Chinese light charger just exploded !!

Had my battery on charge since this morning and all of a sudden we have just heard a loud bang.

Went into the kitchen and found this…….

It had blown right out of the socket in the wall.

This charger is from one of the original 900 lumen lights and has been running fine for a few years.

Any recommendations on a new replacement light please.

Bar or Helmet? Exposure Maxx-D or Diablo…

If you like the light, just get a charger from mtbbatteries?

If you like the light, just get a charger from mtbbatteries?

+1. Lights have improved so it might be worth an upgrade anyway. Even then I’d still get a better quality charger.

I’ve got an upgraded light in the shape of a mtb batteries lumenator but was using the battery off the cheaper light.

I don’t really want to spend and extortionate amount on a battery so do you have any suggestions please.

MagicshineUK or other UK based site tend to have better chargers (originally recommended by Torchy)
Or is the battery definitely dead too? replacement battery? -from Torchythebatteryboy who comes recommended
As for light recommendation, at the middling price range, MTB batteries own lights, or gloworm lights (not from crg moto)

Don’t make the same mistake again. You and your family might not be as lucky next time. Buy a good quality light/ battery from a reputable source.

Rather be safe than sorry and there are still a Lot on dark nights to come.

Gearbest do a nice 4 cell battery holder for about £10. You can also get 4 NCR18650B cells for the same price (which are the same ones touchy sells iirc)

We had a [brand omitted but it’s a well known one] charger go with a loud bang in the shop today….. Big blue spark and on inspection it was well burnt inside

Don’t make the same mistake again. You and your family might not be as lucky next time. Buy a good quality light/ battery from a reputable source.

this.

Be interesting to get the opinion of your local fireman and see what they say. With so much cheaper stuff coming from random Chinese manufacturers with no brand reputation to maintain and a skint british public trying to save cash wherever I’d be surprised if they’re not seeing an increase in stuff like this

personally I leave nothing on to charge overnight, so if it goes I’ll hear/smell it and get busy with the extinguisher rather than find out too late when the smoke alarm goes off and wakes me up

Li-on charger bag is what I use – in the garage.

It looks like the incoming phase wiring has shorted together, rather than a failure of the voltage convertor pcb?

(The two loops of wire coming from the input prongs. The sort of failure you get after a long period of time as the unit is used, where poorly supported and insulated point to point wiring can chafe over time, and eventually short)

I’m a bit surprised it’s got a transformer in it.
When was it bought?

PeterPoddy – Member

We had a [brand omitted but it’s a well known one] charger go with a loud bang in the shop today….. Big blue spark and on inspection it was well burnt inside

Yup, buying expensive doesn’t mean you’re immune. Likewise battery packs. But these bottom level chargers etc really are pish.

It’s a few years old now and is one of the two pin versions whereas the newer ones come with UK 3 pin plug chargers.

I’m a bit surprised it’s got a transformer in it.

They all do, even rebadged ‘uk’ chargers. Its a switch mode power supply so only a little one, though.

Be interesting to get the opinion of your local fireman … I’d be surprised if they’re not seeing an increase in stuff like this

From today’s local rag:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/fire-destroyed-rhyl-family-home-10401084

Stuart Millington, senior fire safety manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: […] “We have noticed an increase in the number of fires involving after-market chargers – our advice would be to always buy from a reputable source and ensure chargers are not left running unattended or overnight.”

I’m a bit surprised it’s got a transformer in it.

Looks like a normal high frequency (switching supply) transformer.

(Maybe it failed due to a bad joint causing arcing where the red lead joined the board – tracks burnt off in that area. Can’t make out what the square black thing next to the transformer is, though. [edit: It would appear to be the remains of the switching transistor])

More importantly, I’ve got an identical looking charger! 😯

A lot of the cheapo chinese stuff has insufficient clearance and creapage distances on the mains inputs. Contaminated pcb, high humidity or voltage surges can cause an arc to ionise the (too) small gaps on the pcb, leading to a large flashover.