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Say goodbye to prematurely destroyed and dead batteries that result from overcharging and undercharging.
How it works: Any charger (or device) that is plugged into Charge-O-Matic's outlet can be set to power-on for a user-defined period of 1 to 99 hours. After the user-defined power-on period has elapsed, Charge-O-Matic turns off the outlet (and thus the connected charger or device) for the user-defined power-off period of 1 to 99 days. Once the appropriate days of power-off period have elapsed, Charge-O-Matic repeats the power-on period and so on. By repeating this scheduled on and off routine, Charge-O-Matic keeps items ready and charged when you need them, without the battery damaging overcharge associated with leaving devices charging at all times.
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Simple Dual Knob DesignNo confusing menus or key sequences. We designed Charge-O-Matic to need no instruction manual (but we supply one just in case). |
Safety CertifiedIntertek ETL Certified and conforms to UL 60730-1:2016 Ed.5; UL 60730-2-7:2014 Ed.2+R:31Jul2014. Certified to CSA E60730-1 and E60730-2-7. |
Reliability through Battery BackupPower outages are no match. With its onboard battery backup, you can rest assured that Charge-O-Matic will resume doing its job reliably once power is restored, maintaining its settings and its place in its routine. |
To ensure they'll start when you need them to, most portable generators have a specific battery maintenance schedule. Generac, in their owner's manual for their XT8500EFI states that the battery should be, "Charged for 12 hours, every three months." With Charge-O-Matic, turn the hours knob to 12 hours, and the days knob to 90 days. Your generator battery maintenance schedule is done forever. Set it, forget it, and never pull a cord again.
Charge-O-Matic is the smart charger for your electric start generator.
If you're a road warrior, you're using your notebook every day. For the rest of us, our laptops may see use only once in a while. According to Apple, if you're storing your computer for long term, "Do not fully charge or fully discharge your device’s battery — charge it to around 50%. If you store a device when its battery is fully discharged, the battery could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable of holding a charge. Conversely, if you store it fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery may lose some capacity, leading to shorter battery life. If you plan to store your device for longer than six months, charge it to 50% every six months."
Charge-O-Matic makes maintaining your laptop and notebook computer batteries easy and reliable. If your laptop charges to 50% in 4 hours, set the hours knob to 4, and the days knob to 90. Now your laptop battery will never be drained too low to permanently damage it. Set it and forget it.
LiFePO4 powered portable power stations are amazingly useful, but expensive tools. Maintain your investment by following the manufacturer's maintenance recommendations. Jackery's website FAQ says, "1. We recommend keeping the battery power above 20% when using or storing the power station regularly.
2. A fully charged battery can last for several months. However, please recharge it every 3 months to keep the battery power above 50% if you don't use it."
EcoFlow's blog states, "For long-term storage, discharge the battery to 30% and charge it to 85% every three months (products that have not been charged and discharged for more than 6 months are not covered)."
Charge-O-Matic makes storing your portable power station to manufacturer specs easy and automatic. If your PPS takes 5 hours to charge to manufacturer spec, set Charge-O-Matic's hour knob to 5 and the days knob to 90 days. Your PPS maintenance routine is done. Forever.
If you've ever needed a jump start, but your jump start box was dead, you need Charge-O-Matic. Stanley recommends charging its units every 30 days. With Charge-O-Matic, turn the hours knob to 24 hours, and the days knob to 30 days. Your jump starter box maintenance schedule is done forever. Set it, forget it, and never be stranded again.
Factory Direct Hobbies has a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after your item has shipped to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it and in its original packaging.
To start a return, click to our Returns Center. If your return is approved, we'll send you emailed instructions on how and where to send your package. You will be responsible for return shipping costs, unless Factory Direct Hobbies made an error in the fulfillment of your order. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted and will be returned to sender.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon receipt and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged, or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Exceptions / non-returnable items
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.
Exchanges
The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and make a separate purchase for the new item on our website. Please note that we cannot process manual exchanges over the phone.
Refunds
We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. In certain instances, store credit may be provided instead of a refund. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
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Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.
As our preorder offerings have grown, we’ve found that a large percentage of preorder reservations are canceled or left unpaid without notice. We pay our suppliers for every preorder item that arrives at our warehouse, so when a customer does not pay for their item, we are left no choice but to absorb that cost. We have tried our best to cope with the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so.
We understand that this is an unwelcome change, and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies. We must now ask that customers pay a 10% good-faith down payment toward the price of their item. This non-refundable good-faith payment is applied to the price of the product, and the balance (plus shipping and any applicable taxes) will be invoiced approximately 30-45 days before the item is slated to arrive at our warehouse.
We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.
The good-faith down payment is not refundable if you choose to cancel your preorder or do not pay your invoice.
However, if a manufacturer cancels a project for which you have made a down payment, you will receive a refund for your down payment.
Yes. We know that paying ahead of time can be unnerving when delivery dates are distant, and not every project makes it to the production line. Rest assured that, in the event the manufacturer cancels your preorder project, you will be refunded your 10% down payment.
Hobbies should be fun, not stressful!
The manufacturing process involves many different moving parts, and this complexity often renders production timelines unpredictable. Therefore, some level of unpredictability in timing is inherent to preordering hobby products. Down payments are not refundable in cases of routine manufacturing, delivery, or other short-term delays.
However, we know it can be frustrating when a project gets delayed for many months. In the event a project is delayed more than 6 months beyond the delivery window originally estimated by the manufacturer, we will handle refunds of down payments on a case-by-case basis.
Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.
Nope! The policy is not retroactive: if you already made a preorder reservation before this policy update, you do not owe a down payment for that reservation. However, any future preorders you make will require the 10% good-faith down payment.
We make every effort to keep our website updated with information that reflects manufacturers' current estimated delivery schedules. To find the estimated delivery month of an item, you can visit our Preorder Section and use the filters to narrow down your selection.
However, we encourage you to directly visit the manufacturer's site for the most current delivery dates.
Approximately 30-45 days before your preorder items land at the warehouse, we'll email your invoice to you to pay in full. At this point, you'll be able to provide your shipping address and select your preferred shipping method.
Your item will be reserved for 7 days, beginning when your invoice is sent. After 7 days, your preorder will be canceled.
Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. We have tried our best to absorb the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.
As a result, we must now ask that customers pay in full prior to the supplier finalizing shipment to FDH, about 30-45 days ahead of product arrival. This gives us the time we need to cancel with our suppliers any unpaid orders prior to shipment.
We understand that this is an unwelcome change and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies.
One silver lining is that this change will result in preorder items getting to your door even faster, as all payment processing will be well out of the way and the usual several day wait after product has arrived will be eliminated. We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.
Manufacturing schedules can sometimes be unpredictable. In the event your preorder item does not arrive at our warehouse within 60 days of your invoice payment, then you will have the option to cancel your preorder and receive a refund OR you may elect to continue waiting for the item.
Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.
We know life happens, and missing out on a great item can be a drag!
We're here to help; just contact us via the gold chat bubble and we'll do all we can to work with you!
If you have an account with factorydirecthobbies.com, you can view all your preorders, as well as your active orders. Login to your account, and select the “My orders” option. All your preorders and active orders will be listed along with the current status of each order. If you have further questions about your order, please feel free to reach out to us through the gold chat bubble.
Although we try to keep our preorder arrival estimates as accurate as possible, we encourage you to visit each manufacturer’s website to find the most up-to-date delivery information.
For instance, with Athearn and Walthers, you can enter the part number into their websites and navigate to the item. Most of the time, the delivery date will be listed there. Broadway Limited has a published delivery schedule, as does Rapido.
Yes. Rewards can be used on both your 10% good-faith down payment and on the balance of your preorder at invoicing time.
Yes! Preorders are awarded reward dollars at the same 5% rate. You'll receive your reward within several days of paying the balance of your preorder invoice.
If we still haven't answered your question, please click the gold messaging bubble in the bottom right of our site, and we'll help in any way we can!