Opus BT-C3100 power adapter failed. Replacement?

PABT · 2019-01-10T10:25:35.000Z

Hello. The original power adapter supplied with my Opus BT-C3100 charger failed after 3 years of use:

It says OUTPUT:DC12V/3A.

I tried to find a spare power adapter at home. I found this one that says OUTPUT:5V-2A:

Here Car adapters for Opus BT-3100 or XTAR VC4? Henry Xu said:

Henry Xu:

For Opus BT-C3100, there is a DC/DC inverter used, and the voltage can vary from 8v to 16v, and it will be no problem.

Do I risk damaging the charger or batteries if I use the 5V power adapter above?
I tried charging two NiMH AA at 700 mA, it worked fine.

This is the connector of the original Opus BT-C3100 power adapter:

The diameter of the inner circle is roughly 2 mm, outer circle 5 mm.
How is this plug called? 2.5 mm × 5.5 mm or 2.1 mm × 5.5 mm?
What replacement power adapter would you recommend? Thank you.

Henk4U2 · 2019-01-10T12:53:42.000Z

Though not being an electronics engineer, I think you are more likely to kill the adaptor.
The BT-C3100 has 4 bays. This gives you 4 * 1,000mA, or 2 * 2,000mA, if I remember correctly.

Compare the vital statistics of the adaptors: old = 12V * 3A = 36W, new = 5v * 2A = 10W.
With this adaptor you will be able to achieve half of the old capacity, at the very most.
Opus did not supply such a massive adaptor to act as an incidental paperweight.

Given the power”surplus” of the Opus charger for everyday charging, try to answer the question:
Has the adapter died internally or have I killed the cord by not taking enough care getting it in/out of the box?
Maybe you just need a new cord.

AFAIK the Opus is sold with 2 different adaptors: Meic MN-A036-E190 and KYT120100BV-09 (later).

mattheww1950 · 2019-01-10T13:07:22.000Z

Because of the way the C3100 charges, it is usually worthwhile to use an oversize AC adapter. The early versions actually pulse charged at 10amps, which the original 3 amp supply really didn’t deal with very well. I ended up buying a ‘brick’ on ebay rated for 7 amps, and have used that ever since without problem. Given that you can buy these things for very little (You can get a 12V/7amp unit on ebay for about $15), there just isn’t any good reason to skimp. The reality is that any 12 volt adapter good for at least 5 amps will work just fine, and will allow the charger to deliver rated charge rates. Some may remember the gross inaccuracy of the charging information from early versions. This was because the calculation was based on the high current pulse, but the AC adapter couldn’t actually provide that much current even for brief periods, so it tended to report significantly higher capacity than was really present.

ChrisGarrett · 2019-01-10T18:24:34.000Z

I got my BT-3400 v. 2.2 from ‘rdana’ on Ebay and the adapter would choke on anything over 700mA*4. Richard sent me another one but it was 2A and then he sent me a 3rd, which does 3A and it works fine.

In the interim, I bought one of the 12v LITE-ON bricks that puts out 5.5A and while the inner ‘+’ hole in the barrel connector is slightly ‘over-sized,’ it still works if I don’t move the connector while charging. This brand was recommended buy GAUSS163, as being robust.

The part number is ‘PA-1660-2SA1’ and it has a typical IEC connector for PCs and it takes up to 240v, so variable in that regard.

Chris

Petr_J · 2019-01-10T18:42:14.000Z

Opus will not work with a 5 volt adapter. The adapter electronics will be powered by a voltage of 5 volts that is converted from the original 12 volt from the stabilizer. At a voltage of 5 volts, the electronics will not work at all. I would not experiment and buy an adapter 12 with sufficient power.

wolfdog1226 · 2019-01-10T19:09:18.000Z

PLENTY OF ANSWERS, SOLUTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS[MODS] on these threads.

OPUS BT-C3100-Stock Fan VS. Top Tier Delta fan Chargers

First I want to thank speaker_joe for donating the Delta fans, Dale[DB Custom] for splicing the Delta fans with the proper plug and donating his skill and time. Also HKJ who spent several hours with me Three weeks ago in determining whether the Opus Transistor was capable of handling the wattage of the Delta fan.Without their help and input this thread would NOT exist. One of problems I was having with a few Opus chargers is during discharge cycle w/ 4 X 18650 3400mAh batteries, the charger wou…

I replaced the fan and the power supply. NO more stoppages during discharge[not enough amps w/ cheap SMPS that came with Opus] and NO resets during transition from discharge to charge.

I also replaced the SMPS[Power supply] to a LITEON 12V/5.5A 66W PA-1660-2SA1

The thread below is very expansive.

Difference between Opus BT-C3400 & BT-C3100 v2.1? Chargers

This may have been missed but what is the difference between these two chargers? It is noticed that the BT-C3400 is not available until 6 OCT 2014. It is found both on ebay and Amazon. Thank you for any thoughts on the matter.

ChrisGarrett · 2019-01-10T19:13:35.000Z

wolfdog1226:

PLENTY OF ANSWERS, SOLUTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS[MODS] on these threads.

OPUS BT-C3100-Stock Fan VS. Top Tier Delta fan

I replaced the fan and the power supply. NO more stoppages during discharge[not enough amps w/ cheap SMPS that came with Opus] and NO resets during transition from discharge to charge.

I also replaced the SMPS[Power supply] to a LITEON 12V/5.5A 66W PA-1660-2SA1

The thread below is very expansive.

Difference between Opus BT-C3400 & BT-C3100 v2.1?

I’ve bought two of the Delta fans you recommended a while back, but haven’t needed to install one, since my OEM fan is still ‘quiet’ and working fine, but I have spares.

Heck, my 3A replacement wall wart is still working well and I rarely lug out the LITEON.

Chris

Petr_J · 2019-01-10T19:29:08.000Z

Opus I use very often. The fan is already noisy. I bought two spare in the reserve. The power adapter is still OK.