Cordless Drill - Improving the Battery

I hate it when my cordless drill gives up in the middle of a job. It seems that thesupplied battery packs just don't cut it. So I opened up the battery pack andreplaced the NiCads with much longer lasting NiMH batteries. Now I get a muchlonger use between charges.

Step 1: Disassemble the battery pack

My battery pack had 4 Torx screws (I later replaced with regular Phillips screwsfor easier access). Inside you'll find 10 NiCad batteries. They appear to be just abit smaller than 'C' cells, and all attached together in series. 1.2 volts X 10 cells= 12 volts. The cells are marked as 1300 mAH which is why they don't last verylong. You will probably want to photograph the arrangement of batteries sinceyou will need to make a new pack look just like this. Also notice the thin insulator

Related

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FLV/KNMV/QOLEP27ZHT8/FLVKNMVQOLEP27ZHT8.LARGE.jpg)

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FJZ/IHMD/UQBEP27ZHU7/FJZIHMDUQBEP27ZHU7.LARGE.jpg)

About This Instructable

Posted:May 24, 2006

License:

376,718 views

331 favorites

(/member/BrianH/)

BrianH (/member/BrianH/)

Follow 123

(/id/Rechargeable-Battery-Capacity-Tester)

(/id/Full-Size-R2D2-on-a-budget)

(/id/Pirate-Ship-Helm)

More by BrianH

Drill (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-drill/)

battery (/tag/type-id/category-workshop/keyword-

battery/)

Tags:

Group

Add instructable to:

Free Drill powered by alaptop battery(http://www.instructables.com/id/Free-Drill-powered-by-a-laptop-batteryMake a cordless drill to runoff batteries or a wall outlet(http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-cordless-drill-to-run-off-batteries-or-a-waRun A Drill Off A CarBattery(http://www.instructables.com/id/Run-A-Drill-Off-A-Car-Batterybattery adaptor forcordless tool(http://www.instructables.com/id/battery-adaptor-for-cordless-Battery Adaptor for

Cordless drill - Improving the battery by BrianH (/member/BrianH/)

Collection I Made it!

Download (/id/Cordless-drill---Improving-the-battery/?download=pdf) 4 Steps

Favorite Share

(/id/Cordless-drill---Improving-the-battery/)

(/)

(/)

Explore (/tag/type-id/) Create (/about/submit.jsp) Contests (/contest/) Community (/community/) You (/you/)

Cordless drill - Improving the battery http://www.instructables.com/id/Cordless-drill---Improving-the-battery/?ALLSTEPS

1 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

that keeps the top battery from shorting against the batteries on the bottom.

Step 2: Assemble the new pack of batteries

Aquire a new set of identically sized batteries. In my case the size is called'Sub-C'. I got them at BatterySpace.com for $24.00. They come with tabsattached. Carefully assemble the new cells into the same arrangement as theoriginal, and solder the tabs appropriately. Be careful not to short out a cell whileassembling it - even briefly! You will also need to scratch the surface of the leadsbefore soldering and put a thin coat of solder on each tab before assembly(called tinning). Re-assemble and test. Be sure to re-use the fusable link thatcame with the original battery pack

Step 3: Notes

Capacity:The new batteries are rated at 3000 mAH, so expect more than twicethe run time than the original pack. You may wonder -- will the higher capacityhurt the tool? No: the important thing here is that the voltage is the same, butyou may end up working the tool harder with the increased capacity, so don'tover-do it. I've been using it for about a year and a half, and it's been excellent.

See More(http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-

id/?q=&utm_source=base&utm_medium=related-instructables&

utm_campaign=related_test)

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FNF/6IBE/3SXEP27ZHV6/FNF6IBE3SXEP27ZHV6.LARGE.jpg)

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FQW/S92S/IVREP27ZK9F/FQWS92SIVREP27ZK9F.LARGE.gif)

cordless tool version 2(http://www.instructables.com/id/Battery-Adaptor-


2 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

Charging: Since my old charger is expecting to charge 1300MAH NiCads, it willrequire a much longer charging time. The spec sheet that comes with your newbatteries should help you here. Also checkout batteryuniversity.com(http://www.batteryuniversity.com/) for more important detailed info on chargingdifferent types of batteries. A better charging method may increase your batterylife.

Why do the batter packs die? I've been analyzing the old cells, and I've noticedthat several of the cells are bad, but many of them are ok - it only takes one dudto render a battery pack useless.Since the drill came with two battery packs, I can combine the good ones tomake a second working pack. The old cells can be tested as shown below - theimportant part here is the load. I've used a flashlight bulb as a load which alsoserver as a visual indicator of the battery's charge. Testing without the load willgive useless results. I've seen some cells read 1.2volts without a load -- whichseems good, but drop to 0.3 volts when the load is added -- clearly a dud.

Economics: A good mod should be economical too! Sears wants $40.00 for anew battery pack - if you can find it (I paid about $75 for the tool with twobatteries - so why is a replacement so expensive?) So with this mod, I get abetter battery for $24.00

Safety notes: Like many of the projects here on instructables, there arepotential safety problems if you don't know what you are doing -- so if you don'tknow your series circuits from your parallel circuits STOP! don't attempt toperform this mod - it can be potentially dangerous if the cells are mis-wired orshort circuited. Also beware any leaking chemicals from bad cells. Also makesure your soldering skills are sufficient before working on this project. A readerfrom Makezine's blog noted that one of the solder tabs is thinner than the others- this acts as a fuse - make sure you include the fuse in your completed pack.

Environmental issues: dispose used NiCad cells properly. Your new HiMhbatteries are more environmentally friendly though some still recommendre-cycling.

Step 4: Soldering to a battery

Update May 2011:It's been five years since I posted this instructable - and I have another battery

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FV3/HBJD/GO2NLTGD/FV3HBJDGO2NLTGD.LARGE.jpg)


3 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

We have a be nice comment policy.Please be positive and constructive.

I Made it! Add Images Make Comment

(/member/russ_hensel/)

9 days ago Reply

flag

(/member/vinniej/)

10 months ago Reply

pack to work on. This one is a 19.2 volt pack, but still uses the Sub-C Ni-Cdbatteries that my old drill used. Once again, I found that there were a few cellsthat were bad - making the entire battery pack useless. This time I'm just goingto replace the bad cells with identical cells. The procedure is the same, but thistime I decided to make a video of the soldering which can be a bit tricky.

I've already removed the bad cell from the pack - now I'm going to replace it witha good one.

Be careful not to short circuit any of the cells while soldering.

(I should have cleaned off the soldering tip better before I started)

1-40 of174

Next (http://www.instructables.com/id/Cordless-drill---Improving-the-battery/?&sort=ACTIVE&limit=40&offset=40#DISCUSS)

russ_hensel (/member/russ_hensel/)

Just a note to let you know I have added this to the collection: Cordless-Drill-Battery-Maintenance !

>> http://www.instructables.com/id/Cordless-Drill-Battery-Maintenance/(http://www.instructables.com/id/Cordless-Drill-Battery-Maintenance/)

Take a look at a bunch of different/similar approaches to this project.

vinniej (/member/vinniej/)

Well this is a good "smack it a good one" story;

I have a multi-rotor that I crashed hard into a tree, wall, car and fence. Only mysecond RC flight, ever. The quad copter then would only give an errormessage via led's and would not work, I was devastated because I was out$600.00 + I had saved hard for--took me a year. The LED code said "call thecompany" RIGHT its in China and I gave up after several days of no answerand multiple attempts to decipher Cinglish instructions. After two days ofinternet searching I found a forum post buried on page 100K of a Googlesearch and it said a company rep for this quad copter advised him (the forumposter) on the same problem recommending the following fix: Remove the


4 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

flag

(/member/dodgeramman/)

11 months ago Reply

flag

(/member/ironsmiter/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/MTtoo/)

3 years ago Reply

flag


3 years ago Reply

"brain" (a DJI NAZA V-2 in this case) and hold it in your right hand about 7" abovea ceramic counter top with the writing on top, then rap it moderately hard on thecounter top .

I was reluctant but desperate so I tried it. To my total amazement it not only fixed itbut it flew better than ever after this "smack it a good one" fix.

dodgeramman (/member/dodgeramman/)

I'm a bit skeptical but there is an easier way than doing this and doesn't costanything . batteries built up with crystal like particles (best way I can explain it )that makes your NiCad batteries lose capacity over time . I've come across away try and zap them with a battery charger without taking them apart orbuying new batteries . I zapped a couple batteries I've had since buying a 4piece set in the 1990's 18 volt Dewalt .Checking now to see how long it willlast just in a dewalt radio . Will post results later as I'm experimenting now .

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/)

Almost 6 years later, and still good information.

The one thing I took away from this, that i will be grateful for as long as I canremember, is the Soldering Video. That little trick/tip is going into the printedlong-term storage

MTtoo (/member/MTtoo/) ironsmiter

Ironsmiter, I need to pick your brain a bit. I have a stack, probably acouple dozen, batteries of various makes that I have "liberated" from abig box stores recycling box. One at a time naturally!! Most are 18volts. My 18 volt charger is dead. Now to the question.....Would it bepossible to use a 120 AC transformer that puts out 24 volts AC? Readon before you shoot me down. Put a bridge rectifier on the output toconvert the AC voltage to DC.The new transformer is a Honeywell 120/208/240V, 60 cy, primary to24 VAC 40VA secondary. I am sure the 40 VA would take some time tocharge a 18 volt drill motor battery. All of the instructavles I have readdeal strictly with batteries. None mentions the care and feeding of thechargers. Care to share any helpful hints?I am not a professional so I needed someone with brains to clarify myidea.

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/) MTtoo

wow, wow WOW... overkill.

Unless you're putting dozens of those cells in parrallel, 40VA is gonnaDESTROY them.

I'll give you a summery of my research and calculations, as best I can.

Bear in mind, my power supply is going to be a 30 volt HP printerpower-brick.That brought my current limiting resistor VERY low ohmage, andwattage. 10 Ohm, and 1/4 watt.

Now, since you're starting with 40 volt...

The charging voltage is going to be approximately 1.4 v per cell.You have what, 15 cells? (15 x 1.2 vdc nominal = 18 vdc)So you need 1.4 x 15 = 21 vdc to charge.24 v (supply voltage) - 21 vdc = 3 vdc voltage drop across the resistor.Your cells are probably 2.5 Ahr. You need to charge C/10 , or0.25amps.R = E/I = 3 v / 0.25 = 12 ohms.3 v / 12 ohms = 0.25 A3 v x .25 A = 0.75 watts


5 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

flag

(/member/MTtoo/)

3 years ago Reply

flag


3 years ago Reply

I would upgrade to a 1w or eve a 10w resistor. they're only a dollar, and theadded safety is worth it, imho.

You'll have to check VERY carefully. but if all the packs are NiCd, then12-14 hours with the charger, and resistor described should give you a fullcharge. It should also be safe if you forget and leave it on a little too long.NiCd can survive almost indefinite charging at 1/10C rate. The extra energygets converted to heat, and exits the battery through the cell wall.Bear in mind, quick chargers like my original, have very sophisticatedcircuitry... but mine charged at almost 1C. it did shut off after that though,as a safety feature. Charge at 1C for 10 hours, and you better have thefire-department on speed-dial, cause around hour 3, it's gonna goFwoosch!

Consider some googleing on "homemade NiCd chargers.Tons of info is to be had at RC groups. they use packs much like these tofly their planes(though they're starting to switch over to li-po and li-fe)

Doh, just forgot.. you'll have to measure the ACTUAL voltage, under load,because you're gonna get a voltage drop over the rectifier. You're going tohave to recalculate using the lower, measured voltage.

MTtoo (/member/MTtoo/) ironsmiter

Ironsmiter, you must be an electronics engineer!!I certainly appreciate your rapid reply.I am not that much into electronics, and had to re-read your replyseveral times to boil it down to my level. I am more mechanical and mydabbling into electronics is fixing things broken. Determine what is bad,cut out the old and replace it with a like item. Your reply was a realinsight in how to determine (calculate) the needed resistor.

An amazing bit of info can be had on these new-fangled gadgets(computers) if a person knows where to look for it. I wish computershad been available when I was young. I pre-date Television!!Correct me if I am wrong, but this is what I determined from your reply.

18 volt batteries have 15 1.2 volt cells.To charge these cells will require 21 volts @ .25 Amps for 12 to 14hours for a full charge.To drop the 24 volt output from the transformer, after it has gone thruthe rectifier, will require a 12 ohm 1 watt (or better yet a 10 watt)resistor.Now if I can just figure out the 40VA output of the transformer...Manyyears ago I have read how the VA is calculated, but it escapes me now.

I REALLY appreciate your thorough explanation of my question.Have a GREAT DAY, WEEK, and YEAR

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/) MTtoo

Nope! I started the same way you did.

Just happens, I post-date color TV.Though i do remember, vividly, when the Internet switched and we allstarted using the WOrldWideWeb.When I started, we Gophered instead of Googled.

If, and that's a pretty big IF, i got my numbers right then...12 ohm, 1Watt(or higher) resistor should take your power supply, andturn it into a very crude 1/10C "slow charger" for your 18V batterypacks.

Pardon me while I plagiarize.The only difference between W and VA is the power factor. The powerfactor, unless known, is an approximation. For purposes of ourcalculations, we use a power factor of .85. The VA value is alwayshigher than the value for W.

W to VA W / .85 = SAME VALUE EXPRESSED IN VA


6 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

flag


3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/Dr.Bill/)

1 year ago Reply

flag

(/member/bclamore/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/endadmcc/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/mygiveaway/)

2 years ago Reply

VA TO W VA * .85 = SAME VALUE EXPRESSED IN W

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/) ironsmiter

oh, and to be VERY CLEAR for the folks trolling in the background, orin the years to come...

that's AFTER the transformer is rectified.

I actually have absolutely NO idea what'd happen if you fed theunrectified AC into the battery(though I have a pretty good guess, andit involves letting out a lot of magic smoke. You know, the stuff thatmakes electronics work until you let it out?)

Dr.Bill (/member/Dr.Bill/) ironsmiter

The un-rectified AC would just blow the wiskers off and the NiCadwould work good again. Just have to limit the AC time to a fewseconds...

bclamore (/member/bclamore/)

The Dremel tool effectively removes the surface oxidation. I suspect this iswhy the solder sticks. You could probably do just as well with alcohol andsome flux. A rougher surface should also help prevent the solder site frombeing flaked-off. Dremel tool looks like an easy solution too.

endadmcc (/member/endadmcc/)

Hi i have been reading this interesting section and wondered is it possible todo the same with Li-ion batterys as i have a 21.6v with 2 battery packs andnone work . When placed in the charger or drill they put the overheating lighton. Anyone think this can be fixed.Thanks

mygiveaway (/member/mygiveaway/)

I'm a newbie on here.... Need a little help is possI've taken apart my Makita 18v Cordless drill 2.6ah NiMH battery because itwould not charge (flashing red and green). I've tested all the cells and they allread 1.34v so i'm thinking its one of the three components that is stopping thebattery from charging (see image). It was hard work getting the cells out of thecase and i think this may be an indication that the battery may have been overheated at some point. The charger is working fine with my other batteryalthough that battery is also starting to loose power quickly.

Does anyone know what each of these components do and how I can replace\ bypass one or all three to get the battery to charge again?Info: the red component was glued to the top of one of the other cells in thepack.

(http://cdn.instructables.com/FJQ/COUH/GZGT3NG9

/FJQCOUHGZGT3NG9.LARGE.jpg) (http://cdn.instructables.com/F79/GIDZ


7 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

flag

(/member/mygiveaway/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/budrootbeer/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/Dr.Bill/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/mymatemark/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/instructableken/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

/GZGT3NGA/F79GIDZGZGT3NGA.LARGE.jpg) (http://cdn.instructables.com/FUX/AAEF

/GZGT3NGB/FUXAAEFGZGT3NGB.LARGE.jpg)(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOK/LR94/GZGT3NGD/FOKLR94GZGT3NGD.LARGE.jpg)

mygiveaway (/member/mygiveaway/) mygiveaway

I was told that the;

rectangular Klixon component is just a fuse,

The red component is a thermal cut-out\reducer switch used forreducing the power input when on the charger if overheating occurs,

The yellow component is a thermal cut-out\reducer switch used forreducing the power output when on the battery is in the drill butoverheating occurs due to heavy usage.

All components worked on this battery, so i guess the batteries can nolonger hold a charge.

Hope this info helps some one.

budrootbeer (/member/budrootbeer/)

Does someone make and sell a converter to actually plug in your 19.2 searscordless drill and saws? Sometimes at home you don't always need to becordless.

Dr.Bill (/member/Dr.Bill/) budrootbeer

I removed the battery from my drill motor and just connected a wire toeach terminal with clips that fit and plugged the other end into my 25amp switching power supply and it works good. lotsa power.

mymatemark (/member/mymatemark/)

Ni-Cad & Nimh are good at certain price points but in the long term the bestbattery performance comes from Lithium or Li-ion as they last longer, do nothave a memory, they are lighter & provide more power right through to the lastbit of use. Lithium or Li-ion batteries have no memory so when you stop usingthe power tool & you go to use it again in a few months the battery has thesame level of power as previous. Another good thing is they do not react toextreme heat & cold the way Ni-Cad or Ni-MH does.

No need to warm batteries up anymore with Li-ion

instructableken (/member/instructableken/)

I don't know if anyone actually mentioned the size name of the batteries usedfor power tools. It is "Sub C". I buy tem on eBay and always buy NiMH. Manyof my older tools are NiCad and the NiMH gives you more power and life.


8 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

(/member/jamesjghome/)

2 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/MACSWAG/)

3 years ago Reply

flag


3 years ago Reply

flag

jamesjghome (/member/jamesjghome/)

I just joined this site by happenstance.

I thought I was the only Mcgiver left but I see not. When I was a child, my Dadand mom called me screwdriver fingers due to the fact that I had to tearsomething open and see how it worked; even though not broken I just couldnot resist

I did the battery thing about tens years ago when I discovered the C batterersmatched my flashlight. Aside from all the data and info in above links, if youcan imagine and interpolate you can do this in about most everything

Thank God, Men are still men

MACSWAG (/member/MACSWAG/)

Thank you so much for the very helpful post,I've just thumped one of myDraper 18v.bats on the deck and it is now charging,well the charger light isbright so I'll test in the morning,the other one same procedure the charger lightcomes on but quite dim , any more suggestions please or how to check whichcells are duff would be helpful ,I'm in the U.K. so don't have the same suppliersas you chaps across the sea,

MAC.

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/) MACSWAG

and forgot to mention...

Take your two packs, and rebuild one good one out of them.

With the now empty battery case, rebuild it will ALL fresh cells.That should get you the best bang for your buck/euro/pound.Keep any extra good cells for when, not if, WHEN, your newly repairedpackkills another of it's cells. When you run out of THOSE spare cells...recycle all the old cells, and rebuild with new tabbed cells for what isnow the third lease on life for that battery pack :-)

Now, we're 10-15 years into the future of your tool, and it's probablyworn out. Time for a new cold-fusion powered drill.


9 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54


3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/eel_dahc/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/gsnoorky/)

3 years ago Reply

ironsmiter (/member/ironsmiter/) MACSWAG

You don't need the same suppliers, for checking which cell is bad, justany old cheap volt/ohm meter.As for buying the new tabbed battery cells... don't we all buy them fromthe same Chinese manufacturers?

Check the image in step three.If the battery is freshly charged, that "light bulb load" is pretty important.It helps bleed off the "surface charge" on the cells, and gives you a"working voltage" to measure.Test the cell voltage after 2-3 min of running the light.

If you're "lucky" like I am...I ran my batteries in a sawsall, till it quit sawing.hen took apart the packs that weren't performing(one lasted less than 3min of sawing)When i took apart my Bosch 24V pack, most of the cells tested finewith the volt meter.FIVE of them tested ZERO volts.Guess which cells were bad? ;-)This only really works if its a few bad cells, and you run the battery to"dead".The down side is, if a cell is only starting to die, this may not catch it.

eel_dahc (/member/eel_dahc/)

I just redid one of my Craftsman 19.2 batteries. What I did was a little bitdifferent. I bought an 18v battery pack from Harbor Frght (HF). It was a gamblereally because I didn't know for sure how the batteries were arranged in thepack. Luckily they are arranged in the same shape, however they areconnected differently. Luckily though there are wires already soldered andcoming off of the pack that are long enough to make it work. My originalcraftsman pack had various bad cells. But, the cell connected to theterminals(the one on the top of the pack) was still in great shape. So, I snippedthe nickel strip off the bottom( leave as much as you can though so when yousolder you can hold the strip with pliers to sink the heat ) side of the top batteryand the negative wire going to the rest of the pack. I then carefully pulled outthe fuse/resistor wires making sure not to damage them. Then I soldered thered wire coming from the HF battery to the bottom of the cell with the terminalson it and the black wire from the HF pack to the black wire going to the cellwith the terminals I then tucked it all into the craftsman battery case, put thetop on, screwed it back and then charged it up. Perfect. If you do this makesure the battery with the terminals is still good. If it is not then you will have toreplace that cell with a new one. Best of all, the pack cost $10, on sale for$12.99 with a 20% coupon.

gsnoorky (/member/gsnoorky/)

That pic looks like my 12V Sears Companion drill battery--I'm working on thatnow. It doesn't seem to work very long in the drill--a few secs, and it slows. Idid do the battery starter trick--it was at ~10V--now, it's at 13+ V. I rapped it onthe floor a few times and put it back on the charger--instructions say to leave iton for several hrs.--maybe even six.

I'm also working on my two Milwaukee 18V "Power-Plus" batts. Using thesame trick, one seems now to be the usable battery for the drill I hadloved--the drill turns solidly again! The other batt may be too far gone. It did gofrom 0V to ~3.2V, though. The charger doesn't accept it yet. I'm nowhere nearending the fight for it: I'll cut it open and go NiMH, if necessary.

Big box HW stores want $70-$80+ for such Milwaukee 18V batteries: Well, Ithen knew that the expensive drill screw wished to turn into myself! Amazonwas somewhat more reasonable: $50+, yet, I haven't checked lately. Thus, Ihaven't used my originally priced $200+ drill for a couple of years. I was aboutto give up and purchase Skil or B&D--or even cheapo HFT or Big Lots!

(These Milwaukee batteries don't use the familiar vertical post most drill battsoften use. Three side-shielded terminals "slide" horizontally into the drill


10 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

flag

(/member/cjq/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/bricabracwizard/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/dcobrien2000/)

6 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/solaralternatives/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/snet/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

bottom or the charger. As for checking such unmarked terminals for polarity, use avoltmeter to find the terminals which give a positive voltage reading--perhaps aftercharging. For this Milwaukee 18V "Power Plus" ni-cad battery, apparently theterminal on the far left (terminal side up and terminals facing you) is neg (-)--theone directly next to it, on the right, is the positive terminal (+).)

Thanks for the great inputs here!

cjq (/member/cjq/)

Hi folks, I've read comments about re building 19.2 Craftsman packs, I stillhave a problem. I bought 6,000 mah batts with tabs . The pack is completeand has been charged . I had difficulty getting the charging to start. I found the"old" battery pack corroded real bad. There is a tiny circuit component ,athermo device I think . I had to by pass thin device . I also found a "fuse" link ?I think it is ,and that was broken,I by passed that also. Now here's myconcern,,the charger has a red lamp to indicate charging and a green for fullcharge. Upon initial incertion the green lamp lighted . I know the new batteriesneeded charging but the red lamp did NOT light. I left the pack on chargeovernight and the batts have charged to 21.5 volts surface charge . After alittle use the voltage dropped to 20.5 . How do I correct my charging difficulty.The battery pack had NO temperature rise overnight. I'm thinking the Batterieswere in a trickle charge,,,make sence? I need some technical help Thank You

CJQ

bricabracwizard (/member/bricabracwizard/) cjq

I think if you want lots of answers post this question to the forum,hopefully you'll get an answer soon, sorry I don't know the answer.

dcobrien2000 (/member/dcobrien2000/)

I have a set of 18V Coleman tools that came with 2 batteries. A while ago onebecame hard to charge and finally the other failed. I could not findreplacements anywhere so I was faced with buying new tools (lots of $$). Ifound this post and then the link about reviving rechargeable batteries, it saidthat crystals can build up in the batteries and short them out. As a fix itsuggested hitting them with a blunt object. I opened up the batteries like thispost suggests and then whacked the cluster of batteries firmly with a rubbermallet. To my surprise it worked, they now hold a charge and work great, nonew tools!

solaralternatives (/member/solaralternatives/) dcobrien2000

I wonder if that physical shock breaks the crystalslike electrically shocking does. Anyone try this withan unprotected Li-ON cell?

snet (/member/snet/) dcobrien2000

I recently ran a cross a Makita 6343D with 2 18v NI_CD batteries and acharger on one of the free auction sites. When I received the drill oneof the batteries worked fine but the other wouldn't work at all, eventhough the charger showed it "charging".

I wasn't too concerned since this whole lot was FREE but after readingthis I simply tried cleaning the metal contacts with rubbing alcohol andlightly wacking the bottom of the battery with the rubber handle of ahammer and POOF it started working again and holds a charge.

Thanks again for the great advice! =)

fromjim (/member/fromjim/) dcobrien2000


11 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

4 years ago Reply

(/member/fromjim/)

flag

(/member/crazyg/)

4 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/wupme/)

5 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/-max-/)

4 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/jeff-o/)

5 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/chenxinghao/)

5 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/The+Ideanator/)

5 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/zappenfusen/)

3 years ago Reply

flag

I was about to trash a goodCraftsman cordless drill because thebatteries would not accept a charge,I was in the process of trying to findgood replacement batteries at areasonable price when I came uponthis site, I tried the above tactic,whacking the battery pack hardseveral times on a block of hardwood, I then placed it in the chargerand it began to charge, an hour laterI had a fully charged battery, eventhe weak battery that would take asmall charge benifited from thisprocedure.

Thanks a lot guys,

God bless

Jim

crazyg (/member/crazyg/) dcobrien2000

i will try that:-)

wupme (/member/wupme/) dcobrien2000

Its always surprising how many technical stuff you can fix withwhacking it. A wack actually fixed my digital preamp on wich an amptechnican gave up... Its also a cool way to fix something.

-max- (/member/-max-/) wupme

LOL! i once fixed a camera with "lens error" by trowing it at a wall!

jeff-o (/member/jeff-o/) dcobrien2000

I'm delighted when the fix for a problem is "hit it with a hammer." :D

chenxinghao (/member/chenxinghao/)

I have two bad Craftsman 19.2 volts EX batteries that when pluging in to thecharger it will go GREEN and no charging to take place. The bolts seem to bethe HEX type but my HAX drive could not go in. I noticed that there is a littleround/dot in the HEX openning that is preventing the tool getting in. What typeto tools to use to unscrew the bolts?

The Ideanator (/member/The+Ideanator/) chenxinghao

I've seen those, they suck. I'd do a search for special security bits.

zappenfusen (/member/zappenfusen/) The Ideanator

But in a pinch.

bgentle (/member/bgentle/) chenxinghao

It is a security screw that uses a torx screwdriver with a hole in the center.Take a punch and punch the round dot as you call it out or use a dremel


12 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

4 years ago Reply

(/member/bgentle/)

flag

(/member/Hubiewan/)

4 years ago Reply

flag

(/member/nukemmcssret/)

5 years ago Reply

flag

We have a be nice comment policy.Please be positive and constructive.

I Made it! Add Images Make Comment

too to grind it out then use a torxscrew driver to remove the screw.

Hubiewan (/member/Hubiewan/) chenxinghao

Hi: I have broken off the little pin inside the security screw, allowingyour regular torx bit to work. I do reccomend purchasing the securitybit set from Harbor Freight. On of them is cheap enough and quiteextensive. Hubiewan

nukemmcssret (/member/nukemmcssret/) chenxinghao

Get a drill bit a little bit smaller that the head of the screw and drill outthe stripped screws. The head should come off both screws. removethe cover and there should be some of the screw exposed. You thengrab it with a pair of needle nose and turn out the screw.

1-40 of174

Next (http://www.instructables.com/id/Cordless-drill---Improving-the-battery/?&sort=ACTIVE&limit=40&offset=40#DISCUSS)

About Us

Who We Are (/about/)

Advertise (/advertise/)

Contact (/about/contact.jsp)

Jobs (/community/Positions-available-at-Instructables/)

Help (/id/how-to-write-a-great-instructable/)

Find Us

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/instructables)

Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/instructablestv)

Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/instructables)

Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/instructables)

Google+ (https://plus.google.com/+instructables)

Tumblr (http://instructables.tumblr.com)

Resources

For Teachers (/teachers/)

Artists in Residence (http://www.autodesk.com/artist-in-residence/home)

Gift Pro Account (/account/give?sourcea=footer)

Forums (/community/)

Answers (/tag/type-question/?sort=RECENT)

Sitemap (/sitemap/)

Go Pro Today (/account/gopro?sourcea=footer)

We're Hiring! (/community/Positions-available-at-Instructables/)

Mobile

Download our new apps for iOS,

Android and Windows 8!

Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adsk.instructables)

iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/app/instructables/id586765571)

Windows(http://apps.microsoft.com

/windows/en-us/app/7afc8194-c771-441a-

9590-54250d6a8300)

Terms of Service (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=21959721) |

Privacy Statement (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=21292079) |

Legal Notices & Trademarks (http://usa.autodesk.com/legal-notices-trademarks/) | Mobile Site (http://m.instructables.com)

(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=20781545&siteID=123112)

Join!

2014 Autodesk, Inc.

English


13 de 13 15/02/2015 20:54

Documents

Cordless Drill - Improving the Battery