mrbowenz
Well-Known Member
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I was following this thread and thought I would add this project here for inspiration on a frustrating subject( failing batteries in cordless drills )
So , I have an ever growing pile of dead or near dead Nicad batteries for various drills RC toys etc...blah blah blah..
The one that ticks me off the most is my 3 year old Porter Cable Drill/driver , at the time 14.4 volts was fine for my applications and still is for that matter . So I go to order 2 replacement batteries for the thing , they cost almost $ 90 bucks each , I need two because that way with the two hour charger , you really never run low on power because the other one is charging . now , I paid about $ 175 bucks for the thing 3 years agao and a new one today cost roughly the same with a little more voltage . I only look stupid when it comes to math , but I am not paying no $ 180 bucks for two replacement batteries , and the drill is in great shape and fits my needs now. After some research , I have deceided to go the way of rebuilding my battery packs , a few screws and the pack opens up to a dozen Nicad cells wired in series or 1.2 volts x 12 =14.4 , I go to price these little suckers and find out I can buy 24 of them for $ 1.65 each , they are Sanyo 1.9 m mah 1.2 volt rechargables , so for $ 20 bucks each , and a bit of soldering I will have replaced the critical componet of this tool, the housing is molded plastic and will remain in a landfill for 400 years , what's to replace with that ? .
Ok, so here is the certified good stuff:
This took about 2 hours total, once I had the batteries in hand, I had to use duel soldering irons to bring the temps up to make the solder adhere quickly, some short pieces of 12 gauge bare copper wire, and some electrical tape, the whole project cost me 36 bucks, instead of 180 + shipping. Score one for the little guy! , I will take the difference in cash, spend it on grain, and brew some beer. In addition, for all you tree huggers out there,it's a fairly green project, I will recycle the old NiCad batteries and not throw away a perfectly good appliance
Removing the cover
[/b]New batteries aligned and ready for tape
After soldering the new ones in
Install and clean up the solder joints
The Rub:
I charged both of them and they took the charge really well, the power seems incredibly strong, but this was a simple project with a high level of satisfaction.
Just thought I would share
My 9.6V Makita finally died and I was hesitant to replace it because it was such a good reliable tool for so long. It had gotten to the point that the replacement battery was worth more than a new drill. I bought a Dewalt 14.4 with two batteries and have no regrets at all. I work my tools pretty hard
I was following this thread and thought I would add this project here for inspiration on a frustrating subject( failing batteries in cordless drills )
So , I have an ever growing pile of dead or near dead Nicad batteries for various drills RC toys etc...blah blah blah..
The one that ticks me off the most is my 3 year old Porter Cable Drill/driver , at the time 14.4 volts was fine for my applications and still is for that matter . So I go to order 2 replacement batteries for the thing , they cost almost $ 90 bucks each , I need two because that way with the two hour charger , you really never run low on power because the other one is charging . now , I paid about $ 175 bucks for the thing 3 years agao and a new one today cost roughly the same with a little more voltage . I only look stupid when it comes to math , but I am not paying no $ 180 bucks for two replacement batteries , and the drill is in great shape and fits my needs now. After some research , I have deceided to go the way of rebuilding my battery packs , a few screws and the pack opens up to a dozen Nicad cells wired in series or 1.2 volts x 12 =14.4 , I go to price these little suckers and find out I can buy 24 of them for $ 1.65 each , they are Sanyo 1.9 m mah 1.2 volt rechargables , so for $ 20 bucks each , and a bit of soldering I will have replaced the critical componet of this tool, the housing is molded plastic and will remain in a landfill for 400 years , what's to replace with that ? .
Ok, so here is the certified good stuff:
This took about 2 hours total, once I had the batteries in hand, I had to use duel soldering irons to bring the temps up to make the solder adhere quickly, some short pieces of 12 gauge bare copper wire, and some electrical tape, the whole project cost me 36 bucks, instead of 180 + shipping. Score one for the little guy! , I will take the difference in cash, spend it on grain, and brew some beer. In addition, for all you tree huggers out there,it's a fairly green project, I will recycle the old NiCad batteries and not throw away a perfectly good appliance
Removing the cover
[/b]New batteries aligned and ready for tape
After soldering the new ones in
Install and clean up the solder joints
The Rub:
I charged both of them and they took the charge really well, the power seems incredibly strong, but this was a simple project with a high level of satisfaction.
Just thought I would share