Simple MILWAUKEE Charger Modification

When buying tools in America—and not just tools—buyers often run into the problem of “compatibility” with our power grid.
The thing is, the voltage at US outlets is 120 V, and plugging in equipment that hasn’t been modified often ends badly.
I got my hands on a cordless drill bought in America, and the first thing I did was modify its charger for our power grid.


The modification is very simple.
First, open the charger.


Inside, we see a large circuit board.


But we need its underside.


Find the spot on the circuit board marked with an arrow


Also find the varistor, the round yellow component (it may be blue).



The rest is simple. Below are the instructions and a more detailed photo.
Our goal is to disable the input voltage doubler. To do this, first cut the trace connecting the midpoint of the input capacitors to one of the terminals of the bridge rectifier coming from the input.
Then desolder the varistor at the input, since it is rated for 190 V AC (marking 271 = 270 V peak).
You can simply break it off, but it’s better to replace it with one suitable for our power grid: 430 or 470 V, marked 431 or 471, with a 10 mm diameter.


That’s it, the modification is complete. Put it back together and test it.



As you can see, it’s really simple and easy. Hope this is useful :)