# Dodgy Brinkmann



## mopardave (Dec 12, 2006)

Hope someone out there can help? I bought a brinkmann in a dw group buy not so long ago and the damn thing took one charge and decided it wouldn't take any more!!! Got in touch with Brinkmann who wouldn't help cos I didn't have proof of purchase.......got in touch with the guy who organised the group buy and he just didn't bother to reply........disappointing to say the least but something to be aware of when getting in on a group buy:wall:
My question is, do I bin it or can I get a new battery (I think it's the battery as it doesn't charge from the car either)? If so, where can I get a new battery and does anyone know what type they are?
Thanks fellas:wave:


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

There was a bit of info about battery replacement in this one:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=62507

Mine seemed to come back to life again but it wasn't for very long, charged for about 5 mins after the initial failure but now won't even try.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Highly unlikely the battery has gone puff - more likely the recharging circuitry has.
So, chances are a new unit is best.
There's a thread running recently about Brinkmann purchases with links to a US and Canadian pair of companies.
Might be worth finding it and contact them to see if they'll work on your behalf or can shed more light on the issue.

Just out of curiosity, have you used both methods of recharging, or just the cigarette lighter socket one? If both, did you buy one of the PS's from Maplin?


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

This puzzles me - Brinkmann have a quality range and though many people post on here with the same problem > this alone puts me off the Brinky for the moment.

If mopardave (or anyone else) wants to send me their knackered one - I will look at the Battery and chaging circuit etc and see if I can find the problem - hopefully fix it and I will send it you back. 

This hopefully will identify any dodgy components and over a short amount of time we will have a fix for everyone !

p.s. did 8 years doing this sort of thing - don't panic !


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

I'd be happy to post mine over to you unless someone local can drop one to you personally? 

It's no use to me as it is so you are welcome to have a play


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## skynet2029 (Mar 18, 2008)

Have a look at mine too please as I never even got a charge!!

Soon as I plug it in the red light will flicker for about 0.0001 of a sec and thats the lot :tumbleweed:


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## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

alanjo99 said:


> This puzzles me - Brinkmann have a quality range and though many people post on here with the same problem > this alone puts me off the Brinky for the moment.
> 
> If mopardave (or anyone else) wants to send me their knackered one - I will look at the Battery and chaging circuit etc and see if I can find the problem - hopefully fix it and I will send it you back.
> 
> ...


Do you use something else alanjo? I want to get something of this type.


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

megaboost said:


> I'd be happy to post mine over to you unless someone local can drop one to you personally?
> 
> It's no use to me as it is so you are welcome to have a play


Fair enough - I will see if there is anyone locally first :thumb:



skynet2029 said:


> Have a look at mine too please as I never even got a charge!!
> 
> Soon as I plug it in the red light will flicker for about 0.0001 of a sec and thats the lot :tumbleweed:


Where abouts are you ?



silver bmw z3 said:


> Do you use something else alanjo? I want to get something of this type.


I have had something simlar until recently but it was dropped and smashed into 100 pieces  - currently just using a rechargable 28xLED Light which is ok but not quite as good as a xenon IMO.


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## bassologist (Apr 24, 2008)

i can also help anyone down this neck of the woods if they wanted (london), im a marine elcetrician so im used to charging systems a few 1000x's more powerful than a torch, i did notice the brink charges via cigarete lighter, could be something as stupid as the plug that goes into the lighter socket a lot of companies tend to use a real cheap one that usualy doesnt get a good connection... worth looking at


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

ive contacted power one a few times about getting a new battery but no reply , i cant believe people are sticking with these as the amount of units that are faulty clearly shows the quality is crap .
ive now got a sun gun , and sore knackers when the misses found out the price


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## bassologist (Apr 24, 2008)

peter richards said:


> ive now got a sun gun , and sore knackers when the misses found out the price


:lol::lol:


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## bassologist (Apr 24, 2008)

If anyone has a duff brinkman they dont want. i could have a look at it and see if i can modify a UK torch to do the same thing?


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

ill send mine to anybody who thinks they might be able to fix it  lol


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## bassologist (Apr 24, 2008)

ianFRST said:


> ill send mine to anybody who thinks they might be able to fix it  lol


send it this way bud ... we can but only try


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## mopardave (Dec 12, 2006)

I went in to Maplin today and they don't stock batteries withe same dimensions so I cant even try that. I tried both methods of charging.......I used a maplin voltage converter when I charged it from the mains. now I'm no electronics expert but I charged the battery as best I could (light goes out after about 5 mins) and my tester showed 6.13v across the terminals. after approx 20 mins this had dropped off to 6.03v. 
Does this give any clues? I really don't want to bin it! Help!!1
Cheers gents
Dave


PJS said:


> Highly unlikely the battery has gone puff - more likely the recharging circuitry has.
> So, chances are a new unit is best.
> There's a thread running recently about Brinkmann purchases with links to a US and Canadian pair of companies.
> Might be worth finding it and contact them to see if they'll work on your behalf or can shed more light on the issue.
> ...


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## skynet2029 (Mar 18, 2008)

I live in cumbria (windermere) but am ofter in burnley :thumb:


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

skynet2029 said:


> I live in cumbria (windermere) but am ofter in burnley :thumb:


I'm Just off M65 - J5 - if you want me to take a gander :thumb:


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

mopardave said:


> I went in to Maplin today and they don't stock batteries withe same dimensions so I cant even try that. I tried both methods of charging.......I used a maplin voltage converter when I charged it from the mains. now I'm no electronics expert but I charged the battery as best I could (light goes out after about 5 mins) and my tester showed 6.13v across the terminals. after approx 20 mins this had dropped off to 6.03v.
> Does this give any clues? I really don't want to bin it! Help!!1
> Cheers gents
> Dave


No, I meant the linked mains adapter in the original Brinkmann GB thread (page 20?), not that Maplin had replacement batteries.
Yeah, light goes out fairly soon since the unit is practically fully charged when you get it, which is always a nice touch.
0.1 of a volt drop is next to bugger all squared, but if the light fails to work, even though the battery is showing this level of charge, then there's something else - assuming it's not the obvious of lamps having gone pop, which could happen.
But there might be a dodgy connection with the trigger switch just as easily.


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

bassologist said:


> send it this way bud ... we can but only try


pm me your addy then mate :thumb:


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Did anyone get to the bottom of the Brinkman issues a lot of us are seeing?


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

megaboost said:


> Did anyone get to the bottom of the Brinkman issues a lot of us are seeing?


The charging circuit has been soldered by monkeys and a couple of componants have died - thus thrusting excess voltage into the 6v battery causing it to give up the ghost.

when I have a minute I will do a diagram of the PBC and indicate componants for replacement (& where to buy them from) and upload it on DW :thumb:


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Cheers sir, irritating that a relatively expensive piece of kit is so shoddy but reassuring that we have people like yourself around to help with this 

Thanks.


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

alanjo99 said:


> The charging circuit has been soldered by monkeys and a couple of componants have died - thus thrusting excess voltage into the 6v battery causing it to give up the ghost.
> 
> when I have a minute I will do a diagram of the PBC and indicate componants for replacement (& where to buy them from) and upload it on DW :thumb:


Nice one Alan :thumb:

I wonder if this is the cause of my faulty one as well


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

alanjo99 said:


> The charging circuit has been soldered by monkeys and a couple of componants have died - thus thrusting excess voltage into the 6v battery causing it to give up the ghost.
> 
> when I have a minute I will do a diagram of the PBC and indicate componants for replacement (& where to buy them from) and upload it on DW :thumb:


Any luck getting to the bottom of this yet? Cheers.


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

Bought mine in the group buy last year charged it up using 240 to 120v AC converter charged ok. Never used it since and now it doesn't charge at all, no led nothing, chargers get warm so something's happening there, even car charger doesn't work so must be the light itself.
Any luck on the diagram and components to replace please.


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

Did anyone get their Brinkmann fixed or should I resign myself to the fact that this brand new lamp has to go in the bin?
Clearly poor quality manufacture.


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Nope, mine is still in a dusty corner of the garage - each time I look at it I get really annoyed that I was stupid enough to spend a significant amount of money on what amounts to nothing more than a pew pew pew gun that doesn't do anything. 

It's a shame there is no kind of warranty / refund policy with the group buy ones but mine has been broken for so long now I wouldn't be able to do anything anyway. Still I got to use it once... in the loft...


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

contacted brinkman the other day , they do replacement batteries , but guess what not for this torch .
they seemed to know about the fault but dont want to do anything about it , probably because people are still buying them.


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## BestGear (Mar 25, 2008)

alanjo99 said:


> The charging circuit has been soldered by monkeys and a couple of componants have died - thus thrusting excess voltage into the 6v battery causing it to give up the ghost.
> 
> when I have a minute I will do a diagram of the PBC and indicate componants for replacement (& where to buy them from) and upload it on DW :thumb:


Its only a torch...how hard can this be...?

Did you make any progress ?

David


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

So Brinkmann know that there is a problem and are doing nothing about it? Marvellous.

Think I'll just put it away in the hope that someone will eventually come up with a fix, probably cost more in parts to repair it though.


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

Cheap nasty circuit board soldered by 5 year ols and cheap components cause a power serge into the battery frying it.

3 components to replace on PCB costing about 60p.

1 Battery to replace ......................... read on......................

Made in China - The manufacturer has stopped making this size in 6V - so they are getting them from ........... UK !

You cannot buy them from the UK battery manufacturer as they are special or by the Chinese for the Americans :doublesho

So the have to go from the plant in the UK (about 15 miles away from me) to China - to the USA - back to UK.

Nightmare isn't the word !

I will post of a photo of the PCB and components - but trying to get a battery - Good luck :wall:


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

ive been looking at a good alternative , will let you all know once i get my hands on it


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

peter richards said:


> ive looking at a good alternative , will let you all know once i get my hands on it


Given my experience of this Brinkmann, I would probably only buy any other lamp from a UK supplier. 
Need some after sales service if manufacturing can be as poor as this.


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

yes agree got to be able to get spares , ok my sun gun does the job now , but still i think theres a place for something else


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

alanjo99 said:


> You cannot buy them from the UK battery manufacturer as they are special or by the Chinese for the Americans :doublesho
> 
> So the have to go from the plant in the UK (about 15 miles away from me) to China - to the USA - back to UK.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that.

What is the name of the UK battery manufacturer, I'll write to them to see if it's possible for them to supply a battery, I've nothing to lose.
A photo or instruction on what exactly needs to be replaced would be very helpful. :thumb:


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## hallett (May 22, 2008)

i am looking for ann alternative to brinkmann as well so will let you all know if i come up with anything


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## Cookiez (Jul 13, 2007)

Any news on the duff components?

My brinkman charges for about 3 -5 mins then goes off.
What I have tried is to make sure its totaly empty of charge, left it on overnight.
Then charge it. sometimes I get it to work for a few days.

One thing I have noticed with the carging led, sometimes it stops on for the full charge, sometimes it slowly flashes. Still charges OK

Regards

Cookiez


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## Rupert (Nov 20, 2006)

The battery is Power One KT625. I can't find it anywhere.


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

Cookiez said:


> What I have tried is to make sure its totally empty of charge, left it on overnight.


Lead Acid batteries don't usually like that kind of life. I'd try not to run it flat. You can get a £10 charger (6V Lead Acid) from Maplins and charge the battery directly (remove it first). If that works then bypass the circuitry in the torch.


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## mass (Aug 16, 2007)

mopardave said:


> Hope someone out there can help? I bought a brinkmann in a dw group buy not so long ago and the damn thing took one charge and decided it wouldn't take any more!!! Got in touch with Brinkmann who wouldn't help cos I didn't have proof of purchase.......got in touch with the guy who organised the group buy and he just didn't bother to reply........disappointing to say the least but something to be aware of when getting in on a group buy:wall:
> My question is, do I bin it or can I get a new battery (I think it's the battery as it doesn't charge from the car either)? If so, where can I get a new battery and does anyone know what type they are?
> Thanks fellas:wave:


hi mate mine was the same, purchased on a group buy, got about one charge and that was it!!! i just got a led torch' does the same job mate and cheaper!!


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

I guess we were lucky to get a faulty Brinkmann, just reading the other group buy thread, they didn't even get chance to do the one charge, no torch at all 

It's fair to say I won't be buying another one anyway - back to the basic LED torch and a set of 500w site lamps.


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## johnbuck (Jul 1, 2007)

megaboost said:


> I guess we were lucky to get a faulty Brinkmann, just reading the other group buy thread, they didn't even get chance to do the one charge, no torch at all
> 
> It's fair to say I won't be buying another one anyway - back to the basic LED torch and a set of 500w site lamps.


I agree, I won't be buying another unless I had some way to get it easily replaced or repaired. Judging by the previous posts they are poorly manufactured.

Can't believe on the other thread there are over 60 put there names on a waiting list for one.

Perhaps we were unlucky and got a faulty batch!!


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