Older Sterling Charger problem

[Caladh]

I have an older type Sterling Power 4 stage charger. See photo.
It has an On/Off rocker switch which now stays "on" all the time and
I'm unable to switch it off (other than disconnecting from the mains). The charger appears to be working fine.
The unit is I think a 30 amp charger but the nearest rocker switch I can find is rated 16 amps here -:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rocker-Sw...uble-Pole-4-Pin-240V-F67327685K-/151308291889
Am I getting confused re amperage of the unit and amperage of the switch and should I still be trying to source a switch
that is rated 30 amps ?

 

[VicS]

I have an older type Sterling Power 4 stage charger. See photo.
It has an On/Off rocker switch which now stays "on" all the time and
I'm unable to switch it off (other than disconnecting from the mains). The charger appears to be working fine.
The unit is I think a 30 amp charger but the nearest rocker switch I can find is rated 16 amps here -:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rocker-Sw...uble-Pole-4-Pin-240V-F67327685K-/151308291889
Am I getting confused re amperage of the unit and amperage of the switch and should I still be trying to source a switch
that is rated 30 amps ?

30 amps is the DC output at 12 volts. ( it actually appears to be marked 40 amps !)

The switch is presumably on the AC (240volt ?) input so will only need to be rated for the AC input current ........ 5 amps will probably be adequate , 10 amps more than adequate.

The price in your ebay link seems very high! I 'd expect to only pay a fraction of that for a suitable switch in Maplin.

Do you need a double pole switch?

 

[charles_reed]

As Vic has suggested the amps are output @ (presumably a maximum of 14.5 volts), allowing for the fact it's probably a 40 amp charger the nominal wattage is 580, allow a total of 600 watts divide by actual nominal input voltage of 230 AC gives an amperage of about 2.61.
If you really want to save money, replace the switch by a non-neon lit one. You should be able to get what you want @ between £0.73-£7.
Being a cheapskate, with only one eye and a slight touch of Parkinsonism, I'd try dousing it in contact cleaner (turned off at the mains) and see if I could get the switch working again.
Taking apart anything supplied by Sterling is an apprehensive labour of love for those who enjoy Chinese Xmas cracker puzzles.

 

[Caladh]

Thanks to for your update. Yes I realised that the price on that item was tres expensive.
I did see others for £3 or less. I will try Charles' advice as well.