(ET) Battery charger

["Rhett T. George" <rtg ee duke edu>]

 - Greetings -

What do loaded vs unloaded battery chargers do?  My experience is that the
operating charger without the battery load hums louder.  The magnetic core
reaches a higher level of magnetization when there is no load current.

Whether damage occurs, the chances are slim.  I have had only one or two
diodes failures, none occurring at the time of charger operating without
load.  I have not yet had a capacitor failure, another possibility.

Hope this helps.

                                        Rhett George