The first step to getting your HART 20V tool ready for work involves the battery. Charging isn’t as simple as you plug in the pack and walk away. It’s important to understand how to take care of your battery and get it charged up properly. That requires understanding what those indicator lights mean.
You must learn that charging is not just about plugging in the pack and walking away.
Understanding Charging Indicators
It makes you a better person. It makes you a better worker.
First you unplug the battery from the tool. Click. Snap. Out it comes. Then you check its charge before proceeding to do anything at all. This takes a quick second, and it is important because your plan depends on it. Next you plug the pack into the charger.
The seat stays in place nicely
You’ll know precisely what’s going on in there with this indicator light. If you plug the battery into the unit, it will flash red and begin charging. You can sit back and watch as it cycles through each pattern. It then lights up solid green once it completes its task.
The battery charger will also indicate if it’s done by showing a solid green light when fully charged. Other models may show different color coding. For example, some will flash green during the charging process. It is confusing initialy. But the message is consistent. It’s getting power and charging.
Simply keep an eye out for when it goes from blinking to a solid light.
This is a good thing to keep in mind; timing matters when you’re on a job site. How long does it take to get each pack fully charged?
Well, with the standard charger, a 1.5 Ah pack will reach full power in about an hour. That’s not bad for most jobs. However, if you have the 2.0 Ah pack, that means you wait about 80 minutes.
That’s where the rapid charger comes into play. On that front, it does make a big difference. You’re no longer sitting there waiting while your larger pack charges. Instead, they’ll both charge at the same speed, about 45 minutes each.
That being said, not everything works right all the time in the process. For example, you can see a normal red blink every so often. That’s the light code for a temperature problem. Either the battery is too cold or too hot. The charger won’t attempt to charge it if it’s too hot or cold. It needs to come up to room temperature.
It is an easy fix.
Then there’s the red power light flashing intermittently below the power indicator. That indicates a problem with the battery itself. In particular, it’s a signal for a bad battery that requires resetting. Don’t dismiss this message. It’s a bad idea to try forcing a charge onto a bad pack. The error must be dealt with directly.
It takes the time out of figuring those lights out. No more guessing if my battery’s been charged yet, no guessing exactly when it will be fully charged. When it’s good and ready, it’ll say so with that green light. If there’s something wrong (red flashes) wait or troubleshoot. It is simple.
When does the light go solid green? That’s when you know (you’re good to go). It is time to use an impact driver or a drill. You click the pack into your tool. Solid feel on the torque collar. You are ready to rock and roll.
Both have their place, however. The 2.0 Ah pack has more power, while the 1.5 Ah pack charges faster on the standard unit. So the rapid charger levels out that playing field. Both charge up quick.
This is a good charger. And I like the clear feedback. There is no more guesswork. The lights talk. They don’t leave you in the dark. Red, check it out, red, wait. Green means go. It is reliable and gets you back to charging up your tools.
Seems little stuff like this adds up. A quick charge means less down time and getting right back at it quicker. The batteries last long enough for most jobs. So when it needs charging up fast you can keep moving.
Every time you do this. Check the battery. Click it on. Look at the light. Wait for green. Make it a habit. That is what makes this system work well.
