Small Battery Charger "Made In USA"
Well, it looks like it would work OK. Where's the timer switch?
http://www.usabatterychargers.com/126ST.htm
http://www.usabatterychargers.com/126ST.htm
Forum Discussion
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Well, it looks like it would work OK. Where's the timer switch?
http://www.usabatterychargers.com/126ST.htm
Made in USA, have to chuckle about that. How about Assembled in USA amd assembled from foreign components....
Only thing 'Made in USA' today is babies and those are delivered with foreign medical equipment.- AMAZON
Leviton 8300-GY 20 Amp, 125 Volt, Extra Heavy Duty Hospital Grade, Duplex Receptacle, Straight Blade, Self Grounding, Gray
4.5 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews
Price: $8.02 FREE Shipping for Prime members
eBray
Overview
If you are building your own audiophile power cords to improve component performance, you'll find the WattGate 381 receptacle essential. Quality of construction is top-notch, featuring glass-filled nylon front and rear housings. Mounting strap, rivets and grounding strip are gold-plated brass for the ultimate in corrosion resistance and power transfer. Installation of the 381 is simple and efficient due to rear wiring and large, #10 brass terminal screws. Terminal clamps are gold plated, solid brass and shaped to better grip the conductors. A triple-wiper design allows the plug blades to be gripped at three separate points.
Additionally, the heavy-duty contacts maximize the clamping spring-rate and ensure conductivity. All plating is accomplished through a three-part process: oxygen free copper plating, electrolysis nickel, and finally 24k gold plating. Receptacle contacts are cryogenically treated.
Receptacle is rated at 125 VAC, 20A.
Highlights
Cryogenic heat treat hardened contacts
Solid brass contact construction
Three step 24k gold plating process
ONLY! ONE HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT DOLLARS - Did not buy them for some time, but from what I remember
the standard grade outlet in multi-pack comes to about 50 cent a piece.
Commercial outlet cost about $5
Hospital grade outlet $25
So Mex should have at least 20 of them in the house? - Don't blame the manufacturer, blame Joe the Plumber who goes on Amazon and buys the cheapest widget he can find.
He and millions of other consumers have told "the industry" we are not interested in paying for quality. We are interested in paying as little as possible.
Quality assemblies are still available, and when I'm spending tax dollars at my government job I try to buy high rated stuff.
When I'm spending the pentence paid me by that job, I try to buy something just enough to get whatever I need done.
By the way Mex, did those hospital grade multi-outlet assemblies arrive yet? MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
GRUMBLE GRUMBLE SNORT
I am damned near to the point of making an cranky decision...
BUILD inline timer power cords. Build them the right way. Plug on one end and outlet on the other end. Timer 18" from socket end- 12 feet in length. 12/3 gauge 600 volt SJO super flexible wire
- HOSPITAL grade Lexan (unbreakable) plug and socket
- Hospital grade is the BMW of connectors. Super heavy duty
- Plastic receptacle box for safety
- Grommet strain relief fittings in and out of the box
- Nylon (unbreakble) face plate
- Six hour spring wound INTERMATIC timer
- All connections are soldered or have soldered spade terminals.
Why is it so hard to get manufacturers to THINK? A timer cord has to be ultra-heavy duty: Green Dot terminations are light-years more rugged than conventional plugs and sockets.
SJO cord is utterly limp even at -10F. It can be wound tight without memory or damage.
Liquid-Tite TYPE strain reliefs are bullet-proof. Properly sized and assembled they simply will not allow a cord to slip.
INTERMATIC TIMERS like everything else listed are pricey. Twist the knob and SEE how much time you selected. Gas station bathroom lights, rugged.
PLASTIC RECEPTACLE BOX to house the timer switch. Metal boxes belong where you cannot touch them. Certainly not on a power cord.
HOSPITAL GREEN DOT Plugs and receptacles are available in transparent LEXAN unbreakable plastic. Also known for bullet-proofing teller windows. Better grade of conductor alloy. Thicker. Stronger. Tighter gripping. Transparent means an ability to SEE inside and verify conditions of connections.
SJO CORD. There are several "grades" of "rubber" extension cord insulation. SJO is one of the thickest. Not only the jacket is thicker but also three three wires inside have thicker insulation. The BIGGEE with SJO and related thinner cable is it's flexibility. I can wind up a TEN GAUGE SJO cord in 10F weather to a 12" roll and release it. It just lies there, limp. Other cords are likely to spring back and slap me alongside the chops.
SOLDERED SPADE (fork shaped) TERMINALS. No need to explain the value of soldering. The fork terminal slips underneath the plug and socket captive screws and presents a much better electrical contact than simply squeezing wire strands. Then the captive screws can be tightened holy-bejeezus-tight. No matter how hot this connection gets, a thousand heating and cooling cycles can not cause this termination to loosen. Heat would come from plugging this cord into a bum receptacle. I proved this theory which is no longer theory.
SILICONE DIELECTRIC GREASE. Used on all assembled connections. This stops hidden corrosion, dead. Even squirt some into the blade sockets on the female end.
Everything I touch these days comes from Panda Land and it is screaming JUNK! Extension cords especially. 12 gauge that is actually 13.4 gauge. Plastic jacketing that not only is springy, it is not durable. Cord ends that overheat at less than rated capacity.
And I want a RELIABLE TIMER. Not gizmo grade digital with programming difficulty that rivals the old Windows 3.0 DOS. I don't need a strong light and strong reading glasses to see menu options that make using the timer ridiculous.
Time to go online and start shopping. Heck I might even build an EXTRA.
Well... that is how Mercedes used to build their cars.
But not too many wanted to pay for quality and they bought cheaper stuff instead.
So now even MB makes cheap plastic interiors on some models.
What the customer wants.- GRUMBLE GRUMBLE SNORT
I am damned near to the point of making an cranky decision...
BUILD inline timer power cords. Build them the right way. Plug on one end and outlet on the other end. Timer 18" from socket end- 12 feet in length. 12/3 gauge 600 volt SJO super flexible wire
- HOSPITAL grade Lexan (unbreakable) plug and socket
- Hospital grade is the BMW of connectors. Super heavy duty
- Plastic receptacle box for safety
- Grommet strain relief fittings in and out of the box
- Nylon (unbreakble) face plate
- Six hour spring wound INTERMATIC timer
- All connections are soldered or have soldered spade terminals.
Why is it so hard to get manufacturers to THINK? A timer cord has to be ultra-heavy duty: Green Dot terminations are light-years more rugged than conventional plugs and sockets.
SJO cord is utterly limp even at -10F. It can be wound tight without memory or damage.
Liquid-Tite TYPE strain reliefs are bullet-proof. Properly sized and assembled they simply will not allow a cord to slip.
INTERMATIC TIMERS like everything else listed are pricey. Twist the knob and SEE how much time you selected. Gas station bathroom lights, rugged.
PLASTIC RECEPTACLE BOX to house the timer switch. Metal boxes belong where you cannot touch them. Certainly not on a power cord.
HOSPITAL GREEN DOT Plugs and receptacles are available in transparent LEXAN unbreakable plastic. Also known for bullet-proofing teller windows. Better grade of conductor alloy. Thicker. Stronger. Tighter gripping. Transparent means an ability to SEE inside and verify conditions of connections.
SJO CORD. There are several "grades" of "rubber" extension cord insulation. SJO is one of the thickest. Not only the jacket is thicker but also three three wires inside have thicker insulation. The BIGGEE with SJO and related thinner cable is it's flexibility. I can wind up a TEN GAUGE SJO cord in 10F weather to a 12" roll and release it. It just lies there, limp. Other cords are likely to spring back and slap me alongside the chops.
SOLDERED SPADE (fork shaped) TERMINALS. No need to explain the value of soldering. The fork terminal slips underneath the plug and socket captive screws and presents a much better electrical contact than simply squeezing wire strands. Then the captive screws can be tightened holy-bejeezus-tight. No matter how hot this connection gets, a thousand heating and cooling cycles can not cause this termination to loosen. Heat would come from plugging this cord into a bum receptacle. I proved this theory which is no longer theory.
SILICONE DIELECTRIC GREASE. Used on all assembled connections. This stops hidden corrosion, dead. Even squirt some into the blade sockets on the female end.
Everything I touch these days comes from Panda Land and it is screaming JUNK! Extension cords especially. 12 gauge that is actually 13.4 gauge. Plastic jacketing that not only is springy, it is not durable. Cord ends that overheat at less than rated capacity.
And I want a RELIABLE TIMER. Not gizmo grade digital with programming difficulty that rivals the old Windows 3.0 DOS. I don't need a strong light and strong reading glasses to see menu options that make using the timer ridiculous.
Time to go online and start shopping. Heck I might even build an EXTRA. - Per my experience, last generation of US workforce spend their life pushing keyboards, so what are their qualifications in mechanical builds?
Chinese sell $3 item and they list it with at least 5 pictures.
This charger is $120 item and comes with single lousy picture.
$20 that when you look inside, you will find "Made in China" components?
IMPRESSIONS (I have never seen this charger in person) Warning some sarcasm may follow :)- I have owned ASSOCIATED brand chargers and they never failed me
- A USA company has a lot more to risk than a Chinese battery charger manufacturer
- The Chinese company can see a flood of consumer complaints then switch to making fence posts
- This charger's explanation of having a "second rectifier" in the form of a backup is puzzling
- If a rectifier fails in the shorted mode the unit will not charge
- If this statement means a doubled capacity rectifier I am all for it
- The 1-hour timer is no fluke. It matches the attention span of state legislators who enacted restrictive laws
- One hour is about all any USA charger manufacturer has for a timer
- If the dial has a HOLD function then an inline timer on the AC power cord could be used
- The 5-year transformer and rectifier warranty is impressive
- If excellent quality switches were chosen then this charger should have a long lifespan
- Model 54PY has a top-end wound transformer for 24-volt charging, as well as 12 volt charging. If 24-volt charging would be a possibility in your future (inverter - solar panels, etc) then I would definitely ponder the 24-volt model.
If 24 volt charging is not something that may eventually come up somewhere down the line then there are three major drawbacks in having the 24 volt charger...
1) Price. The 24-volt model is considerably more expensive
2) Weight. The 24-volt transformer is much heavier than the 12 volt transformer
3) Mistakes. There is a risk of accidentally selecting the higher voltage - Nice looking units, the art deco styling is interesting - must be a classic engineer behind the design that doesn't care for the modern digital age.
Is it a laminated or toroidal core transformer?
