AT Pro battery problem

[Larwar]

I have had my AT Pro for almost a year. The last time I put batteries in last fall the machine would not turn on unless the Negative and Positive were backwards it seams to operate properly is this something to have checked or just keep operating the way it is Thank you for your time

 

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[Old Dude]

I would definitely call the dealer I bought it from. Sounds like they have just reversed the circuit on the battery holder ( which would not hurt anything as long as you continued reversing the batteries ) but to be sure, let them know so your warranty won't be affected in any way.

 

[Uncle Jeff]

OK here is a silly question.... But I have to ask before further comment... Did you put your AA batteries in wrong ? because then you would have to put the battery holder in backwards to fix that issue... The negative (flat) side of the AA batteries should go towards the spring of the battery holder...

 

[Larwar]

No the batteries are in correctly, when I try to put them in with the proper polarity the machine will not turn on

 

[Anduril]

No the batteries are in correctly, when I try to put them in with the proper polarity the machine will not turn on

I don't own an AT Pro, but I'm assuming it uses the same basic battery pack as my GTI-2500.
If you look closely at the battery holder, it is marked inside "+" and "-", and may show an outline of a battery so you know its orientation.
My holder holds 4 AA batteries, in series, for a total of 6 volts. (The GTI-2500 uses two of these arrangements.)
The end with the spring (remove the batteries to see) is negative. The other end is positive.

On the outside of the battery holder, there are two electrical connections.
They are both round (and look like what you would see on the top of a standard 9-volt battery).
The connector with the SMALLER diameter (on the holder) is the negative. (The LARGER diameter on the holder is positive.)

What's interesting is that inside my GTI-2500, the corresponding connections are just folded over, fixed-position, pieces of metal.
My assumption is that these are soldered to the circuit board.
So, all that is required is to slide the holder into the GTI-2500 in the correct orientation.
If you shine a flashlight into the GTI-2500, you can see that the two folded-over metal battery contacts are behind two corresponding plastic holes: One large, and one small.
When inserting the battery pack, the smaller hole matches up with the negative on the battery pack -- although you can put the pack in backwards.
Not sure why I never noticed this before?

Anyway --
My point is if the AT Pro uses those same fold-over connectors internal to the unit, it's pretty hard to imagine how the internal circuit board could be the problem.
You might have a battery pack (holder) that is reverse-polarized for some reason -- i.e., it's the wrong part for the bill of materials.
It's also possible that your batteries are marked incorrectly - though I've never seen that on AA's.
Finally, if your pack can be inserted reversed, then it's the same as putting the batteries in backwards.
Try turning the pack over and re-inserting (with the batteries in the holder as specified on the holder), and see if that works.

I would not want to put the batteries in the holder reversed. !!
Reason: The negative end of a AA battery is flat, while the positive end has a little "button" protrusion on it.
A spring is used to make good contact with the AA's negative end, and a (typically) flat connector is used to make contact with the button end (positive).
The problem is if you reverse these (i.e., install the battery backwards), the battery may fail to make good physical contact with the holder.
The spring could slip off the button, and the flat end is just pushed up against the flat end of the battery - not a solid connection.
This arrangement could cause the connection to be unreliable and interrupt the circuit.