The problem with the B&D was the fan.
They installed a cheap fan that often (but not always) failed and then the thing overheated and went kaput.
Several of us have had these units for years and they are still working well. Some folks (as have posted here) replaced the fan with a more reliable fan.
For what I need this charger to do, it does it well.
If Mexicowanderer wants to travel north and use his jury-rigged charging system to recharge all of our batteries whenever they need a charge, he is more than welcome. While waiting for him to get north to Minnesota, I will continue to use my B&D as I have for the past 6 years. No battery failures, no charger failures. I'm a happy camper, but apparently I'm also a "dumb American" according to someone on this forum.