I have owned three Vector 1097A chargers over the last eight years and they have all developed the same.... failure? Trait? They give false F03 errors. One I returned under warranty, one I threw away and the last one I still have. Is there something that I'm doing wrong (abusing or misusing) with these chargers. Is it coincidence, just bad luck or what?I can charge my riding mower battery with my old HF 10amp charger and it will charge okay, but if I then attach the 1097A it will read the battery voltage okay, and I can initiate a charge cycle, but it will run for a couple of seconds, step the charge rate down to zero and display the F03. It does this with any battery (in any state of charge) that I try.Can these beasts be repaired, or do I just throw it away?

I get F03 sometimes when the charger thinks the battery is full or even if there is another charger with a higher voltage than the Vector on the battery. In that case, I must start the Vector first and get it running and then start the higher voltage charger.Try knocking the battery voltage down a bit and then start the charger.

Please do not toss them in the trash Yes they can very easily be repairedOpen it up and take a look close look at the large Capacitors If any signs of anything abnormal replace the part Parts available at DigiKey and typically less than $5.00

BFL13 wrote:I get F03 sometimes when the charger thinks the battery is full or even if there is another charger with a higher voltage than the Vector on the battery. In that case, I must start the Vector first and get it running and then start the higher voltage charger.Try knocking the battery voltage down a bit and then start the charger.Like I said, I've tried various batteries, at various charge levels, and always get the same thing. I just now hooked it to a battery that reads 12.0vdc, it displayed the F03. It does know when it has been hooked to a battery, because it doesn't display the F02 that it does if started when not hooked to anything.

I don't have a lessor charged battery to test with right now, but will crank the mower a few times (with the kill switch on) and see if I can get the battery down a few tenths.EDIT - I just cranked the mower starter until the battery read 10.4V, and started the 1097. It did it's F03 thing......

Could try and fool it back to being normal. Start it and then clamp on? When on and showing F03, change amp settings up and down and turn on and off, change battery type.Sometimes with the old 27DCs after they were FUL and I wanted to do more, I would get an F03 but not if I just used the 2 amp setting and not the higher settings. Once it started ok in 2 I could then ramp it up. Seems like F03 is for almost anything, not just for what it is listed for. Weird.

B&D - Vector Battery Charger False F03 error codes.

tvman44
Explorer
Feb 23, 2014
I realize your problem is not intermittent, I only mentioned mine and hope it does not get consistent like yours. But that does seem to be a fairly common problem with these vectors and I hope someone finds a fix for it before mine dies like yours. I sure like that charger except for that problem. By the way the only time I have seen that error is on my lawn mower battery.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Feb 24, 2014

Dont'cha just love how they can take a simple charger and screw it up?
mena661
Explorer
Feb 24, 2014
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

Dont'cha just love how they can take a simple charger and screw it up?
LOL!
bttremblay
Explorer
May 30, 2021
KJINTF wrote:
Please do not toss them in the trash

Yes they can very easily be repaired
Open it up and take a look close look at the large Capacitors
If any signs of anything abnormal replace the part
Parts available at DigiKey and typically less than $5.00
bttremblay
Explorer
May 30, 2021
Hi I have one of those as well and it keep giving me FO3 code on any battery a try to charge. When you say to look at the large capacitor, do you mean a ciramic one or electrolytic one.
3_tons
Explorer III
May 30, 2021
After years of frustration I threw mine in the trash and my angst finally came to an end :) !!
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
May 30, 2021
KJINTF wrote:
Please do not toss them in the trash

Yes they can very easily be repaired
Open it up and take a look close look at the large Capacitors
If any signs of anything abnormal replace the part
Parts available at DigiKey and typically less than $5.00

Replacing "caps" does not "fix" everything, the charger is falsely seeing/sensing a battery voltage higher than it should.

That error is most likely the "processor chip" and or other ICs in the unit and no amount of caps you throw at it will fix that. Seriously doubt that you are going to buy an off the shelf processor for that device.

These chargers super impose high frequency voltage spikes into the DC voltage of the output, chances are those same high frequency voltage spikes are causing the false high voltage detection.. The question becomes why and how. Chances are you would need an oscilloscope to view the waveforms and voltages but without any diagrams or notes on what you should see it is going to be a guessing game. It would take a lot of detective work to reverse engineer the how and whys of that device and even then the question of the possibility of a repair being successful is not assured.

Sometimes you can make a device so smart, it becomes dumb.

Those "smart chargers" are basically a throw away device, they are not built very robust nor designed to live a long life.

Chalk up another win for the old school tried and true "dumb" charger, they just plain work.

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B&D - Vector Battery Charger False F03 error codes.

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