Ep 33 Electric Toothbrush Battery Replacement/Upgrade

Replacing/Upgrading the battery in an electric toothbrush
In this video I step through the swap out of the old 600mAh NiCd battery with a 2000mAh NiMh battery.
Instructable here: www.instructab...

[@tekboyg]

Just did my one! This has bugged me for ages, so good to keep using a perfectly good toothbrush! Down with planned obsolescence!

[@PowerOn-]

It's definitely a "first world problem" but I agree with you, it's great not to have to recharge the toothbrush every few days

[@ib9rt]

@@PowerOn- I use the one that takes two disposable AA batteries and put two Eneloops in it. That way I never have to worry about an internal battery wearing out.

[@__________f9433]

Yeah I have same model. to be honest it’s amazing electric toothbrush the quality that can last for so long. Unfortunately for me. I’ll just have to spend the $37 to buy a new one.

[@eolguing]

I just did it today. I couldn't solder the tabs to the battery, but just used masking tape and that's it. It is working again after almost 8 years of storage.

[@MemerDad]

I’ve had mine for about 11 years and only a few weeks ago it started acting up.

[@richardappleton9544]

Thanks so much for this very helpful procedure. I have just replaced the original 700mAh NiMh battery with at 2200mAh NiMh. I found the new battery on e-bay and it had the solder tags pre-fitted, although they needed a little trimming prior to installation. The whole job took me around an hour, I could probably have done it quicker but as this was the first time I had attempted it I exercised a little caution along the way, and also cleaned the brush before re-assembly. Well done Simon!

[@PowerOn-]

Well done Richard. Another toothbrush given an extended life 😁

[@elmerm9327]

Hi, what voltage did you go for ?

[@joeroganpodfantasy42]

700 NiMH to 2000 is amazing

[@nospammike]

Many thanks Simon! Recovered 3 of these Braun and they used to open at the base. Fitted an NiMH after opening at the top as per your video, and it didn't run. Few mins on the charger, back and working. Another gadget saved from landfill. Cheers!

[@PowerOn-]

Good work Mike, keep it up!

[@magicdave93]

What I cannot understand is why they don’t make them so you can just replace the battery like you can with a light. Great video buddy 👍🙂

[@Arthurk346]

to make people go and buy a new one

[@anelkobalic1574]

So you buy a new one. It is a world of consumerism mate

[@lindsay5985]

@David Thompson, if they had invented flashlights this millennium then you wouldn’t be able to replace the batteries! You would simply have to throw it away and buy a new flashlight every time the battery died. Built in failure and prevention of service and repair should be outlawed in my opinion.

[@lindsay5985]

So we should continue to make rubbish that breaks - for factory workers? I think it’s better to make products serviceable - then people can be employed to service them instead of making even more crap that breaks and has to be put in landfill.

[@Ermes17]

Because they are a little bastards

[@jhamm15]

Just did this to a couple oral-b’s that had old ni-MH batteries. video was great, thanks!! I did not have de soldering bulb so I attached a straw to a vacuum which sucked solder right up! Also vaseline/petroleum jelly works well as a flux replacement!! 😎

[@PowerOn-]

Lots of great tips!

[@ivokouters3415]

I recently replaced the battery of my toothbrush with the help of this video. I used to get 2-3 days of juice out of it. After replacement I've been using it for more than two weeks now without recharging! Thanks a lot!!

[@nickevans417]

Thank you very much Simon, very useful! I had the same problem with not turning back on but when I had done nothing more than remove the insides from the casing, no desoldering, nothing. Happily, putting it on the charger for a minute worked. This device obviously doesn't like any tampering! I thought I must have cracked the PCB at first. Mine wasn't a battery issue but the underside of the rubber on/off switch cover was worn away, making it hard to turn on when assembled. A bit of silicone sealer has filled the gap and will hopefully work when it's cured. I do love fixing stuff.

[@uranium5694]

Thank you so much for this video! I replaced the battery in my toothbrush! Feels so good that in this case I'm not a victim of planned obsolescence!

[@yeehawongi4920]

Hi, which rechargeable battery you now have it in the toothbrush? I would like to have mine replaced as well.

[@MemerDad]

It’s really hard to call it planned while it works for about a decade. I used mine for over a decade.

[@CrackedPi]

Batteries just go bad over time

[@MemerDad]

@@CrackedPi exactly

[@riverrage]

@@CrackedPiWhich is why it should be replaceable.

[@musicantd]

Doing this today. I replaced the battery before but that one's almost totally gone. 1/2 the time I turn it on it only has 1/2 second action. Other times it's good for 2 minutes and dies, right at the end. I'm replacing with an Eneloop this time, figure it will last way way longer than the NiMH replacement I had in there before. The original was a NiCad. I did something similar with my Oral-B Triumph toothbrush around a year ago, replaced that one's battery with an Eneloop, it's been going strong ever since. Not having a spot welder, I used a regular solder iron. The connection seemed less than reliable but so far so good. Yes, down with planned obsolescence! Thank you for this excellent video. FYI, all, another video showing similar fixing of one of these types of battery operated toothbrushes advised wiping the outside of the unit dry after each use, saying that the death of these is frequently due to water seeping inside. I towel off mine after rinsing these days. So, after writing the above I started the process of changing the battery for an Eneloop AA that had a decent charge on it. It succeeded but there were a couple problems I had to deal with. I removed the battery that was in there. It was a NiMH I'd bought off the internet and it said on the side that it was 2200mah capacity. Of course, that is very doubtful. I then tested its voltage and to my amazement it was quite high, over 1.37 volts. But the toothbrush only worked sometimes in the last 1/2 year or more and would rarely work at all after 2 minutes and lately it wouldn't turn on for more than 1/2 second. So, what could be wrong? I decided to put the Eneloop in there anyway. I tore the tabs off the battery that had been in there and soldered them on the Eneloop. The one on the negative end wouldn't stick, so I roughed up that end of the battery using a dremel. Then the tab stayed soldered on. I assembled the toothbrush but encountered a problem in that the shaft at the top came loose from the rest of the internal unit. I persisted and managed to get it back on, completed assembly. It did not turn on, as Simon experienced and I put it on the charger for a couple minutes and then it turned on. And boy did it go! It had far more power than I'd had from the other battery and after a 2 minute usage it kept going like it never wanted to stop. I have it on the charger now, mission accomplished. I have no idea why it wasn't working with the previous battery. Maybe that was defective even though the voltage looks good using a multimeter.

[@korishan]

Nice upgrade :) The onboard controller IC needs to be externally energized after the battery is removed. Once it's turned on, it then turns on the fet to power itself from the battery. This is partially for shipping purposes as the battery should actually not be energized during shipments. That's why they say "Charge device before using" ;) it really just turns the unit on fully. Thanks for the tip on the spot welder and being resistive welding. There's another user who was having issues with that and I passed on the info and see if they get better results now.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the reply and explanation Korishan, it's nice to have the gaps in my (limited) knowledge filled! As for the spot welding I see lots of videos with people pressing really hard and it really makes the weld worse not better.

[@kb24theMVP]

Hi What do you mean by externally energized? Do you mean I should put it on it's original charger for it to work? Thanks in advance

[@djbradz7453]

@@kb24theMVP yes

[@SteenPedersen]

Thanks, just did this. The connector on the original battery was broken, thats why I ended up here. I didn't know how to open the case :-) Now the toothbrush has been repaired and upgraded. The original 700 mAh battery has been swapped with an Ikea 2000 mAh battery :-)

[@PowerOn-]

Well done Steen. Another upgraded toothbrush!

[@beemergb]

Brilliant Thank You !! Just unscrew it and found the fault ! The rubber that you push down onto the on button had a split in it ! Inside full of sticky toothpast ! WD cleanup bit 0f grease on the gear in the head !AND Ive got my lovely leky toothbrush back running again ! Thank you again from a very white smile !!🙂

[@PowerOn-]

...even I might be thinking about a replacement when something like that happens! 🤣 Anyway, good on you for resolving the issue. Maybe the split rubber could be resealed, possibly a smear of silicone sealer if you have some?

[@abdoskitchen5643]

Good job Simon and thanks for the video upload. I have the same brush and before watching this video I was trying, unsuccessfully, to open it from the bottom.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the comment Abdo. The technique for opening is a little counter intuitive. I'm glad you found the video useful.

[@MrPye]

Just done mine. Had two to re-battery but one did not have the access using the charger peg and the top broke off when twisting it. However, I have got the other working again using the charger route and now have a spare PCB/motor should it be needed in 10 years time! Thank you for the video, and for those who pointed out the charger trick

[@Kangaroo_Caught]

I bought a Pro 2 unit pack years ago, only used 1 handpiece until it seemed to be down on power and charge duration. Put that aside for about 5 years until the 2nd handpiece slowed similarly. Was looking for exactly this type of information. Charged the original up and it's still working well another 3 years later. Original battery.

[@landydoc]

Thanks for your tutorial. I could revive the brush. That is the sort of sustainability I really like.

[@LeadingMotive]

Thank you, just got mine working today again, the battery was completely gone after 10+ years. The soldering spots are pretty hard to get desoldered, I recommend adding some fresh solder on top first as it makes desoldering easier. About charging times: The charger's specification is 1.3 Watts. Assuming the old battery had around 1.3 Volts, this means it charges with 1 Ampere (1000 mA). If the new battery holds 2000 mAh then a complete charge would take approximately 2 hours. As we don't know whether the electronics stop the charging at any point, it is probably advisable to not charge much longer than that.

[@PowerOn-]

Whilst I didn't check i'm pretty sure there will be a charging chip inside controlling the process, particularly the termination of charge. Also, the charging rate will be at least 20-30% below the input power as wireless charging has greater losses compared to wired. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@LeadingMotive]

Good point, I just realized there is a loss due to induction charging. Also there's heat losses. Yesterday I found the instructions leaflet and it states 16 hours of charging time, and that's for the small 600 mAh battery! So there must be some function to slow down the charging. I assume that's because most people leave the toothbrush in the charger anyway.

[@tonicipriani]

I'm not sure what type of solder they used, but it won't get wicked up properly with the copper braid. And there was a LOAD of solder on it already, the factory solder was pretty bad on mine, was like a ball and had a load of flux spilling out when heated. Ended up sticking a small screwdriver behind the board and solder away until it popped out.

[@harsancatalin]

Nice video. Just changed a battery on my toothbrush and I'm so excited that in The end guided by The steps you showed IT works again. Thanks

[@asinbluesky]

YEESSS Great video! Crucially including the trick to restart the chips by putting the toothbrush briefly on the charger. I had followed a different video previously, which missed this bit out, and assumed wrongly I had overheated or blown the board. Just done two units upgrading from 700mAh to 2600mAh so should get mega time now :-)

[@Channel-tr1hx]

Seriously it had 700mah????

[@user-px6zb8kk5j]

Good man. Great to see videos like this. I try to fix everything I can, but don’t always know how. The hardest part can sometimes be diagnosing a faulty part or component

[@crispinswainstonharrison9042]

Thanks. It took me two failed attempts to get it right, but now I’ve got it. I’ve done two successfully so fR and another 5 to go.

[@PowerOn-]

Sounds like an upgrade for the whole family 👨‍👩‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👧‍👧👩‍👦👩‍👦‍👦

[@featherbrain7147]

I've got two of these! One works long enough to charge the other...I'm off to try this. Thanks!

[@rosecastillo-favio4412]

thank you, just got one, it is hard to get open for me, but thanks to you I got it . Much appreciated!

[@steamy_creamy423]

"Toothbrush manufacturers hate him" find out how this man got 5 more years out of his toothbrush-

[@bigboldbicycle]

Probably longer as the new battery has higher capacity and better chemistry.

[@NighTHunteRX1300]

I have same toothbrush and is it working all the time 13 years, YES its no joke! I nothing change just brush, no change batery and all time is ok :) Amaizing

[@krisgasiorowski6608]

@@NighTHunteRX1300 Same with mine!! But I only brush my teeth twice a month.

[@derekbaall]

@@krisgasiorowski6608 ?? WHAT

[@derekbaall]

@@krisgasiorowski6608 ONLY TWICE A MONTH?

[@MirceaD28]

I have an identical toothbrush. Now I know what to do thanks to you. So yes. Thank you!!

[@PowerOn-]

Hope you manage to change the cell!

[@erikbruner]

Gotta hand it the guy for not editing out that WTF moment..... anyone who as ever worked on or in electronics has had many of them. So, Kudos to you sir! My purpose here today was to see how to get it apart, obviously. But, my plan was to use the case for my new 40mW laser module. Sadly, it requires a minimum of 3.7 volts. Oh well, plan B. PVC tubing. Good luck to all with your adventures.

[@theoneohmresistor]

Oral B

[@Jc4dint]

I swapped a type 3756 with an eneloop aa. The original battery was shorter, so I had to cut some plastic bits, but it fits. I soldered the AA battery with the old metal bits.

[@unclemunter]

Planned obselecence averted! Thanks, just did mine now 😁

[@danielwong9782]

Thank you for your video. I followed the steps and upgraded mine smoothly. Since I thought removing and soldering of the metal strip could be difficult, I used 2 thin wires instead.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the comment Daniel. Using a wire sounds like a good idea....not too thin though as it will be carrying a bit of current.

[@madvelila]

I just did this upgrade following your video. Thank you. :)

[@freidmannguyen3430]

Just follow the instructions and successfully replace the battery for two OralB. Great video. One comment: you could you normal soldering head to solder a wire to the head of battery. There are some videos on KZbin about how to do it. Good luck to all of you!

[@pyrofful]

Awesome job just got this brand as a free new member deal at my dentist. Brand new now but this is really fun to watch and maybe attempt to fix when the new battery gets "tired". Thanks and great job.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the nice comment TJ.

[@pyrofful]

@@PowerOn- you're welcome

[@sreflectionbg]

Thanks for the video! Ilike repairing stuff, not throwing away. Unfortunately this tutorial seems to be not working for the newer nodel (with timer) They are basicly the same, but those dheads from Braun changed the locking mechanism on the cap. Its now not L shaped latch, but click and done one. Once the ears are pressed down and latch, there is no way to retract them.

[@pingpong5000]

Very useful, good video warts n all. Thanks Simon Jowett

[@adramytteion10]

thanks dude, it's so helpful video for all of us. greetings from Turkey :)

[@PowerOn-]

And hello from Australia!

[@brendonv101]

Thanks for this mate. This is on the agenda for tomorrow.

[@PowerOn-]

Good luck!

[@brendonv101]

@@PowerOn- Update - Went well. I got a battery with tags already spot welded on so it was super easy to do.

[@robertlaukkonen3105]

Mine do not turn off anymoore after i changed the battery

[@sylv1du71]

Mine too!!! 😥

[@paddyophotography4968]

Mine too, did you manage to fix it?

[@zenzen9131]

A lot of 18650 battery protection chips do exactly the same on low voltage in that they shut off completely. The battery then appears dead until it is boosted by the charging circuit again :)

[@PowerOn-]

You're absolutely right....in the heat of the moment I just thought I'd bricked it 🙄

[@BrainHurricanes]

I thought it had a smart charging system that only charges when needed so you can leave it on the charger ? Anyway, ours are on the charger for over 6 years now, but I wanted to take it apart to clean or solder a new switch as I have to press harder than normal to turn on/off. Thanks very much for the video!

[@David-dz8jb]

Just done mine by following your instructions- the old battery had a corroded positive post and the tag just snapped off but I found that a piece of 5mm de-soldering braid was perfect for the job….I had the same issue with it not working afterwards but a quick sit on the charger and hey presto off and running.Wonder if the battery will now outlast the motor? There must be many hundreds of these brushes in landfill all for the sake of a new battery..

[@duncan-rmi]

wasn't the battery in my daughter's pink toothbrush- still had 1.2V on it. switching it on even without the motor connected puts a dead short across it. saved the battery, & put the empty toothbrush into the heap of toddler souvenirs. might move the battery into my own, which only runs for two days' worth of use. cheers anyway!

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for a report back, looks like a capacitor or mosfet proably failed. Time for a new one!

[@georghemondeo9080]

Dude thanx I brought alive my 5 year old oral B!

[@sylwiachaber9667]

Greate Job. Thx alot. I fixed my own one. In my case after fall down the negative battery bus wire was cut itself. I soldered it and all are work again. :DD thx.

[@PowerOn-]

Great work Sylwia!

[@DungHuFlung]

Thanks for that, I had a 2009 battery which I just replaced with an enloop, I soldered everything, and came against the same problem: after battery replacement, the unit wouldnt switch on until I placed it on the charger, then removed it. After that everything functioned normally

[@GertvandenBerg]

Interesting, mine that looks similar has a NiMH battery according to the recycling label.

[@PowerOn-]

Yes, they changed, I think due to the fact that NiCd have been banned in a lot of countries. Luckily the charging voltages and current algorithms are the same so they can be used interchangeably

[@christianfrancke]

I like how you honestly fail just to find a proper solution. Great transparency! Thx 🙏

[@evoke2104]

Awesome, mines on its way out, will do this soon, wish i hadn't of thrown my old one away now

[@PowerOn-]

Good luck with your repair 😜

[@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished]

Good video. I'm having problems with mine exact the same 2006. I never thought it will last that long.

[@minduton]

Hi, i replace the accumulator by your guide. Do you know, what is on the bottom of the plastic engine block? It looks like two spare motor carbons or something. I had the same problem. After the replacement of battery, tootbrush didnt work. After a few minutes he miraculously worked.

[@SpikesMavic]

Excellent vid , thank you, I was thinking of trying to convert one into a little dremel !, ps: you forgot to push the pcb through the second dowel !

[@PowerOn-]

Interesting idea Stanley

[@kevindarkstar]

Easy to see why no one does this, clearly made to be hard to change

[@PowerOn-]

Yes it wouldn't be that hard to make it changeable. It's just the way manufacturers work these days. Also even many of the commenters here just think it's best to just replace the whole unit "it's just cheaper/easier". Oh well I'll do my thing and they'll do theirs

[@pancellorum1]

@@PowerOn- Sorry to pick you up on the English but if your going to do public things like youtube..... Its theirs not theres.

[@PowerOn-]

@@pancellorum1 edited for YOU'RE pleasure (sic)

[@geofreyr]

great video man, thank you. On a separate point, I recognize that bird song - my favourite! You're in Australia?

[@PowerOn-]

Yup, Sydney

[@yasming3979]

My toothbrush has been smelling weird for a while and I know it was coming from the inside. Now I know how to dismantle it and clean the insides and replace the battery if I need to. Now I won't need to replace the entire thing

[@tonicipriani]

You actually don't need the wrench to open up the brush. There's a square hole in the back of charger that's designed for twisting and opening it up for "disposal", it's in the manual. Supposedly it's for you to twist it open, and snap the brush in half to recycle the battery and plastic parts. But still great video, I just finished replacing the 10+ year old battery on mine.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the information on opening the casing Toni. I'm also impressed you have a manual after 10 years! Well done.

[@tonicipriani]

@@PowerOn- Well I don't... but the Internet did, lol.

[@damzelfly]

Can you tell me how many days of battery life you got from that eneloop battery?

[@PowerOn-]

Not actually timed it but I seem to go easily a couple of weeks before recharge seems necessary. I then put it on the stand overnight and switch it off in the morning.

[@damzelfly]

@@PowerOn- Couple of weeks sounds great. Thanks.

[@SebaDreamAngel]

Hi, is it really a good idea to replace the NiCd by NiMh ? The charging system might by different? Otherwise, very usefull Video!

[@PowerOn-]

The charging algorithms for NiCd and NiMH are the same, in this case I prefer the higher energy density and the lack of Cadmium!

[@nickevans417]

Often with items nowadays the hard part is getting the case open without breaking everything.

[@crispinswainstonharrison9042]

Do you know what the base spring is used for?

[@eladeb]

I almost dumped mine.you saved my toothbrush.thanks!

[@PowerOn-]

No problem - glad to help....

[@xaxaxa-w6i]

Is it ok to replace ni-cd with ni-mh ? Could it be charged ?

[@PowerOn-]

Yes, the charging voltages and algorithm is the same

[@melker9661]

Good job, but ... Charging time is not longer like in original battery? You exchanged it for a 3x bigger battery ?

[@PowerOn-]

Yes - it must be longer although I did not measure it. I usually just charge overnight once every 10 days or so - that seems to be plenty. Thanks for the feedback Marcin.

[@melker9661]

I change battery in my toothbrush, but the maximum voltage is about 1.2V from original charging board. Did U measure the battery voltage in your toothbrushbrush while charging after change the battery?

[@ThePakih]

Mine was full of rust on the battery and charging port as well. Now I am trying to replace and repair as needed by myself. Is it safe to change the battery using different type than the original one? Thanks for the video.

[@PowerOn-]

It must be a NiMH battery. It doesn't matter what capacity the cell is though. Good luck with the repair.

[@ThePakih]

@@PowerOn- I still curious with this. Instead of NiCd battery, why did you use NiMh? Thank's anyway for your respond

[@Emmanuel_youtube]

Thank you. I have changed the battery and it works perfectly

[@PowerOn-]

Well done Emmanuel,. Another toothbrush saved from landfill!

[@claudenewbolt2659]

I MUST TRY REBUILDING MY BATTERY TOOTHBRUSH!

[@lyndongaming]

hows the waterproofing after opening? do you need some kind of sealant on it?

[@PowerOn-]

No sealant required.

[@lyndongaming]

@@PowerOn- wow amazing! you still use it as normal? like getting it wet?

[@nilobualoy117]

Can i use lithium ion 18650 battery? Thanks

[@PowerOn-]

Sorry, no, for lots of reasons like wrong voltage and wrong charging circuit...also probably wrong size of cell

[@sajidkhanmahmood]

before watching this video i had the intention to attempt a battery change on mine but halfway through reconsidered.

[@EVOLVED-q1q]

Hi Simon, i have this same model... voltage seems right but won't turn on even after charging...any help would be much appreciated... thank you

[@PowerOn-]

@@EVOLVED-q1q Well that's annoying! Can you try it out of its case? I did once have a slight misaligment of the button.

[@martinhamblett3444]

There’s a round ‘thing’ between the Ni-Cad symbol and the disposal symbol on the back. I was concerned it might interfere with the withdrawal of the innards, but it seems not from your video. What is it?

[@martinlewis1015]

Missed out one important note....static can destroy electronics so you must earth yourself before working on device

[@Green-z5k]

thank you very much. your vidio is bset of best.

[@mihaipopa9414]

Awesome, thanks a lot for this tutorial!

[@PowerOn-]

No problem Mihai - thanks for your positive feedback, much appreciated.

[@yfw888]

Very helpful and great video to demonstrate the steps. Bear in mind that don't try to solder the terminal on the battery, as explosion may happen due to overheat the battery seal(s). Simon used correct method/tool (spot welding) to do the great job. Thanks Simon.

[@PowerOn-]

Glad to be a help

[@bobsoft]

@@VIKINGNATURALSOAP No, and soldering is fine also if you are not heating it up too much. Clean the ends with sandpaper, use some flux and a large soldering tip and tin both surfaces you will be connecting

[@teck49]

Ya, what if you don't happen to have a battery spot welder handy???

[@edcmalaysia]

Thank you for sharing.

[@ShadowzGSD]

wish i had seen this a few weeks ago, i have just replaced mine with the same model. i thought they were be sealed with plastic welds. might have a go anyway with my old one. just as a thought, would the camera focus better if you had a plain background without all the squares?

[@daviddale4206]

LeicaGermanShepherd good point, same background as ave😂

[@shanaanejj7547]

What is those black tools you are using??? I'm trying to do mine

[@CyberSWAT]

Hi can you help me. When I used to brush then it beep 3 times and still can brush what does it mean? Cant looking anywhere the answer😅 thanks in advance

[@PowerOn-]

I think you're referring to the timer function? When the brush has been used for approximately 2 min the motor switches on and off 3 times to indicate you've brushed enough.

[@Flashdan100]

Thank you, my Braun has lived to brush another day ! 😬

[@PowerOn-]

Good one Danny 😅

[@ideaquest]

Great video. Helpful.

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for the positive feedback.

[@percebe785]

what is that little hole that is in the bottom behind?

[@Ermes17]

Didn't you solder anything ? In all the videos I saw for this replacement, they solder the positive and negative poles

[@PowerOn-]

In the video I spot weld the tabs onto the battery, then I solder the tabs to the PCB As such, I don't understand your question! 🤔

[@Ermes17]

@@PowerOn- maybe I saw wrong, I skipped your video because I saw many of this type. Thanks a lot, so it is needed to solder, and I do not have the instruments, so I'll buy new one

[@MrCkkwok456]

Thank you, After watch you video, I do the same thing.

[@FrustratedBaboon]

My Oral-B came with a same AA size battery but it reads 3.7 volts and it's Lion battery.

[@PowerOn-]

Interesting, they must be 'upgrading'. You should be able to get an AA sized Lithium ion battery online. Some garden lights use this type of cell and ots available at my local hardware store

[@danielb1563]

What a thoroughly well thought out, gentle and easy to follow video, thank you. I'm having the same charge issue with my braun toothbrush. I had also considered changing the battery but I worry my skill is too small and my fingers too big! But hey, what do I have to lose!? May I ask, what, if anything do I need to know or be aware of when swapping the battery? Such as battery type, or mAh? Or anything? Or will it not matter too much and it will charge ok with the same charger? Thanks

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks for such a nice comment Daniel. The choice of battery mAh should not matter too much. I've choosen one which is higher than the original spec and it works for 2 weeks+ before I recharge. Of course charging time will be longer, I leave it overnight which seems to be plenty. I hope it all works out!

[@rgry]

Are the charging method the same for both NiCd and NiMh?

[@PowerOn-]

I don't know what charging algorithm these toothbrushes use but what I can say is the algorithm for NiCd and NiMH are typically the same. Most likely it uses a -ve delta V algorithm, but may also use a delta T algorithm (if there is a temperature sensor on the cell) and may also employ a max timer for good measure. All in all I've found the cell I used works really well but if you want to swap the cell for a NiCd you can do that. However it's becoming much more difficult to get hold of the NiCd......nasty stuff that Cadmium!

[@rgry]

Thanks for Quick and great answer. Just wanted to not burn down my house.... :-) if the charging didn’t stop when it should.

[@johnmay469]

Great video. Job done thanks to this. Many thanks. Best. J.

[@PowerOn-]

Glad to be able to asss John.

[@thisnoall3]

Dear Simon! I followed your instructions and changed the battery which I got presoldered in a local store. Unfortunately after installing the new battery, putting the pcb in its palace, and pushing the switch button, the motor tries to start moving for a tenth of a second, and the black chip in the middle gets really hot until I push the button again. But no continous brushing. When turned on, I measure cca. 94 millivolts on the motor. Do you have any idea what to check? Thanks in advance!

[@PowerOn-]

Battery polarity is the only thing I can think of, unless you managed to short something out while soldering the new cell in position.

[@thisnoall3]

@@PowerOn- Thanks for the reply. It seems the toothbrush needed more than 15-20 mins of charging. After that it started working properly and the "overheating" is also gone.

[@toni7990]

I cannot remove the motherboard to the casing because it is welding on the casing, btw mine is Japan made. What can I do?

[@PowerOn-]

When products are welded, glued together disassembly usually results in some breakage. However, in your case if the battery is bad and your looking at a replacement then what have you to loose in trying? Try wrapping a cloth around the case then stressing it by hand or with large pliers

[@alinutzalin6346]

How do you convert this to wired? I really hate the fact that you need to charge it every time. Not only that, but as the battery weakens, the rotations get low as well until next full charge..

[@PowerOn-]

Wired to what? It's a battery operated device which needs a cell of around 1.2-1.4vdc. You could mod it to run off a 'wall wart' with a suitable voltage (if they are available that lw) but that's a mod too far for me. just follow the instructions and change the cell!

[@alinutzalin6346]

@@PowerOn- yeah, i meant the toothbrush wired to a plug. or just battery less toothbrush but wired to wall. Saw a bad tutorial on indestructible but didn't really mention how to use LM317 adjustable voltage regulator and what resistor to get. I really just want to have constant power, mine always drops in rpm after second use and it needs a lot of time to recharge. Why the hassle to make pollution by making batteries and hassle again to recharge the damn thing. Nevermind, I'll just get a different motor to use with a 5v charger.

[@marconostalgico4090]

@@alinutzalin6346 Did you made a wired toothbrush without battery?

[@PipeManPeep]

Ni-Cd would be better at handling over-charge than Ni-Mh. That's why such devices are supplied with Ni-Cd. I would suggest not charging it for too long with a Ni-Mh fitted.

[@raphaelvictoratanacio5362]

just what i needed to do. thanks for this

[@PowerOn-]

Thanks Raphael.

[@navairman1]

Have you ever re-conditioned the batteries? I've had 27 years experience with batteries, aircraft NI-CADs too. Just turn ON the tooth brush and stick it away some place where you can't hear it run down. Leave it sit for 48 hours with the switch still on. Then recharge. Should be like new. I do the same wit Apple batteries for mouse and keyboard. Just put them in a small flashlight, switch ON and leave for 48 hours. The trick is to totally discharge the battery and leave it shorted out by the tooth brush or flashlight before recharging.

[@WhoCaresWinsAgain]

Stew Baker careful with this advice as doing this with LiPos will cause a fire potentially! LiPo's do not like being discharged completely and will not recover!

[@mytamnguyen9857]

Help me please :( I popped my 2 toothbrushes out for cleaning yesterday, the first one is working still but the second one stopped working, I didn’t drop it, i was sitting on the wooden ground when i clean the 1st one and on my bed with the other one , is that the problem? A small shock happened when i open both of them but the 2nd is a bit more extreme. i’ve put everything together like the first one :( please reply

[@PowerOn-]

Hi My Tam , I'm unsure what i can do to help? Maybe you can swap components around to see which component has failed. Also you mentioned a "shock" you shouldn't have got a shock as the battery is only 1.2volts! Perhaps you meant that somthing shorted out when you disassembled the casing. In that case it's unlikely you will be able to repair the circuit. I will wish you god luck anyway 😐

[@mytamnguyen9857]

@@PowerOn- well, is a very minor shock, i feel tingling in my arms and it goes away in a few minutes, sorry for overreacting 😅 I’m sure none of the components has shorted out because i’ve put all that into a box. Maybe you could give me reasons that caused my problem, if you do have some then I’ll try fixing the brush again. Thank you so much for your reply Simon, I appreciate it. *sorry for bad English

[@agoogleuser3812]

What? It took just one AA rechargeable battery to charge it for at least 16 hours from empty to full?

[@PowerOn-]

Now that is a trickle charge!

[@nikosnikos2663]

thank you

[@royluo6273]

I am having the same issue after replacing the battery, put it on the charger now. Fingers crossed.

[@PowerOn-]

Any good?

[@royluo6273]

@@PowerOn- Yes, it worked. Fantastic.

[@royluo6273]

@@PowerOn- Yes, it worked. Fantastic! Thanks heeps, Simon!

[@MrAustraliarules]

Hi Simon, thanks for your video. I followed your instructions. The toothbrush works , however it cannot be turned off anymore :). Any idea about what whent wrong ? Thank you!

[@PowerOn-]

Oh no - that's no good. Maybe the on/off button is somehow out of alignment with the outer casing - I suggest you disassemble again and see if the toothbrush works outside the housing first.

[@iSlyfeaR]

Hi. How long u charge new battery ?

[@PowerOn-]

When I recharge the toothbrush I usually leave it overnight.....cheaper electricity! I'd guess that it takes about 3 to 4 hrs to fully charge.

[@TheBirdandEagle]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@ejon]

Simon, I'm interested in ackuiring a battery spot welder. Do you know where I can get hold of one that doesn't cost a fortune?

[@garethonthetube]

You can buy cells with tags already fitted.