# Maha MH-C9000 Disassembled



## EvilLithiumMan (Dec 27, 2006)

Here's the inside of the MH C9000 charger. It contains three subassemblies - the PCB, the LCD display and the one piece switch actuator:


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## summerwind (Dec 27, 2006)

thats it?.........hmmmmm, i feel ripped off now, i was expecting some Ram slots and a Hard drive...................thx for showing.


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## EngrPaul (Dec 27, 2006)

That's the way you make it.

Believe me, the fewer parts the better.


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## JNewell (Dec 27, 2006)

Counting the fully-populated PCB as a single part is...well, it's not the only way of counting "parts"...


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## summerwind (Dec 27, 2006)

uh......i was joking you know?........you do know right?...............LOL


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## jtr1962 (Dec 27, 2006)

Each slot has it's own separate switching power supply-very nice and exactly as it should be. Also, liberal use of ground planes and bypassing seems adequate. Looks like a few commodity ICs (opamps?) are on that board. Fine by me-using proven chips is always good. Seems to be a great design overall.


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## EngrPaul (Dec 27, 2006)

Can you show the other side of the LCD, you know... where the LIGHT EMITTER is? 

This is the candle power forums, you know!


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## koala (Dec 28, 2006)

Mosfets are alot bigger than those in the BC-900. Which is good.


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## EvilLithiumMan (Dec 28, 2006)

EngrPaul said:


> Can you show the other side of the LCD, you know... where the LIGHT EMITTER is?
> 
> This is the candle power forums, you know!



I didn't deem my other shots exciting enough for posting, but, if you insist:


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## EngrPaul (Dec 28, 2006)

Thanks ELM. It seems that Red/Black wire goes into some sort of thin white wafer. Hmmm.....


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## EvilLithiumMan (Dec 28, 2006)

Sheesh. Haven't I done enough by ripping apart my new charger before using it even once so you can see it's guts? Now you want me to disembowel the display just so you can see where the wires go? I'd have to be crazy to do that.










It's pretty much your standard LCD "sandwich" - the liquid crystal display is mated against the driver/backlight (the white ceramic piece). There are about 24 contacts between the driver and LCD. But because the signals are multiplexed, only a pair of wires are required for the assembly itself. If this is all mumbo-jumbo sounding, you can search the web on how a liquid crystal display works.


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## Lonely Raven (Dec 28, 2006)

Images not showing up for me. Could be my works blocking them though.


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## BVH (Dec 28, 2006)

They show up for me


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## Phatboyc (Dec 28, 2006)

Can someone point me the heat sensors?


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## thekobk (Dec 28, 2006)

I also cant see the image.


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## EvilLithiumMan (Dec 28, 2006)

Phatboyc said:


> Can someone point me the heat sensors?




I'm guessing TS1 - TS4 are the heat sensors (thermistors?)






If the images aren't showing up, just do a refresh and that should work. I don't have much bandwidth and my damn roomate spends 25 hours a day downloading DVD's. I've considered beating him to death, but have decided against it because:

1 - It's not right.
2 - I'd be the only suspect.
3 - I need his retirement check to help with the rent.


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## Anders (Dec 28, 2006)

With firefox you will see the pictures, not with IE.
Download here

Anders


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## BVH (Dec 28, 2006)

I'm using IE7 and am having no issues seeing all the pics.


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## CM (Dec 28, 2006)

EngrPaul said:


> That's the way you make it.
> 
> Believe me, the fewer parts the better.



I actually thought there would be less parts than what's shown. Not being familiar with the chargers features, I would expect that with this level of sophistication, it would also do my dishes :nana:


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## TinderBox (UK) (Dec 28, 2006)

I would love to have seen a usb port installed, for firmware upgrades and pc monitoring of the charging cycle.

John.


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## EngrPaul (Dec 28, 2006)

EvilLithiumMan said:


> Sheesh. Haven't I done enough by ripping apart my new charger before using it even once so you can see it's guts? Now you want me to disembowel the display just so you can see where the wires go? I'd have to be crazy to do that.


 
SORRY! I honestly wasn't suggesting you go further. 

I was thinking about an LED replacement that may be necessary some time down the road. 

Just the other week I replaced the near-death LED's in my Philips clock radio. There was 3 x 3mm LED's along the one edge of the optic panel. They were easy to replace.

Now with this flat panel, I don't know how I would proceed. I suppose it's not like the panel can't be read without backlighting...


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## Mike abcd (Dec 28, 2006)

Can you comment on the quality of the switches used for user input? Like many, my well worn BC-900 has developed "switch bounce" that makes it a pain to use. I'm hoping the C-9000 will stand up to long term use a lot better.

Mike


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## EngrPaul (Dec 28, 2006)

Those switches look (from the pictures) very standard and of good quality, with my experience with that type of component.

I bet you could easily grab a few from Digikey when the time comes.


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## Billson (Jan 1, 2007)

CM said:


> it would also do my dishes :nana:



It probably could if you could find a way to fit your dishes in it.


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## dekelsey61 (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi Evillithiumman,
On the PCB board What are the 2 black round things that have like a hard wax around them and is just behind the Ac plug-in and between the 2nd+3rd slots. Those 2 things are what I believe gets the charger so hot during the charge cycle. You can feel the heat right at that spot during the charge. Sorry for my lack of knowledge. Thank you.
Dan




EvilLithiumMan said:


> Here's the inside of the MH C9000 charger. It contains three subassemblies - the PCB, the LCD display and the one piece switch actuator:


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## Fizz753 (Jan 6, 2007)

dekelsey61 said:


> Hi Evillithiumman,
> On the PCB board What are the 2 black round things that have like a hard wax around them and is just behind the Ac plug-in and between the 2nd+3rd slots. Those 2 things are what I believe gets the charger so hot during the charge cycle. You can feel the heat right at that spot during the charge. Sorry for my lack of knowledge. Thank you.
> Dan



Those appear to be a couple of capacitors.


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## EngrPaul (Jan 7, 2007)

Perhaps the heat comes from the opposite side of the board, not the caps.


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## thomas1268 (Jan 7, 2007)

the keys, display and control method are better than bc-900, keys are good feel.


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## LuxLuthor (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm worried that after showing those great pix that Evil Lithium Man didn't get it all put back together right! I wouldn't have.


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## tacoal (Feb 26, 2007)

Hi EvilLithiumMan,

Could you provide high resolution pics? the pics you posted has little details on the circuitry.

However, I can see there are only 3 electrolytic capacitor. it is reasonable to suggest the voltage on the battery is sawtooth type since each channel doesn't have a capacitor for smoothing it.


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## radellaf (Jan 7, 2008)

The LCD carries backlight power and multiplexed data over a 2 wire connection?

That doesn't sound usual. I've just been designing something with a small LCD and they all have that backlight power connector, but anywhere from 26 to 34 connections between the LCD driver (on the display) and the micro controller on the main PCB.

So, any good tap-off points for 5 or 12 to run a small fan?


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## Bones (Jan 7, 2008)

radellaf said:


> The LCD carries backlight power and multiplexed data over a 2 wire connection?
> 
> That doesn't sound usual. I've just been designing something with a small LCD and they all have that backlight power connector, but anywhere from 26 to 34 connections between the LCD driver (on the display) and the micro controller on the main PCB.
> 
> So, any good tap-off points for 5 or 12 to run a small fan?



I think the LCD connections are somehow conducted by the dark grey strip in the center of this image:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post1757733

It's made of a flexible material with what feels like a rubber coating on both sides.

The center is black with no obvious connection points, but it sits between the smoked lens and the long row of connecters shown on the left side of the circuit board in the first image of this post:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post1756783

When I reassembled my MH-C9000 for the first time, the display only showed about half the information until I disassembled it again and carefully positioned the strip against the lower wall of the black frame holding the display assembly.

That placement ensures that the lower edge of the strip sits directly over the long row of connectors on the circuit board.

Insofar as tap-off points for an internal fan, you should be able to pick up 12 volts from the solder points shown on the bottom of the circuit board directly below the DC-in plug.

It's a hack I've been debating as well.


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## waiwak (Jan 7, 2008)

Bones said:


> I think the LCD connections are somehow conducted by the dark grey strip in the center of this image:
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post1757733
> 
> It's made of a flexible material with what feels like a rubber coating on both sides.




That's called a zebra strip. It's layers of a bunch of conductors (carbon impregnated rubber) and insulators (rubber). It's cheaper and easier to use than two sets of connectors and a ribbon cable, and works fine for low current connections, such as an LCD display.


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## radellaf (Jan 9, 2008)

Oh, those, I hate those, it can be so difficult to get good contact after you take them apart.

The display I was working with, from Optrex, has a "FPC" connector on it and the polyamide flex-circuit ribbon is permanently connected to the display. On that one, though, the LCD controller is mounted on the display glass... the one on the Maha may be running the LCD's raw connections to a controller on the circuit board.

Driving LCDs is weird. Takes 5 different voltages from +3 or so to abouts -11. Then you have to run this multi-stepped waveform to the pixels, I think to keep them from "freezing" in place as would happen if you just put 11V across them.
With the chip-on-glass controller, you just have address and data lines, and write to it like RAM (mostly).


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## Burgess (Jan 10, 2008)

Thank you for your efforts, EvilLithiumMan. :thumbsup:


And thanks to *all* for the info, insights, and comments. :twothumbs


CPF certainly has some *sharp people* here !

:wow:
_


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## hopkins (Jan 10, 2008)

Nah! I bet ELM took pics as he began disassembling this highly complex piece
of electronics. He'll just reference them to put it back together as I would.
Good pics ELM !


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## Bones (Jan 10, 2008)

Bones said:


> I think the LCD connections are somehow conducted by the dark grey strip in the center of this image:
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com ... post1757733
> 
> ...



Thanks waiwak, I was becoming convinced the 'Wizard One' might really have some 'magical' properties. Oh well, I suppose it's better to be disillusioned and educated than the converse...


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## rizky_p (Jan 12, 2008)

i used to have hobby charger that refused to discharge most likely damaged and i dont understand electronics, on charger like Wizard One, which componen that dump the energy when discharging? 

thanks.


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## Probedude (Jan 13, 2008)

rizky_p said:


> i used to have hobby charger that refused to discharge most likely damaged and i dont understand electronics, on charger like Wizard One, which componen that dump the energy when discharging?
> 
> thanks.


Usually some resistors are switched into the circuit or the transistors/mosfets themselves are used to dissipate the battery power. I don't see any large size resistors on there so the mosfets themselves must dump the heat into the PCB plane.


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## drmaxx (Jan 13, 2008)

Off topic:


EvilLithiumMan said:


> I don't have much bandwidth and my damn roomate spends 25 hours a day downloading DVD's. I've considered beating him to death, but have decided against it because:
> 
> 1 - It's not right.
> 2 - I'd be the only suspect.
> 3 - I need his retirement check to help with the rent.



Instead of having to find excuses not to beat your roommate you could tell him to limit the max. upload bandwith for his torrent client (I guess that's what he's doing...). This helps a lot to keep the connection usable.


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## dragonfruit (Nov 28, 2009)

The PCB pictures are gone. Can you repost them, please?


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## jdb (Nov 29, 2009)

I don't think so:

General Information (about EvilLithiumMan) 

Last Activity: 04-27-2008 08:04 PM


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## Bones (Dec 17, 2009)

dragonfruit said:


> The PCB pictures are gone. Can you repost them, please?





Joachim du Balay said:


> I don't think so:
> 
> General Information (about EvilLithiumMan)
> 
> * Last Activity: 04-27-2008 08:04 PM



I've noticed before that these images seem to appear and disappear without the apparent involvement of EvilLithiumMan.

Accordingly, I've taken the liberty of uploading them to an alternate host and quoting his posts which contain these images below.

Hopefully, this will ensure that they're always available from at least one of the hosts and he won't have to resort to offing his roommate:



EvilLithiumMan said:


> ...
> If the images aren't showing up, just do a refresh and that should work. I don't have much bandwidth and my damn roomate spends 25 hours a day downloading DVD's. I've considered beating him to death, but have decided against it because:
> 
> 1 - It's not right.
> ...



Post 01



EvilLithiumMan said:


> Here's the inside of the MH C9000 charger. It contains three subassemblies - the PCB, the LCD display and the one piece switch actuator:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Post 09



EvilLithiumMan said:


> I didn't deem my other shots exciting enough for posting, but, if you insist:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Post 11



EvilLithiumMan said:


> Sheesh. Haven't I done enough by ripping apart my new charger before using it even once so you can see it's guts? Now you want me to disembowel the display just so you can see where the wires go? I'd have to be crazy to do that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Post 16



EvilLithiumMan said:


> I'm guessing TS1 - TS4 are the heat sensors (thermistors?)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## dragonfruit (Dec 17, 2009)

Many thanks! :twothumbs


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## jhellwig (Dec 17, 2009)

Probedude said:


> Usually some resistors are switched into the circuit or the transistors/mosfets themselves are used to dissipate the battery power. I don't see any large size resistors on there so the mosfets themselves must dump the heat into the PCB plane.




I know this is an old thread but I wounder if they don't discharge the batteries back to power the charger.


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## Burgess (Dec 17, 2009)

Thank you, Bones.

:goodjob::thanks:



BTW . . . .


Am i the *only person* who thinks of " The Three Stooges " when i hear / read " Maha " ?


_


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## Lightcrazycanuck (Dec 18, 2009)

Burgess said:


> Thank you, Bones.
> 
> :goodjob::thanks:
> 
> ...


 

:lolsign:


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## vk4akp (Jan 20, 2010)

Nice to be able to see inside! Thanks!

I'm surprised that the negative terminal is not spring loaded like most chargers to maintain a good contact. Any comments on this?

Also make that +1 on wishing there was a USB port for Flashing, monitoring, and tweaking settings. 

Open source MH-C9000 USB Hacking thread anyone? 

.-.-.


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## PeAK (Jan 20, 2010)

jhellwig said:


> I know this is an old thread but I wounder if they don't discharge the batteries back to power the charger.


Think of the charging electronics as though they were at the top of niagara falls in terms of potential energy (i.e. in the form of voltage). By the time this energy has gotten to the batteries, it is now down in energy and is like an object resting on a ledge half way down the falls. The question you're asking is something like why can I not make it back up (to the top of the falls) from the ledge with energy left to go down the falls? The answer is that if all this energy was perfectly converted at the bottom of the falls by, say a perfect coil spring, it would only get you back to where you are: The halfway point of the falls. The charger electronics needs to be at the top to operate.


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## Apollo Cree (Jan 20, 2010)

jhellwig said:


> I know this is an old thread but I wounder if they don't discharge the batteries back to power the charger.



It could be done, but it would take significant additional circuitry. You'd have to boost the voltage up to a higher level, convert it to AC voltage, and synch it back to the powerline voltage. 

You'd have to make the wall wart AC adapter a lot smarter. It would have to communicate to the charger, and it would have to include the extra circuitry. 

Plus if the charger is plugged into something other than a "normal" electrical system, it's not clear how the upstream device would work when you try to feed power back into the AC supply. What does a UPS do when you feed power into it from the output side? What happens if it's plugged into an external 12V DC supply? 

It's a good idea, but the cost and practicality questions probably make it a bad idea to offer for a general purpose charger like this.


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## vk4akp (Jan 20, 2010)

I recon the next version should be powered from Zero Point energy myself! 

.-.-.


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## bigdukesix (Jan 20, 2010)

http://www.netlimiter.com/


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## shift3r (Sep 17, 2010)

Are all of the MH-C9000's identical, other than the power pack supplied? 

I am asking about this before buying one and because I'm buying in the US for use in Australia. 

I want to know if I just need a pin type changing adapter or if I need to buy the Aus. power pack. 

Good article here btw, it looks to be of a good design and from what I've heard they are very reliable.


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## BorisGrishenko (Sep 17, 2010)

shift3r: I did the same thing as you, and all i needed to do was use a US-to-AU plug converter. The powerpack is fine for use in Australia as well as USA


Edit: Welcome to CPF :welcome:


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## Mr Happy (Sep 17, 2010)

The AC adapter for my C9000 has a 100-240 V 50/60 Hz AC input and a 12 V 2.0 A DC output. The output is delivered to a short, type M, DC coaxial power plug, 5.5 mm OD, 2.1 mm ID, centre positive.


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## shift3r (Sep 18, 2010)

Thanks for the replies and the welcome  I've been tempted to get one of these for a while and couldn't resist this time around. 

The wall wart with coax is as I had imagined, thanks for the details. I emailed Maha a few days ago asking for the Aus/NZ PSU and haven't had a response. Oh well it would only save a little space and extra ugliness.


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## Mikl1984 (Mar 20, 2011)

You may find PCB REV 8.0 from 2009 http://fotkidepo.ru/?id=album:25207

Now my photos PCB REV 9.0 from 15 week 2010 (0J0DA) 
http://fotkidepo.ru/?id=photo:605351





http://fotkidepo.ru/?id=photo:605350


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## doru2304 (Jul 22, 2011)

I am sharing with you my disassembled MH-C9000 REV9.0 0J0DA.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/mhc9000rev900j0dafile01.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/mhc9000rev900j0dafile02.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/mhc9000rev900j0dafile03.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/mhc9000rev900j0dafile04.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/mhc9000rev900j0dafile05.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/mhc9000rev900j0dafile06.jpg/


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## dragonfruit (Nov 29, 2011)

doru2304 said:


> I am sharing with you my disassembled MH-C9000 REV9.0 0J0DA.



Really nice, excellent quality pictures. Thanks!

BTW, have you all noticed, that the springs in MH-C9000 damage/deform the plastic wrapping of batteries when removing the batteries from the charger? Couldn't they really design it better? Is there any easy solution to that problem?


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## NoixPecan (Nov 29, 2011)

Dragonfruit asked the same question in another thread, where it has been discussed:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?174533-Maha-MH-C9000-the-Wizard-One-Charger-(Part-2)&p=3806880&viewfull=1#post3806880


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## Burgess (Nov 29, 2011)

to NoxPecan --

Welcome to CandlePowerForums !

:welcome:


I realize you've been a member* longer than I have*,

but you only recently began Posting.



_


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## Linus_007 (Aug 2, 2013)

There needs to be a potentiometer added in series to the light for the Display. It is way too bright for my room at night when performing a break-in.


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## Zapiao (Jan 16, 2014)

What is the brand of the MCU ?


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## Damout (Apr 27, 2014)

First post here, have disassembled mine, i know old thread, but very few intel on the web on this marvelous charger.
Is this the answer you are looking for?

LINK

Best regards.


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## Damout (Apr 27, 2014)

BTW, ANYONE please i am having really hard time to figure out the specs of the thermistors from this unit...
I have made a thread about my work trying to fix my charger, if admin allows it to pass, any help on how i should do measurements (yes i m a real electronic newb) would be appreciated.
Best Regards.


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## Damout (Apr 29, 2014)

For info : Here is the answer of MAHA to my last request of information/asking for repair

Eric Cheng - Maha Energy À Moi 

avr 28 à 5h37 PM 
Hi,



 Thank you for contacting Maha. No, we do not sell specific part to any of our battery chargers. We apologize for the inconvenience.



Regards,






Eric Cheng



*From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2014 12:06 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Someone submitted the form from your 'Tech Support' page*



*Someone submitted the form from your 'Tech Support' page*


*A user has submitted the contact form on your store.*
*Here are their details:*


*Email Address:*[email protected]Hi i still have not been answered to my support request.Would you please be so kind as to tell me what are the technical specs of the thermistors in MH-C9000, one of them is cooked i would like to replace it myself, but i have to find the right part, so far i know it might be [email protected]°, as 3 of them are showing resistance of this range but the damaged one says 10Kohm (though it is still temperature reactive).
Please help me finding the place to order from and which thermistor model, or if you prefer could you sell me one or two?
Best regards.
*Maha Energy 
http://www.mahaenergy.com/*



Thank you for nothing, M.Cheng from tech support, should i answer, no?


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## Etsu (Apr 29, 2014)

Well, in fairness to Maha, your request was very specific in nature, and I doubt support would have access to that kind of detail. Plus, there's nothing in it for Maha to answer your question, other than some good will, and that kind of question would likely eat up a fair bit of time for them to dig into. It's not like they're going to give you their proprietary technical drawings, so I hope you weren't expecting that.


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## Damout (Apr 29, 2014)

Of course i don't need their intellectual property and i perfectly understand it must stay "secret" so they are not ripped off by unscrupulous manufacturer.
But consider this : My MH-C9000, let a battery charge until it exploded, so its safety mecanisms like the thermistor in question did not worked right maybe, and then when you have battery liquid flowing inside, first thing to do is clean it up, no?
Then you have voided the warranty by opening and cleaning to stop the damage, still i m not complaining about either to MAHA might be my fault maybe the charger who cares ; think of the cost of sending the charger (filled in with acid btw) around the globe to repair for warranty or paid repair, the workmanship to pay for to get it fixed and tested, and compare it to the price of expediting a couple twenty cents parts weighting 2grams tops by mail, something is wrong, can't you see?
No offense intended to you Etsu, but, sometimes stupidity from support services personnel irritates me a little.


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## Etsu (Apr 29, 2014)

Damout said:


> think of the cost of sending the charger (filled in with acid btw) around the globe to repair for warranty, the workmanship to pay for that repair, and compare it to the price of expediting a couple twenty cents parts weighting 2grams top by mail, something is wrong, can't you see?



Sure, we live in a disposable society. Welcome to the 1980's.


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## Damout (May 1, 2014)

Looks like thermistor is not in cause, too hard to fix by myself then, you are right Etsu disposable item, but i might bring it to my nearest public trash facility for recycling properly.
I will anyway post a thread to give for parts in CPF marketplace (damn it! two more post needed...), if it can be of use to anyone.
Best regards.


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