Hi All,
Got to the Marina today and found MinnKota MK315 charger all lights lighted up. Checked all the fuses and they were all blown. While doing that, Marina Owner told me that Lighting Striked that area and a few boat owners have their TV, TM, Sonar, Bilge Pumps ....etc smoked.


Unplug the power and put new fuses in. Without the power connected, when I put the fuse in, the few lights blinks and fuse blow again. Tried it again and fuse blow again. Is my MK315 Smoked?? Worth while to repair it?

That is what boat insurance is for and should fully cover the replacement.

That is what boat insurance is for and should fully cover the replacement.

I guess not, the deductable will be more than the charger itself.

Hi All,
Got to the Marina today and found MinnKota MK315 charger all lights lighted up. Checked all the fuses and they were all blown. While doing that, Marina Owner told me that Lighting Striked that area and a few boat owners have their TV, TM, Sonar, Bilge Pumps ....etc smoked.


Unplug the power and put new fuses in. Without the power connected, when I put the fuse in, the few lights blinks and fuse blow again. Tried it again and fuse blow again. Is my MK315 Smoked?? Worth while to repair it?
I'm willing to bet that the Marina had a voltage surge during the storm, and the result is the damage to your charger, which I'm assuming was plugged-in at the time. Minn Kota has a 3-year warranty on that unit, so it may be worth sending it in. However, if they are smart, there should be TVD (transient voltage suppression) diodes inside the unit, which would (1) alert them to the over-voltage situation, and (2) protect the rest of the circuitry. But, they are currently offering a $25 (USD) rebate, so for about $125 (USD) you'd be back in business.
HRG

Good point on the deductible. Just looked and mine is $100, I was thinking of the MK330 price which is closer to $300.

San,
I had the same problem happen a couple of weeks ago.
I popped the charger apart, and found one of the main power diodes blown.
I pulled a diode off the shelf, put it in and the charger is fine.

It is quite likely that it is a simple issue like that.

Take care
REW

San,
I had the same problem happen a couple of weeks ago.
I popped the charger apart, and found one of the main power diodes blown.
I pulled a diode off the shelf, put it in and the charger is fine.

It is quite likely that it is a simple issue like that.

Take care
REW



Thanks for all the replies......

What is a Diode? Where can I get one? How do they look like? Home Depot?

If you don't know what a diode is, you'll want to get some help from a friend who knows electronics before trying to repair the charger.