I just bought one of these chargers from someone for spares or repairs and I knew instantly what had happened as I know you cant get these chargers in the uk so I got it for a good price opened it up and instantly noticed the fuse was disintegrated and the move was blown to bits straight away I knew someone had plugged this charger into 240v so I replaced all the components and did the 240v conversion on it and I've got it working thanks clive
This charger ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxknS1MWclRHOKWekYXnBJz8Ex0rEPnrGF works great with the DCB205 and DCB203, I've charged both a few times without issue. After I'd searched for a while this was the best value charger I found and it's new, boxed up well, and it's built as well as any charger I've had.
Just pulled out the only traced cct I could find of a PSU using this 120/240V switching (a 200W PC PSU traced in '93) and it had 120k ½W balancing resistors across 470u caps, so your 220k across 220u looks spot on.
I'm not going to lie, I looked for it a bit at the end when he started up the charger.. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. LOL! It's been a while since I watched that one, but man... You might be even sicker than me for noticing that! x3
I wasn't happy with the supplied Ryobi charger. In my mind, the battery should go on the charger, not the charger on the battery! Whilst in the states I saw this charger and thought I should research if it would work in the UK. Almost instantly I found the link to this video. I ordered the parts and received a 14N431K instead of the suggested 14D471K. Fitted it, cut the link, added the 4 resistors and the charger worked first time. Thanks for making this video.
I watch all you videos, and because of that i was not afraid to buy a bunch of Ryobi tools last week when i was in the US that included this Quick Charger. I have now modified the charger according to you instructions, and it works perfectly! :-) Thanks Clive for a super UA-cam Channel - keep up the good work! Greetings from Denmark.
Another outstanding vid, Clive, you're the man! Your analysis and interesting patter is reminiscent of a few top notch instructors I can still remember as a jeep radar tech while attending basic electronics school at Kessler AFB in 1957. Yep, they actually taught a full years circuit fundamentals back in the day before one ever got into the guts of the "set" he would ultimately learn. It's been a real treat to get an occasional refresher brush up from a genuine pro, these 6 quick decades later....
I went through electronic principles at Keesler about 5 years ago. I think it was 7 weeks at Dolan Hall... barely enough time for the beginners to learn what a capacitor was. The instructors did a good job with the time they were given. There are pictures on the wall there from classes in the 50s!
Thank you, this is a very important video, so that companies don't keep thinking they can sell their stuff cheap in one part of the world and rip off customers in another part.
Thanks Clive for a crystal clear explanation. I used this video to convert this charger 3 years ago. I recently bought another one as a backup and to increase charging capability. The new one (still P117) seems to have a slightly different circuitry. I'm no electrical/electronics engineer and so I'm stumped!! Got any tips on converting the new version (Made in Vietnam, previous was in China)? Not sure if it is possible for me to share photos/video.
Thanks.. today I converted my P117 charger to 230V and so far it's working fine (no magic smoke nor fireworks). My only problem was to find the right screwdriver to remove those 4 fu.. tamper proof screws (I think they're called torx internal tamper proof screws).. It take a lot but at the end I found a bit that came on a set I bought several years ago and I've never used... until today.
I would have been tempted to try removing the varistor and also tempted to see if the series cap's balanced themselves, or used a zener diode on the output, but I don't know, so bow to your greater knowledge Sir Clive....
It's stupid that when pretty much all SMPSUs have universal input, power tool chargers are stuck in the stone age. 110V is common on UK building sites for safety ( some even prohibit 240v ) , so universal input would be useful.
Can't hurt - probably not needed in voltage doubler configuration so if PCB not designed to be adaptable there was probably no reason to put spaces for them.
And yet two redundant diodes and a link as if intending for dual voltage manufacturing option. Having since looked at other brands being converted to 230V use I've noticed a striking circuitry similarity, but with the resistors already across the caps.
Yeah it would work, but any large voltage spikes on the mains 'could' cause one of the rectifier diodes to go short, followed by he others in chain reaction!
Clive is there a way to convert a battery operated drill or tool into a wired form? As you know the batteries die and it's often cheaper or more practical to just buy another drill. Is there anyway to utilize these drills that are mechanically fine but have no battery packs? or do you have another suggestion? Possibly an idea for a video?
I followed your (very clear) recommendations and now have a fully working 'UK' charger.Love the videos and the accent (Edinburgh?). Keep 'em coming Clive.
Thanks, Clive! This video is super helpful for me. I moved to Europe a little while back and have been meaning to bring over my Ryobi power tools but stalled on it because I thought I'd have to either bite the bullet and buy those expensive chargers or run them through a step down transformer. Never would have thought it'd be this easy to convert the ones I have (slightly different type but I'll try to figure them out per analogiam). So yeah, much appreciated content.
One thing to also look at is the voltage rating of the fuse - in the USA fuses may have been used that are only rated for use with 125VAC. The voltage rating is a separate matter from the max current rating, in case you think I am confused …
Good explanation. I had a 110V Ryobi charger connected it via a Voltage converter. The converted was capable of converting in both direction. Unfortunately I missed to select the output voltage to 110V and killed the charger with a 240V input. What component might have been damaged?
18:10 those two contacts are bridged together by the battery, and that's how the charger determines when a battery is present. I bridged them with a screwdriver for no good reason and the red LED started flashing as it does when it's analyzing a battery
Should one replace the fuse with one of half the current as well? With the change of current would the in rush device also need to be changed to be complete? Why not replace the two caps with a single one or two in parallel?
My guess (based on the odd placement) is that they will use a single 400V rated capacitor instead of the two 200V ones so they do not need those balancing resistors.
Correct. Optimally when used in the voltage doubler configuration there's no need for resistors and when used at EU mains one single capacitor would be used.
great explanation. but not sure I understand, the second transformer need not to be replaced since the original design using only half of the sin wave? does it mean that after the conversion the output will be twice?
Hello Thanks for posting this...exactly what I was looking for. Question:Is the Metal Oxide Resistor shunt across the AC input really necessary? I want to modify my US P117 but do not have a suitable higher voltage device to replace the original with
Thank you very much bigclive! This type of hack/conversion is great, and so satisfying to do. I was just thinking about it the other day, how the standard one+ dual chemistry charger takes a couple of hours to charge even the small (but good capacity actually) 2.5Ah battery. That one is charging at up to 1.8A according to specs. In Europe we get the RC18150 5A charger, which looks similar to the 3A P117. I have to do some price checking now! :)
If I can salvage and reuse the parts needed for the conversion, I will save the equivalent of £10-15 on a P117 off eBay, compared to buying the RC18150 here in Norway.
My mods are not to the supply but to the tool/battery interface. Using a 3D printer to make adaptors for my old cordless tools. Using black and decker batteries in a dewalt for instance
I made this conversation to use my US charger in the UK (240V). I did not add the registers. It turns on but when I put a battery in to charge it the testing indicator (flashing red led) comes on and remains flashing; it never switches to the charging indicator. The battery is a good, working battery, nearly new and charges normally on my son's UK charger, which switches from testing to charging almost instantly. I don't know if it is actually charging on my modified charger; I didn't want to leave it flashing 'testing' for long in case it was somehow damaging the battery.
I once plugged a 120VAC power strip with surge protection into a 240VAC outlet. BANG! instant removal of the MOVs! It rattled a bit from the pieces inside. ☹️
they are great tools all made by TTI which owns and makes Milwaukee,Rigid ,Ryobi and Craftsman .Used to buy expensive tools .They just sprout legs an walk away .The Ryobi used to be blue like Bosch .That fluorescent Green has great visibility .Many tradesmen wouldn't be caught dead with them .Only 5 or 6 brands Milwaukee ,DeWalt,Bosch,Walter Metabo ,Hilti and there are a couple others that are insanely expensive .I'm an electrician ,I use Milwaukee and Hilti and Fluke and Amprobe .At home I have Ryobi!
It may have been a bit cleaner to replace the two capacitors in series, with a single 100 uf 450 V Capacitor, and leave out the balancing resistors. Nice explanation.
+John Coops a) a cap like that is a lot more expensive than a couple resistors b) the whole point of the link is to make it a nearly-dual voltage standard supply. No need to make it difficult to convert back.
These capacitors can get somewhat expensive. And it may be difficult to get a matching quality one like those in a top-notch power supply. I would personally leave the resistors out, or use 1M resistors like the computer PSUs have. The capacitors don't really need balancing because they have extremely high internal resistance and that resistance tends to go lower with voltage creating negative feedback. I've been running several for over a year without an issue. No balancing needed. They only put the resistors in there to reduce the risk of shock.
In some cases, such as older and/or cheapo computer PSUs which employ a half-bridge topology, that's not really an option, since the center tap of the transformer goes to the mid-point of the high-voltage DC rail. Not in this case here, since it's a "lowly" flyback, but "just sayin' "... :) That being said though, i shudder at the sight of CapXon capacitors >_< Preeeetty sure the 200v ones are KM's.
Jasper Janssen You're almost making it sound like that's a bad thing :P Thing is, CapXons **WILL** fail, same as Fuhjyyu, and countless other chinese (off-)brands. Let me put it this way - i trust the USED japanese caps i've reclaimed from various gear i've torn down & gutted for parts, than any of these crap brands, even if new.
Hi, we are moving back to the UK with a bunch of Ridgid lithium battery tools. The charger states that it is 110V ~ 60Hz. I know that I can get a step-down transformer to supply the charger, but do j need to worry about the differing frequencies? Ryobi and Ridgid are pretty interchangeable here, and you don't mention the frequency compensation in this video so I was hoping that it was a non-issue. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you, this was very interesting. Wondering what do you call that terminal used to plug in the stripped wires with the red hinged cover at 18:42? I would love to purchase one of those thingamajiggers for my projects. Thanks again.
i think the circuitry for operating without the relay engaged is for a pre charge function, for when the battery is under voltage, but i might be wrong
Clive, you'd be able to add a switch where that link was right? Then you'd be able to change between the two supply voltages right? You could probably use a 2 pole 2 throw switch to also select between the two voltage dependent resistors too.
The same MOV would suit both. the risk of the voltage switch is that if it gets used frequently, then one day the unit will be powered with 240 while set to 120 and suffer damage.
Clive, are you aware that RS is now free shipping. I am not sure if this covers IoM but is worth a look. I have switched to using RS more for oddball items because of this.
Have you tried RS components? They do free mainland shipping for any sized order. No idea what their IOM surcharge is (if any), but it has to be less than Rapid.
It reminds me of a Roomba power supply that I converted to 230V - It was even simplier: Replace MOV and one capacitor and you are good to go, all other circuits are common with EU version :)
The X2 capacitor is a standard interference suppression capacitor it acts like a tiny buffer that softens sudden spikes and shunts high frequency electrical noise.
Great post Clive, I have a question. Having rushed back from the states and plugged it into the 240 outlet of a duel transformer in haste I've blown both capacitors! What is your recommendation - try to source the same two US spec or replace with a UK spec resistor or resistors ? I would imagine UK spec ? If so can you clarify if one or two and the exact specification please. Many thanks again
You may have caused more damage than just the capacitors. You could try swapping the capacitors and maybe the transient suppressor too if its been damaged.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks Clive appreciate the response. Im about to transfer the new Capicators today as described in the video. Will let you know how it goes
I've been waiting for the Usb C PD adapter for my Ryobi batteries for several years in Canada. I have the normal inverter but going from DC to DC is much preferred. I hope they release this soon so I can charge and use my Ryobi batteries with USB C chargers and devices.
Could I insert a switch between the rectifier and the capacitors instead of cutting the link, to make the charger switchable between 110V and 240V, or would the threshold of the varistor be too high in 110V mode?
Hi Clive, Do you know if you can do the same thing with the P118 PSU? As you say tools from the states are much cheaper but the kit of tools I'm looking at comes with the older P118 PSU. Many thanks.
Hi Clive, I wondered if you could help. This video stuck in mind trying to answer this question. As I'm sure you know, brands such as Makita, DeWalt etc sell 110v chargers for a much higher price with the tradesman in mind where on site power is 110v. So to get around this I've always used a 110v to 240v inverter as that's much cheaper than buying 110v chargers for all my tools. However, a friend has made a 110v to 240v domestic socket fly-lead and he powers his standard 240v chargers on the site 110v that way without a problem. Is it just a marketing gimmick selling the expensive 110v versions? Could it damage the battery some how? Hope you get time to help me answer this one.
Some chargers are rated universal voltage and will run from about 100V to 250V. If they are designed only for 240V then they may be unstable on 110V, but they shouldn't damage the battery. DeWalt and some others do milk tradesmen. They base the price on their perceived value in time to the tradesman.
wow, so simple to convert us/chinese/taiwan voltage power supplies to UK/Aus rating :D. i'll keep this in mind if i find something i want to bring home and its a switch mode power supply.
Does it really cost effective for the company essentially to include 230V functionality, but hard wire it only for 120V use? Can't it be both and same way sold in both markets?
djteac yes, it makes sense on a scale, you can make one product and it works all over the world, not like the bad old days of country specific, esp the old days of TV's. they save a ton of money in the end.
Notebooks are meant to be portable, and people wouldn't buy models that only worked in one place. But a fixed voltage supply is generally cheaper to make (even if it's just a few cents, it adds up), and allows the manufacturer to control prices locally (ex., make the EU version more expensive than the US version, while preventing people from just buying the US model online).
How come you didn’t mention the pesky TOP256EN…. Common failure point of this charger. I have two that keep blowing that chip when I plug a battery in.
The regulations are requiring the stuff to 'be green' and waste less power. So they put the jumper or for the PC power supplies they put a 120 / 240 switch.
Great explanation, thanks a lot Sir! How should I decide which transient suppressor I need? I live in the US and would like to bring some Ryobi tools to my father to Hungary. I am planning to transform one of my chargers. There is 220 V in Hungary. Could you help me what transient suppressor should I buy exactly? Thanks a lot in advance!
Clive, I found through experimentation that my UK green Ryobi One Plus chargers will run on DC from around 160v. I was looking into possibilities of using a solar string without a battery bank nor a charge controller. I would love to see an explanation of this to satisfy curiosity. I was actually going to email you. Sometime soon regarding this very question but. This prompted my message in haste!!
If it's a simple one-voltage charger that was designed for rectified and smoothed 120V then the first thing that happens in the unit is the 120V AC gets converted to 170V. So by feeding it from a DC supply of around 150V to 180V you just do that in advance. A unit designed for dual voltage use like this one might not be happy with that though as the voltage doubler would be defeated and only one capacitor would be charged.
Here is the actual chargers I found to work Ryobi BCL1418H Would love to see a tear down vid on one of these some time to better explain how it is running on DC and also mine your knowledge as to the correct mods to do so safely!
Most switchmode power supplies will run on DC because the incoming AC supply is converted to DC to start with. But they usually have a voltage range they will operate in. I've got one of the units you linked to and it seems to be rated for 220 to 240V operation, and that would suggest that the DC voltage you are providing it with is about half what it would normally expect. But many switchmode supplies will work down to unusually low voltages albeit with less predictability at the lower voltages.
What was the cost in doing it yourself vs buying one already adapted for UK use? If you didn't have the parts etc how hard are they generally to come buy? As US prices are generally cheaper could you feasibley buy all your electronics from the US and convert them cheaper than buying UK ready/certified equipment?
Cost of components was less than a pound, plus I bet they don't add the balancing resistors on the converted ones. Not all 120V equipment can be easily converted to 230V.
Like to share my experience with my P117. Picked up a nonworking Ryobi P117 battery charger hoping I could fix. I've replaced one component so far TOP256, no dice. The other components I've ohmed out what I could, finding nothing shorted. So far, no luck. Without a schematic / road map it's rather difficult. I've downloaded lots of UA-cam videos but still no dice. Before replacing any components check the windings on the main Transformer. The 'high voltage' on the primary circuit side isn't working. You should hear a bussing sound (the high voltage oscillator) feeding the primary winding. This circuit powers the primary winding of the yellow transformer in the middle. The primary winding has four pins. The resistance within these types of transformers, usually have a low resistance. Two pins have a very low resistance (ohms). The other two on the primary side measure a very high resistance of megaohms. At the time I wasn’t sure why. I would have expected a low reading of around 20 ohms. The secondary winding also had four pins and all four measured a low resistance. I decide to unsolder the transformer because what do I have to lose, it doesn’t work anyhow. I found the wire coming from the winding was broken off at the soldering pin of the transformer. Soldered the broken wire back to the pin. It’s fixed.
Any hints how to charge such battery with RC charger? I give 5S rated voltage on + and - terminals and after some time I get broken connection error (somehow BMS disconnects battery).
THIS VIDEO IS A LIFESAVER FOR ME. But here's my MAIN concern. I completely forgot that this charger is 120v and i plugged it straight to 220v. Obviously, i heard a pop and its too late already that i realized that it was 120v only. Seeing as there's a fuse, can i still fix this just by replacing the fuse? And if yes, how did you remove the screws as well? I noticed there's a small "pin" pointing out the screwheads to prevent it from being tampered or opened (i guess?) Help would be greatly appreciated!!!
The screws are just "tamperproof". Just use the correct driver or driver bit to open the case. Kits of "security bits" are available fairly cheaply on fleabay. As far as what you need to do to fix your blown supply, it depends what you find when you open it up. You may be very lucky and find it's only a blown fuse, but you'd more than likely find other components have been fried before the fuse blew.
hello guys. I did as explained in video, but unfortunately doesn't pass the transformer it has 85V on each leg. checked almost every components looks ok. what could be the cause? thanks
Nice work as usual its very educational watching your channel some time i think i am beginning to learn a little bit of how electronics work. Just enough to be dangerous
It looks as if they are using the 2 caps in series as a voltage divider to develop a common so that they have a split DC supply. If you cut the connection between power and the capacitive node then you remove common for the split supply. Otherwise there would be no need for a diode bridge, instead, just a pair of diodes. There would also be no need to have the series capacitors. A single cap rated at twice the voltage would suffice. I am a little confused by the design itself.
That bit with the link is the exact position of the 110/220 switch in just about every PC power supply that I've torn apart. I have a number of those switches around if anybody wants one.
You don't have the leakage current issue with a 120V voltage doubler input since both caps get charged to their respective half-wave peak. That's only an issue with the 240V mod.
The presence of the link and redundant part of the rectifier suggests that the unit was designed to be supplied as 120V and 230V versions. It seems odd to omit just two resistors that could also have doubled as safety discharge resistors.
Since most switching supplies that I have taken apart don't shut down until their input capacitor has dropped below 80V, I am not surprised to see small power supplies omit them: their normal operation drains input capacitors most of the way within seconds already (330V to 80V is 93% of the energy gone) and their startup bias circuit will drain input caps down to 8V or whatever the chip's lock-out voltage is over the next 10 seconds or so. Also, unless the capacitors are horribly mismatched, their leakage increases with voltage and should make them reasonably self-balancing. May want to use 250V caps for this for extra tolerance though.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but ... Why would you replace a 270 v MOV with a 470v version, and not 540v? (Other than the fact you have one available?) Or maybe the original design should have had two 270v MOVs with a link shorting one, using the same philosophy as the other link.
What about a UK plug charger in america?? I got the bosch mini chainsaw and need to convert it to US.. the bottom of the charger only says 220-240 50/60.. but the caps and everything inside is 250v :/
Something I was confused about at first is your use of "modest", where I am from that would imply 'not very much', whereas it seems you are using it to mean 'a significant amount'
padathir He's using the word ironically. He likes describing big problems with small words. Like saying something is a little dangerous when most people would call it deadly.
Hello, i was wondering if i you can help me converting a Ridgid charger to accept 220vac model(R86092), currently the charger accepts only 120vac, thanks
Hi Clive I thought I let you know they are £47 all in from USA no better then UK now got one coming got parts ready to fit you said the red wire goes to live in plug the cord looks black in video thanks for your help with this. Jeff
Perhaps a question I'll get some flack for asking, but I had learned RMS to be .707 many, many years ago, but you seem to use its double, 1.414. What's the difference, if any? Obviously the equation used is opposite, but are they both called RMS, or is .707 something different? :]
It's not actually it's 'double', it's sqrt(2) (ie 1.4142), and then to get the conversion the other way (which you're thinking of), we do 1/sqrt(2) which gives the familiar 0.7071....
hello i have an hilt c4/36 CPC is in 110v and i put a 220v electric plug, but green light is blinking like temperature problème, and battery don't charge there is something more to do? BR
Hmm I would also recomend that the Inrush Current suppressor is changed as well as it draws the same power rating in watts but as voltage is doubled the amps is halved so inrush supp resistance needs increasing. Also fuse rating will need to change as half current. Maybe Im wrong but food for thought...George
Ive got 2 of these things. Both failed after 3 or 4 charges. Both failed in seemingly the same way (just goes dead, no lights), I replaced the switch mode power supply chip (6pin thing on the heat spreader) of one, no change. Fuse is fine, no idea what else it might be. But, lots of others in the reviews say theirs also failed early in it's life.
What is the voltage rating on those American single insulated flexes? I suppose with only 120V there is not as much risk of fatal shocks from abraded cords.
If he is connected to a radial it would be 20 or 30A, a ring main could be 30A. And those are just typical circuits, there are higher rated ones in some installations.
hey i accidently left my love 120volt charger as show in this video plugged in and applied 240volt to it. now it doesnt work. what do you thinkni blew in it. fuse looks good
One of the best no-bullshit clear explanations of a typical mains input circuitry I've ever seen. Thank you sir!
Nice video. I just wish you'd shown us when you modded the charger, not just the end result. For some reason I enjoy looking when others solder.
I just bought one of these chargers from someone for spares or repairs and I knew instantly what had happened as I know you cant get these chargers in the uk so I got it for a good price opened it up and instantly noticed the fuse was disintegrated and the move was blown to bits straight away I knew someone had plugged this charger into 240v so I replaced all the components and did the 240v conversion on it and I've got it working thanks clive
This charger ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxknS1MWclRHOKWekYXnBJz8Ex0rEPnrGF works great with the DCB205 and DCB203, I've charged both a few times without issue. After I'd searched for a while this was the best value charger I found and it's new, boxed up well, and it's built as well as any charger I've had.
A couple of months ago I decided to learn something about electronics. I must be making progress, I almost completely understood this.
the MOVs are usually rated with RMS voltage on the package it self. so the MOV should work fine in the UK. Excellent video as usual!
Just pulled out the only traced cct I could find of a PSU using this 120/240V switching (a 200W PC PSU traced in '93) and it had 120k ½W balancing resistors across 470u caps, so your 220k across 220u looks spot on.
Looks like that pre-exploded power bar came on handy after all ;)
glad i wasnt the only 1 who knew where it was from :)
I'm not going to lie, I looked for it a bit at the end when he started up the charger.. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. LOL! It's been a while since I watched that one, but man... You might be even sicker than me for noticing that! x3
yeah, I'm kind of a big fan of clive
I wasn't happy with the supplied Ryobi charger. In my mind, the battery should go on the charger, not the charger on the battery!
Whilst in the states I saw this charger and thought I should research if it would work in the UK. Almost instantly I found the link to this video.
I ordered the parts and received a 14N431K instead of the suggested 14D471K. Fitted it, cut the link, added the 4 resistors and the charger worked first time.
Thanks for making this video.
I watch all you videos, and because of that i was not afraid to buy a bunch of Ryobi tools last week when i was in the US that included this Quick Charger. I have now modified the charger according to you instructions, and it works perfectly! :-)
Thanks Clive for a super UA-cam Channel - keep up the good work!
Greetings from Denmark.
Another outstanding vid, Clive, you're the man! Your analysis and interesting patter is reminiscent of a few top notch instructors I can still remember as a jeep radar tech while attending basic electronics school at Kessler AFB in 1957. Yep, they actually taught a full years circuit fundamentals back in the day before one ever got into the guts of the "set" he would ultimately learn. It's been a real treat to get an occasional refresher brush up from a genuine pro, these 6 quick decades later....
I went through electronic principles at Keesler about 5 years ago. I think it was 7 weeks at Dolan Hall... barely enough time for the beginners to learn what a capacitor was. The instructors did a good job with the time they were given. There are pictures on the wall there from classes in the 50s!
I literally just bought a Ryobi drill with this One+ battery system. Glad to know BigClive approves!
Thank you, this is a very important video, so that companies don't keep thinking they can sell their stuff cheap in one part of the world and rip off customers in another part.
Ryobi sells cheap stuff and crappy design stuff at a high price in all parts of the World.
@@BTW... LMAO
Thanks Clive for a crystal clear explanation. I used this video to convert this charger 3 years ago. I recently bought another one as a backup and to increase charging capability. The new one (still P117) seems to have a slightly different circuitry. I'm no electrical/electronics engineer and so I'm stumped!! Got any tips on converting the new version (Made in Vietnam, previous was in China)? Not sure if it is possible for me to share photos/video.
I've not seen the new one.
Thanks.. today I converted my P117 charger to 230V and so far it's working fine (no magic smoke nor fireworks). My only problem was to find the right screwdriver to remove those 4 fu.. tamper proof screws (I think they're called torx internal tamper proof screws).. It take a lot but at the end I found a bit that came on a set I bought several years ago and I've never used... until today.
I would have been tempted to try removing the varistor and also tempted to see if the series cap's balanced themselves, or used a zener diode on the output, but I don't know, so bow to your greater knowledge Sir Clive....
It's stupid that when pretty much all SMPSUs have universal input, power tool chargers are stuck in the stone age.
110V is common on UK building sites for safety ( some even prohibit 240v ) , so universal input would be useful.
What are your thoughts on my addition of balancing resistors? Was I being too pessimistic?
No, I think you know the proper way a circuit should be constructed without cutting corners.
Nah, too pessimistic would be adding another two sets of resistors in parallel with the first set, just in case that one goes open circuit... ;)
Can't hurt - probably not needed in voltage doubler configuration so if PCB not designed to be adaptable there was probably no reason to put spaces for them.
And yet two redundant diodes and a link as if intending for dual voltage manufacturing option. Having since looked at other brands being converted to 230V use I've noticed a striking circuitry similarity, but with the resistors already across the caps.
The minimum you'd had to do would be to rip out the varistor and the link, right? because it would work without the varistor wouldn't it?
It would, but ripping out a safety feature might not be the best idea.
It would work, but I prefer the idea of replacing the MOV.
In theory, yeah. But for the real sake of safety and the amount of pour being pumped through, you want the protection
Yeah it would work, but any large voltage spikes on the mains 'could' cause one of the rectifier diodes to go short, followed by he others in chain reaction!
andygozzo72 that would not be very nice
Clive is there a way to convert a battery operated drill or tool into a wired form? As you know the batteries die and it's often cheaper or more practical to just buy another drill.
Is there anyway to utilize these drills that are mechanically fine but have no battery packs? or do you have another suggestion?
Possibly an idea for a video?
I followed your (very clear) recommendations and now have a fully working 'UK' charger.Love the videos and the accent (Edinburgh?). Keep 'em coming Clive.
Thanks, Clive! This video is super helpful for me. I moved to Europe a little while back and have been meaning to bring over my Ryobi power tools but stalled on it because I thought I'd have to either bite the bullet and buy those expensive chargers or run them through a step down transformer. Never would have thought it'd be this easy to convert the ones I have (slightly different type but I'll try to figure them out per analogiam).
So yeah, much appreciated content.
One thing to also look at is the voltage rating of the fuse - in the USA fuses may have been used that are only rated for use with 125VAC.
The voltage rating is a separate matter from the max current rating, in case you think I am confused …
Good explanation. I had a 110V Ryobi charger connected it via a Voltage converter. The converted was capable of converting in both direction. Unfortunately I missed to select the output voltage to 110V and killed the charger with a 240V input. What component might have been damaged?
Big Clive and his teacher voice love watching these videos just needs a tweed jacket and elbow patches
No no no, Clive's too trashy for that.
He'd come in to lectures with sweatpants on and an orange jacket.
I'd come to those lectures even if they were at 8am. But knowing Clive they'd be anytime between 10pm and 4am.
It's OK. There'd be a bar and hot snacks.
That's more @ralphydotcom 's gimmick.
@@bigclivedotcom can I do this with the P118 the black charger.
18:10 those two contacts are bridged together by the battery, and that's how the charger determines when a battery is present. I bridged them with a screwdriver for no good reason and the red LED started flashing as it does when it's analyzing a battery
Should one replace the fuse with one of half the current as well? With the change of current would the in rush device also need to be changed to be complete? Why not replace the two caps with a single one or two in parallel?
My guess (based on the odd placement) is that they will use a single 400V rated capacitor instead of the two 200V ones so they do not need those balancing resistors.
Correct. Optimally when used in the voltage doubler configuration there's no need for resistors and when used at EU mains one single capacitor would be used.
Clive's started pronouncing the second "i" in "milliamps"! Was this the result of some traumatic experience? Or being treated to cure some past one?
Just the realisation that I was pronouncing it too lazily.
Now if we can just get you to pronounce Data the UK way... :)
Which is different in areas of the UK. Dahtah in some and Daytah in others.
Comes from "datum", "fact" in Latin. So should be day-tah really.
I noticed a particularly conspicuous mill-I-amps in the poop illuminator vyde-oh.
That link's supposed to start from 28 seconds into the video... and UA-cam won't let me edit the comment.
great explanation. but not sure I understand, the second transformer need not to be replaced since the original design using only half of the sin wave? does it mean that after the conversion the output will be twice?
Hello
Thanks for posting this...exactly what I was looking for.
Question:Is the Metal Oxide Resistor shunt across the AC input really necessary?
I want to modify my US P117 but do not have a suitable higher voltage device to replace the original with
It's useful if there are inductive loads being switched in the vicinity.
Thank you very much bigclive! This type of hack/conversion is great, and so satisfying to do.
I was just thinking about it the other day, how the standard one+ dual chemistry charger takes a couple of hours to charge even the small (but good capacity actually) 2.5Ah battery. That one is charging at up to 1.8A according to specs. In Europe we get the RC18150 5A charger, which looks similar to the 3A P117. I have to do some price checking now! :)
If I can salvage and reuse the parts needed for the conversion, I will save the equivalent of £10-15 on a P117 off eBay, compared to buying the RC18150 here in Norway.
My mods are not to the supply but to the tool/battery interface. Using a 3D printer to make adaptors for my old cordless tools. Using black and decker batteries in a dewalt for instance
I made this conversation to use my US charger in the UK (240V). I did not add the registers. It turns on but when I put a battery in to charge it the testing indicator (flashing red led) comes on and remains flashing; it never switches to the charging indicator.
The battery is a good, working battery, nearly new and charges normally on my son's UK charger, which switches from testing to charging almost instantly.
I don't know if it is actually charging on my modified charger; I didn't want to leave it flashing 'testing' for long in case it was somehow damaging the battery.
I once plugged a 120VAC power strip with surge protection into a 240VAC outlet. BANG! instant removal of the MOVs! It rattled a bit from the pieces inside. ☹️
Hi Clive what fuse should I use a 3amp or 13 for 3 pin plug thanks again for your time learning all the time. Jeff
+Jeffery x 3A is recommended.
Thanks Jeff.
they are great tools all made by TTI which owns and makes Milwaukee,Rigid ,Ryobi and Craftsman .Used to buy expensive tools .They just sprout legs an walk away .The Ryobi used to be blue like Bosch .That fluorescent Green has great visibility .Many tradesmen wouldn't be caught dead with them .Only 5 or 6 brands Milwaukee ,DeWalt,Bosch,Walter Metabo ,Hilti and there are a couple others that are insanely expensive .I'm an electrician ,I use Milwaukee and Hilti and Fluke and Amprobe .At home I have Ryobi!
It may have been a bit cleaner to replace the two capacitors in series, with a single 100 uf 450 V Capacitor, and leave out the balancing resistors. Nice explanation.
+John Coops a) a cap like that is a lot more expensive than a couple resistors b) the whole point of the link is to make it a nearly-dual voltage standard supply. No need to make it difficult to convert back.
These capacitors can get somewhat expensive. And it may be difficult to get a matching quality one like those in a top-notch power supply.
I would personally leave the resistors out, or use 1M resistors like the computer PSUs have. The capacitors don't really need balancing because they have extremely high internal resistance and that resistance tends to go lower with voltage creating negative feedback. I've been running several for over a year without an issue. No balancing needed. They only put the resistors in there to reduce the risk of shock.
In some cases, such as older and/or cheapo computer PSUs which employ a half-bridge topology, that's not really an option, since the center tap of the transformer goes to the mid-point of the high-voltage DC rail.
Not in this case here, since it's a "lowly" flyback, but "just sayin' "... :)
That being said though, i shudder at the sight of CapXon capacitors >_< Preeeetty sure the 200v ones are KM's.
Jeez, if you don't even like capxons, you've got real high standards.
Jasper Janssen You're almost making it sound like that's a bad thing :P
Thing is, CapXons **WILL** fail, same as Fuhjyyu, and countless other chinese (off-)brands.
Let me put it this way - i trust the USED japanese caps i've reclaimed from various gear i've torn down & gutted for parts, than any of these crap brands, even if new.
Hi, we are moving back to the UK with a bunch of Ridgid lithium battery tools. The charger states that it is 110V ~ 60Hz. I know that I can get a step-down transformer to supply the charger, but do j need to worry about the differing frequencies? Ryobi and Ridgid are pretty interchangeable here, and you don't mention the frequency compensation in this video so I was hoping that it was a non-issue. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you bigclive for sharing this video. What about the fuse dose it need changing ?
The fuse should be fine. It would only blow in the event of catastrophic electronic failure anyway.
Thank you, this was very interesting. Wondering what do you call that terminal used to plug in the stripped wires with the red hinged cover at 18:42? I would love to purchase one of those thingamajiggers for my projects. Thanks again.
It's a Cliff Quicktest.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks again. :)
i think the circuitry for operating without the relay engaged is for a pre charge function, for when the battery is under voltage, but i might be wrong
Clive, you'd be able to add a switch where that link was right? Then you'd be able to change between the two supply voltages right?
You could probably use a 2 pole 2 throw switch to also select between the two voltage dependent resistors too.
The same MOV would suit both. the risk of the voltage switch is that if it gets used frequently, then one day the unit will be powered with 240 while set to 120 and suffer damage.
You wouldn't need the R's if it's only intended for 120v use. .. useful video thanks!
Clive, are you aware that RS is now free shipping. I am not sure if this covers IoM but is worth a look. I have switched to using RS more for oddball items because of this.
Weird request. The UK has a super fast charger not available in the US. Any chance of showing how to make that one work on the US grid?
One of the best video i have ever seen on youtube!
Thank you so much for your explanations!
Hi Clive! After removing that link, will the MOV replacement (14d471k) work for 220v? Or should I find a smaller one?
A 471 (470V) MOV should be OK as is.
Have you tried RS components?
They do free mainland shipping for any sized order. No idea what their IOM surcharge is (if any), but it has to be less than Rapid.
It reminds me of a Roomba power supply that I converted to 230V - It was even simplier: Replace MOV and one capacitor and you are good to go, all other circuits are common with EU version :)
They are a lot better than any other tool at this price. And the batteries hold up 10 times longer than Dewalt NiCads.
I hope I'm not too late but what's the purpose of the capacitor you drew at 3:52 ?
The X2 capacitor is a standard interference suppression capacitor it acts like a tiny buffer that softens sudden spikes and shunts high frequency electrical noise.
Great post Clive, I have a question. Having rushed back from the states and plugged it into the 240 outlet of a duel transformer in haste I've blown both capacitors! What is your recommendation - try to source the same two US spec or replace with a UK spec resistor or resistors ?
I would imagine UK spec ? If so can you clarify if one or two and the exact specification please.
Many thanks again
You may have caused more damage than just the capacitors. You could try swapping the capacitors and maybe the transient suppressor too if its been damaged.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks Clive appreciate the response. Im about to transfer the new Capicators today as described in the video. Will let you know how it goes
No Joy Clive - Will try the transient suppressor once Ive found out what Im looking for ...
Nice Video Clive!
Thanks Clive job done as you showed us I used the 220k resisters works well Jeff.
I've been waiting for the Usb C PD adapter for my Ryobi batteries for several years in Canada. I have the normal inverter but going from DC to DC is much preferred. I hope they release this soon so I can charge and use my Ryobi batteries with USB C chargers and devices.
Could I insert a switch between the rectifier and the capacitors instead of cutting the link, to make the charger switchable between 110V and 240V, or would the threshold of the varistor be too high in 110V mode?
Hi Clive, Do you know if you can do the same thing with the P118 PSU? As you say tools from the states are much cheaper but the kit of tools I'm looking at comes with the older P118 PSU. Many thanks.
Hi Clive, I wondered if you could help. This video stuck in mind trying to answer this question. As I'm sure you know, brands such as Makita, DeWalt etc sell 110v chargers for a much higher price with the tradesman in mind where on site power is 110v. So to get around this I've always used a 110v to 240v inverter as that's much cheaper than buying 110v chargers for all my tools. However, a friend has made a 110v to 240v domestic socket fly-lead and he powers his standard 240v chargers on the site 110v that way without a problem. Is it just a marketing gimmick selling the expensive 110v versions? Could it damage the battery some how? Hope you get time to help me answer this one.
Some chargers are rated universal voltage and will run from about 100V to 250V. If they are designed only for 240V then they may be unstable on 110V, but they shouldn't damage the battery. DeWalt and some others do milk tradesmen. They base the price on their perceived value in time to the tradesman.
bigclivedotcom thanks for that!
you should make a video about how to safely discharge large capacitors
Just put high value resistor to slowly discharge capacitor with small current
Very interesting! Do the Ryobi batteries have circuitry/connections for balanced charging?
There's full balancing and protection circuitry inside the battery itself.
ua-cam.com/video/M5MSSVN9eWw/v-deo.html
Thank you!
wow, so simple to convert us/chinese/taiwan voltage power supplies to UK/Aus rating :D. i'll keep this in mind if i find something i want to bring home and its a switch mode power supply.
It's not always as simple as this. They clearly designed this PCB to accommodate both markets.
I found out the wire with markings on it is the neg or blue for uk plug.
You should have included the de-soldering and soldering part. We all love watching your soldering.
Another excellent video Clive :) Please keep them coming.
excellent, now i got to figure out the ridgid charger...moving to Philippines need 220v my charger is 110v
isn't the diode at the bottom supposed to be conducting effectively shorting the bottom capacitor?
Does it really cost effective for the company essentially to include 230V functionality, but hard wire it only for 120V use? Can't it be both and same way sold in both markets?
saves them the price of a switch, and they can sell a more expensive one to the UK
I wonder anyway why not every power supply is 110-240V with automatic adjustment.
Like most Notebook Power supplies are.
djteac
yes, it makes sense on a scale, you can make one product and it works all over the world, not like the bad old days of country specific, esp the old days of TV's. they save a ton of money in the end.
Notebooks are meant to be portable, and people wouldn't buy models that only worked in one place. But a fixed voltage supply is generally cheaper to make (even if it's just a few cents, it adds up), and allows the manufacturer to control prices locally (ex., make the EU version more expensive than the US version, while preventing people from just buying the US model online).
Congratulations on the successful conversion. I did kinda want a kablooie!, though.
How come you didn’t mention the pesky TOP256EN…. Common failure point of this charger. I have two that keep blowing that chip when I plug a battery in.
Instead of the resistors on the capacitors, could you just remove the caps and replace them with one single "uk compliant" capacitor?
Hi again One thing now do you know which is red live for the plug and which wire is negative thanks Clive all ways learning from you Jeff.
For the mains plug? Brown is live and blue is neutral.
Is what for p117 as i got one coming from USA thanks for a quick answer and your help again as they both look black. Jeff
On the US/Canadian power cords.... The smooth wire (narrow blade side) is live(brown) while the ribbed/rough (wide blade side) is neutral(blue)
THANK YOU. I was very surprised when I bought this think in the US that it wasn't universal voltage.
The regulations are requiring the stuff to 'be green' and waste less power. So they put the jumper or for the PC power supplies they put a 120 / 240 switch.
Hey Clive you can buy these 30 mins chargers here from sweden aswell also Roybi im guessing its cheaper in shipping
Great explanation, thanks a lot Sir! How should I decide which transient suppressor I need? I live in the US and would like to bring some Ryobi tools to my father to Hungary. I am planning to transform one of my chargers. There is 220 V in Hungary. Could you help me what transient suppressor should I buy exactly? Thanks a lot in advance!
Hi Peter! did you find out which varistor should work for this mod to 220V?
thanks!
Szia! Egyszerubb venni otthon egy toltot hozza, nem nagy osszeg. 10k korul van egy gyári.
Clive, I found through experimentation that my UK green Ryobi One Plus chargers will run on DC from around 160v. I was looking into possibilities of using a solar string without a battery bank nor a charge controller. I would love to see an explanation of this to satisfy curiosity. I was actually going to email you. Sometime soon regarding this very question but. This prompted my message in haste!!
If it's a simple one-voltage charger that was designed for rectified and smoothed 120V then the first thing that happens in the unit is the 120V AC gets converted to 170V. So by feeding it from a DC supply of around 150V to 180V you just do that in advance. A unit designed for dual voltage use like this one might not be happy with that though as the voltage doubler would be defeated and only one capacitor would be charged.
+
Here is the actual chargers I found to work Ryobi BCL1418H Would love to see a tear down vid on one of these some time to better explain how it is running on DC and also mine your knowledge as to the correct mods to do so safely!
Most switchmode power supplies will run on DC because the incoming AC supply is converted to DC to start with. But they usually have a voltage range they will operate in. I've got one of the units you linked to and it seems to be rated for 220 to 240V operation, and that would suggest that the DC voltage you are providing it with is about half what it would normally expect. But many switchmode supplies will work down to unusually low voltages albeit with less predictability at the lower voltages.
What was the cost in doing it yourself vs buying one already adapted for UK use? If you didn't have the parts etc how hard are they generally to come buy? As US prices are generally cheaper could you feasibley buy all your electronics from the US and convert them cheaper than buying UK ready/certified equipment?
Cost of components was less than a pound, plus I bet they don't add the balancing resistors on the converted ones. Not all 120V equipment can be easily converted to 230V.
I was just looking to change the brake light bulb...
Then I found this. Awesome and scary.
Like to share my experience with my P117.
Picked up a nonworking Ryobi P117 battery charger hoping I could fix. I've replaced one component so far TOP256, no dice.
The other components I've ohmed out what I could, finding nothing shorted.
So far, no luck. Without a schematic / road map it's rather difficult. I've downloaded lots of UA-cam videos but still no dice.
Before replacing any components check the windings on the main Transformer.
The 'high voltage' on the primary circuit side isn't working. You should hear a bussing sound (the high voltage oscillator) feeding the primary winding.
This circuit powers the primary winding of the yellow transformer in the middle.
The primary winding has four pins. The resistance within these types of transformers, usually have a low resistance. Two pins have a very low resistance (ohms). The other two on the primary side measure a very high resistance of megaohms. At the time I wasn’t sure why. I would have expected a low reading of around 20 ohms.
The secondary winding also had four pins and all four measured a low resistance.
I decide to unsolder the transformer because what do I have to lose, it doesn’t work anyhow.
I found the wire coming from the winding was broken off at the soldering pin of the transformer. Soldered the broken wire back to the pin.
It’s fixed.
Any hints how to charge such battery with RC charger? I give 5S rated voltage on + and - terminals and after some time I get broken connection error (somehow BMS disconnects battery).
THIS VIDEO IS A LIFESAVER FOR ME. But here's my MAIN concern.
I completely forgot that this charger is 120v and i plugged it straight to 220v. Obviously, i heard a pop and its too late already that i realized that it was 120v only. Seeing as there's a fuse, can i still fix this just by replacing the fuse? And if yes, how did you remove the screws as well? I noticed there's a small "pin" pointing out the screwheads to prevent it from being tampered or opened (i guess?)
Help would be greatly appreciated!!!
The screws are just "tamperproof". Just use the correct driver or driver bit to open the case. Kits of "security bits" are available fairly cheaply on fleabay.
As far as what you need to do to fix your blown supply, it depends what you find when you open it up. You may be very lucky and find it's only a blown fuse, but you'd more than likely find other components have been fried before the fuse blew.
hello guys. I did as explained in video, but unfortunately doesn't pass the transformer it has 85V on each leg. checked almost every components looks ok. what could be the cause? thanks
Nice work as usual its very educational watching your channel some time i think i am beginning to learn a little bit of how electronics work. Just enough to be dangerous
Old video but can you use one leg of the 240? And a neutral to make the 120? Like we do in the US.
We just have neutral and 240V. If we went across 2 phases it would be 415V.
It looks as if they are using the 2 caps in series as a voltage divider to develop a common so that they have a split DC supply. If you cut the connection between power and the capacitive node then you remove common for the split supply. Otherwise there would be no need for a diode bridge, instead, just a pair of diodes. There would also be no need to have the series capacitors. A single cap rated at twice the voltage would suffice. I am a little confused by the design itself.
That bit with the link is the exact position of the 110/220 switch in just about every PC power supply that I've torn apart. I have a number of those switches around if anybody wants one.
You don't have the leakage current issue with a 120V voltage doubler input since both caps get charged to their respective half-wave peak. That's only an issue with the 240V mod.
The presence of the link and redundant part of the rectifier suggests that the unit was designed to be supplied as 120V and 230V versions. It seems odd to omit just two resistors that could also have doubled as safety discharge resistors.
Since most switching supplies that I have taken apart don't shut down until their input capacitor has dropped below 80V, I am not surprised to see small power supplies omit them: their normal operation drains input capacitors most of the way within seconds already (330V to 80V is 93% of the energy gone) and their startup bias circuit will drain input caps down to 8V or whatever the chip's lock-out voltage is over the next 10 seconds or so.
Also, unless the capacitors are horribly mismatched, their leakage increases with voltage and should make them reasonably self-balancing. May want to use 250V caps for this for extra tolerance though.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but ...
Why would you replace a 270 v MOV with a 470v version, and not 540v? (Other than the fact you have one available?)
Or maybe the original design should have had two 270v MOVs with a link shorting one, using the same philosophy as the other link.
What about a UK plug charger in america?? I got the bosch mini chainsaw and need to convert it to US.. the bottom of the charger only says 220-240 50/60.. but the caps and everything inside is 250v :/
Clive, are you sure that Third Contact is voltage sense and not a thermistor? Thanks.
The thermistor is inside the battery pack. It's connected to the third connection.
Sorry, I misunderstood something you said. It occurs to me that the split negative contact might be to detect insertion.
Something I was confused about at first is your use of "modest", where I am from that would imply 'not very much', whereas it seems you are using it to mean 'a significant amount'
Clive's continual misuse of "modest" is one of his charming little ways that I've gotten used to.
padathir He's using the word ironically. He likes describing big problems with small words. Like saying something is a little dangerous when most people would call it deadly.
Hello, i was wondering if i you can help me converting a Ridgid charger to accept 220vac model(R86092), currently the charger accepts only 120vac, thanks
Question re capacitor X2 (100nf 275V).
Would that survive the 240V input (~330V peak) or should that also be replaced with a 400V capacitor?
A 275 AC capacitor is rated to handle the peak voltage of the AC supply.
I don’t understand which link did u cut. I see the link still there.
Hi Clive I thought I let you know they are £47 all in from USA no better then UK now got one coming got parts ready to fit you said the red wire goes to live in plug the cord looks black in video thanks for your help with this. Jeff
Perhaps a question I'll get some flack for asking, but I had learned RMS to be .707 many, many years ago, but you seem to use its double, 1.414. What's the difference, if any? Obviously the equation used is opposite, but are they both called RMS, or is .707 something different? :]
Wrong direction. 0.707 is for converting back from peak to RMS on a sinewave..
Ah, okay. Thank you! :)
It's not actually it's 'double', it's sqrt(2) (ie 1.4142), and then to get the conversion the other way (which you're thinking of), we do 1/sqrt(2) which gives the familiar 0.7071....
hello i have an hilt c4/36 CPC is in 110v and i put a 220v electric plug, but green light is blinking like temperature problème, and battery don't charge there is something more to do?
BR
Hmm I would also recomend that the Inrush Current suppressor is changed as well as it draws the same power rating in watts but as voltage is doubled the amps is halved so inrush supp resistance needs increasing. Also fuse rating will need to change as half current. Maybe Im wrong but food for thought...George
Ive got 2 of these things. Both failed after 3 or 4 charges. Both failed in seemingly the same way (just goes dead, no lights), I replaced the switch mode power supply chip (6pin thing on the heat spreader) of one, no change. Fuse is fine, no idea what else it might be. But, lots of others in the reviews say theirs also failed early in it's life.
Hi there, How to check the electronic parts of the Ryobi P117, and Discover the problem
What is the voltage rating on those American single insulated flexes? I suppose with only 120V there is not as much risk of fatal shocks from abraded cords.
What is the amperage on a UK circuit? I heard it is higher than 13 amps so he might still need a fused plug.
If he is connected to a radial it would be 20 or 30A, a ring main could be 30A. And those are just typical circuits, there are higher rated ones in some installations.
hey i accidently left my love 120volt charger as show in this video plugged in and applied 240volt to it. now it doesnt work. what do you thinkni blew in it. fuse looks good