In a recent episode, we featured the DeWalt® DCB 107 and 115 chargers for the 12-20v batteries that are utilized in a wide range of DeWalt® cordless tools. The problem? We got it wrong with which charger charges faster!
We were challenged by a few of our viewer family members who suggested that it would not be possible to have a lower amperage rated unit charge a battery faster than one that had a higher amperage output. They were right!
So, how did we get it so wrong?
DirtFarmerJay had researched this topic across several sources online, including tool repair professional forums and had found the DCB 107 was said to charge a depleted battery in about an hour, while the DCB 115 was rated to take even longer. This info was found in several places and appeared credible. DFJ’s mistake was two-fold. First, not running a timed “bench test” with same-sized batteries, both depleted, to see how long it took to get them fully charged. The second error was in not going to the technical advisors of the manufacturer (instead of what turned out to be an “echo chamber” on the web!).
Both errors have been corrected. Indeed, our experience is that the DCB 115 charges significantly faster than the DCB 107. Although, if you’re not in a hurry, the difference isn’t apparent if you don’t need the battery for a day or two!
And, a conversation with the Technical Support Team at DeWalt® Tools further cleared up the mystery - and they gave us full permission to quote them to you! The DCB 115 outputs 4.0 amps of charging power, whereas the DCB 107 creates a modest 1.25 amp current. If current was water, the 115 model puts out more volume than the 107, so the “bucket” (your battery) is going to fill up faster (get charged) with the 115. Simple.
So, according to DeWalt®, how long does it take these two chargers to charge up their battery packs? The DCB 115 will charge any compatible DeWalt® battery up to 6 Ah in 90 minutes or less. As for the DCB 107, it takes up to 180 minutes to do the same job on a 6-Ah or less battery. In fact, the DCB 107 doesn’t output enough power to charge ANY of the DeWalt® compatible batteries, regardless of their Ah rating, in less than an hour.
One other thing we asked DeWalt®. Is it OK to leave the battery on the charger base ongoing? According to them, there’s no problem with that, as the system is designed to do that without damaging or diminishing the battery. Now you know.
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Hi, Dirt Farmer Jay here from DirtFarmerJay.com.
Recently, we did an episode telling you about
some of the features and charging times
on some of the most common charging bases
that DeWalt supplies with its tool packs.
We made an error and we're gonna correct it.
Stay tuned and I'll tell you all about it.
Hi, Dirt Farmer Jay here from DirtFarmerJay.com.
Recently, we did our episode related to charging bases
and how long it would take to charge
the different battery packs.
Now, as you can see, we use the DeWalt system,
but every major tool manufacturer
that uses these types of charging units
all have different trickle rates,
how long it takes to charge and so forth.
Well, based on what I could find at the time
and any tech documents went up to tool forums,
some of the repair station type of forums.
And what I could tell at the time was
that the DCB107 charged faster than the DCB115.
Well, as it turns out, that's not correct.
And some of you called me out on that and said,
I don't know how that's possible
because it looks like one puts out more amperage
to the charge than the other.
And so further research,
some people are attributing it to trickle rate
and all that sort of thing.
Bottom line, I ended up talking to my friends at DeWalt
through one of their support lines,
a service agent there named Leslie.
And Leslie took the time to explain
the difference between the two.
And we got very specific about these two charging bases.
And as it turns out,
these bases put out different amperage ratings.
So on a DCB115, which comes with many,
it's one of their most common bases,
what it produces, if you look right here on the back,
you can see the DCB115 has an output of four amps.
While the DCB107 only has an output rate of 1.25 amps
for these higher capacity batteries,
like these five amp hour batteries, six amp hour,
a DCB115 will charge a depleted six amp hour
and certainly a five amp hour in 90 minutes or less.
So if it's only partially depleted,
it's going to ramp this battery up pretty darn quick, okay?
Whereas the DCB107, the same as six amp hour battery
will take a double that time around 180 minutes or less.
So these are good for just standby chargers.
Now, some of you asked,
does it harm to have the battery
just sitting in the charger?
And I asked Leslie about this and said,
I need the official word and can I quote you on this?
So she gave me the answer and she said, yes,
you can quote us.
This is the tool manufacturer specification.
These are designed to be able to leave the batteries
on them in a standby trickle mode.
They keep the battery maintained.
They don't overcharge the battery.
It just keeps them ready to go.
For those of you that are curious about,
am I harming my battery
or I need to keep them in a separate place?
No, use the charger base to store the battery.
Now, you may notice in the background here,
we've created a tool station here
where we just keep all of our drills ready to go,
both the quick chuck type as well as the standard chuck type
plus our little side cutter saw here,
the circular saw, some accessory drawers.
And then we chose to put the charger bases on the side here.
Watch our future video where we'll give you the plans
for this and the build as we walk through it.
And we just, we'll show you how to do these.
These are really, really handy.
If you found this video to be helpful,
won't you like it?
And better yet, subscribe to our channel.
And when you do ring the bell,
that way you'll be notified approximately every Friday
of another great new episode in the shop,
in the kitchen, around the yard, working on your vehicles,
all the great things that you as a homeowner
just need to do it yourself.
Until the next time, this is Dirt Farmer Jay
with a fully charged battery.
