I have a dying Dewalt 12v battery. Holds limited charge, dies within 20-30 small screws in soft plywood.
I look for replacement batteries on the web and there is a process called BATTERY RESURRECTION ™ by Unique Dynamics, Inc. For $12.95, I get a guide to revive the battery using their process and my multimeter.
Legit? Lots of glowing testimonials on the site but what’s the straight dope?
what sort of battery is it lead acid, nicad ni mi etc?
The procedure is going to involve either:
–discharging across a resistor or freezing or banging the battery on a hard surface, briefly charging with a high voltage, or some combination of those
or
–it’s going to be instructions on how to remove and replace the cells inside.
If the latter, it will work (but if you’re the type to own a multimeter, you can probably work it out without their help) - if the former, it’s hit and miss at very best, and could actually be dangerous.
Lithium-Polymers can go boom, if mistreated, can’t they?
assuming its a nicad battery pack,first put it on charge then take apart and check each batterry under load with low voltage torch bulb which should show up the faulty cell,then just replace with a nicad cell of same size,they can be soldered in with care.
All standard rechargables can be dangerous if mucked with. Lead acid batteries contain lead and acid (duh) and can produce flammable gasses. NiCds contain cadmium. NiMHs when they explode produce an extremely nasty compound that burns tissue and cannot be extinguished. (Think napalm, only nastier.) LiIons are the touchiest of the group in terms of going up in flames.
In short, I would stay away from DIY rechargable battery fix-it techniques. (You can replace all the cells in Lead acid, NiMHs and NiCds with equivalents and be alright. But LiIon cells are specially matched at the factory. Mismatches can cause the famous fires. So for those you replace the entire battery.)
Eh, I would just go ahead and replace all the cells at once. Locating one weak cell and replacing it is false economy; sooner or later (and it’s always sooner) others will start to fail, if they haven’t already by that point.
And never solder standard cells; you should use solder-tab cells instead. Soldering directly to a cell terminal can cause excessive internal heating (particularly on small cells, like AAA) which at the very least can shorten the lifespan of the cell, and at worst, cause leaking or even bursting.
it is possible to solder normal cells as ive done it many times but due care and attention is required.
also i only suggested replacing cells rather than buying all new as i thought thats what the person wanted. and if the correct power pack is to expensive just buy another complete tool for £9.99.
it is possible to solder normal cells as ive done it many times but due care and attention is required.
also i only suggested replacing cells rather than buying all new as i thought thats what the person wanted. and if the correct power pack is to expensive just buy another complete tool for £9.99.
I will go the new battery route, DW9072 which is a NiCad I believe. I’ll do some careful experiments on the old in a better equipment environment.