Opinion

CORDLESS CHARGING

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An end to fl at battery stress

Developments in charging technologies mean that running out of power midway through a job could now be a thing of the past, says Eric Streuli

Those who have been using cordless power tools for decades will know that they have come a long way since their earliest days. The past 10 years or so, in particular, have seen major advances in terms of increasing power, reducing weight, extending battery capacity and speeding up recharging times.

Much of that improvement was made possible through the arrival of lithium-ion battery technology. Typically half as big and half as heavy as the existing nickel-cadmium packs, the new batteries allowed designers to make tools much more compact and less clumsy, with greater power and performance.

Lithium-ion batteries also swept away the rules on when, and for how long, to recharge. A nickel-cadmium battery’s lifetime risked being shortened unless it was discharged fully before recharging. With lithium-ion, charge could be topped up at any time with no ill eff ect.

Of course, solving one problem often shifts attention to another. Today the biggest remaining issue for cordless tool manufacturers and users is loss of productivity when batteries run out in the middle of a job. It leads to a form of stress that can be described as ‘charge anxiety’. Related to this concern is the need to buy, charge, store and swap extra batteries, again involving time and expense. If only the tool and its battery could be simply ‘docked’ on a charger, like we do with a cordless toothbrush, between each use.

In fact, the same principle that keeps the charge in your toothbrush constantly topped up can be applied to much more powerful tools as well. It’s called ‘inductive energy transfer’ and it provides a means of ‘contactless’ or ‘wireless’ charging.

To put it simply, an electrical coil in the charger generates a magnetic field that induces voltage and current in a similar coil in the battery pack. That’s the theory, but making it work in practice means safely applying and controlling much higher charging currents than those in a toothbrush.

The good news is that this has now been addressed by manufacturers, so professional contractors can look forward to a future in which wireless charging – at work stations and even in transit – will make flat power tool batteries a thing of the past.

Eric Streuli is UK training manager at Bosch Power Tools

IN FOCUS// JAMES MADDISON

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» James Maddison B&R Electrics

How did you come to work for yourself?

I used to work for E.ON, but I wanted to get more hands-on so I requalified and started working for myself in 2010.

How did you come up with the company name?

I was in the bank and had to think of one on the spot. It’s the first letters of the two villages where I’ve lived: Blidworth and Rainworth. Most people use their names but I wanted to be a bit diff erent. area of work. I work for a couple of letting agents in Mansfield, looking after around 1,000 properties. But I take on commercial contracts as well.

How’s it all going?

It’s going well. The first year was the hardest, but once I was up and running word of mouth kicked in and it spread quite quickly.

Which areas do you cover?

I’m based in Mansfield, but will go anywhere in Nottinghamshire. apprentice and my aim is to get him trained up and in a van on his own. I’d like to have another one or two people working for me, but I want to keep it controlled and manageable and make sure the work is there.

What’s the hardest part of working for yourself?

Time management and being competitive with pricing to get the work.

What about outside work?

I’m a keen mountain-biker but that’s taken a bit of a back step in the last few months because I’ve had so much work on.