Bought a cordless tool set, how can I tell if it is the batteries or the charger that isn't/aren't working?

Question

First of all, I bought them at a garage sale and knew what I was getting

The battery charger shows that the battery is being charged, but after hours, the battery doesn't have a charge

Can I use a volt-meter to see if the charger is sending current through the leads?

or, aside from finding somebody with batteries that they know are good, how could I figure out what the problem is here?

-believe me, if I knew anybody with batteries that work, I'd have done that already, but until I find somebody, I'd like to try and figure it out some other way

thanks for any help

Answer 1

Based on my own experiences with these things, it's very likely that the batteries are bad, and the charger is OK.  To be certain, use a volt meter to make sure that the charger is producing a current.

The alternative is to buy a new battery, charge it and test the tool.  If it works, throw the old battery away.  If it doesn't, throw the charger away and buy a new one.  You'll end up with a spare battery, which is always a handy thing anyway.  

Answer 2

If there is one around your area, take it to a "Batteries Plus+" store.  They can test it and sell you replacement batteries or rebuild the battery from new cells.  They can also test your charger.

  For a single tool (e.g., drill), it's rarely cost-effective to buy new batteries as two new batteries can cost as much as a new drill with flashlight, new charger and 2 batteries.  If you have a multi-tool set, then it makes more sense.