Replacing Batteries In A Screwdriver Battery

Replacing batteries in a screwdriver
Replacing batteries in a screwdriver The cost of a drill-screwdriver or a screwdriver is approximately 60-70% formed from the price of a battery-accumulator (AKB) for them. Therefore, it is natural when

Replacing batteries in a screwdriver

The cost of a drill-screwdriver or a screwdriver is approximately 60-70% formed from the price of a battery-accumulator (AKB) for them. Therefore, it is natural that when a person’s battery fails, he asks questions about whether a complete replacement of batteries in a screwdriver is necessary, how to repair them or what to replace?

Cordless screwdriver battery, appearance

Types of battery screwdriver

Battery parts of screwdrivers, regardless of their model or manufacturer, are similar in design. Small energy storage elements (“banks”), assembled in a series circuit.

Interesting to know. The final battery voltage is the sum of the voltages of each individual cell.

“Banks” in the battery of screwdrivers have standard dimensions and voltage indicators, differing from each other only in capacity, which is measured in A / h and is always indicated on their case.

Storage cell with parameters indicated on it

A battery can include several types of energy storage cells:

• Nickel-cadmium storage cells (Ni-Cd), voltage 1.2 V;
• Lithium-ion batteries (Li-Ion), voltage. 3.6V;
• Nickel-metal hydride battery (Ni-MH), voltage. 1.2V.

Comparison of battery types

Parameter	Ni-Cd	Li-Ion	Ni-MH
Price	Low	High	Average
Fear of low temperatures	Not	Not	Yes
Capacity	Low	High	High
Element memory effect	Tall	Is absent	Low
Self-discharge	Tall	Almost absent	Low
Discharge-charge cycles	Small	Big	Sufficient

Defect determination

If the screwdriver stops working due to a battery malfunction, then it is worth noting that all the battery components cannot fail at once. Since the elements in the screwdriver battery are connected in a series circuit, then if one component breaks down, the entire circuit ceases to function. It is such a component that needs to be found.

Such a search includes the following steps:

1. Initially, you need to fully charge the battery;
2. Next, you need to disassemble the battery case and take out all the banks, on which you can measure the voltage with a special device. A multimeter. For lithium cells, it should fall within the 3.6-3.8 V range, and for Ni-Cd. 1.3-1.4 V;
3. Those elements that are not included in the required range should be marked with a marker. For example, most Ni-Cd battery cells show a voltage of 1.3-1.4 V, and a few have an indicator of 1.0-1.2 V. They should be noted;
4. Next, it is worth completely reassembling the battery and operating the product until almost complete loss of power;
5. After that, it is necessary to measure the voltage at the battery cells again. On the marked elements, this indicator will decrease most of all;
6. If the voltage in the battery components varies, and this difference is about 0.4-0.8 V, then “banks” with lower rates are unsuitable for further use of the product.

Measuring the voltage of the battery cells with a screwdriver using a multimeter

Repair of a battery in the event of a malfunction of its component parts can occur according to two scenarios: resuscitation and their complete replacement.

Interesting to know. Basically, breakdowns of screwdriver batteries are associated with the loss of voltage of individual elements. Other malfunctions occur quite rarely: failure of the thermistor, loss of contact connections in the soldering areas of the power contacts of the unit or batteries.

Can battery components be repaired?

A lithium-ion battery can only be repaired by replacing faulty components, which is most often associated with the chemical decomposition of constituent substances. Lithium. In such batteries, it is important to correctly determine the cause of the malfunction: a control circuit or a storage element. You can find out exactly the reason in two ways:

1. Change the battery control circuit from another similar battery. If this manipulation helped, then you need to find a replacement and change the elements;
2. Apply a voltage of 4 V with a current of 200 mA to absolutely all components of the battery using a regulated mains charger (SZU). If the voltage on the battery storage cell after this manipulation rises to 3.6 V, then the cell is in good condition. Means that other parts are faulty.

Reanimation of the energy-storing part of a screwdriver or drill is available mostly for nickel-cadmium batteries in its composition, which are the most popular type of battery in such products due to their low cost.

Recovery of nickel-cadmium elements can be carried out by the following methods:

• “Compression (compaction)”. This method takes place only when the element has lost its volume, and the electrolyte is still in it;
• “Flashing” the memory. Exposure to a current greater than the calculated minimum voltage values ​​helps to correct (but not completely eliminate) the memory effect of the element and restore the lost capacity.

Compression (sealing) of the battery cell

The essence of this recovery method boils down to the fact that you just need to liquefy the electrolyte, which, although in a reduced amount, remained in the battery bank. Instructions for performing such a restoration of a battery component are as follows:

1. On the end part of the problematic battery (can), from the negative contact, it is required to make the smallest hole possible with a punch or the thinnest drill;
2. Pump out the air mass through this hole with a syringe up to 1 ml;
3. Using the same syringe, pour from 0.5 to 1 ml of purified water (distillate) into the jar;
4. Carry out the procedure for sealing this element using oligomers. The most accessible is epoxy resin;
5. Fully charge-discharge the battery at least 5 times to equalize the potential of diluted storage cells.

Injection of a liquid substance into a battery bank of a screwdriver with a syringe

Important! If the amount of electrolyte in a nickel-cadmium battery is negligible, then it makes no sense to revive it.

Any of the ways to resuscitate damaged parts of the battery is not able to completely correct the problem in its operation, but only to delay their replacement.

Repair and replacement of battery components

Replacing certain failed battery cells is the most effective and correct type of repair. It is possible to carry out repairs by replacing problematic battery cells using purchased new cans or working cells from a donor battery.

Important! Before purchasing a battery component, you must make sure that it fully matches the size and capacity of the original component.

Various types of screwdriver battery cells

To replace, you will need the following materials and tools:

• Soldering iron;
• Tin;
• Nippers;
• A flux that is not very susceptible to corrosive processes, for example, alcohol based on rosin.

If there is at least scanty experience in the soldering procedure or theoretical knowledge about it, then the replacement will be easy and quick. The replacement consists of the following actions:

• Disassembling the battery;
• Trimming the old element from the connecting plate;
• Soldering a new can in its place.

The process of sealing new battery elements of the screwdriver

However, when performing this procedure, there are a number of recommendations:

• When soldering with a soldering tool, it is recommended that all operations be performed as quickly as possible in order to avoid heating the battery, which can lead to its failure;
• If possible, it is necessary to use native connecting plates or copper commensurate to them, since if they are of the wrong size, the effect of a large current will lead to heating of the entire element, which will lead to the operation of the protective thermistor;
• You need to carry out all the work very clearly and carefully, without confusing the location of the elements and their contacts in a serial connection. The plus of one element falls on the minus of the other.

After completing the procedure for soldering new elements to the old banks, it is required to equalize the voltage potentials. To do this, you need to fully charge the battery: put it on charge for about 8-10 hours, and after a day of standing, measure the voltage. As a result, all elements should have approximately the same voltage indicator. Within 1.3V.

Next, you need to load the battery of the screwdriver as much as possible to completely discharge it. This full charge-discharge procedure (also called memory deletion procedure) must be repeated at least two times.

If you carry out the above sequence of actions to erase the memory of the battery every three to four months, then you can significantly extend the operation of the accumulating elements of a screwdriver or drill.

Having performed the correct search for the cause of the battery malfunction, having correctly performed the procedures for restoring or replacing the battery in a screwdriver, you can bring the familiar tool back to life.

Varieties of batteries for a screwdriver

There are 3 types of rechargeable batteries on the power tool market:

• (NiCd) nickel cadmium;
• (NiMH) nickel metal hydride;
• (Li-Ion) lithium-ion.

Replacing batteries with similar ones

On some units, you can see the mounting screws that need to be removed. But on most battery blocks there are no self-tapping screws, since the body is glued together. To open such a block, you will need to carefully insert a screwdriver into the glued place (shown by the arrow) and press lightly to detach the walls of the case. The same actions need to be done around the entire perimeter.

After opening the block, you will see the batteries in it.

1. You need to solder quickly, not allowing the battery to heat up, as it may become unusable.
2. For connections, you need to use the “native” plates, desoldering them from the old batteries (they have the required section and resistance).
3. It is important to correctly connect the plus and minus of the battery. The elements must be connected in series: the minus of the previous battery must be connected to the plus of the new one, and the minus of the new battery to the plus terminal of the next battery.

After connecting all the elements, you need to equalize the potentials on all batteries, since they are different. Carry out one charge-discharge cycle: connect the charger to the battery overnight, then let it cool down for a day and measure the output voltage in turn on all cells. If everything went well, then on all batteries the indicator will be the same. Within 1.3 V.

Now the battery needs to be discharged by inserting it into a screwdriver and loading the latter to the maximum. The main thing is not to overheat the engine of the tool. Give him a little rest. Bring the battery to full discharge. This procedure should be repeated 2 more times (full charge and full discharge).

Nickel-cadmium batteries

This type of battery is the most common, although it is over 100 years old. NiCd batteries have good capacity and low cost.

Nickel-cadmium batteries have the following advantages.

1. Durability. With proper operation, the battery can last 8-10 years.
2. Ability to work at low temperatures. The battery power is practically not reduced, which allows using the tool outdoors in winter.
3. A high degree of reliability and unpretentiousness to working conditions.
4. The battery can withstand a thousand charge-discharge cycles.
5. The battery can be stored for a long time in a discharged state.

Since NiCd batteries are not “afraid” of full discharge, you can work with the tool until it stops completely, that is, until the battery is deeply discharged. Only then can you put it on charge without fear that the battery capacity will decrease.

However, nickel-cadmium batteries are not without their drawbacks. The toxicity of the internal filling of the battery causes disposal problems.

Batteries of this type are quite heavy when compared to other types of batteries. In addition, they have a “memory effect”. This phenomenon occurs in a nickel-cadmium battery when it is prevented from fully discharging. If you turn on such a battery for recharging, then it will “remember” this value and during further work it will discharge exactly to this mark. This will lose a significant portion of the battery’s capacity. The figure below clearly demonstrates how the “memory effect” appears.

Which battery for a screwdriver is better to choose

A cordless screwdriver is a fairly convenient and popular tool. The independence from the power supply makes this device mobile and allows you to work in hard-to-reach places. But despite all the advantages, the rechargeable battery (AKB) is the weak link in a screwdriver. Therefore, when choosing a power tool, you first need to understand what types of batteries exist, what is their difference, the pros and cons of different types of batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries

Li-Ion batteries significantly outperform other types of batteries. The advantages of lithium-ion batteries include the following:

• Almost complete absence of “memory effect”;
• You can recharge the lithium-ion battery at any stage of discharge, without fear of loss of capacity;
• No power loss at low battery charge;
• The effective service life is 5-8 years;
• Low self-discharge;
• Takes little time to charge;
• There are no toxic elements;
• High power with small dimensions.

Cons of lithium-ion batteries:

• Sensitivity to impacts (may explode with strong impacts);
• The battery does not tolerate full discharge and overcharge. This causes the battery to fail;
• Discharges quickly at low temperatures;
• High price;
• Service life is lower than that of nickel-cadmium batteries.

It is difficult to say unequivocally which battery is better. Mainly, you must decide for what purpose you are going to purchase a screwdriver. If for home use, which implies infrequent switching on with long interruptions in work, then you need to choose a tool with a nickel-cadmium battery.

Lithium-ion batteries are the professional choice. They are designed for continuous, long-term and uninterrupted operation. The recharge time of the battery is also important for a professional tool. But it is worth remembering one rule: a lithium battery cannot be brought to full discharge.

How can you replace the “native” battery in a screwdriver

If the batteries in your screwdriver have worn out, they can be easily replaced. There is such a thing as battery interchangeability. For example, under the PowerPlant brand, batteries are produced that are compatible with most popular brands of power tools. They cost much less than the “native” batteries and are quite efficient.

But if this option does not suit you, then the batteries themselves in the unit can be replaced with new ones. To do this, you will have to disassemble the battery pack and remove the elements that make up it.

We continue to disassemble the battery of the Interskol screwdriver

This can be done in several ways. You can unsolder the wires that go to the board.

You can also simply remove the contacts from the top battery cover. Shown is the shape of the bent contacts so you can easily remove them yourself.

Under the plastic cover we see how the batteries are connected to each other. Them spot welded. This solution is used in almost any battery of another tool. This is a safe and gentle battery connection. In this case, the destructive heating of the lithium batteries themselves is minimal.

Gently tear off or bite off the metal tape with pliers to detach the cans from each other. From the side of the board, they were also connected together with a tape and put on glue on a cardboard pad. This is done so as not to short-circuit anything on the board. Remember to put it back in place when reassembling the battery.

Due to the lack of a spot welding machine, new lithium-ion batteries will be soldered very quickly with a well-heated powerful soldering iron. We remember that heating lithium-ion batteries reduces their service life and is generally explosive.

Pay particular attention to the condition of the wires inside the battery. They can be broken or frayed. They need to be qualitatively isolated or replaced with fresh ones. Since I was repairing a screwdriver battery on the road in the field, I had to apply a brilliant invention of the engineering mind. He took out a blue radio technical tape.

When disassembling the battery of the Interskol DA-10 / 10.8 ER screwdriver, I was pleasantly surprised. A thermal sensor was installed in the budget screwdriver to control the temperature of the batteries. It turns out that when the lithium cans overheat, the protection circuit turns off the power until the temperature recovers to normal. True, the owner never managed to drive him into such a regime. We carefully tear off this thermal sensor so as not to break it. Then we will place it in the same place on new cans.

Dismantling the screwdriver battery

Let’s start repairing the screwdriver battery. We remove the battery from the handle of the screwdriver and unscrew the three self-tapping screws that are located under the sticker below.

After unscrewing the screws, carefully push back the hooks of the latches, as on. And remove the bottom of the plastic battery case.

Inside we see lithium-ion cans Chinese company HighStar model ISR18650-1300 Li-Ion. This means that the batteries have never been changed. Because it is known that Interskol purchases batteries from this company and inserts them into almost all of its battery tools.

Below you can see the insides of the screwdriver’s battery in all its glory with cans in the amount of three pieces, which were produced already in 2011. These batteries lasted five years during active use at a construction site. So the result is very decent. Usually they die earlier, probably they were not exploited in cold weather.

To replace the battery banks, you need to disassemble it even more. I advise you to remember the location of the plus, minus and charging contacts, so as not to confuse the wires when reassembling.

Pay attention to the voltage control board on the batteries. Stabilizers and protective diodes especially often fail on it. It is imperative to ring suspicious radio elements on this board with a multimeter.

We check the voltage at the output of the battery. It turned out 4.4 volts, and it should be 3.7 x 3 = 11.1 volts in the norm and 10.8 volts with the minimum battery charge. In general, the banks are dead. They need to be changed unambiguously.

Do-it-yourself screwdriver battery repair with battery replacement

Hello! Today we will repair the battery of the screwdriver. Did you know that the history of the creation of a screwdriver goes back to the deep Middle Ages. Already in the 15th century, when the knights put on armor before the battle, and the squires helped them twist parts of the armor, guess what? A screwdriver!

This went on for a long time, until in 1907 the Canadian inventor Peter Robertson patented the Robertson screw with a standard square hole into which the screwdriver tip was inserted. Since that time, screws have been produced on an industrial scale and used in households. Later, in 1934, inventor Henry Phillips redesigned the head of the screw and a Phillips screw was introduced into which the corresponding screwdriver was inserted. By that time, the engine had already been invented, and the idea of ​​creating a “screw and screw rotator” was in the air. However, there were big problems with the batteries. Their weight and dimensions. The problem was solved only in the 1980s, when the first nickel-cadmium Ni-Cd and lithium-ion Li-Ion rechargeable batteries appeared.

The USA and Japan were the first to master the production of household and professional cordless drills and screwdrivers. All this happened thanks to the emergence of new energy-intensive batteries of electricity. We will urgently change them inside the Interskol DA-10 / 10.8 ER cordless drill-screwdriver that fell into my hands. The malfunction was like this. When the button was pressed, the engine simply did not spin, but the LED lit up, the truth was weak.

Solder batteries

Can be done in different ways, for example with thick wires. I decided to solder a torn-off metal strip taken from old cans. First, I tinned the tapes in the places of future contacts on both sides. Later I tinned the battery contacts with a well-heated soldering iron with a drop of solder. But so that they do not get too hot. Let them cool down. Then he pressed the tape to the contacts of the cans and soldered the tape again without overheating the battery cans.

The minus leads are the hardest to solder, but with a good flux, things go very quickly. True, then it is better to wash the flux afterwards to clean the insides of the battery.

When assembling, do not forget to replace the cardboard gasket between the banks and the board. This is so that the fresh soldering does not short-circuit anything on the board.

This completes the repair and restoration of the lithium-ion battery of the Interskol DA-10 / 10.8 ER screwdriver. Almost all batteries are repaired in much the same way. Popular manufacturers of screwdrivers: Bosch, Makita, DeWALT, Metabo, Hitachi, Elitech, Skil and my favorite Bison. This concludes my story about the repair of a screwdriver battery. Ask questions in the comments. Better yet, in the appropriate thread on our forum or write to the Solder Master personally by mail.

Best regards, Solder Master. Happy repairs!