a few seconds, then the replacement resistor also blew. So I'm guessing there is some other damage somwhere that I can't identify that's causing the resistor to fail. Any help/suggestions would be very appreciated!

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Have you got the model number? I have an earlier CTEK on the bench right now.

@nightie100

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Hello - Many thanks for your response. I'm not to sure about the model number. There is a label on the back that says 'B27', and the bar code is: 56836U15W3000654. Hope this helps! Is there some way I can send you a picture of it?

@nightie100

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby But it is an MXS 5.0

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

The silver band is a 001 multiplier so the resistor should be 0.33 ohm. If it is on the primary side It is the current sense resistor that senses the current flowing through the FET and transformer primary. Don't bother replacing it until you have fixed the cause. If this resistor is blowing then the main switching FET and the associated circuitry has failed. In particular the components connected to the Gate and in the network of components between the and the PWM management chip. Change the PWN management chip too and meter the diodes that you can find on the primary mains side. Especially in the primary side snubber circuit. Good luck.

@FGFRED

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Maurice, I have the same problem than you. Click on my temporarly avatar to have a picture. Is it possible to save it cheaply! In my case, I can't read anymore the resistor value. If you can see orange orange black and gold rings, it sould be 33 ohm @ 5% precision. Is'nt it ? The number on my circuit board is 702172001.1CA SWS3153 Rev.1. Did you have investigate more? Did you repair? Is that advantageous? I will try to just replace this f...... resistor with a 33 Ω and control some other componants. I keep you posted. Happy new year everybody. Fred

Hello, I need some help! Is the charger glued together? I noticed yesterday that the cable out to the clamps is nearly broken of and the charger is 1 year old…sight. I have also noticed that cteks cables doesn’t like cold temperatures below zero and gets really stiff and breaks. Is there any chance to repair/replace the outlet cable? It has broken of where it comes out of the charger.

@razenby

7 ай бұрын

Early ones have screws, later ones are ultrasonically welded. The welded ones are fairly easy to open. Quite easy to repair the cables. CTEK chargers are pricey with lots of lights but there is not much to them.

@skidooandreas

7 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Any idea how to open the Ctek since it was already opened in the video? I don't want to hack at it so I guess I'll keep search for someone that has opened the device previously.

@razenby

8 ай бұрын

If you don't have the screw type then put the seam under tension by clamping it in a vice just below the split line and work around seam with a sharp chisel in the split line tapping with a hammer. After a lap or two it will pop open. Take your time and tap gently at first,

Is it easy to hack this charger (or the similar ones, such as NOCO Genius 5) so that it can also use 12V DC as the input?

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

No. The power input (charge and voltage) to the secondary side is controlled by the electronics on the secondary side. You would have to link this control signal (demand) to a controllable 9 to 15V DC supply.

Does the Lidl charger you compare to towards the end do the same modes as the CTEK? Not many chargers push the higher voltage to do AGM batteries (becoming the norm now) but the CTEK does. Any chargers that specifically cope with AGM technology (Lead-Calcium) seem to jack their price up as you can't just use any old car battery charger on those. They need 14.7v to charge properly or you damage the cell chemistry with older 13-14v charger output. Even my 2010 Focus has this 'new' pain-in-the-backside battery technology!

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't say AGM are the norm except in golf trolleys and stop-start cars. There are far more std card on the road. AGM setting is supposed to be higher but as I probably mentioned with the notable exception of the NOCO the accuracy of the voltage measurement of the smart chargers is poor. So AGM does poke out a higher voltage but perhaps the better question is 'Is the termination of charge voltage within the specification of the manufacturer?' The long term support issues are quite different to a quick boost charge and the denigration of the cells is going to happen with frequent charging or inaccurate termination voltage during long term support. The requirements of a leisure battery and a starter battery are also quite different. There are a raft of issues. None of the widely marketed charger masters them all but does it matter?

@MikeB_UK

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby Thanks for the reply. Every Ford since 2008 (I don't know other manufacturers), use sealed lead-acid type batteries that are labelled lead-calcium. Any battery of this type needs 14.7v charge voltage or it buggers up the battery. I know this because I ruined one using a 10 year old Gunsen charger that when I checked later was pushing out 13.8v. You have to do quite some digging to find this out. Ford alternators since 2008 shove out 14.7v for this reason. CTEK claim their AGM setting works for Calcium lead batteries. I ask because l am on the lookout for a suitable charger rather than keep using the only thing I have that will do this at present - a charger for R/C planes. Any recommendations much appreciated.

@MikeB_UK

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby And just in case you think I spouteth the crap, go look up Ford battery information on Yuasa battery site. Some of the Ford batteries are called 'Silver' or "Silver Calcium' which is basically marketing junk. They are all lead acid using calcium impregnated plates, but as Yuasa testifies, they MUST be charged at 14.4 to 14.7v.(or the plates undergo some chemical change and the battery life goes downhill super quickly). Cheers.

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

@@MikeB_UK Ca wet lead acid is not AGM. Lead calcium has calcium in the plates to make the material harder and less susceptible to erosion during charge and mechanically more stable to reduce cracking crumbling and warping. the addition of Calcium also somewhat reduces gassing and aids recombination of the dissociated electrolyte in sealed lead acid batteries working at around 0.2 - 0.3 bar. The key point is that the Lead Calcium battery is tolerant to higher charge voltages of up to 14.8V but they do not require it. Ford recommend them becase they are more tolerant, they last longer and can tolerate higher peak discharge currents during starting with less damage (erosion) of the plates. I have checked 14 cars lately during development testing and many peak at about 15,5V when the RPM is above about 2000.

@MikeB_UK

3 жыл бұрын

@@razenby I disagree on the voltage. Go read the Yuasa site. Less than 14.4v irreversibly damages a Calcium battery. Bosch told me this when I ruined my original with repeated 13.8v charging and Yuasa state the same for the replacement from them I now have. Keep charging a Calcium at even 14v and you will bugger it in quite quickly. I presume then you cannot recommend a 14.4-14.7v charger?

How old is this C-Tek mxs 5.0 Charger? I have a newer one 56-305... Number's at start of the Barcode... Is your's the same model?

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

About three years. This one is loaned from my neighbor. I have had about six of them with failed power sections (failed snubber diode design fault) and one with water damage (they aren't waterproof).

I have the mxs3.8 its stops working i check it an find out the main fuse t2a 250v was not working i did solder an new one on an it just blown agian make an loud sound what would be the reason for that

@razenby

11 ай бұрын

The FET and components on the Switch Mode Power converter have blown.

Hello I followed your video but with my Ctek is something different. I found that when I make a short circuit between +- of atmega88 it starts working. Before short circuit I have 5V at output but after shorted (I hear little squeak) it increasing to 15V Any idea ?

@razenby

10 ай бұрын

Cant say as I don't have a circuit diagram of the CTEK . If the lights work and you can select modes then you have a power or sensing fault somewhere,

Would you know the value of R26 mine is burnt brown measures 1.8k-10.k in cct ,165k out and is large cd be a 5W resistor ... this appears to be on the output of TR1. Symptom is no lights at all, unit seems dead ... even with R26 out, wot looks like a tall fuse is ok. No other abnormal sign of damage or failure. Checking input power components. Was trying to charge small 12v sealed UPs battery.

@alexruwhiu7384

10 ай бұрын

I've just seen your response to someone with a similar issue saying this burn't out resistor is not the cause and if replaced it'll go Bank! ha ha so I've checked the FET, most transistors, diodes and they're good on the SMPS side. But I did find the OP FET was short both ways between 2 pins and transistor on burn't resistor so far. My input fuse is actually a ceramic fuse with legs both ends not like your little brown can type ... as you identified the can type can give false readings. Great diagnosis with yours vids and lots of help.

@razenby

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. Did you resurrect it?

hi i have a ctek pro25, which has got not output, but input indicator look fine, can you repair it?

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

I am not surprised that it has blown up. Should be fixable there is no mystery about how they work. It would be interesting to have a look at it. ark.mail@gmx.com

Hello, I thought I understood that you said that the Lidl charger is very good and that it has a better transformer than this one from Ctek. I have found an offer from an individual who sells me at a very good price a Ctek MXS 5.0 that he bought but has never used, I would release it for the first time (€28 he asks for it), but after listening to you you have made me doubt whether I should better buy one of the Lidl ones. I would like to know your opinion in this regard. On the other hand, what do you think of the charger brands Noco and Optimate, will they be better than Ctek Or they are also overrated?, Is the price difference between these chargers and the Lidl charger really justified?. Add that I have two motorcycles and a car, so the use of the charger would be frequent, although not intensive, depending on whether I neglected to use a vehicle and let its battery run out. Thank you for your videos, I really enjoy them, I would like to know about electronics as much as you do but I am still learning. Greetings.

@razenby

10 ай бұрын

A CTEK works well but reliability is not so good and they are very susceptible to damp and get blown up by mains power transients , So CTEK is no good for long-term battery maintenance. Some say the CTEK is better at improving an ailing battery but don' expect miracles. The NOCO is much better engineered and is vastly more reliabe. For occasional charging and battery conditioning the the CTEK will be fine. Keep it in a dry place.

Tengo dos cargadores de esta marca CTECK y los dos me han dado el mismo fallo. El botón MODE cuando pasa el tiempo, deja de funcionar. Los dos que tengo me han dado el mismo fallo. He buscado en internet, y hay más usuarios con el mismo problema. Una pena, porque son buenos cargadores y ya no tienen garantía.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

Tengo dos cargadores de esta marca CTECK y los dos me han dado el mismo fallo. El botón MODE cuando pasa el tiempo, deja de funcionar. Los dos que tengo me han dado el mismo fallo. He buscado en internet, y hay más usuarios con el mismo problema. Una pena, porque son buenos cargadores y ya no tienen garantía.

สวัสดีครับ ผมจากคนไทย ผมอยากได้คำปรึกษาจากคุณหากได้รับข้อแนะนำจะขอบคุณมากครับ ในตอนที่คุณวิเคราะห์จงจร ที่คุณพูด 3 leg voltage reference คุณพอจะบอกเบอร์มันได้หรือไม่ ของผมมีปัญหาฝั่งวงจรด้านไฟต่ำ A4W ของผมมันไหม้หาสาเหตุไม่เจอ (ผมไม่ใช่มืออาชีพ) ขอบคุณครับ

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

สวัสดี ฉันขอโทษ ฉันไม่มียูนิตที่นี่ในขณะนี้ ฉันต้องส่งต่อหน่วยอ้างอิงสำหรับข้อมูลที่ไม่มีแผนภาพสาธารณะ AW4 ที่คุณพูดถึงคือส่วนประกอบใด

@versachelc

Жыл бұрын

@@razenby a4w น่าจะเป็นไดโอด bav70 ส่งแรงดันไปให้ตัวที่มีสัญลักษณ์ ᑐ¦ ¦ (ตัวที่ผมถามในตอนแรก)ซึ่งผมเดาว่าเป็น 1117 และได้ทดลองเปลี่ยนแล้วพร้อมกับ a4w ผลที่ได้คือมันไม่ไหม้แล้วแต่วงจรก็ยังไม่ทำงาน(ledไม่ติด). วัดแรงตกคร่อมที่ capacitor 1000uf16v ได้ประมาณ 9v. พอจะแนะผมได้หรือไม่กับปัญหาใหม่นี้ ขอบคุณครับ

Hi, I have a CTEK MXS 10. It only shows two lights after the mains power is disconnected and not charging of course. Would you be interested in taking a look at it for me please? Happy to reimburse you as required. I live in North Dorset and could post it to you. Many thanks for your reply. Trevor.

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Trevor. I could take a quick look at it. I have time to do a quick fix but not a long detailed repair. ark.mail@gmx.com

@trevorjudd6793

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

So what charger would you recommend

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

I had intended to test more chargers but work got in the way. Of the ones I have tested I much prefer the NOCO. Although not faultless It is the only one with a decent manufacturing standard and reasonable reliability. It also depends on what you need it for. If you just need the occasional booster charge on a car then most chargers will do that for you. Reconditioning a VRLA cars starting battery is a fallacy. It works with old conventional wet led vented batteries (non sealed) that are built like a brick sh*t house but VRLA tech in cars is given a hard time by the alternator especially in very cold conditions. If the charge is allowed to drop below 80% and you start the car than the battery is given a current thrashing when the car is started. It is surprising that cars still have the ability to leave the park lights on. Not a good thing with a modern battery.

@dtec30

2 жыл бұрын

@@razenby yup my sis found that out recently i might need to look at getting a head light cutout relay installed

@razenby

2 жыл бұрын

@@dtec30 Most modern cards have an auto headlight setting that you just leave on at all times.

@dtec30

2 жыл бұрын

@@razenby not a 94-96 magna

two diodes in serie?

@razenby

3 жыл бұрын

Fail idea but - It is the over-current that destroys the device.

hi, i have one too with faulty rectifier diodes, fet, fuse, 2f transistor and ncp1271. Everything was replaced, the charger turned on, but there is no control of the output voltage in the secondary, the voltage goes wild and breaks the 16v electrolytes in the secondary. Also goes over 30v dc. Fortunately nothing else breaks and before firing I put a 100w bulb in place of a fuse to protect the fet. I tried replacing the optospoiler but the problem remained the same. What else is included in the voltage control secondary, what should I pay attention to because I've hit a wall! Thanks in advance for your help!

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

The optocoupler drives the 1271 FB pin low when the target voltage is reached. See /www.onsemi.com/download/data-sheet/pdf/ncp1271-d.pdf It is really simple. Either you have a short between the FB pin to the CS pin OR a fault on the low voltage sensing side that drives the LED in optocoupler. Inspect it very carefully.

@bokikoki1697

Жыл бұрын

@@razenby It seems that the problem was in the defective ic, which I replaced again and now the charger works at rest, but it chirps in the secondary part. Under load, the mosfet burned again when tested on the battery. I forgot to add, when I changed all the previous parts, mentioned in the previous post, the resistor R470 (package 2512 power 1W) also was burned out and I replaced it with another resistor R500 but not the same size (package 1206) whose power value is 500mW. Is it perhaps the cause of instability and the reason for the mosfet to crack, because that current resistor is connected to the source of the mosfet and the CS pin on the IC NCP1271? I mean the difference in power - 1W and 0.5W. The difference in resistance is small.

Приветствую вас товарищ ! Вы очень хороший пролетарий, как насчёт переезда в советский союз ?

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

Благодарю вас! Я с большим уважением отношусь ко всем и особенно к тем, кто усердно трудится каждый день и не ценится и не признается ценным другими, более удачливыми в жизни. Это прекрасный мир, полный замечательных людей, и это позор, что некоторые предпочитают причинять страдания, следуя одержимости богатством, властью и подчинением других. Может быть, их родители или жизнь была очень жестока к ним, когда они были моложе.

Supposedly a top shelf charger with euro design, but in the end the chinese manufacturers cant build a good enough transformer to make a successful power supply, so the controllers standard application schematic was bodged with a bumped up diode in attempt to make it last the warranty period but the root cause is rubbish manufacturing of a simple small transformer. Typical china, it looks like the real one on the outside but they really don't understand what they are doing well enough to get the details correct

@razenby

Жыл бұрын

indeed.