How to Fix and Rejuvenate a Battery Pack
It can be frustrating to own a cordless tool with a battery pack that no longer provides enough power or won't charge properly. The thought of spending the money to buy a new battery pack or even a new tool if the packs are no longer available is not very appealing either. The good news is that battery packs are made up of simple rechargeable cells, and if you are willing to invest the time and effort you can rebuild one yourself.
Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Soldering iron with chisel tip
- Wire brush
- Pen and pad
- Replacement Ni-Cad or Ni-MH batteries
- Epoxy adhesive
Instructions
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1
Set the battery pack on a flat, sturdy surface. Look over the pack for small screws that will allow you to open the pack. If it has screws, remove them with the screwdriver, remove the top piece of the pack and set it aside.
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2
Heat up a soldering iron with a chisel tip to cut open those packs that have no screws. Do this by cutting through the hard plastic, working in a straight line around the top of the base of the pack. Remove the top piece and set it aside.
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3
Write down on a pad of paper the arrangement of the battery cells and the way in which they are connected. You will refer to this later when installing new cells. Use the soldering iron to heat up the connections to the batteries and remove the cells.
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4
Brush off any oxidation that has formed on the connections with a wire brush. Refer to the pad to confirm the battery and connection arrangement, and place the new battery cells in the same way as the cells that were just removed. Solder the connections.
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5
Put the top piece of the battery pack case back on, and if it had screws replace them and secure tightly. For those packs that had to be cut open, mix up some epoxy adhesive and apply a generous amount to the edges that meet on the top and bottom plastic pieces. Press them together and allow the glue to dry.
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6
Place the battery pack on the charger and allow it to charge uninterrupted for at least 12 hours before putting it to use.
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