The ALGE GAZc and GAZ 4 use a nicad battery pack and charger board with transformer.
Here is a flow of attempting to determine the problem for a customer.
eneste@mac.com writes:
The circuit board has 2 fuse holders. We tested both fuses and they are
good.
Good first step. Always check fuses with an ohm meter for continuity. Fuses sometimes look good but failed under the cap.
So let us assume the problem is in the charger board or the battery pack
The serial # is 93-1025.
Batteries usually last 3-5 years so I would suspect this is where the problem is.
We also opened up the unit for a look.
We tried jumping all combinations of the three wires on the back of the
switch with no results. So, I don't think the switch is the culprit (at
least not all by itself).
Probably not.
Is it possible that the switch is fine but the batteries are toast?
Yes.
Is there a way to test them?
The battery pack should be outputting over 12 volts when disconnected from the Charger board (the circuit with the fuses, switch) The battery pack is connected with female disconnects. Red is positive, Black or Blue negative
When the unit is plugged in, the red LED charge light is on.
That should show that the battery is being charged. If it has less than 8 volts though it may not be charging. The brown wires from the transformer carry 24 volts AC from the transformer to the charger board. The charger board than converts the voltage from AC to DC and regulates down to 13.5 for charging.
You have to make sure that the main circuit board is getting over 12.5 volts. If it does not get enough voltage it will either not work or give the "end" message while trying to display "ALGE" Displaying the word ALGE uses more battery power than normal running time.
There is a 3 wire connection to the main circuit board. Red is 12v + and Black is 12v -, yellow is signal. Connecting your other display with the Amphenol jumper (black 4 pole plugs) jumps the battery power from the other display that is working.
The 2 wire connector comes from the charger board. Red 12v +, Black 12v - Remove the 2 wire connector from the main circuit board and test voltage there. You should see 12.5 plus on that connector as you turn the switch on. The switch or charger board is bad if you don't and there is ample voltage directly on the battery.
What are we looking at for costs on the switch and the whole circuit board?
A switch is $5.50, The entire charger board assembly is a trade for yours plus $100.00.
Replacing the batteries?
The NICAD battery pack is $180.00 or we can supply a lead acid version for $40.00
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