pmd Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Ok - I am a building contractor and go thru cordless drill batteries every couple of years. Right now I have like 6 sets of cordless drills with dead batteries - Porter Cable 8620, 8720,P, 8723, and a few older sets of Makita drills and saws. New replacement batteries are expensive - like $55-$70 ea. I did a search and see that one can revive NiCd batteries with a welder. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to try this - but don't want the battery to blow up. Thoughts? Thanks. Paul Here's a link http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2006/12/how_to_revive_d.html http://www.instructables.com/id/Revive-Nic...-with-a-Welder/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolduckboy Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Do it. Might as well, if it doesn't work on one then i guess don't do it again. That video is really informational on how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10mmdave Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Please take a video like the guy shown for posting later....I want to see how far you jump on that first spark Basicly he's using the welder as a quick charger, the proof will be if the batts last as long (or close to as long) as you'd like. It is a neat site though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmd Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Well I was too chicken to use the welder - so tried it with a car battery charger in the engine starter position. Sa far it looks good - I did zap as per the blog to four of the 14.4 Porter Cable batteries. Prior to this test two of the batteries would not hold any charge and showed just a couple volts. The other two batteries indicated "weak battery" on the charger and both were around 5-6volts. After zapping all four showed about 16volts. I inserted two batteries into two of the chargers - both showed a solid green light which indicates "fast charging" which is good. I'll let these charge overnight and see if they work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKSNIPER Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Drat! I was waiting for you to say: "Hey y'all....watch THIS!" JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Deegan Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 (edited) We used to charge our old crane with a linc 200 amp. but you had to turn it wayyyy down else the water would boil. BE VERY CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!!! It can be like using ether to set a tire bead... good stuff if you know what you are doing... not so good if you dont. Edited November 21, 2008 by Ed Deegan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledge Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 If it doesn't end up working out, there is a business local here that rebuilds cordless power tool batteries for less money than what a replacement costs, and people have reported good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineshootah Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 If it doesn't end up working out, there is a business local here that rebuilds cordless power tool batteries for less money than what a replacement costs, and people have reported good results. I have used them for a few different tools. Good service and a great product. Ledge, you talking about the place next to Green Tea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledge Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Ayuh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Look for a Batteries Plus. They can rebuild batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy_fuentes Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Let me know how your experiment turns out. I have a Milwaukee 18v hammer drill with three dead batteries. The batteries are almost $100 each at Lowe's. I went and bought a new Makita 18 v drill with two batteries for a hair difference in replacing a battery. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 FWIW, rechargeable batteries are the biggest rip off going. You pay several times the cost of materials for proprietary housing and a rechargeable battery. Power tools, laptop computers, you name it. If you open one of those things up, what you find are readily available rechargeable batteries that can be replaced at a relative low cost. But will they make it easy for you to replace them? Hell no - you have to nearly destroy the casing to get at the battery. Free yourself from the tyranny of cordless and get something with an electrical cord. This message brought to you by the Electrical Cord Manufacturers Association. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpeltier Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I used Dewalt's for a few years in my cabinet shop. The batteries were the weak link in the Dewalts. I finally replaced them with the Ridgid 18v from Home depot. Lifetime warranty, including free battery replacement. Hard deal to beat and they have a better balance in the hand than a Dewalt. My problems with batteries by Dewalt were not always the charge, they often would break off the locking tabs and were then useless. But I use mine a whole bunch more than average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmd Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 Well I used one of the 14.4 drills today and to my amazement the drill actually worked well and the battery felt strong. I tried two 12v batteries and they did not hold a charge - I've got a co-worker w/ the same set-up so I'll try his charger to be sure. I am not sure if this is a fluke - but it actually seems to work (for now..). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I am SO going to be trying this tonight. I've got a shelf full of "dead" NiCd batteries. In fact, I recently bought a LIon kit because I was so fed up w/ the dead NiCds. Oh well, maybe now I'll have two working kits. If you don't hear back from me, someone please come get my body out of my garage and feed my dog. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 ...In fact, I recently bought a LIon kit because I was so fed up w/ the dead NiCds. ..... Thanks, So did I. One battery is going strong (6 months with 15 min. of use, total) and the other will not take a charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I'll try zapping mine also. We used to do this with the RC car battery packs. They have a machine that zaps the individual cells with around 50 volts or so and it does make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yardbird Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 I have a Ryobi 18v circular saw with two batteries. One of the batteries had become useless, it would read 11 volts on my multimeter and would barely spin the blade even after charging. I just gave it 6 or 7 hits from my welder and it now reads 21 volts and drives the saw like it was new. AWESOME! Great trick, looks like it worked for me. Thank you pmd for asking the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Ok, I tried it this weekend and on the positive side I lived through it, but my test battery still won't take a charge. Maybe I did something wrong, maybe the pack I tried was too far gone, don't know. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I took a 9.6V DeWalt NiCad pack that would only charge to 6.6 V and hit it with a DC power supply set for 28 VDc and limited about 5 amps or so. One or two sparks and then it stopped drawing a lot of current. I put it back on the charger and when the thing stopped the open circuit voltage was back to 9.6V. I have no idea how long the charge will last. (I am currently in active avoidance of HoneyDews and do not want to give anyone any ideas ). I will report back when covert testing is complete... Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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