# Rebuilding Batteries



## Estley (Jan 15, 2008)

Hey guys, I have two Dewalt 14.4 batteries that need to either be replaced or re-built. Does anyone here have experience with re-built batteries? are they worth it, or should I just send them to the recycle center and get fresh ones?... By the way, for those of you who do re-build where's a good place to send them?


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Never done it.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

To be honest I have never heard of anyone rebuilding them. Tool suppliers such as Lowe's and Home Depot maintain recycling centers for returning these batteries. New ones cost $74 at Lowe's (I bought one last month). It would be difficult to get one rebuilt for this price.

But here is a link that I found http://www.primecell.com/

Hope it helps.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

You might check with an Interstate Battery Shop, not people that just sell batteries. The local shop in Bloomington, IL rebuilt some for me for $25 a pop.
I looked into rebuilding my own some time back and found it expensive to buy the individual batteries for the pack. I talked to an engineer for the battery company (Quest) I buy my rechargeables, AAA and AA, and he said he had the same problem at home with a drill, I had a Ryobi drill , at the time, and he said it was cheaper to just buy a new drill. ;-)


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## Coffinmaker (Dec 27, 2007)

There is a guy on Ebay that swears you will send you the plans on how to re-build almost ANY battery but I havent never heard of anybody ever doing it.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

They should just be normail off the shelf batteries inside.


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## Hazspec (Feb 22, 2008)

I went looking myself and found the labourand materials was not feasible.
I had 4 dead Sears 15.6 batteries; I went on E-bay and bought 4 identical volt batteries made by 
Sears for almost nothing.. ". . Well anyway I knew the battery cases had 4 screws holding the cases together. Sure enough the ones from the internet did not match the contacts. I simply opened them up and put the good batteries in my old matching cases. 
What I have done with all my cordless battery chargers is plugged into standard wall plugs. I control the power going to them by a simple rotary power timing switch. I have the" timer" next to my bench and I simply crank the power to them for 45 minutes whemever I am in the shop This intermittent charging eliminated the problem of burned out batteries. I have a " steady steam of power" and I haven't lost a battery in over a year.
I have a Dewalt 9 volt that I replenished in the same way. I certainly have seen alot of Dewalt batteries on the internet. Good Luck.


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Check out these guys. They have really good prices. http://batterybank.net/digital/powertools/ I bought the 
Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries for my drill, about half price of the NiCads that it came with and I'm really happy with the power they have.


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## Suz (Feb 12, 2008)

I had two Milwaukee 18V batteries rebuilt by MTO Battery rebuilders. http://www.mtobattery.com/store/
I think they are better than original and I'm happy with them.
However, after figuring the cost of shipping and the rebuild, it's almost the same cost as buying new batteries.

On a side note, just after I had my two of my batteries rebuilt, Milwaukee had a recall on batteries and I got two new ones to replace my other two batteries. So, now I have four new batteries.


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## che (May 18, 2007)

I don't have any experience with any of the re-builders but I looked into doing it myself a couple of years ago and decided that it wasn't cost effective. Believe it or not if you price 15 (for 18V) good quality cells it is only slightly cheaper than getting a new battery. Figure in shipping, cost of my time and lack of warranty and it was a non-starter.

If your going to stray from OEM batteries please do your homework. Some batteries are designed to preform like a Formula 1 engine. Some batteries are more like a small economy 4 cylinder engine. The high performance battery will generate more power but won't last as long. The economy battery may last for ever but good luck drilling hard maple with a 2" bit.

One other thing. NIMH batteries are not inherently better than NICAD. NIMH is a little lighter for the same capacity, which is why the auto industry is interested in them, but an 18V 2.4AH battery pack will deliver the same power (voltage) for the same amount of time (Amp-Hour) regardless of the chemistry.


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## coloradoclimber (Apr 7, 2007)

Estley,

I've done exactly what you a contemplating doing. Rebuilding a DeWalt 14.4 volt battery pack. Before I lay out the facts I'll give you the final answer so you can quit reading and move on:

*It's not worth it.*

Here are the facts for DeWalt 14.4 v drill battery packs:

- the battery packs are based on nicad battery technology.
- the packs are built up from series connected sub-c cells
- nicad batteries are 1.2 volts per cell as opposed to the typical 1.5 volts per cell for alkaline
- to get to 14.4 volts you need 12 cells (12×1.2 = 14.4)


you notice pretty much all of the nicad battery pack voltages are some multiple of 1.2, like 7.2 (6×1.2) 9.6 (8×1.2) 12 (10×1.2) 14.4 (12×1.2) 18 (15×1.2) and so on. That's because they're all built up from a series of 1.2 volt nicad cells

- nicad sub-c cells are around $2.50 - $5.00 USD

Sanyo Nicads 
Powerstream Nicads

- you need 12 of them per battery pack so you are looking at $30 - $60 in raw nicad batteries per pack
- when you open up the battery pack you will notice the factory cells are resistance welded together (a good thing).
- you will also notice the factory packs the batteries in with near zero wasted space.

You probably dont have a resistance welder that will work to spot weld the tabs of one battery to the post of the other battery. Too bad, that means you are going to have to solder the tabs together and possibly have to use some jumper wire. This is bad because the connections are not as good and the soldered connections take up more physical space. You have a poorer solution that you have a hard time fitting back in the case.

But if you decide to keep going make sure you buy the batteries *with tabs*, you'll need the tabs, top and bottom, to solder together.

If you are determined you can make it work. It is possible to get the batteries soldered together in way that is reasonably sound and will eventually fit, with a little filing and pounding.

Hopefully you made sure the batteries bought are suitable to use with your factory dewalt charger with similar charging characteristics. That way you can just drop you newly rebuilt pack onto the factory charger, otherwise you'll need to find or build a new charger.

Oh, and don't forget, when you cracked the case you might have split the plastic, but even if you didn't you'll have to find a way to epoxy it all back together and not leave any bumps or changes in shape so it will still fit and lock into the tools handle.

And finally nicad batteries require controlled disposal, dont just throw the old ones in the garbage.

So, if you went through all that fun you can actually rebuild a tool battery pack. And it will work, and it will have performance similar to a factory pack. But unless you've got a secret stash of sub-c cells, the right tools, patience and general handy skills, you wont save much, or any, money, and you'll likely end up with a sub par result.

So I'll say again:

*It's not worth it.*


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

guy on craigslist.org that rebuilds tool batteries … link...


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## sIKE (Feb 14, 2008)

I just use Batteries Plus….


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I'm a little Sheepish about it - but I buy Ryobi drills because they
work fine and the batteries are cheap and easy to get… as in
1/4 the price of other batteries.

I owned a nice Bosch drill that was nicer in terms of ergonomics 
but I just couldn't stomach the ongoing maintenance costs
of "professional" brand batteries.

On rebuilding batteries:

I've read about it and apparently its commonly the case that only
a few cells are bad. if you can open the battery case and swap
out the bad cells then you don't have to replace them all.

You can sometimes bring a dead battery back by putting it in
the freezer. When you take it out and charge it up it works
again - can't say for how long. Batteries can sometimes be
rescued by freezing them and charging several times before they
burn out for good and need to be recycled or rebuilt.


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## ChicoWoodnut (Dec 15, 2007)

I gave up on portable drills the first time I went and saw how much the batteries cost LOL. I don't do much work in the woods and my corded drill is always powered up and ready 2 go.

Anyone want a Dewalt 14.4V drill without batteries?


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## jcash3 (Dec 15, 2007)

I haven't tried this yet, buy planning on it. I too have a dewalt 14.4 with one bad battery. 
In the april 08 edition of FWW, there was a short article on rebuilt batteries. They tested 2 different rebuilt batteries one from http://primecell.com and http://voltmanbatteries.com '
They both were as good or better than new ones. the price with shipping included was $40 per battery. for a Dewalt this may be the way to go, seeing that their drills cost $150 plus and batteries are around $70. 
I'm going to try it soon on my bad battery and will post something here when i do.
and chico, i'll take the 14.4 if you don't want it.


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## earlgrey (Nov 13, 2009)

I've rebuilt quite a few batteries with just a soldering iron. The cells that are inside are sub-c or SC cells. Here is a really basic article outlining what is inside a power tool battery. http://toolbatt.com/anatomy.html if your thinking of rebuilding one. You need to be really careful not to heat up the cells to long as this can damage them. I like to hot glue all the cells together first also, this makes it much easier to work on. I don't rebuild them anymore though it is just as cheap to buy a good quality aftermarket one from someone like http://toolbatt.com
-Earl


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## BlankMan (Mar 21, 2009)

I tried it quite a while ago on two early B&D cordless drills that did not use battery packs. I got the batteries from Batteries Plus. After all the work and cost they didn't last long at all so I won't be attempting that again.

From my experience with RC cars and their NiCad battery packs to get the best performance you want to have matched cells, the characteristics of each individual cell being the same. Buying 12 cells out of a bin does not get you matched cells even when they're the same make an model. I have to think that the manufactures do this matching to some extent to get a decent product.

I too use DeWalt 14.4's, DeWalt sells a two-pack, usually in the $109-$119 range, I pick a couple up packs when they're on sale for $99. That brings them down to $50 a pop, right around what you spend on batteries alone to rebuild them.


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## SUPERDOG683 (Nov 3, 2009)

i think i can add a little to the discussion. i love to tinker. in fact i do more "fixit" than straight woodwork.

that little booklet on ebay for 7 bucks is not a rip-off. i bought it last yr. its not very good for fixing dead

batteries but it had some good over view info. on how to care for you batteries. and explains difference in

fair detail nicad and nimh lith, and one or two others. i forget now but one is real sensitive to cold and the

other sensitive to draining past 90%. as fare as fixing dead ones its a hasle, you need 2 or 3 strong fully

car batteries. in sequence. ie you have to take the battery out of 2-3 vehicles unless you have several sitting around the shop.
i tried straping 6 9volt batteries and just wasted 6 9 volts., you can also "shock the cell supply l;arge charge to the 1-2 individual dead cells. watch you dont get burned and wear full eye protection b/c the sparks
are nasty, and possiblity that cell will explode.
in general not worth it but i like to tinker. 
decide which tool you want and stick with it, buy one that uses same battery. i use ryobi 18volt

but for the guy with more bucks go with the rigid b/c free life time batteries. and although i love ryobi but
ridgid 24 volt will kick its ass.
the sawsaw and circle saw kill batteries fast.
i have like 10 drills 6 corded and 4 cordless 2 drill and 2 impact i dont like to change bits so i commonly use 4 drills all the time.
i have 10 batteries and number them so i always use and charge in seq. never take them down past 80%
never leave them in the cold for any extended period ie the truck or garage.

and try not to drop off the ladder ive lost a few this way. as i do alot of roof and gutter work.


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## earlgrey (Nov 13, 2009)

I've junked quite a few batts dropping them off of ladders too. They don't seem to like that!

Someone mentioned earlier about matching cells and that is absolutely true. If you don't match the cells they wont hold a charge for very long because the smart charger will stop charging when the first cell reaches capacity leaving the others only partialy charged.

-Earl


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## VA_Engineer (Dec 19, 2009)

I've rebuilt a couple 18v ryobi battery packs and seen much better power and life out of them than brand new ones. Its not that hard if you are confident with a soldering gun and a multimeter. It costs about $35 in batteries and tabs for me to do a ryobi which is worth it compared to $50 for a weaker stock battery. If a bunch of people want to see my process i could probably put a walkthrough together. I get all my batteries from all-batteries.com.

I have also done a bosch battery for my neighbor, it was more difficult because of how the connectors are setup. i haven't heard back from him on performance yet.


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## ScoutDad (Feb 22, 2010)

I send mine to this place to get rebuilt. So far they have built three packs for me with higher capacity batteries and its been about a year and there still working great.

http://www.batterybank.net/digital/powertools/


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## cabinetguy00 (Oct 23, 2010)

I have taken 14.4 volt dewalt batteries for several years to get rebuilt, they use 2000mah cells in your battery case that is screwed together, they have a one year warranty and run about $42.00 each. They test them prior to being rebuilt to make sure they are actually bad. They also check our chargers for proper output. Wholesale Batteries Inc. in Kansas City, Kansas. 800-886-8658. I will be taking 8 batteries next week for an overhaul but wont have any freight cost involved as they are local to me. 
We have over 12 drills and 6 impact drivers so by the $$$ it works for us.
I just dont want Dewalt to profit from new battery priced at over $70.00 plus tax and freight.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I've read a couple of articles on the rebuilding issue. Some are favorable some aren't.
I have 3, 14.4 v Dewalt drills, two are now junk-bad chuck on one, smoked the other. I was buying Dewalts because it was cheaper to buy the drill and two batteries than to buy 2 batteries to replace the ones that were bad. I have replaced these drills with other brands and when the last one croaks,I will replace it with something else…why…because their damn batteries are 75.00 a piece and frankly aren't any better than anyone elses. Dewalt needs to get a clue.


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## eReplacementParts (Mar 19, 2010)

We have some information on rebuilding these batteries, and we also have replacement batteries for DeWALT and many other brands so take your pick lol. www.eReplacementParts.com - "Sure some of you have heard of us "


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## woodman88 (Feb 24, 2011)

I have had many 18volt Dewalt and 12voltPC by VOLTMAN Batteries and I think they are much better than new, they hold a charge much longer


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## Resurrected (Jan 11, 2011)

Batteries Plus In OHIO

http://www.batteriesplus.com/

Had my dewalt rebuilt for I think 28 dollars and I am really satisfied. I could not buy new ones (that old) If you can get new ones, I'd just spend the extra cash and get a new one.


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

.One of the main reasons a drill battery dies before its time is because the user does not discharge it completely before putting it back on the charger. If your drill battery won't hold a charge, you can try to revive it.

Difficulty:EasyInstructions

1 
Discharge the drill battery completely. If it has any power left, use it until the drill completely dies. Drain the power only by using the drill, not by using a power resistor or shorting it out by placing it inside a microwave.

2 
Remove the drill battery and place it in your household freezer. Leave it inside for at least 24 hours.

3 
Take the battery out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for another 24 hours.

4 
Place the drill battery on the charger and see if it will reach a full charge. If it fails, the battery may be completely dead and will require replacement.

5 
Extend your drill battery's life by discharging it completely before charging again.

Read more: How to Revive a Drill Battery | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5513945_revive-drill-battery.html#ixzz1H0JnzgpV


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

Get your drill up and running again! Although your cordless drill battery no longer holds a charge, there may still be some life left in it. An 18-volt cordless drill battery pack can be revived using a process similar to jump-starting a dead car battery. This process should only be performed on Nickel Cadmium (Nicad) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs.

Difficulty:ChallengingInstructions
things you'll need:
12-volt power source
1 link black 14-gauge wire
1 link red 14-gauge wire
Small red and black alligator clamps
Safety glasses
Insulated gloves
Long sleeve shirt
Needle-nose pliers
Small container
Volt meter

1 
Test your dead cordless drill battery pack using the volt meter to verify which lead in your battery case is negative and which is positive. Clearly mark which point is positive and which is negative on the battery case to ease the difficulty of later reassembly.

2 
Use a small screwdriver to open the drill battery case. Watch out for the spring inside of the case because it tends to pop out and can easily get lost. Save the screws and spring by placing them in a small container.

3 
Lift off the top of the cordless drill battery case to expose the inner battery cells. These cells will look like a grouping of C batteries that are joined together in one link.

4 
Remove the battery cells from within the bottom of the drill casing. These will come out as one unit as they are banded or shrink-wrapped together.

5 
Locate the point where the wires run from the terminal piece down through the silver cardboard insulator. The terminal piece should be black or silver and located on top of the silver cardboard insulation, with the batteries beneath the cardboard. Mark the silver cardboard insulator at the exact point where the wires pass through the silver cardboard insulation. Again, this will make it easier to reassemble.

6 
Release the terminal piece from the silver cardboard insulation using needle-nose pliers. Take care not to let the terminal wires touch or cross during this process as you are at risk for electrical shock or even an explosion. Set the terminal piece aside along with the battery case screws and spring.

7 
Note the exposed metal band on the side of the battery pack. It is important to insulate this band with electrical tape prior to starting the process. This metal piece will be hot during the reconditioning process and insulating it with electrical tape will protect you from injury.

8 
Remove the silver insulation piece that covers the top of the rechargeable battery cells. Place this piece aside to be used in reassembly.

9 
Remove any plastic covering from the top section of the battery pack so you can access both the the top and bottom of the rechargeable battery leads.

10 
Turn on the volt meter and set it to a reading of two volts. Check each individual battery cell and mark each battery cell that gives a reading of zero or negative. These will be the cells that will need to be reconditioned.

11 
Prepare your external 12-volt power source, including alligator clamps, for the reconditioning process. Protect your hands, eyes and skin with protective clothing and safety gear during this potentially hazardous process.

12

Learn to revive your drill battery.
batterie image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com Locate the positive and negative ends of the first battery to be reconditioned. The positive end will be raised and the negative ends will be flat.

13 
From the 12-volt source, hold the black alligator clamp to the negative end of the battery and the red alligator clamp to the positive end for two seconds.

14 
Release the clamps and use a battery test to see if the battery has been fully charged. Repeat the process if necessary. The rechargeable battery cell can be zapped up to 10 times. Continue reconditioning the remaining batteries.

15 
Reassemble the battery pack.

Read more: How to Revive an 18V Drill Battery | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6053443_revive-18v-drill-battery.html#ixzz1H0KNWoeO


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

Nicad batteries often die in such a way that they won't take a charge and have zero voltage. This usually means they're shorted out by crystal dendrite growth.

Here's a method of bringing them back to life by zapping those shorted crystal dendrites away with too much current and/or voltage. We'll use a welder as a power source. You could also use a car battery, a DC powersupply, or almost anything with some voltage. Charged-up capacitors are popular for this because you can get a very fast pulse out of them and still limit the power. it's a lot safer that way. Speaking of which,

WARNING:
If you get killed by a poisonous explosion it means you did something wrong.
Electrocution is a real possibility also. 
Ask your parents how to not electrocute yourself with a welder.

If your tool has a non-battery problem, here's how to fix that.

Watch the video and see how zapping is done. 
Excellent stills and video shot by Fungusamungus 
Excellent Video editing by Noahw

Instructables TV Vol 1.mov6 MB

Remove these ads by Signing Up.

Step 1Gather Your Materials

image not found

i«

You'll need:

Dead Nicad batteries 
Nicad battery charger 
Multimeter 
Voltage source - we'll use a welder 
insulated gloves 
safety goggles
« Previous Step To Download the PDF or View All Steps, 
Become a Pro Member » Next Step » 
158 comments Add Comment

1-40 of 158 next » 
..Mar 16, 2011. 6:22 PMCLIFTON23708 says: 
IT WORKS!!!! I have an 18 volt Dewalt Drill. Both batteries were dead! I saved them for future trade in as a core exchange, for rebuilt ones. I bought cheap ($85) China replacements. Checked polarity with a volt meter on good one, marked positive side with a pencil, alligator clipped the terminal, and used a car battery charger on "Boost"! Positive to positive, negative to negative. THANKS FOR THIS GREAT INSTRUCTABLE! I could've saved$$$, if I had tried this before buying the replacements!Reply.
2Mar 7, 2011. 2:27 PMEARTHFORSOLAR says: 
Fun video!! very good thanks, 
DavidReply.Sep 1, 2010. 1:07 PMmnagrovemama says: 
I've got a couple of Black & Decker VersaPak batteries (long, tubular, contact only on one end). They are nickel cadmium and say "VP100 Type 2, 3.6 V DC" on them. How can I "zap" these? They are really hard to find anymore so I would really like to be able to "revive" these.Reply.Feb 13, 2011. 6:57 PMdsandds2003 says: 
You can also ZAP these with a car battery charger as well. Or i have found them on e-bay as well as Fleet Farm. 
I have ZAPED a couple of the bad batteries like this… However i did it a little different. I reversed the the polarity and just touched the terminals 4 to 5 times then placed them in the charger and they haved worked LIKE NEW for about 6 mo. now.Reply.Sep 3, 2010. 12:17 PMusafa92 says: 
I've got the same. I'm going to try this next week if I can find my battery pack.Reply.Jan 21, 2011. 3:12 PMbigdman1 says: 
I had some Ridgid 18V batteries that sat in my garage for over a year because I got out of the building trade and didn't use them anymore. When I went to charge them for use again, they would not take a charge period. The charger flashed the lights indicating battery packs were faulty. I gave up on them, and due to the price of new ones, I was ready to sell off my whole set of Ridgid tools. I ran across some info on someone doing what this site suggested, came here and got the skinny on the method. I tried it using my car battery charger on the jump start mode which put out 14 Volts. I figured that was probably a bit low, but did it anyways. It worked beautifully, I know have 2 batteries that have been charged and re-charged 2 times. This method works people! 
Thanks to the author of this info!Reply.Apr 29, 2009. 12:01 AMdnlgreenwood says: 
my laptop has a couple of almost D sized nicad batteries inside the battery. my battery life has diminished over the years and i was wondering if maybe i could try this trick on it. but if it i don't know it will work for sure, i wont do it. i don't want to damage my battery. so… has any1 tried this on laptop nicad batteries?Reply.Aug 8, 2010. 11:28 PMCybot Rules says: 
it will work on any nicad battery, just check the voltage they should be at and hit them with double that. also i would disconnect them from the logic board to prevent damaging it Reply.
1Jan 20, 2010. 6:27 PMiwillcarveyourface says: 
batteries are not supposed to be charged by welders.it is not safe to do that as bateries can explode if to much current is supplyed.with in this case way to much current is.Reply.Jul 17, 2010. 12:18 AMwhiplash says: 
this trick is used to get rid of the crystal dendrite not to recharge the batteryReply.Sep 22, 2008. 10:59 PMgilmo1938 says: 
I've had a set of "useless" tools for about 3 yrs! till I ran across this site. I used the battery charger method and "zapped" one of my 14.4 batteries. O M G!!!!!! it worked, I just finished blinding myself when I tried to see if my flashlight would work after the zapping. I will zap my other bat when I get off duty Wednesday. I just want to say thank you for being different! Reply.Mar 12, 2010. 7:24 PMpluckyduck says: 
I just tried this using a car battery charger that can do manual charging at 2 or 10 volts. I didn't think it would work on a 14.4 battery pack but after about 30 taps at 10 volts the battery now takes a proper charge. This is awesome, I will now have about 20 batteries! I have been buying "functional" ones of ebay for years and they never lasted longer than a year or so before failing.
Reply.Jun 13, 2009. 6:42 AMmtwcbear says: 
Can you tell me which terminal is pos and which is neg on a black & decker 14.4 volt batt?? Thanks.Reply.
6Aug 8, 2009. 6:27 PMlilpepsikraker says: 
Check with a multimeter. Mine costed $6 at a Ham Radio meeting/festival a few years ago. It's a GB Instruments, and it sure the hell is better than my dad's craftsman multimeter. Sometimes you get more for what you pay.Reply.
1Feb 9, 2010. 7:55 PMCaptainChrisso says: 
This method works, so far… I revived several of my Boss's ni-cad tools, to be exact: several RYOBI Plus batteries, and a VHF Marine radio. The grin on his face was worth it, and who really cares about how long the batteries last..(post defibrilation) the fact that they work at all has made the lasting impression.

Followed the directions exactly , which is kind of rare of me.

This post was so cool, it was the deciding factor for me getting a membership to the site. Thank you everybody, I feel like I'm at home, like this place - 
Chris
Reply.May 3, 2009. 1:01 PMuncmartin05 says: 
I HAVE A 19.2 CRAFTSMAN THE BATTERY HAS 4 PRONGS SO WHITCH IS POSITIVE AND WHITCH IS NEG.Reply.
1Jan 21, 2010. 8:10 PMtazmaniac37752 says: 
their should only be one negative those others are probably positives for different voltages so the drill can be variable speed a resisytor on 19 volts would probably get fairly hot!Reply.
3May 26, 2009. 8:36 PMReCreate says:

Reply.
16May 27, 2009. 10:07 AMArbitror says: 
LOL! that's awesome!Reply.
3May 27, 2009. 10:36 AMReCreate says: 
Haha,Yeah.Reply.
7May 25, 2009. 8:30 PMtravis7s says: 
If there is no markings you can use a voltmeter to see.Reply.May 18, 2009. 4:58 PMjrivera says: 
i want to know the answer to that one too. i have 3 craftsman batterys that has the four proungs..Reply.
5May 26, 2009. 2:16 PMdombeef says: 
Well for a start the third one is groundReply.
6Jun 7, 2009. 10:14 PMstrmrnnr says: 
Since with DC (-) is the ground, I would have to say the craftman batteries are likely made of two cell wired together inside the drill housing. Two positive, two negative.Reply.
5Jun 8, 2009. 11:32 AMdombeef says: 
Oh okReply.
3Dec 22, 2009. 9:55 PMnedfunnell says: 
I did this today and it worked great.Reply.Oct 9, 2009. 9:17 PMtemp says: 
What type of hat are you wearing? It looks very interesting and peculiar. Reply.Jan 7, 2009. 9:04 AMtinman19 says: 
What does anyone think if I used a battery charger (auto, and small tractor charger)?Reply.Jan 14, 2009. 2:03 PMfruttenboel says: 
I use a benchtop power supply (0-30 Volts) for zapping single or twin NiCd cells. A 12 Volt batterypack would need around 30 Volts, as was shown in the video. Truck batteries predominantly are 24 Volts (in Europe) and the accompanying chargers deliver close to 30 Volts. That would be an option All other options tend to be dangerous…Reply.
3Sep 27, 2009. 12:32 PMjdtwelve12 says: 
I'm wondering if anyone can offer a rule of thumb on how many volts DC one needs to apply to zap variously rated batteries. My dead drill claims 9.5V on its battery pack. Does that mean I should hit it with about 20 volts? What about appropriate ranges for current, or is that irrelevant?Reply.
3Sep 27, 2009. 1:26 PMjdtwelve12 says: 
Er, 9.6V, that is.Reply.Sep 22, 2009. 6:15 PMmrfuesselthepyro says: 
Did Mr. Lynn's battery happen to be from an airsoft gun?Reply.Aug 23, 2009. 12:23 PMchrisShrews says: 
can this be done with kids power wheels 12v batteries. if so thank u , if not is there a wayReply.Sep 20, 2009. 11:01 PMKellySD says: 
Hey There, I believe this can be done with any battery that has lost power after a charge. They seem dead…. They are not. Try using a short peice of wire to touch the positive terminal to the negative terminal causing a spark. 2 sparks may do the trick. If not it sounds like you need to get a power source that is double your battery voltage and "ZAP" the battery back to life! Positive to positive and negative to negative. Brief touches of both contacts at the same time shock crystals that build up in the batteries internal lead and acid. SO you will wear "smart clothes and eye protection". Good Luck.Reply.Sep 14, 2009. 9:26 PMmobilln2 says: 
In the youtube video there were some objects in the background that looked like rocket nosecones, were they? Do you make them or purchase them?Reply.
11Jul 23, 2009. 9:30 AMimshanedulong says: 
Cool! How much are those welders BTW?Reply.
16May 27, 2009. 10:07 AMArbitror says: 
Am I able to use the Instructables TV video bug in my videos? Or is the staff only allowed to use it? Cuz' I was making an instructables Robot video bug, but then I saw this, and wanted to use it.
Reply.
223May 27, 2009. 11:56 AMTimAnderson (author) says: 
embed at will!Reply.
16May 27, 2009. 12:40 PMArbitror says: 
Thanks! Could you supply me with the pure image?Reply.
16Jun 23, 2009. 10:13 PMArbitror says: 
Could ya?Reply.1-40 of 158 next » 
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223Author:TimAnderson
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Related: battery, welder, instructables tv, rechargable, drill, dendrite, dead battery, charger, nicad, video
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## purpleheartwoods (May 16, 2011)

I just had some batteries rebuilt they turned out awesome four Dewalts 18 volt, 2/ 24 volt Dewalts &
3 /18 volt Milwaukees. They are better then the original Batteries. The Company I used was Hoffas Batteries
there web site is www.hoffasbatteries.com 
they also have a Toll Free number it is 1-866-964-6332 Just ask for John He is awesome & he knows his Business.
The other thing that cought my eye with them is that they use Sanyo Batteries no Chinese batteries..
the cells he used was a Sanyo 2400mAH with new thermistors so this battery was better then new.


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## DewaltDan (May 30, 2011)

I have 8 Dewalt batteries that are dead. I searched the internet and found a bunch of sites. I sent one battery to freedombatteryrebuilds.com. It was rebuilt with high capacity batteries that so far are giving me more run time than the originals. I am going to use it for another month or two before I send any more. So far I am impressed. I heard a lot of horror stories.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

I did a battery rebuild review here:

http://lumberjocks.com/C_PLUS_Woodworker/reviews


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## Idonno (Sep 3, 2011)

I've Been in the same boat as a lot of you. I tried my local battery store (Batteries Plus) and

was very dissatisfied with the price and results. Their rebuild lasted only 6

months.

Since I own a lot of Dewalt cordless tools (7-18v + 3-12v + 1-7.2v) I had a lot

of batteries in various conditions (most Poor).

A couple of times I bought the 18v XRP 2-pack which is a pretty good deal,

About $60 apiece with tax and/or shipping.

Unfortunately you will probably not find any good deals with dewalt's smaller

batteries. The average price for one 12v XRP is $65

I bought 2-12v XRP's on sale at Home Depot for $126 (W/Tax) only to go over to

Lowes and find the 12v Heavy-Duty XRP Drill W/charger and 2-12v XRP's on sale

for $99. So of course I bought it and returned the batteries to Home Depot and

now I have 2- 12v Heavy-Duty XRP Drills when all I needed was batteries!

With only 2-18v, 2-12v and no 7.2v in top notch condition I decided to find a

better more cost effective way than buying more battery packs or shoddy

rebuilds all the time.

So after allot of Internet research this it what I found:

Trying to revitalize batteries (without rebuilding) isn't worth the time, at

best it's a very short term fix and not a very good one at that.

Just replacing that one or two bad cells isn't a good option either. Because if

you've had the battery pack for any length of time the other cells won't be far

behind and if you haven't it's most likely under warranty. Send it back!

If you do decide to go the rebuild route, your battery pack must be the kind

that have screws to hold the top and bottom together. Some times Dewalt's new

tools come with the glued type, although not usually.

The best way to rebuild a battery is with a battery tab welder (Capacitive

Discharge welder / CD welder). You can buy a cheap new one for a mere $10,000 -

$14,000 or you might be able to find a cheap used one on eBay for around

$5,000. CD welder's aka battery tab welder's are what all good professionals

use, they weld the battery tab to the battery without generating damaging heat

to the rest of the battery. If you are up to the task you could actually make

your own CD welder for about $200! I actually gave this serious consideration.

Heat Kills Batteries!! So if you decide to solder them like I finally did keep

this in mind.

The first thing you will need is a fairly high powered soldering iron/gun so

you can heat up the spot you need to solder fast without heating up the rest of

the battery. I bought the "Craftsman Professional Dual Heat Soldering Gun" for

$60 from sears. It's 400/150 watts, has a rated soldering temp. of 1000 deg.F.

and works better/faster than any Weller gun I've ever owned.

Here's the link: http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00927320000P?

sid=commcraftsmanproductpg

The next thing you'll need are reasonably priced / quality supplies. They can

be bought here: http://www.voltmanbatteries.com/servlet/the-NICD-fdsh-NIMH-

CELLS/Categories I'd like to add here that by no means am I pushing anyone's

products. This is just what I used after a lot of research and maybe it can

save someone else some time and headaches. If you can do better by all means go

for it! That said I've found all of Volt-Man's products to be great quality and

very reasonably priced. Plus if you have a problem/Question you can call and

speak to a knowledgeable (American) person since they also rebuild batteries on

site.

Keep in mind, I can only speak for Dewalt Battery packs since they are the only

ones I have rebuilt but as far as I know they are all similar.

All Dewalt's XR and XRP packs use "SUB-C" type batteries. The non-XR/XRP

Battery packs are noticeably shorter and use "4/5 SUB-C" type batteries.

I used these: "SUB-C 2100MAH NICD BATTERY $1.88" and "4/5 SHORT SUB-C 1300MAH

NICD BATTERY $1.88" (all with tabs) These are all 1.2v batteries so if you

divide the (volt) size of your battery pack by 1.2 that is how many batteries

you will need.

Some other things you might need are "THERMISTOR FOR DEWALT & MILWAUKEE" Each

pack has one and from what I understand they rarely go bad but for an

additional $2 it might not be a bad idea to have one just in case. I bought

two, rebuilt 12 batteries and didn't have to use them. Up to you.

And "FISHPAPER STICKER 50) PIECE STRIP" $10. Kind of allot (50 pieces). This I

didn't buy and I kind of wish I did. However I wouldn't buy it for just a

couple of battery packs. Dewalt packs have this sticky thick paper covering

both the top and bottom of the batteries (one piece top, one piece bottom) and

its a real pain to pry off the bottom without damaging either the paper or the

battery tabs. I had to use a wood chisel. Keep in mind that you want to keep

the tabs intact so you can copy the connections.

Anyway to actually rebuild:

Open the pack and pry the batteries out of the bottom of the pack

Pull the paper from the bottom of batteries

Put new batteries in the bottom plastic casing (to keep shape, you will flip

them over later) and copy the pattern of both the tab and +/- layout of the

bottom of the old batteries. Trim tabs (where necessary) with common household

scissors and solder tab to tab only, not tab to battery (Keeps battery heat

low).

Put sticky paper on newly soldered batteries, carefully remove new batteries

from bottom plastic case and flip over so unsoldered side of batteries is on

top.

The top is the hardest. Remove the sticky paper from the old top and line up

tabs on the new batteries. you will have to fold the tabs so they go in the

right direction and solder, all but the top battery that slides into the tool

handle.

This last (top) battery is kind of a bitch and if you screw just one thing up

this will be it. First you have to get that plug off the old (top) battery. A

reasonable tap with a wood chisel where the plug is welded to the battery

worked well for me.

Now for the new top battery. Cut away paper battery covering where thermistor

connects, pull off the top tab and prep all solder points on battery (top plug

and Thermistor) and top plug by lightly sanding to rough up.

Pre-solder all prepped spots before actually soldering any thing together. Do

this as fast as possible so you don't heat up the battery to much. Let cool

then actually solder everything together.

Replace paper and screw case together. FINISHED!

Note: be careful not to get to much solder build-up or you might have a hard

time closing the cases with the paper installed. I rebuilt about 12 batteries

and had to leave some of the paper out. If you have this problem double-sided

carpet tape is a good alternative.

This has worked great for me as a much cheaper alternative to buying new

batteries and all 12 of my rebuilds are as good as if not better than the

original battery packs! One year later and still going strong!

I hope this post helps.


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## prairieland (Oct 2, 2011)

Are there factory rebuilt dewalt baateries?

It seems to me that if you can't get a cheap new battery, you may as well buy a new complete tool set up…

Matthew B Klein
Tiffin, Iowa


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## Idonno (Sep 3, 2011)

prairieland said:
Are there factory rebuilt dewalt batteries?

As far as I know, No there isn't and as long as your tool is in good condition rebuilding your batteries is by far the cheapest way to go, even when using top quality parts you will still save lots of money.

Just so you can see just how cheap this works out to here are some costs. These costs don't include the $2 Thermistor (that you probably won't need) or the fish paper that while nice, it isn't absolutely necessary. These prices also don't include S&H for the batteries I bought mine from voltmanbatteries.com but their S&H was reasonable and only a small part of my final costs.

7.2v = $11.28, 9.6v = $15.04, 12v = $18.80, 14.4v = $22.56, 18v = $28.20, 24v = $37.60, 36v = $56.40


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Your questions, answered:

(I have 5 Panasonic 12v drills.)

I have had several batteries rebuilt by these folks with excellent results. Discounts when you send several; see description. Highly recommended, very quick turnaround.

It's a good value by my math.

I scribe the date of purchase and the date of rebuild on the case. Continued success.

Kindly,

Lee


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

I just replied to another thread on batteries. I saved this on Favorites as I have one Ryobi battery that won't take a charge. I do have a auto battery charger.


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## Idonno (Sep 3, 2011)

Looks like the link I posted in my first post for voltman batteries doesn't work so here it is again: http://www.voltmanbatteries.com/servlet/the-NICD-fdsh-NIMH-CELLS/Categories

There is no reason a rebuilt battery cant preform just as good or better than the original if good components are used. You just cant load it full of crap and expect it not to stink!

Rebuilding your batteries yourself will definitely save you the most money but, if you don't feel comfortable with that a quality re-builder will still save you some cash.


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## tinman394 (Apr 9, 2012)

I haven't read all the replies but instead of rebuilding, try rejuvenating… doesn't work on lithium. I have done this at it works…. and I didn't kill myself in the process… ;-)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Revive-Nicad-Batteries-by-Zapping-with-a-Welder/


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## Idonno (Sep 3, 2011)

Yea, "tinman394" That can work if you haven't used your batteries normal lifespan and your problem is crystal dendrite growth. It can be a little dangerous, however if you take proper safety precautions and you aren't satisfied that your batteries have reached the end of their usable life span I still think it's worth a shot.

But if you have been using original batteries from a quality OEM manufacturer like Dewalt, Porter Cable, Milwaukee, etc. and they are 6yrs old and won't hold a charge for more than 15min., It's time to rebuild or replace them.


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## V31JoePalooka (Apr 11, 2012)

For dead rechargeable batteries, I buy one that is similar at Harbor Freight, disassemble both, put the new cells in the old case. Sometimes I have to solder in a wire or a tab to change polarity or like a 14.4 Volt battery, I only used 12 of the cells from the 18Volt battery I bought which only cost $14.99, plus tax. I have done this with several batteries now. Cheaper then original replacement batteries and cheaper then the individual replacements.


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## Goss (Apr 6, 2012)

I bought the "Fix any Power Tool Battery Guide" download off ebay. It's an interesting read with lots of theory about zapping crystals, but you needed this battery for this and another battery for that so I never bothered with it. Apparently, once you've zapped the crystals and returned your battery to "as new" condition, it doesn't stay in "as new" condition for very long.
FWIW it says the middle battery in the cluster is that one that normally fails first because of heat.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

i recently posted this review....


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Try this link http://www.instructables.com/id/Revive-Nicad-Batteries-by-Zapping-with-a-Welder/, I have two 14.4 volt dws dead and I.m going to try it. Heard a lot of good things about it. Just be sure to use welder voltage in the neighborhood of 30v or so. Do it quickly and it works well. The problem is sulphate dendrites prevent cuarging. The high current (relatively) dissolves them and the battery is good to go. If I get it done before anyone else, I'll let ya'll know.

Steve


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## ScoutDad (Feb 22, 2010)

Great info Idonno. My neighbor had a couple of dead Craftsmans and he was throwing them out. I told him about getting them rebuilt and he told me to take them,they were mine if I wanted. He said he was upgrading to the Lithium batteries. I decided to get some battery cells and do the rebuild myself so I called and got prices from Voltman and then called the people I used before. I told them that I was a customer in the past and they gave me a really great deal on some high capacity cells. You just have to remember that you will need them to weld tabs on for you. Just let them know and they will put them on at no charge. At least they didn't charge me for them. I got the package in about 3 days and it took me about 30 minutes per battery pack to do it myself. I dont know if it was worth it. After I added up the cost of the batteries and how long it took me, I think I'll have them rebuild them next time. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Now I have a couple more drills in the stable. Oh, the name of the company is The Battery Bank and here is the link DRILL BATTERIES


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