Can I fix an old Makita cordless drill?

[@ianstapp5806]

Outstanding work again, well done.

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

I was surprised that the battery still worked and the fault was elsewhere 👍

[@dogbreath6974]

I have this hammer drill + the driver drill with torque, unfortunately both of my batteries are dead. I bought them about 40 years ago (if memory is correct) they were great drills in their time, I thought about buying some Ni-Mh batteries but would need to purchase the charger as well, which would cost to much.

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

You can buy suitable replacement NiCd cells online, eBay etc, but you would need to take the old battery pack apart and solder up the cells. It is doable, but depends on your determination and skill. There is also the possibility of running it off modern Lithium Ion or LiPo batteries designed for model aircraft and cars, although unless you are already an RC plane or car enthusiast with spare batteries, it would be another outlay, including a special charger, so you could easily end up spending more than you would buying a new cordless drill 🙁

[@JohnnyBareToes1]

Good job ! I've had a few switches like that apart over the years, they can be a real pain to get cleaned. I've had a few contacts go flying across the room too lol

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Yes, I usually drop a part and it is lost forever ☹

[@JohnnyBareToes1]

@@GrandadIsAnOldMan Haha been there many times myself

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

I always found NiCd batteries to be unbreakable, especially compared to NiMh and Lithium batteries - they would last years without charge and recover. Although LiPo batteries are much more energy dense, so they are a better option these days due to weight. These days the only thing that uses NiCd batteries are emergency lights, although you can find the cells to rebuild battery packs if you really need them from the far east.

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

I have looked at replacement cells in the past, often worked out as expensive as a new drill 😆😆 or close enough to make a new drill a better option.

[@UKTOOLTALK]

Awesome video my friend, I love these old makita drills, it’s great to see the process of a fix and all the backwards and forwarding!, really enjoyed watching you tinker with this drill, cheers pal 🤟🤟😊

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Thanks 👍 I am not always successful, but I like to have a go 😁

[@UKTOOLTALK]

Same as me iv had some right disasters but I always learn a bit from them, tinkering with makita tools is one of my favourite things to do regardless of the outcome 🤟🤟

[@docink6175]

the heck with the drill, You have a great motor , battery and misc bits to play with, lol...

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Yes, that is in the back of my mind. That would drive a good sized rc car 😁

[@MrDbone75]

A very good Thursday afternoon to you sir and your family from Wellington Somerset

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Good afternoon, David. Good to hear from you. Hope you are well 😁

[@MarinusMakesStuff]

The channel 'The Post Apocalyptic Inventor' has a beautiful video that shows how to convert such a drill to make it use Makita Lithium batteries.

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Hey, good to hear from you, hope you are well 👍 Yes, the drill, I was surprised I was able to get it working with the original NiCd battery. That has got to be nearly 20 years old 👍

[@davidepiccini9254]

Good night and love video

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Good night, Davide.