Whats on your Honey-Do list?

[Neonkiss]

I have been putting this one off for a while now.
However I got cornered after relaxing in the pool.

My wife has the Revo Hair Styler brush that does not work.
A very simple gadget the has a motor and a battery, where the brush end twirls on the electric motor.
I just figured that the Nicad batteries were dead so I opened it up.
Sure enough the batteries read 0.000 Nothing, nada....

This is where I'm confused, The power supply is original and it's listed at 3VAC 400 ma
I checked it with my meter and sure enough it is 3 VAC
Now how can this thing use A/C voltage and charge nicad batteries?
The battery pack is so dead I cant tell where positive or negative would be, but the motor does run on D/C power. The circuit board is so simplistic I can't figure out how two diodes and one resister could possibly be used in a circuit with an A/C charges and rechargeable batteries.

I would have thrown this in the trash by now, but I'm too curious as to what I'm missing in this circuit.  

[brichter]

2 diodes can make a half-wave DC rectifier...

[Neonkiss]

Thanks brichter,
I think that's it... 

I looked up a half-wave DC rectifier and I understand now how they use the diode to split the half of the wave.
Not the most efficient, but I guess it works.

Here is a great explanation of how it works.
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_6/chpt_5/3.html

[stayouttadabunker]

It pretty much the same in my electric shaver...
the smallest board you've ever seen converts household current into
a trickle charger for the nicads in the shaver...pretty amazing really.


I wouldn't say it's on my "honey-do" list though...

[brichter]

The only things that need to be done around here are the mechanical things I've had to put off due to my shoulder, and it's a list that keeps getting longer.

[mkd3b]

How come we cant ever get the Honey to be on Honey do me list?