I successfully replaced the batteries in my unit. It is very important to read the previous comments. My unit was working OK, so as a precaution I decided to save the content of the EEPROM before disconnecting the cells. Some things to add: It looks the microcontroller is running at 3.3V which is cut off after like 10 seconds after switching off the cleaner. When using my adapter I provided externally this 3.3V to the power rail (TP 2 pad). It looks it causes no damage to it. I used MPLAB X to download the EEPROM and saved it as a text file. Fortunately I did not need it. I disconnected the black negative terminal first, then the wide battery connector and finally the red positive terminal. After spot welding the new cells I reconnected them in the reverse order.
Really clear pictures ands instructions, thank you. It is much more complicated than I thought. This 75 old girl will have to take it to a repair shop. One of the best instructive videos I have seen with no distracting loud music.
Hi, I just want to say a HUGE thank you for your clear instructions! I want to share that I have successfully replaced all 7 batteries of my 25.2V Bosch Athlet Vacuum Cleaner. One thing that was a bit different was the way that these batteries were connected. They were connected by metal tabs that were seemingly spot-welded onto the batteries, and the voltage sensing wires were soldered onto the centre of these tabs (halfway between two connected batteries). I have just "peeled" them off using a sharp knife and a tweezer and replaced them with soldered wire connections for the new batteries. Be careful though, as it is way to short-circuit the batteries if you penetrate the green protective film. Furthermore, the sensing wires may need to be rearranged in order to connect them to a different location (they are just about long enough). I did not touch the EEPROM as I would not even know where the JTAG connector was placed, but things work fine now....
Just wanted to say thank you for the detailed instructions and share that I have successfully changed the battery on the 18V model as well (5 batteries) - the model is BCH61840GB/01
I guess i have bricke my unit. After recelling the motor spins up for a second than stops. Also the sensor LED and the first battery led light up. Charging isnt working at all. Before removing the old cells i had disconnected the positive voltage first, could that couse my problems?
Hey, my positive pole touched the negative pole whit my print attached... Now I don't have any power at Al at the vacuum cleaner... Fun fact I did the replacement whit the battery's and it did work, then I d see that I need to cover off the batterypoles whit tape. So I opent the vacuum cleaner then I got fault code sensor was red and no charge.... Then opend up and then I focked up my main board ( I think) Is there any solution for this?
this is a great video.. i would like only say one thing in a friendly way and no way am criticising.. please, if soldering start by scraping with a sharp blade or grinding with dremmel, add flux and tin the area with solder before even trying to attach the wire, once the terminal and wire has been tinned bring them together and you will achieve a stronger cleaner joint.. it will actually need less heat on the joint overall, wipe off excess flux.. it is acid..
on video he does scrape slightly with screwdriver and puts flux on joint but does not tin, he brings the wire straight onto the cell terminal, I was suggesting that tinning the cell and wire before soldering would be better,
I am very struggling to do this since some(1/3) of people reported that fail. I say your comment that you go for dyson now? Why do you change since it just replaced battery for 2 years only.
I think i had an older version of the athlet where the battery management systems (BMS) wasn't too fussy if batteries were changed. Modern versions seem to close down once cells reach a certain level. I changed to Dyson for one main reason, the battery pack can easily be removed and new ones bought on ebay. Lets face it a new lithium Dyson or Bosch athlet the first thing that will fail will be the battery pack. That will happen in about 2 years from new. The rest of the cleaner ahould still be functional. Parts are also readily available on ebay for Dyson. The Athlet was an awful design with broken handles, heads and wire problems. Go Dyson!
@@fiveminuteman Thanks for the reply. Luckily I didn't buy the batteries. The handle broke today. After a search, I decide to go with Xiaomi Dreame as I don't want to spend too much on Dyson.
I just finished replacing batteries in my 2016 Athlete vacuum. It is the version with black battery/pcb holder. What is important: > charge batteries to the same storage voltage 3.6-3.8v, not to high not to low. > Switch off for a minimum of 30 sec > You can remove the 6 screws with a popular flat screwdriver with a neon bulb (phase detecting tool) > disconnect 2 2pin connectors DC in and something > disconnect engine (I marked polarity just for safety) > disconnect negative and isolate it > positive isolate > not neceserilly pcb connector (but it is safer not to short something trough the board just for its safety) > then remove the welded plates. Start on a negative pole and pry it up, because positive side has insulated negative on the edge and will short with positive. After disconnection of negative side just pull the positive side - you can pry it up against the black chasis not the edge of battery as written above. > Then desolder the balancing cable (it is much easier now, because the heat will not disperse to batteries, which is also not good) > You need to prepare batteries for soldering - scratch the surface in circular motion, apply flux, tin these points with pretty high temperature in order to decrease the heat transfered to battery especially on a positive side (3 seconds should be enough if not wait for it to cool down and use higher temperature). > replace batteries one by one not to forget the orientation (and keep everything together, without 10 cables flying around) > tin the new connection cables > solder negative and bms cable first to create fix points, bend the cable to positive and push the cable from the top while heating the solder until immersed (2-3seconds is enough). > check all the connections by applying some force near all of them, check if the voltage of a pack is ok = 25+ v (if something is disconnected while connecting Power supply and switching on, circuit can be locked and eeprom must be cleared ) > connect pcb connector if disconnected > solder positive (it may need to be extended) > solder negative > Connect engine and 2 x 2pin connectors > Assamble Thanks to all the people who provided this knowledge to us.
@@fiveminuteman I've charged it 3 times already and it works long enough to use it on entire house but still charging doesn't pass 2 bars and cuts off power - no blue light which stays on (this happened before replacement of batteries and wasn't fixed with new batteries). I will try to fix it, but afaik Li Ion batteries don't like being charged to maximum so maybe it is not so bad, when it works long enough.
Yes I think I had something disconnect Whilst on , and machine has gone dead How do I clear the eeprom Do I need to reflash, if so how and does anybody have the file thanks?
@@davidchapman4943 somewhere in comments "DeD" posted a link to a video on yandex which give all the information which programmer to use and how to connect it. Search for it.
Hi guys! After replacing the batteries, the vacuum don't charge. Then I found this video and read the comments... there is some tutorial about how to reprogramming the eeprom? I never do it before and I'm lost... Thanks!
If anyone gets very stuck as i understand it not all BMS boards used on the athlets are the same. I was able to replace batteries without a problem. This may have been due to my batteries still having some remaining health with no failed cells. There is always an option to get a spares or repair athlet on ebay with a different style BMS. Good luck and keep the Athlets going!👍😀
In my case, at least it was as easy as: I simply made a shortcut when changing the batteries, I saw the spark when I put the soldering on, and one of the fuses on the board blew. I think it has two (F1 and F2), check it before try other things. In my case, the F2 (looks like an SMD resistor) was the problem. I couldn't find this component (I can't remember, but it has a very high current rating for such a small thing... maybe 20A or some crazy value like that for an SMD!). I soldered a copper wire of about 2mm section and it still works fine today.
I changed the cells! and put all together again and all looks well! But charger lamp wont light! but it blinks when start button is on! charger wire is then plugged in! there are normal current in the cells from the factory! direct connected motor run fast! but vacum Bosch Athlet wont run by ordinary start button! and do not take more charge? no charging light! anyone have a tips on looking for the fault? before I changed the batteries they charged! but Athlet then only runned for aprox 4 minutes!
Hello, my battery is running for 3 minutes at full speed, and I want to bypass the battery with a surce 25v 10A (by cable). Can you tell me, how can I do this and not damage the PCB. If I cut all battery-PCB wire and then solder + and - from the surce is OK ? Thank You!
Hi,mine was stop working when i put to charge nothing hapens when turn on nothing, i was replaced batteryes end now when i turn him on only the led came on and the motors not working. And still not charging when is pluged on adapter. The adapter provides 29.5v but no led come on. is it posible that the board is in fault? Thanks
I have heard some people say the BMS can disable the device if it detects different cells. Not sure how true this is as mine was fine. You can buy the Athlets off Ebay as spares or repair and raid the parts. My last issue was a snapped handle fix.
Hi I found 2 types of 18640 3.6v that I can buy. One is 2500mah with Max continuous discharge 20A. Another is 3500mah with Max continuous discharge 8A. I'm not sure whether 20A vs 8A affects what and which is the best to use. I know higher capacity 3500mah giving longer run time. Much appreciated if anyone can teach me layman on this max continuous discharge impact
If anyone's interested, you can unlock 32.4V model by zeroing 2 bytes in EEPROM starting at offset 01C8 (my blocked board had 42 42 there). Make sure to read and backup original EEPROM before flashing. This method works at least with the following 32.4V boards: Facelift 9C_30Q H/W ver: R3.0 and R4.0 S/W ver: V9 Remember that bad batteries may be dangerous!
18650 batteries come in all sorts of mAh. From 4200mAh down to 2000mAh. Can I use 4200mAh batteries in my Athlet? Is it safe to use the 4200mAh? Will these overheat? Will I get more run time using 4200mAh? Will the 4200 mAh hold their charge longer before wearing out?
Fit the biggest capacity possible. Be warned some Athlets BMS will not like new 18650's installed to the point it shutsdown and wont recognise replacements. Trial and error on this one my friend.
@spinnanz just came to post the same comment, a few years back I bought 6000mah 18650 cells. Once I learned more I was able to do discharge tests on them.. they were around 1200mah at best but failed quickly.. would recommend getting good quality cells
Hi I have a bosch athlet 25.2v. I replaced the battery but now the problem is it doesn't charge. The light comes on blinking for a couple of times and then it's off. I tested the slow blow fuse and nothing is broken. It just doesn't charge. I used the same replacement battery. Anyone knows what could be the problem or how to fix it
@@fiveminuteman Thanks for the info, are they called 'security head screwdrivers', if so is there a range of security bolts ? I do have a box full of different 'star' driver heads but can't reach the bolts due to the narrow aperture.
@@fiveminuteman Only just got back to the job, the small flat headed screwdriver worked a treat, how do I remove the rest of the casing ? I've tried pricing it but no go, I'm sure someone else said that there are sliding clips ? Can you help or point me in the direction of another of your postings on how this is done, tia
Ciao a tutti volevo chiedere a voi qualche consiglio. Ho anche io questa aspirapolvere e volevo sapere che batterie devo comprare e quante. Ma se io sostituisco semplicemente le batterie funziona?!? Perché leggo che bisohlgna installare efrom o o qualcosa del genere, vi chiedo aiuto prima di comprare le battery per poi non riuscire a farla funzionare. Grazie mille
All depends on the version of the cleaner. I was lucky, but to be honest the cleaner once the batteries are degraded it's just about had it in regards to other failures.
I was wondering, since there seems to be room for 2 more of those 18650 cells (have worked with them before) - if it would be possible to extend the 25,2V - 7 cell configuration to a 9-cell and 32,4V configuration - as the Bosch Athlete is offered by Bosch as a 9-cell and 32,4V variant ?! If the plastic parts are the "same" it makes you think, maybe they have the same electronics board? Any way to find out/verify? that would indeed be very interesting for me, as I am very interested in buying one of those vacuum cleaners ^^
Not sure. Would need to confirm the circuit board, vacuum motor, brush motor and charger are all the same. I would think they are all higher voltage. I had a vacuum motor bearing go on replacing batteries so swapped it out. My Bosch athlet has a 40 minute runtime on max power now so is under a little strain.
@@fiveminuteman ok - I will receive mine monday or tuesday. Bought it in amazon black friday sale for 139€! I thought for that price you can't go wrong. Will be the early christmas present for my parents - as my father currently uses a 12V NICd Battery AEG - which sounds so bad and has so little power that it just makes me sad - every time I see him using that vacuum... Your runtime on those 3000mAh 18650 Sony Cells is impressive! Makes you wonder what kind of cheap cells they are originally using... What was the out-of-box runtime on highest setting? Like 12-15min?
I would like to know this also although the first thing I suspect would be wrong is the balance charger is only designed for 7 cells. Now if you could fit another 7 cells in and run in parallel it should work but probably easier to just chuck 7 decent cells in like this video and be done with it.
Update for all the people that replace tje 18650 cells but the vacuum does not charge after the swap of cells. It's the thermistor, it's allocated on the last cell with white goo and it's like a black tear with two poles. No reprogramming of EProm, no Jtag hacking, no coding, just replace the thermistor. Now the good question, how many ohms it is? I don't know, i just replaced with the same kind found on old laptop batteries. But if there is no thermistor the machine would not charge, belive me.
For testing only, the thermistor can be replaced with a 10k resistor. BE CAREFUL DO NOT USE THIS IMPROVISATION USUALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE AT RISK OF FIRE! The thermistor has the function of stopping charging (or discharging) in case the batteries overheat.
ok done the job ,but had an accident with one of the new batteries ,heated it up too much and it set a flame (using crap solder was to blame),so had to leave 1 old battery in THought i would get away with it,but the vacuum went into charge mode for about 15mins then turns itself off could this be due to this 1 battery?
@@fiveminuteman yes did that purchased 1 more battery hard to solder on those flat top lithium cells ,you need to sand them a bit helped a lot Anyway works a treat now saved forking out for a new machine Thanks 5 minute man
Oh no, worked for a while but just went completely dead, and won't charge or switch on? opened it up , checked all soldering joints, some came loose when I pulled on them, resoldered 1 joint after disconnecting negative, connector and positive Reconnected all, still not charging, I suspect it's the thermistor, can I just put a 10k ohm resistor in series across the two wires, as I snipped the wires to try shorting out, to try to get it to work? Would this imitate a good working thermistor?
Hey thank you for your video.i used VTC5's only cos I got a good deal on 7 of them from NKON (Dutch based battery company shipped to UK all included £23.00. Thank you
18650 batteries the flat end with no perforations is the negative while the positive is the end with the round flat centre with indented circular border. You can purchase ring guards for the positive end to stop you shorting the battery out ie inner and outer rings being connected by accident.
@@MrEddyz1 ah right. I don't have that paper anymore which is a shame. Have a look on Ebay available and completed listings for the battery packs. You might be able to work it out from them. Feom memory the batteries are all in series with what I think are wires for the BMS. There is also a temperature sensor wire at the end of the pack. If you are looking at the video on a phone or tablet try a laptop as it might show up more detail.
@@Retro.Studio there is something weird about the chargers as i tried a same spec alternative charger and it wouldnt charge. Not sure what's in the bosch one that makes it different.
@@fiveminuteman oh really? That’s strange! Let me see the cells are 3.7V each, x5 cells total? =18.5V right The charger has an output of 30V 500ma so there must be an circuit that delivers a voltage drop of 11.5V. If I understand what you say. Another adapter with 30V DC and 500ma with the right polarization there is no charge activity?
Buongiorno Ho cambiato le batterie e collegate nel modo giusto, non riesco ha capire come vanno collegati i fili sottili dello spinotto quelli di colore rosso,verde,nero, nella parte superiore e grigio,blu,bianco nella parte inferiore. Nelle batterie vecchie erano collegati in mezzo alla piastrina tra una batterie e l'altra. Grazie
Hello my friend I replaced the Batteries and it told me they Are empty and they wont Charge I did it 2 times i thought the batteries from the First time was Not good
Hi guys ! I bought from auctions bosch athlet 25,2V. It has turbo brush problem. I opened it, and F2 was blown. When I join it (short circuit), brush is always working on, independently from main switch position (brush is on even main switch is turned off). Someone knows how to fix it ?
I measure a different value on C7 than on C1 - C6, is it possible that the ceramic capacitor C7 is defective? Can anyone confirm that there are failures in the capacitors and what is the capacity of these tiny SMD capacitors?
I have the same situation. I found that with a power failure the circuit goes into protection. And the video does not show that the vacuum cleaner worked after replacing the batteries.
@@fiveminuteman Sorry, I just found a vacuum cleaner test on the video. I have a newer model, it is protected against self-replacement of batteries. This became clear after replacing and contacting several services.
@@PavlikO no worries👍 i wasnt sure once i replaced them that it would work or charge correctly. Annoying about the circuit in yours though. Could be the BMS throwing an error with the new cells.
Hello, I did this but it doesn't charge but if I start from the button it shows that it is charging and interrupting and charging again and stopping again .. Thank You!
Not sure on that, but some have said the units come with different a BMS that will not allow charging of replacement cells. Do you know if the 18650s were all charged to the same level before fitting? The only other suggestion is check all the connections.
Excuse my English. Some BMSs have protection in case an item is defective or disconnected (interrupted). When changing the cells, the first time disconnection of the minus (black) wire must be considered. In case the extra one is disconnected (red) or the connector, BMS sees the intervention as a defect and it is blocked. This is the situation with some laptop batteries. Unfortunately I found out late. Can anyone point me to the 22v firmware?
You are right. It's the best way to disconnect minus FIRST and connect LAST. Look, BMS doesn't block in that case, because in that scheme it used in HOST mode. It means full control from Atmega. BMS has EEProm also, but not use it, if I understood datasheet information correctly. Controller writes Error information to Atmega's EEProm. Try to RESET EEProm.
Ebay stopped selling due to fire risk in transit. Still loads of companies sell them and ship out of ebay. Battery recelling works on some athlets but not all. We found the athlets once recelled loads of other problems occured such as snapping handle and motor brush wiring snapping (again).
Hi i change the bateries and then have to flash a new firmware and now leds are blinking like they try to charge but without charger any one know what next? xD trash? or you can do something with it?
I never knew you could upgrade the firmware on it. I'd get a spares or repair athlet off ebay and replace the control panel. How didnyou upgrade the firmware?
@@fiveminuteman I charged the battery today. 29.1V. If I start using it then turbo mode is 20 minutes and the battery run low . I measured it. 24v. 3.4V per cell. Why not dive below 3.4V?
Hi, maybe, someone could help: I have Bosch Flexxo Series 4 and when charging or turning the switch on, the red led lights up for 10 seconds then it turns off (Over-/undertemperature protection - according to users manual). It uses 7x 18650 batteries and one of them has only 1.27V. Could this be the problem or is it issue with temperature sensor?
@@gorazdlenko people have said that different versions of the Athlet can prevent new batteries being added as the bms shutsdown when the first ones fail. Look on ebay for a spare or repair athlet as it can be used for spares. Ive used heads, handle, bms and charge adaptor before.
Stan Stefanov I searched the video for a clear look at the model label sticker - it’s a BCH625KTB/01, a 60 minute model available new in the UK as of 11 January 2020 for £150, though I think its normal price is £250. Was watching this as I just got a BCH6ATH1GB, which appears to be identical (even those two prices and what’s in the box) in all but colour - mine’s white on the back, satin silver on the centre insert of the front (top of handle to the top of the dust canister). Oh, and the stub handle is gloss black, not white. Wonder why they do these variants and if there is something different inside?
I doing think this vacuum cleaner is worth fitting new battery cells into, it doesn't have a brushless motor to start with. It's be inlined just to remove the batteries altogether then extend the power wires outside of the unit and use a power tool battery instead, would need to buy or make up adaptors to connect to battery pack according to make and model, that way you can use a fast charger plus swap out batteries while charging another. These companies are all taking the public for a ride, no need for internal batteries or all the different mount types to supply mostly 20v DC.
Stop...Bosch will disable the circuit board if it reads the cell replaced. It ruin my vacuum and Bosch I hate you and will never buy your product again!
I successfully replaced the batteries in my unit. It is very important to read the previous comments. My unit was working OK, so as a precaution I decided to save the content of the EEPROM before disconnecting the cells. Some things to add:
It looks the microcontroller is running at 3.3V which is cut off after like 10 seconds after switching off the cleaner. When using my adapter I provided externally this 3.3V to the power rail (TP 2 pad). It looks it causes no damage to it.
I used MPLAB X to download the EEPROM and saved it as a text file. Fortunately I did not need it. I disconnected the black negative terminal first, then the wide battery connector and finally the red positive terminal. After spot welding the new cells I reconnected them in the reverse order.
I'll pin this comment as it has great detail and valuable info for advanced Athlet restorers👍😀
Could u email the eeprom text file to me? my zoo'o can't charge affter change battery.
@@麻宁-j4o Let me know your email address.
Can you post your downloaded EEPROM content text file somewhere?
Yes I think I need the eeprom too Hoover went dead after repair, probably due to bad loose soldering on my account
Really clear pictures ands instructions, thank you. It is much more complicated than I thought. This 75 old girl will have to take it to a repair shop. One of the best instructive videos I have seen with no distracting loud music.
What a great comment!😀
Hi, I just want to say a HUGE thank you for your clear instructions! I want to share that I have successfully replaced all 7 batteries of my 25.2V Bosch Athlet Vacuum Cleaner. One thing that was a bit different was the way that these batteries were connected. They were connected by metal tabs that were seemingly spot-welded onto the batteries, and the voltage sensing wires were soldered onto the centre of these tabs (halfway between two connected batteries). I have just "peeled" them off using a sharp knife and a tweezer and replaced them with soldered wire connections for the new batteries. Be careful though, as it is way to short-circuit the batteries if you penetrate the green protective film. Furthermore, the sensing wires may need to be rearranged in order to connect them to a different location (they are just about long enough). I did not touch the EEPROM as I would not even know where the JTAG connector was placed, but things work fine now....
Glad you got it sorted and can continue using it.
Just wanted to say thank you for the detailed instructions and share that I have successfully changed the battery on the 18V model as well (5 batteries) - the model is BCH61840GB/01
Great news and another Athlet saved.👍
Thanks a lot for this guide, also some comments here are really important to read. Mostly the fact to start by disconnecting the battery's GND first..
I guess i have bricke my unit. After recelling the motor spins up for a second than stops. Also the sensor LED and the first battery led light up. Charging isnt working at all. Before removing the old cells i had disconnected the positive voltage first, could that couse my problems?
My one was an early job so the BMS was simple and didnt brick it when i changed the cells.
@@fiveminuteman Thanks for your answer. Problem wasnt the BMS but the thermistor, i ripped it off by mistake..
Hey, my positive pole touched the negative pole whit my print attached... Now I don't have any power at Al at the vacuum cleaner...
Fun fact I did the replacement whit the battery's and it did work, then I d see that I need to cover off the batterypoles whit tape. So I opent the vacuum cleaner then I got fault code sensor was red and no charge....
Then opend up and then I focked up my main board ( I think)
Is there any solution for this?
Wow, get a board off ebay spares or repairs one.
@@fiveminuteman
The cost of a board is the cost of a new vacuum cleaner,
I am not an expert in boards fixing...
@@elbener1 put this 'bosch athlet spares or repair' in Ebay search, i got loads of Athlet body only results for £19.99 inc postage.
this is a great video.. i would like only say one thing in a friendly way and no way am criticising.. please, if soldering start by scraping with a sharp blade or grinding with dremmel, add flux and tin the area with solder before even trying to attach the wire, once the terminal and wire has been tinned bring them together and you will achieve a stronger cleaner joint.. it will actually need less heat on the joint overall, wipe off excess flux.. it is acid..
Yes, I didn't even thought there another methode to solder Lithium cells... did not notice, is author doing other way? 😮
on video he does scrape slightly with screwdriver and puts flux on joint but does not tin,
he brings the wire straight onto the cell terminal, I was suggesting that tinning the cell and wire before soldering would be better,
@@bogoff99 definitely!
I am very struggling to do this since some(1/3) of people reported that fail. I say your comment that you go for dyson now? Why do you change since it just replaced battery for 2 years only.
I think i had an older version of the athlet where the battery management systems (BMS) wasn't too fussy if batteries were changed. Modern versions seem to close down once cells reach a certain level. I changed to Dyson for one main reason, the battery pack can easily be removed and new ones bought on ebay. Lets face it a new lithium Dyson or Bosch athlet the first thing that will fail will be the battery pack. That will happen in about 2 years from new. The rest of the cleaner ahould still be functional. Parts are also readily available on ebay for Dyson. The Athlet was an awful design with broken handles, heads and wire problems. Go Dyson!
@@fiveminuteman Thanks for the reply. Luckily I didn't buy the batteries. The handle broke today. After a search, I decide to go with Xiaomi Dreame as I don't want to spend too much on Dyson.
There is a another place to put an extra 1865?. Is this possible?
BMS would probably throw up an error plus charging might not work.
Oke, dosnt matter what type 18650? Like 3000 mAh or 3450 mAh?
Hi, thanks for the video. Which screw bit size do i need?
I managed to use a small flat bladed screwdriver as there are some security screws.
I just finished replacing batteries in my 2016 Athlete vacuum. It is the version with black battery/pcb holder. What is important:
> charge batteries to the same storage voltage 3.6-3.8v, not to high not to low.
> Switch off for a minimum of 30 sec
> You can remove the 6 screws with a popular flat screwdriver with a neon bulb (phase detecting tool)
> disconnect 2 2pin connectors DC in and something
> disconnect engine (I marked polarity just for safety)
> disconnect negative and isolate it
> positive isolate
> not neceserilly pcb connector (but it is safer not to short something trough the board just for its safety)
> then remove the welded plates. Start on a negative pole and pry it up, because positive side has insulated negative on the edge and will short with positive. After disconnection of negative side just pull the positive side - you can pry it up against the black chasis not the edge of battery as written above.
> Then desolder the balancing cable (it is much easier now, because the heat will not disperse to batteries, which is also not good)
> You need to prepare batteries for soldering - scratch the surface in circular motion, apply flux, tin these points with pretty high temperature in order to decrease the heat transfered to battery especially on a positive side (3 seconds should be enough if not wait for it to cool down and use higher temperature).
> replace batteries one by one not to forget the orientation (and keep everything together, without 10 cables flying around)
> tin the new connection cables
> solder negative and bms cable first to create fix points, bend the cable to positive and push the cable from the top while heating the solder until immersed (2-3seconds is enough).
> check all the connections by applying some force near all of them, check if the voltage of a pack is ok = 25+ v (if something is disconnected while connecting Power supply and switching on, circuit can be locked and eeprom must be cleared )
> connect pcb connector if disconnected
> solder positive (it may need to be extended)
> solder negative
> Connect engine and 2 x 2pin connectors
> Assamble
Thanks to all the people who provided this knowledge to us.
Very handy info👍
@@fiveminuteman I've charged it 3 times already and it works long enough to use it on entire house but still charging doesn't pass 2 bars and cuts off power - no blue light which stays on (this happened before replacement of batteries and wasn't fixed with new batteries). I will try to fix it, but afaik Li Ion batteries don't like being charged to maximum so maybe it is not so bad, when it works long enough.
Yes I think I had something disconnect
Whilst on , and machine has gone dead
How do I clear the eeprom
Do I need to reflash, if so how and does anybody have the file thanks?
@@davidchapman4943 somewhere in comments "DeD" posted a link to a video on yandex which give all the information which programmer to use and how to connect it. Search for it.
To remove the star screws which size screw driver do you recommend?
I used a v small flathead as they are security screws.
Hi guys! After replacing the batteries, the vacuum don't charge. Then I found this video and read the comments... there is some tutorial about how to reprogramming the eeprom? I never do it before and I'm lost... Thanks!
If anyone gets very stuck as i understand it not all BMS boards used on the athlets are the same. I was able to replace batteries without a problem. This may have been due to my batteries still having some remaining health with no failed cells. There is always an option to get a spares or repair athlet on ebay with a different style BMS. Good luck and keep the Athlets going!👍😀
I have the same problem. Did you manage to solve it? Any link you can share?
In my case, at least it was as easy as: I simply made a shortcut when changing the batteries, I saw the spark when I put the soldering on, and one of the fuses on the board blew. I think it has two (F1 and F2), check it before try other things. In my case, the F2 (looks like an SMD resistor) was the problem. I couldn't find this component (I can't remember, but it has a very high current rating for such a small thing... maybe 20A or some crazy value like that for an SMD!). I soldered a copper wire of about 2mm section and it still works fine today.
@@tinkerFirst below my reply, sorry
I changed the cells! and put all together again and all looks well! But charger lamp wont light!
but it blinks when start button is on! charger wire is then plugged in! there are normal current in the cells from the factory!
direct connected motor run fast! but vacum Bosch Athlet wont run by ordinary start button!
and do not take more charge? no charging light! anyone have a tips on looking for the fault?
before I changed the batteries they charged! but Athlet then only runned for aprox 4 minutes!
Could be the BMS depending on the model you have.
Hello, my battery is running for 3 minutes at full speed, and I want to bypass the battery with a surce 25v 10A (by cable). Can you tell me, how can I do this and not damage the PCB. If I cut all battery-PCB wire and then solder + and - from the surce is OK ? Thank You!
Replace the battery cables with extended cables from the power jack
Hi,mine was stop working when i put to charge nothing hapens when turn on nothing, i was replaced batteryes end now when i turn him on only the led came on and the motors not working. And still not charging when is pluged on adapter. The adapter provides 29.5v but no led come on. is it posible that the board is in fault? Thanks
I have heard some people say the BMS can disable the device if it detects different cells. Not sure how true this is as mine was fine. You can buy the Athlets off Ebay as spares or repair and raid the parts. My last issue was a snapped handle fix.
Hi I found 2 types of 18640 3.6v that I can buy. One is 2500mah with Max continuous discharge 20A. Another is 3500mah with Max continuous discharge 8A. I'm not sure whether 20A vs 8A affects what and which is the best to use. I know higher capacity 3500mah giving longer run time. Much appreciated if anyone can teach me layman on this max continuous discharge impact
I'm sure someone will be along shortly with a splendid answer👍
25.2V * 8A makes it 200W. And thats pushing chinese cells to the limits. I just bought 20A, bc they can keep up better even at the end of discharge.
Hey what is the exact model of the athlet? What's the battery life like now after 1 year?
Its the 28.8v one and battery life excellent.
If anyone's interested, you can unlock 32.4V model by zeroing 2 bytes in EEPROM starting at offset 01C8 (my blocked board had 42 42 there). Make sure to read and backup original EEPROM before flashing.
This method works at least with the following 32.4V boards:
Facelift 9C_30Q
H/W ver: R3.0 and R4.0
S/W ver: V9
Remember that bad batteries may be dangerous!
Lithium runaway isn't pretty.
Прошивкой на 32.4V не поделетесь?)
Я тоже ищу прошивку на 32. Но они не такие популярные...
18650 batteries come in all sorts of mAh. From 4200mAh down to 2000mAh. Can I use 4200mAh batteries in my Athlet? Is it safe to use the 4200mAh? Will these overheat? Will I get more run time using 4200mAh? Will the 4200 mAh hold their charge longer before wearing out?
Fit the biggest capacity possible. Be warned some Athlets BMS will not like new 18650's installed to the point it shutsdown and wont recognise replacements. Trial and error on this one my friend.
@@fiveminuteman Nothing to lose really.
There are zero 4200mah 18650s. Thats fake Chinese labels for you.
@spinnanz just came to post the same comment, a few years back I bought 6000mah 18650 cells.
Once I learned more I was able to do discharge tests on them.. they were around 1200mah at best but failed quickly.. would recommend getting good quality cells
Hi I have a bosch athlet 25.2v. I replaced the battery but now the problem is it doesn't charge. The light comes on blinking for a couple of times and then it's off. I tested the slow blow fuse and nothing is broken. It just doesn't charge. I used the same replacement battery. Anyone knows what could be the problem or how to fix it
hi, do you found any fix?
Facing the same problem
Maybe EPROM is bricked? Did you connected in parralel same 7S battery, soldering directly to pins near ballance connector on BMS?
What are the batteries that sat as original in the vacuum cleaner?
Sorry unless shown in the video i cant remember.
@@fiveminuteman Thanks for your reply. But do the new batteries work well for you? No problems with charging or the BMS card
@@ZoranZ772 i have had no problems in the almost 2 years i changed them over. I have heard others where it hasnt worked though.
@@fiveminuteman Thanks so much!!
Hello, How are you. Could you please tell me where to find the electronic board of that vacuum cleaner? Thank you.
I always obtain them by looking for spares or repair Athlets on Ebay
Do you have any that work to sell me?
@@JANieto sorry i dont
OK. Thank you very much.
15/02/2022 Another one saved. Used new batteries from 2 x Lidl 20V power packs. They are only 2000mAh but had them anyway so made sense to use them 🇬🇧
Yèeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa! Keep the Athlets going👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I've got the outer casing off, what tool do you use to unscrew the four bolts to access the PCB etc ? As they are not flat head/Philips
They are security screws so you can like me use a small headed flat head screwdriver. Alternative is to buy a security head screwdriver.
@@fiveminuteman
Thanks for the info, are they called 'security head screwdrivers', if so is there a range of security bolts ? I do have a box full of different 'star' driver heads but can't reach the bolts due to the narrow aperture.
@@paulthepill security head screwdrivers will bring them up on ebay or amazon. Make sure the end of the screwdriver has a hole in the centre.
@@fiveminuteman
Only just got back to the job, the small flat headed screwdriver worked a treat, how do I remove the rest of the casing ? I've tried pricing it but no go, I'm sure someone else said that there are sliding clips ? Can you help or point me in the direction of another of your postings on how this is done, tia
what amperage do you need in your battery?
as the lower amperage batteries are a lot cheaper
These were high capacity cells i used and extended runtime by 10 minutes so 30 minute runtime at full speed.👍
I disassembled 3 Athlete vacuums. 2 had 7 cells of ICR18650-22P M which are 10A rated and 1 had 9 cells of INR18650-30Q which are 15A rated.
Az egyik akku mellé belement egy kék és egy piros vezeték. Mi a céljuk? Oda voltak ragasztva az akku oldalára .
A great video to fall asleep to 😴🛌😀
Odd
Ciao a tutti volevo chiedere a voi qualche consiglio. Ho anche io questa aspirapolvere e volevo sapere che batterie devo comprare e quante. Ma se io sostituisco semplicemente le batterie funziona?!? Perché leggo che bisohlgna installare efrom o o qualcosa del genere, vi chiedo aiuto prima di comprare le battery per poi non riuscire a farla funzionare. Grazie mille
All depends on the version of the cleaner. I was lucky, but to be honest the cleaner once the batteries are degraded it's just about had it in regards to other failures.
I was wondering, since there seems to be room for 2 more of those 18650 cells (have worked with them before) - if it would be possible to extend the 25,2V - 7 cell configuration to a 9-cell and 32,4V configuration - as the Bosch Athlete is offered by Bosch as a 9-cell and 32,4V variant ?!
If the plastic parts are the "same" it makes you think, maybe they have the same electronics board?
Any way to find out/verify?
that would indeed be very interesting for me, as I am very interested in buying one of those vacuum cleaners ^^
Not sure. Would need to confirm the circuit board, vacuum motor, brush motor and charger are all the same. I would think they are all higher voltage. I had a vacuum motor bearing go on replacing batteries so swapped it out. My Bosch athlet has a 40 minute runtime on max power now so is under a little strain.
@@fiveminuteman ok - I will receive mine monday or tuesday.
Bought it in amazon black friday sale for 139€!
I thought for that price you can't go wrong.
Will be the early christmas present for my parents - as my father currently uses a 12V NICd Battery AEG - which sounds so bad and has so little power that it just makes me sad - every time I see him using that vacuum...
Your runtime on those 3000mAh 18650 Sony Cells is impressive!
Makes you wonder what kind of cheap cells they are originally using...
What was the out-of-box runtime on highest setting?
Like 12-15min?
@@kniefi we got 20 minutes although we claimed under Bosche warranty as the first lot failed within 2 years. Bosch seem to use Samsung cells.
I would like to know this also although the first thing I suspect would be wrong is the balance charger is only designed for 7 cells. Now if you could fit another 7 cells in and run in parallel it should work but probably easier to just chuck 7 decent cells in like this video and be done with it.
Update for all the people that replace tje 18650 cells but the vacuum does not charge after the swap of cells. It's the thermistor, it's allocated on the last cell with white goo and it's like a black tear with two poles. No reprogramming of EProm, no Jtag hacking, no coding, just replace the thermistor. Now the good question, how many ohms it is? I don't know, i just replaced with the same kind found on old laptop batteries. But if there is no thermistor the machine would not charge, belive me.
"Regular" or common thermistor value for Li-ION packages, is 10K
I dont found the thermistor, did you have more info?
For testing only, the thermistor can be replaced with a 10k resistor. BE CAREFUL DO NOT USE THIS IMPROVISATION USUALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE AT RISK OF FIRE! The thermistor has the function of stopping charging (or discharging) in case the batteries overheat.
My thermometer broke while replacing the last cell. Does anyone have a confirmed thermistor value?
A 10k resistor worked as a test. Charging again after replacing cells. 👍. I'll be ordering a 10k thermistor for proper installation before charging.
Really handy video but I can't unscrew the last screw - can someone please tell me the right screw driver for this task? Thank you
Torx T20 Hp (extended)
ok done the job ,but had an accident with one of the new batteries ,heated it up too much and it set a flame
(using crap solder was to blame),so had to leave 1 old battery in
THought i would get away with it,but the vacuum went into charge mode for about 15mins then turns itself off could this be due to this 1 battery?
Get that cell out and if you have a charger try to charge that cell only.
@@fiveminuteman yes did that purchased 1 more battery hard to solder on those flat top lithium cells ,you need to sand them a bit helped a lot
Anyway works a treat now saved forking out for a new machine
Thanks 5 minute man
Oh no, worked for a while but just went completely dead, and won't charge or switch on? opened it up , checked all soldering joints, some came loose when I pulled on them, resoldered 1 joint after disconnecting negative, connector and positive
Reconnected all, still not charging, I suspect it's the thermistor, can I just put a 10k ohm resistor in series across the two wires, as I snipped the wires to try shorting out, to try to get it to work? Would this imitate a good working thermistor?
Hey thank you for your video.i used VTC5's only cos I got a good deal on 7 of them from NKON (Dutch based battery company shipped to UK all included £23.00.
Thank you
Only difference was I soldered pads on the batteries along with (obviously) tinning the wires whereas you used flux 👌👍
Which website did you use anth?
In 2023 the NKON webshop sells Sony / Murata Konion with the slightly better specifications for €5,55 one battery.
What is the sequence plus minus for the batteries as i cannot see it well on the paper. Thanks
18650 batteries the flat end with no perforations is the negative while the positive is the end with the round flat centre with indented circular border. You can purchase ring guards for the positive end to stop you shorting the battery out ie inner and outer rings being connected by accident.
@@fiveminuteman i took the old ones out and i forgot the order they cam out in... I saw you did that paper but i cannot see the order properly
@@MrEddyz1 ah right. I don't have that paper anymore which is a shame. Have a look on Ebay available and completed listings for the battery packs. You might be able to work it out from them. Feom memory the batteries are all in series with what I think are wires for the BMS. There is also a temperature sensor wire at the end of the pack. If you are looking at the video on a phone or tablet try a laptop as it might show up more detail.
First test I got 20 minutes at full speed with brush on and no loss of bars.
On turbo mode ? Thats a lot at bosch say on turbo mode last 12 minute till discharged.
@@mitkre9305 newer higher capacity 18650 cells give much better runtime on all modes
Maybe it’s better to get another power line adapter with more mhA to charge better and faster
@@Retro.Studio there is something weird about the chargers as i tried a same spec alternative charger and it wouldnt charge. Not sure what's in the bosch one that makes it different.
@@fiveminuteman oh really? That’s strange!
Let me see the cells are 3.7V each, x5 cells total? =18.5V right
The charger has an output of 30V 500ma so there must be an circuit that delivers a voltage drop of 11.5V. If I understand what you say. Another adapter with 30V DC and 500ma with the right polarization there is no charge activity?
Still going strong with ridiculous amount of capacity in the 18650 cells.
Nice! Will be replacing with these cells (don't worry, I'm an electronics engineer :P)
That video is a lot longer than 5 minutes.
But very helpful:)
share a link to the file 32.4V. I beg you
Buongiorno
Ho cambiato le batterie e collegate nel modo giusto, non riesco ha capire
come vanno collegati i fili sottili dello spinotto quelli di colore rosso,verde,nero, nella parte superiore e grigio,blu,bianco nella parte inferiore. Nelle batterie vecchie erano collegati in mezzo alla piastrina tra una batterie e l'altra. Grazie
Penso che quei fili non vanno toccati in quanto ci sono i sensori di temperatura per evitare sovraccarico
Hello my friend
I replaced the Batteries and it told me they Are empty and they wont Charge
I did it 2 times i thought the batteries from the First time was Not good
Probably the BMS, i understand that some models the BMS will shutdown if it detects failed batteries.
@@fiveminuteman before i Changed the batteries it was working, but it hadnt last Long
Is there a any Solution?
Hi guys ! I bought from auctions bosch athlet 25,2V. It has turbo brush problem. I opened it, and F2 was blown. When I join it (short circuit), brush is always working on, independently from main switch position (brush is on even main switch is turned off). Someone knows how to fix it ?
Just rewire them to the output of the motor. As soon as the motor starts, the brush will start too.
I measure a different value on C7 than on C1 - C6, is it possible that the ceramic capacitor C7 is defective? Can anyone confirm that there are failures in the capacitors and what is the capacity of these tiny SMD capacitors?
I renew/replace only batteries and there is correct voltage on B+, but it does not charge.
Not sure, this isnt an instructional video so cant help.
I have the same situation. I found that with a power failure the circuit goes into protection. And the video does not show that the vacuum cleaner worked after replacing the batteries.
@@PavlikO just checked and i didnt show it working. Its worked fine since the video and is in daily use. Runtime is ridiculous now.
@@fiveminuteman Sorry, I just found a vacuum cleaner test on the video. I have a newer model, it is protected against self-replacement of batteries. This became clear after replacing and contacting several services.
@@PavlikO no worries👍 i wasnt sure once i replaced them that it would work or charge correctly. Annoying about the circuit in yours though. Could be the BMS throwing an error with the new cells.
Guess mine is going in the ducking 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆bin then….😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Great video you have patience 👍🏻
They are a blinking nightmare👍
Hello, I did this but it doesn't charge but if I start from the button it shows that it is charging and interrupting and charging again and stopping again ..
Thank You!
Not sure on that, but some have said the units come with different a BMS that will not allow charging of replacement cells. Do you know if the 18650s were all charged to the same level before fitting? The only other suggestion is check all the connections.
Best to use T20 (Torx 20) long bit with hole. Or dremel a hole in an T20, works too.
Whatever is available and works. Dont forget torx wont work on security screws.
Thanks a lot for the tip with the Dremel👍👍this helps me to safe days and a little gold. Perfect....
the 18650s here are $10 each which means thats like $70 but im sure the charge would be $250 as the bosch athlet is $600 RRP
Excuse my English. Some BMSs have protection in case an item is defective or disconnected (interrupted). When changing the cells, the first time disconnection of the minus (black) wire must be considered. In case the extra one is disconnected (red) or the connector, BMS sees the intervention as a defect and it is blocked. This is the situation with some laptop batteries. Unfortunately I found out late. Can anyone point me to the 22v firmware?
catalin calaretu Are you saying that you need to disconnect the batteries before you start pulling the plugs from the board? Thanks
You are right. It's the best way to disconnect minus FIRST and connect LAST.
Look, BMS doesn't block in that case, because in that scheme it used in HOST mode. It means full control from Atmega. BMS has EEProm also, but not use it, if I understood datasheet information correctly. Controller writes Error information to Atmega's EEProm. Try to RESET EEProm.
@@ded5154 Thanks for info. Where is the reset on EEprom or is it in firmware?
read 67 answers above, pls.
@@TomPugh450 Before pulling the connector off the board, unplug the minus wire directly from the battery. Excuse my English.
What 18650 cells are they? Can you share the details please?
Yep the cell details are in the video title and also in the video.
Hi, can you help me fond batteries for my Bosch atleth 18v 🙏 ?
Ebay stopped selling due to fire risk in transit. Still loads of companies sell them and ship out of ebay. Battery recelling works on some athlets but not all. We found the athlets once recelled loads of other problems occured such as snapping handle and motor brush wiring snapping (again).
if you're in the UK you can order from here - www.18650.uk/
@@cesarfreschi5165 that's where i got my cells from.
Buona sera.
Desidero sapere, quanti alloggiamenti per le batterie ci sono nello chassis.
grazie.
Gli alloggi sono 9 ma vanno utilizzate solo 7 batterie
@@smerckibmw9339 sono tutte collegate in serie?.grazie.
Si! All’inizio del video mostra lo schema elettrico fatto a penna
@@smerckibmw9339 si vede molto brevemente
Hi
i change the bateries and then have to flash a new firmware and now leds are blinking like they try to charge but without charger any one know what next? xD trash? or you can do something with it?
I never knew you could upgrade the firmware on it. I'd get a spares or repair athlet off ebay and replace the control panel. How didnyou upgrade the firmware?
@@fiveminuteman not upgrade 🤣😅 new firmware i mean from a new vacuum 😅🤣
How long does it take to fully charge?
2 hours due to extra capacity
@@fiveminuteman I also replaced the batteries. The vacuum cleaner is working but it's been charging for over 2 hours
@@zoli121 it will stop when capacity reached. Dont leave it charging over night.
@@fiveminuteman Okay thanks :)
@@fiveminuteman I charged the battery today. 29.1V. If I start using it then turbo mode is 20 minutes and the battery run low . I measured it. 24v. 3.4V per cell. Why not dive below 3.4V?
Hi, maybe, someone could help: I have Bosch Flexxo Series 4 and when charging or turning the switch on, the red led lights up for 10 seconds then it turns off (Over-/undertemperature
protection - according to users manual). It uses 7x 18650 batteries and one of them has only 1.27V. Could this be the problem or is it issue with temperature sensor?
Sorry, not sure on that but could be worth changinging that 18650 first and testing.
Changed all batteries, but still the same, maybe control board is faulty?
@@gorazdlenko people have said that different versions of the Athlet can prevent new batteries being added as the bms shutsdown when the first ones fail. Look on ebay for a spare or repair athlet as it can be used for spares. Ive used heads, handle, bms and charge adaptor before.
Very handy video, thanks! But please, please clean that soldering iron tip, it made me wince all the way thru ;-)
It's getting replaced with a spot welder for 18650 and nickel strips
total how many batteries to replace ?
The answer to your question is in the video.
Very helpful thank you.
I maybe will do it but with adding the three missing batteries.
With another diagram ofcourse
No need to. Just use higher mAh batteries
@@anthmartin5072 that's right.
Already did both 👍🏻
What's the exact model of the vacuum?
Cant remember but it's the 25.2v one
Feel free to say thanks for me taking the time to answer you.
Thanks mate. Is this the 60min model?
@@stanstefanov3315 yep
Stan Stefanov I searched the video for a clear look at the model label sticker - it’s a BCH625KTB/01, a 60 minute model available new in the UK as of 11 January 2020 for £150, though I think its normal price is £250. Was watching this as I just got a BCH6ATH1GB, which appears to be identical (even those two prices and what’s in the box) in all but colour - mine’s white on the back, satin silver on the centre insert of the front (top of handle to the top of the dust canister). Oh, and the stub handle is gloss black, not white. Wonder why they do these variants and if there is something different inside?
After i change it no improvement. They charge but last just 4-5 minutes. After i start go directly to the last led.
and that was with brand new 18650 cells? Perhaps the bms is at fault?
@@fiveminuteman How can I verify this?
Now he doesn't even want to charge the battery. the charging lights no longer light up
There is no way im doing this. Its long and complicated. Im buying a new one 😂
It sure is and i have now moved to Dyson.
Icontacted Bosch. They wanted £199 for new battery pack plus £117 for the engineer to call to replace. Absolutely disgraceful
I doing think this vacuum cleaner is worth fitting new battery cells into, it doesn't have a brushless motor to start with. It's be inlined just to remove the batteries altogether then extend the power wires outside of the unit and use a power tool battery instead, would need to buy or make up adaptors to connect to battery pack according to make and model, that way you can use a fast charger plus swap out batteries while charging another. These companies are all taking the public for a ride, no need for internal batteries or all the different mount types to supply mostly 20v DC.
Moved to a Dyson v8, just buy the battery pack off ebay without the hassle of changing cells
So rhe BMS wont reset !! Nice !! Ill start mine then
... i hate when bms reset and u waste ur time
Welp, guess this won't be a simple job like I was hoping.
It's a pig of a job and no guarantee that when done the thing will work. Some BMS throw a wobbler if you change the cells, i was lucky.
Oh no, soldering at battery cells ??
Oh my dayyyyzzzz the cells will die!!!!!!! Er nope...still going strong no tab welder required👍
With a good soldering iron, 3 seconds are not going to damage them.
@@Zockyvet very unlikely
Stop...Bosch will disable the circuit board if it reads the cell replaced. It ruin my vacuum and Bosch I hate you and will never buy your product again!
Not on mine it didnt bms was oblivious to the cell change. Sounds like you damaged the circuit board by being ignorant.
Я его просто выкинул, никогда больше не куплю технику Бош, не ремонтно пригодна!!!
Glad the video was of great use to you!!!!
Sorry but I cannot watch anymore. Hope you improve, thank you.
Improve what?
My god what an abomination of a battery I certainly wont be buying anything bosch for a while
Nightmare springs to mind