How to turn your outdated NiCd tool batteries into powerful Li-ion ones!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มี.ค. 2023
- Prototype PCB Assembly - 30$ for 20pcs PCBA www.pcbway.com/setinvite.aspx...
In this video, I'm going to show you how to upgrade your old NiCd/NiMh tool batteries to powerful Li-ion ones by using salvaged 18650 battery cells from old laptops. With this simple conversion, you can unlock the true potential of your cordless tools and get more power and longer run time.
I'll guide you through the conversion process, so you can easily convert your batteries. You'll learn how to swap your outdated NiCd batteries for high-performance Li-ion ones, and get the most out of your tools without breaking the bank.
Below is everything that you might need for this conversion:
18650 battery cells - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlR...
4S BMS - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeU...
16.8V charger - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBL...
Spot welder - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmI...
Soldering iron - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DCd...
Multimeter - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DD1...
Wire snips - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBF...
Wire stripper - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dcy...
Screwdriver pen - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDq...
The written instructions can be found over at Instructables:
www.instructables.com/Drill-B...
Website article: www.tastethecode.com/drill-ba...
Support my work on Patreon so I can continue producing free content and tutorials!
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My recording gear:
Canon M50 Mark ii - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ALp9Sp
Samsung A71 - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dX2...
SJ400 Action camera - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ssJRaL
USB Condenser Microphone - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_sMcKML
Tripod - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_stDAGL
Phone tripod mount - s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_s9WaiJ
How to turn your outdated NiCd tool batteries into powerful Li-ion ones!
#battery #NiCd #li-ion #18650 #tastethecode
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I love how you don't explain a single thing you're doing. Very educational.
😅 well I think that all of the actions are quite self-explanatory... Any specific questions?
Great video nice and simple. Well done!!!
Thank you!
I wouldn't suggest using laptop cells for power tool batteries. The 22F is the perfect example of your typical laptop cell. 2200mAh capacity, max continuous discharge is 2C so 4.4A. Obviously you don't want to push your cells at 100% of their rating due to voltage sag even though this isn't a continuous use application. I would definitely go with cells that have at least a 10A rating for the least powerful power tools. If the battery is going to be used in something that is a real hog, definitely stick with cells that have a 20-30A rating. Molicel's are always a great choice. Samsung 25R, 20S, 30T, 40T, LG has several high discharge cells like the HG2 and HE2/HE4, Sony has several in the VTC series, for EVE I can recommend the 20P or 25P. BAK and Lishen also make good cells.
Edit: Its so refreshing to see someone has had the forethought to leave the nickel strips on the paralleled cells. They were born together so might as well leave them together. And in your case made it much easier for you to assemble the pack. But that tab you broke off the last pair...thats the tab for the balance wire.
I'm also baffled by the uninsulated wire. Definitely a few major no no's in here that you're gonna get jumped on for.
Hey, thanks for the great tips. Unfortunately, I do not have access to new cells because there is such a small demand for them where I live that no one is actually selling them. 😞 And yes, the original strips are a life saver. I also can't understand why people tear them when the battery couple is still good.
The wire that you mention can definitely be isolated, but then again, their is nothing that it can short against to cause any issue. The last balance tab is the same as the last connector on the BMS so I soldered the wire directly in the middle so it can theoretically drain from both the cells equally.
As a last note, since the cells are in parallel, the current will be shared between and this improves the current rating a bit but I agree that when possible, suitable rated cells are the way to go.
Again, thanks for the tips and your time! 👍👍👍
Smart and informative comment. All while keeping the snarkiness to an acceptable level. Thanks.
I would think that even the least rated 18650 cells would exceed the original capacity or rating of the original NiCad, whether as a whole pack or maybe even individually.
My problem is that nearly every old laptop battery I've gotten hold of was junk, maybe one or two cells that were still good out of about 20 that I cut apart.
I would suppose that like myself, no one throws away a laptop or battery that's still working. My current laptop, now a year old already needed a new battery, not a single cell inside was usable. Since a new battery was only $12, I highly doubt they're using very high quality cells either.
The biggest issue I see in converting an old NiCad pack is getting the thing open,
nearly every one that I've got is sealed closed, short of sawing the bottom off or spending hours trying to carefully cut through the plastic without compromising the physical shape of the case there's no good way to get to the inside.
I did convert a few older 7.2v and 9,6v Makita drills with stick batteries to run loose 18650 cells, I simply slide them out and recharge them in a regular charger when needed. Its worked well for a few years now but I've got a box of Dewalt 14,4 and 9.6v Snap on tools that need a solution as well.
In my case, most of the batteries I have opened only have one bad pair so I can usually salvage 4 cells. Also, over never come across a sealed tool battery. They all have screws and can be easily opened.
Wire in parallel for more amps. Most tools run in bursts so not a big deal for most uses.
hi, brilliant video i want to do exactly what you,ve done with my 18v dewalt drill but using a 5s bms could i still use my dewalt charger. thanks .
It really depends on the charger. Usually they are not happy with Lithium batteries. It is best if you can use a dedicated charger and maybe adapt it to fit the connector.
great video. I have you plug and play older Bosch 18v batteries. do you hire your services to revamp these batteries for people? thank you.
No, not really. I mostly help out friends.
Get a group that is close, use the bms sized for the correct amps. Use a charger that is designed for lithium ion. I find usbC to be awsome for this as it can autorange 3.6V 7.2V 12V and 20V ❤
👍👍👍
What's the board used for.?? can I use 3 Li batteries to get 12 V with no board attached??
That board is a Battery Management System (BMS) that protects the batteries from overcharging and cuts off the output once they reach their empty voltage level. You can get the 12V that you need without it, but you risk damaging the cells.
Great project!
Why do you use so much flux?
One can simply never have enough flux 😂😂😂 Jokes aside, flux makes all solder joins better.
@@TasteTheCode It does make joints better but quarter of the amount you are using should be enough and less to wipe away after to prevent corrosion on boards and components.
I did this with my Dirt Devel Dust + Vac recently. NiCd batteries sucks and I had several of last year's vape batteries laying around. After modifying the case and making an appropriate charging solution It constantly has more power and instead of only lasting the factory 7 minutes I can vacuum for around 2 weeks before recharging ( I'm assuming 2+ hours per charge now).
Nice! I have never seen such a modification done with vape batteries. I'm not sure how they handle high current consumption. Do they get hot while using them?
Yup definitely worth it for those.
Wouldn’t the low voltage cutoff be different between the two battery types?
It is different but the old one did not had a BMS, it was just run flat every time. The BMS I've put inside the battery will now make sure that they are never run under a certain voltage.
@@TasteTheCode thank you for the reply once taking it apart and realized they were nicd batteries and was like instantly why not stack lithium in here and went straight to the trust worthy TH-cam, I just skimmed the video was planning watching on repeat while doing it, thank you
Yeah, should be fairly easy. Just make sure not to short them out and you should be good!
I heard that as Butter management system
Hahhhaha, I must have been hungry while recording.
40 amp BMS? Is it enough for such a high-watt low-voltage tool?
Yes, seems to work fine. These drills usually use ~200W of power and at 14V that equals to ~14A. Even at 500W it only goes up to ~35A.
@@TasteTheCode I assume it is indeed drill specific. I'm converting to lithium an old Bosch PSR 14.4. According to specs the maximum wattage is 850 and with a 4s battery, it seems I must consider a minimum voltage of 12V. = 70A
Yes, true that. Although with lower voltage, the general power output will be less than at full voltage. The batteries will not output more current as they get discharged.
@@TasteTheCode Good point
I like your video but it would be nice if you could could do a speaking tutorial in normal motion for dummies like me who want to do this to their batteries
Thanks, I'll keep this in mind for next one.
How are you charging the new pack?
At first with my bench power supply but then I bought a dedicated charger and installed a DC jack to the battery for it that connects to the battery terminals.
@@TasteTheCode Can you charge this new Li-Ion battery with the original NICd charger?
Usually not. Depending on the charger, sometimes you might but a dedicated li-ion charger is required for these packs.
@@TasteTheCode how about those Li-ion charging boards with adjustable output? If i put and connect it inside the battery.
I'm not sure to which you exactly mean bit as long as the battery voltage is matched and there is a BMS on circuit, ot should be fine.
Samsung 20R, 20S, 25R, 25S will better for the battery drill
Yes, I agree but this is what I already had laying around. They still work great but maybe not delivering as much power as the Samsung cells.
Your time is worth money. In my opinion this is not a cost effective repair. Sometimes you have to replace equipment. I enjoyed watching your repair though.
Thank you! The entire conversion took about 2 hours and about $15 in materials. With a new drill and battery costing around $100, I can value my repair at $20-$30 an hour. For a lot of the world, yes, I agree that this is probably not cost effective but a huge portion of the world, Macedonia included, gets paid a lot less than that so for someone, it is worth while. Additionally, reducing waste while making something on your own is definitely worth it.
It's a one hour job at most....vs buying a new $50 battery (minimum)
If the world only counts in money, then yes this is probably economically a poor decision, and I expect he knows that.
But there are a breed of people out there, like me, that hate to throw things out and get genuine satisfaction from diverting something away from the wasteful lazy option of throwing an old thing on to the rubbish dump and much preferring to have a go at repairing and restoring in return for the satisfaction of doing so. Also to note he is resourceful salvaged the batteries from a completely unrelated device saving more toxic waste. The saving of money is the far lesser motivation.
The man here is gaining experience and reputation. He is building a repository of work to show employers. He is inventive. He is teaching others and hopefully someday profiting from TH-cam views. He's certainly a man you want to have around in many situations.
...but if you just count the money and have a "what's the point" attitude then I guess that's your thing.
@CoderDad 🤩🤩🤩
Yes, but I would rather repair my Japanese impact than buy a new Chinese one anyday.
This is really dangerous.. use extra isolation beetwen cells and also + and - terminal.. with time, dust and other things, like metal shavings go inside, and you got a nice short circuit, they will explode.. otherwise.. you can build a cheap spot welder, using microwave transformator and a controller module, if you need help about this, just let me known!
It's not that bad as you described. The housing is well sealed so only if you drop it inside a very conductive liquid you may have troubles but that is a different story.
The proper thing would have been to get the correct BMS instead of hacking together series and parallel LI batteries in the same pack. Your just asking for it. You just negated everything the BMS is supposed to prevent. Uneven charging and discharging across the cells could lead to thermal runaway. Famous last words, "Should work fine". It will work fine until you burn the mans house down.
Have you seen the video? I am using a BMS for exactly the same purpose. Also what is wrong with connecting cells in parallel and in series??? Every electric vehicle does exactly the same and every tool battery is constructed in exactly the same way!!!
How can anyone follow that, it's crap.
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