Rebuilding an 18 volt DeWalt Battery Pack

[@cartercarlos5823]

I have a number of suggestions to add to this process, which is not as easy as it looks in the clip. 1. number the batteries top and bottom as in the diagram with a Sharpie. When you've soldered the top side and flip it over, the battery order is flipped from the diagram and it can lead to confusion. 2. Orient the battery case and the diagram in the same direction while you're working and mark the round end of the battery on the diagram. 3. Use solder flux. The batteries are not solder friendly and resin core solder doesn't get it. 4. if you're going to glue the batteries in position, use as little glue as possible. Use too much and you won't be able to fit the assembly back in the case. 5. Before your start, take note of the orientation of the prongs in the connector. They only fit into the tool one way. 6. Be careful about connections and metal tools around the batteries. Arcing and Sparking is something to avoid.

[@johnhackney2328]

Making use of the kzbin.infoUgkxcJ22tnHH9l1vjdIdEIG27iOG55P7LXI8 reconditioning plan, I just saved 2 auto batteries from being completely junked. The guides were very simple to follow. I wish I would have found this years ago! You may use the guide to recondition any battery type

[@buckbard]

OMG what a wonderful video. You described in less than 4 minutes what it took others damn near an hour to do AND you included a schematic! FTW

[@michaelbrutallyhonest6026]

Its also quite probable that only a few of the original sub Cs are bad. Test and replace the bad ones saving the others for later repairs.

[@stylistic007]

Great vid. To the point, great diagram, great explanation.....I wish all diy's were like yours!

[@mikebrown5107]

Just tried this and it worked. This was also the first time I ever soldered anything.

[@MikesInventions]

BOOM! That's awesome Mike. Soldering's a bunch of fun isn't it?

[@milliistihbarat5514]

interesting points ,if anyone else trying to find out how to recondition my car battery try Vaxicorn Battery Extender Guide (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my mate got excellent success with it.

[@bulletindiesel1548]

Dude the first time a soldered something was when I was ten and I've Burt myself many times but it has been awesome

[@adelhamache1397]

hey ,if anyone else needs to find out about how to recondition batteries at home try Battery Recovery Tactics ( battery.RecoveryTactics.com ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my friend got cool success with it.

[@lunamartinez7032]

interesting points ,if anyone else needs to find out about battery fix try Jons Mender Guide (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some incredible things about it and my mate got cool success with it.

[@matthewortiz7223]

Dang Mike you made that easy to understand thanks for your knowledge and saving me money....and Freeee subscription

[@johnclarke6647]

Mike, get yourself a spot welder. That makes putting packs together a snap.😊

[@drewledford9348]

Just refreshed my batteries! Did it for 25 bucks! Thanks for the video!

[@milesfifer171]

Great vid! I done this myself and it works great, you can get batteries on line cheap, screw paying $80 to $100 for a whole new battery. Also if you have the old 18v dewalt tools you can buy an adapter for around $15 so you can use the newer 20v lithium battery packs.

[@josetorrealba1887]

hey ,if anyone else needs to find out about restoring a battery try Jadonite Renovate Battery Buddy (do a google search ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my buddy got amazing results with it.

[@spacecoastz4026]

Can you provide a link for this?

[@shrimplypibbles7162]

Thanks Michael Thompson. Stick it to the man!

[@sgtbilkothe3rd]

Good video, thanks. My time is valuable too so I will let everyone know my DeWalt battery pack had size T10 Torx screws.

[@greggkathy1892]

This is exactly what I needed. You’re the best, Mike! Thank you, sir!

[@chrischarpentier3611]

An excellent presentation! Very well done! Thanks much!

[@sky173]

$200 now at home depot. I'll have to give this a try. Thx for sharing.

[@justaguy4real]

Good stuff bud, even 7 yrs later. I find this useful.

[@terryroth2126]

This is definitely a money saver for just the cost of the sub C cell batteries... but its the time involved in soldering that is the kicker. Non-OEM (compatible) 18v battery packs sell online for about $16 which contain all new sub-C batteries in the Dewalt size battery case and with a 5 year warranty! Compare at $15 to $18 for batteries only and DIY time and unless you just want to get some soldering experience, I think I will go for the compatibles.

[@aceinlacey]

Thanks Mike. Very informative video and like the way that you were clear precise and to the point. I give credit to everybody that creates a video to assist and try and help, but some are challenging to watch but one still has to give credit where credit is due for doing your best and attempting to assist. Keep up the good work

[@MikesInventions]

Thanks! I shall try.

[@bitscollins]

Plain and simple video. Thanks for sharing! I appreciate it.

[@montanasoftware5954]

This is an awesome video, and it's fun to rebuild things. I don't mean to be a downer here, but you can buy replacement 18V, 4000 mAh batteries on eBay for less than $20 each. That is for the complete battery pack that pops right into your Dewalt tool, not just the sub-C cells. So no rebuilding would be necessary. The link above is for a set of 15 2200 mAh sub-C cells that would require a lot of time rebuilding, and a cost of $32.00. And the storage capacity (run time) would be much lower. Again ... no disrespect intended, but sometimes it's best to just buy the replacement battery and put the tool back to work.

[@smellthecoffee5314]

I took that approach for 2 drills I have. Two different drills, two different suppliers. One battery pack was great, the other was hopeless. I complained and got a replacement which was just as useless. By doing it yourself you can ensure all your money goes into the quality of the batteries rather than into the profit for the battery vendor.

[@chuckpanipinto5831]

this sounds like a great idea and in fact I did purchase the cheap replacement batteries. Problem is I spend two or three minutes just trying to get the battery to release from the tool. I've rebuilt the dewalts with out any problems.

[@vincentkarine]

Great video. I hate when poeple shoot videos unprepared or when they upload something they are doing for the first time. It is definitly not the case here. You speak well, have good ideas and capture our attention. good job

[@mymusicaccount1456]

I have a Ryobi set that i found you can buy a cheap 18V battery from harbor freight and you can stuff those cells in the Ryobi case by moving around 2 or 3 batteries. 80% of the work is done for you, and its only like 15 bucks. It appears that the HF battery will also work for this dewalt battery.

[@milofonbil]

Excellent video, Craig. The Ryobi 18V battery packs are put together a little differently, but the same concepts apply.

[@HsingSun]

@Milo Fonbil, do you know they have to use rechargeable batteries?

[@stuartcraig6381]

I know you probably won't see this anytime soon but how is that pack working out now? Did you end up having to spotweld them? Curious how it's worked out. Thanks 11/27/22

[@fixsquad9422]

Is that a fume extractor hanging from the wall? if so its a cool set up !! did you buy it or built it as diy? i need to get something like that myself. do you have any reference?

[@aririyadh8359]

I was considering doing this but I have already fixed the brushed motor and the brushes were already worn a lot, and am thinking probably time for a new one anyway, but this was very helpful.

[@donaldsaunders4736]

Great job Mike thanks for the video

[@comesthru]

Super clear. Very well done tutorial Bro.

[@JM_2101]

Awesome channel Mike! Thanks for the tips

[@sarairman]

Great video, Mike. Thanks.

[@youngsuk3329]

love it, tks. how about convert them to li-ion batteries?

[@joewindsor5853]

I bought sub c batteries and they are to tall. Didn’t discover this until I had everything all soldered up and was closing up the case. I have DC9098

[@badger0888]

Thanks for this. How's it running after 2 years? I did the same. The key is finding good quality Sub-C. I rebuilt my 14.4 NiCad with advertised '3000' mAh Sub-C batteries. They felt a lot lighter then the OEM. In the end they work. Strong driving, holds a charge but it charges in 1/2 the time which was telling... The run time is about ~50% compared to the factory battery. Now you can find Generic replacements for pretty cheap but their longevity and run time would likely be much lower then OEM.

[@johncoops6897]

Much MUCH better to use Ni-MH cells. Same price, far better capacity and they don't self-discharge as quickly.

[@micjam1986]

Awesome job making this video!! ty!

[@davelopez9161]

Not sure if this is economic. 15 Sub-C sized Ni-Cd batteries runs about $27 while a brand new pack plus charger runs about $30 (on ebay).

[@MrLoyd-yp1tr]

Just wondering if you thought about converting them to Lithium , will it work? and will the charger work?

[@michaelthompson6254]

I am trying to disassemble my lithium dewalt battery, having problems pushing out the contacts...are they glued in? I removed the bracket on the inside but the contacts will not push through. My battery has only been charged once and the second charge the charger light started flicking fast. Not sure what's going on, but once I get it apart I'm sure I can fix it.

[@countryboycharlie9793]

Thanks mike great video👍I’m wanting to try this I think I can do it ❤️

[@atlurker8037]

I completed this conversion and it works as expected but you can definitely tell the HF batteries are much lighter than the originals.

[@louisp.3332]

I have one old-style and two new and after removing the screws I can’t separate any of them??? Nicad and lithium ion. I figured out the NiCad screw was hidden under sticker but the lithium ion I have two and I still can’t separate the case

[@SuperReverbious]

This convinced me it's not worth rebuilding my old 12V Dewalt XRP batteries. Sounds like the cells cost as as much as the off brand replacement battery packs. I bought 2 news batteries for $35.

[@marcosramirez385]

Great video, but you should invest in a spot welder. They are great for rebuilding batteries.

[@TechIsGods]

HEY GUYS!!! I hate to tell you this but all you had to do is find the lowest voltage battery cell and charge it up to the voltage value of the rest of them. Its called "Balancing" I have revived many battery packs doing this. That includes NiMh, Nicd, and lithium 18650 battery cells. And if one cell is too high a voltage just use a 300 ohm power resistor to drain until it matches the rest of the cells voltage. Works perfect.

[@RickLacy2]

Yes but once they're a few years old, this is just a temporary fix.

[@wajeehulhassan2182]

Can we use li ion mobile batteries for drill battery pack?????

[@Gromitdog1]

Quite the fume extractor, do you blaze?

[@somtu16]

Zdravim. V 1:54 čo to je čo tam davate tu tekutinu ?

[@DanielWPrado]

Hi Mike! I recommend you to buy a Spot Welding like 788H or made one to do this kind of job!

[@MikesInventions]

Yes indeed! If I ever do it much more, I will. However, I did recently upgrade my system to Lithium because I got a killer deal on a new lithium drill and impact gun.

[@gordoman9145]

Do you think it’s possible to do this to the Dewalt dc9180,9181, & 9182 series??? They’re the lithium ion batteries that came out after these,but are the series before their current 20 volt .

[@MaineConservative76]

Well done good sir!

[@rrpo811]

Nicely done.

[@danielroque657]

Hi amigazo Mike! Good video

[@Андрей-о8щ7я]

I thought it’s will be really rebuilding, and wanted to see li-ion batteries and bms-board inside your drill. But actually it’s a old batteries replacement. Anyway thanks for this video! (Sorry for English, I’m a Russian)

[@RustyOrange71]

Nice one, Mike

[@mymusicaccount1456]

Do the factory Dewalt batteries have any markings on them that would denote the Brand? I've already rebuilt some battery packs using HF battery packs but they just never really had the "chooch" that the original batteries had. now that its been a couple years i want to just buy SubC batteries in bulk packs and rebuild my battery packs as needed, but i don't want to buy a S brand again i want to buy the brand that Dewalt uses. Thank you

[@markkurtis8637]

I have to ask was there anything special needed for aligning the number 15 battery on top of the stack?

[@spacecoastz4026]

So I have a 20 year old Harbor Freight cordless drill that uses the 18V Ni-Cad battery pack 44849. The drill is perfect...but the pack is toast. Is there a replacement pack I can get? Lithium perhaps? Link?

[@MikesInventions]

Hey there! I'm not sure about a replacement pack for that, but you can certainly rebuild a pack with new cells. I'd recommend switching over to lithium somehow though. I got an adapter for my 18v DeWalt tools so they can use the new 20v lithium packs. Putting lithium cells into an old NiCd pack isn't really good, because there's no way to balance the cells on the old charger or charge them to the proper voltage. Lithium chargers and NiCd chargers behave completely differently. Thanks for watching!

[@DeanLytton]

Thanks for sharing. Is there more detail in rebuilding a Skil 18V Li Ion Battery? What is the best cell to use to rebuild those? Appreciate any tips or tricks. That's the big project I have right now. Thank you!!

[@johncoops6897]

They are all the same. The ONLY difference is the cell layout. The best cell to use is Ni-MH, rather than Ni-CD. Don't rip off the cell tabs, refer to my comment that starts with "WHAT AN IDIOT" to find details of a much easier method.

[@jasonyannuccelli2499]

Good video.. thanks. Hey I like you fume extractor fan attached to the wall behind you. Is that something you have built yourself or purchased ? Cheers 👍

[@MikesInventions]

Hey Jason, that thing was purchased and installed by the building contractors. I'm not sure who made it or where it came from. It's quite simple though as you see. I'd be a relatively simple build.

[@jasonyannuccelli2499]

Thanks Mike 👍

[@LukeNewcomb]

Very interesting, speaking of which you just reminded me I need a 18 volt power supply for my rocket ignition system thanks!

[@MariaMora31]

Hey everyone, the best success that i've ever had was by using the Magic Mender Wizard (just google it) without a doubt the no.1 info that I've tried.

[@jimanderson699]

DO NOT GO TO MAGIC MENDER WIZARD !!! This long winded POS goes on n on n on n on for 10 minutes (maybe longer) and there is NO Tutorial at the end just this POS selling a book for $79 . F-U maria for posting this crap and a big F-U to Frank Thompson and whatever Ericson . Maybe your wife should have told you you're a long winded douchebag and left you when you had to decide between a car battery and feeding your kids. My guess your "book" is just as much a POS as you . F-U again you Douchenozzle

[@MikesInventions]

After rebuilding this pack, I only have 2of5 batteries working. I'm seriously considering upgrading to Li-Ion, but I don't want to lose use of these tools, so I'll have to buy the adapter... But, I think it's probably time to stop pouring money into old technology, bite the bullet, and upgrade my batteries and chargers.

[@edblachaniec3296]

My question is where do you purchase the cells?

[@100roberthenry]

Hi, when you say sub c cell batteries are these 1.2v each, and what ma? I have a drill pack that i suspect has 3 cells that wont charge as i only get 15v from an 18v battery....

[@MikesInventions]

Yeah, they’re 1.2v. I’m not sure how many mAh they were. I don’t have these packs anymore. Thanks for watching!

[@100roberthenry]

@@MikesInventions ok thanks...

[@ahmedaljumely5552]

Where you bought the new battery? What the size and kind name ?

[@williamjackson5942]

Harbor freight has two versions of their 18 volt battery one at 12.99 and the other at 16.99 the more expensive one has higher capacity sub c units. I have not tried it yet but have seen videos where people harvested them to rebuild their name brand batteries.

[@doinaonofrei8105]

There are many components to doing a pro job. One place I discovered which succeeds in merging these is the rapid renew roadmap (check it out on google) definately the most incredible info that I have ever seen. look at this incredible resource.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Why would one take apart a complete battery pack to rebuild an old one?

[@raysno8367]

Do you think old batteries from my collection of old packs will still work , some look good but there are sum that leaked ?

[@MikesInventions]

Check the voltages on each cell, and you might have to rig up a way to test charge them, and you just might find a few good ones.

[@danielroque657]

But my question is? Where do buy thaht bateries? Because i am from Peru so i think i won't find those bateries. And what mark are good ? Maybe Duracell?!

[@janch20]

Would it work on the lithium 18volt dewalt batteries??

[@michaeljohnston777]

Awesome!! Thanks Mike!!! I subbed.🙂👍

[@the.real.ipatch]

you can covert to li-ion for ~ 40 bucks.

[@AskingForAFriend]

How much were the 1.5 batteries compared to a purchase of a new unit?

[@MikesInventions]

They were cheaper, I think $25ish, whereas a new battery was a bit more. Of course, factoring in time, doing things yourself is almost never worth it, but I just love trying and doing stuff, so it was worth it for me. I don't use these 18v packs anymore. I converted to 20v a while later and used adapters for the 18v tools.

[@freddaniali]

Well, if your labor is worth ZERO, then you got a deal. Otherwise, if you even put 1 hour into this and you figure that you are worth at least 20 bucks an hour, you got screwed! I would only do this if it is a battery that is no longer in production.

[@keithhupp5995]

Great video!

[@1180bee]

hi have you done a 18v ryobi battery?

[@getjusticeforall]

Thanks dude for that diagram I took a crap in my lunch box rebuilding one today it's allot harder than you think it will be 😂😂 but it's working and charging now 👍👍

[@MikesInventions]

You're Welcome Robert. Glad your battery is working.

[@kwells4438]

My battery isn't just weak.. It shows a full charge when off the charger but has no amp output. Will it still rebuild the same way? I mean can I take the batteries out and test them and then replace just the bad batteries? or is there a likely short somewhere that has damaged all of the batteries?

[@MikesInventions]

Hi! It sounds like your pack is dead, probably due to the memory effect of NiCd cells. If they're more than a couple of years old, they're not going to hold a charge anymore. I don't recommend actually rebuilding a NiCd pack, because of all the effort it requires. If you want to stick with the battery technology, then I'd just do what some on here have suggested and get a knock-off pack or innards kit from eBay. It's probably not a short. The batteries are well built, but you may have a couple of dead cells in the bunch, but really, it's not worth the effort to do all this. It was more of a mental exercise for me. (As is most of what I do). Thanks for watching. Good question!

[@timestandingstill]

Thanks for sharing!

[@alexandres8846]

To balance nimh battery packs, a circuit with two 1n4007 diodes in series plus a resistance of 1 to 10 ohms is used.The voltage drop in each diode is 0.7 volt x 2 is 1.4 volts.The resistance limits the intensity of the balancing current. Being soldered to all Ni mh cells this increases the life and performance of the battery pack.

[@thumperman8490]

If you have a lot of packs to do, it is worth building a spot welder as the joints are made instantly and results perfect every time. You should have mentioned that as Ni Cd is very toxic to human health and a mistake could be fatal. Dispose of old cells via professional services only...Do Not Bin the cells!

[@HsingSun]

Question: You solder the number 15 battery, the thermal wire from the side to the bottom of this positive side, am I right?

[@tempest031]

It won't catch fire right?

[@bawbjusbawb6471]

Hi Mike, thanks for your video! I got a great deal on some batteries without tabs on them. Can I just use wire instead of the tabs? If so, what gauge wire will work best? I've got 4 of these 18 volt batteries that are dead.

[@MikesInventions]

Hey there! I'm not sure wire would fit. It's not too many amps, so a couple of small wires in parallel would probably work instead of a tab. I'm not sure how many amps were needed. I got rid of all these batteries a few years ago after this final rebuild.

[@davidbarker3591]

18 gauge copper will handle it

[@HugDeeznueces]

Thanks bro! You saved me money. Are you using a spot welder for the tabs? I know the video is old but just asking if you are using one now? What model?

[@MikesInventions]

You're Welcome Rob. No, no spot welder. I don't do this often enough luckily to justify one. Thanks for watching.

[@mrguppy1016]

Great clip

[@kennydieu2694]

Thanks for sharing .

[@occamraiser]

Lol, I tried and completely failed - I just couldn't get the current out of the battery - even though the voltage read right. I assume the soldering wasn't good enough to support the current. Or the cheap Chinese 4/5 C cells I bought on ebay were defective....... surely not!

[@davidhyatt7046]

What is that paper board made of? Anything special?

[@MikesInventions]

Hey David! It didn't appear to be anything special. Just like a slightly thick posterboard.

[@OmikronZeta]

How did you get the pasteboard off the battery cells? They seem to have used lots of epoxy... I can't pry it loose

[@MikesInventions]

I lifted it very gently. Mine seemed to have a lot of glue on it too. I've since converted to Li-Ion. Thanks for watching.

[@jimanderson699]

I did it with a steamer. I have a Wagner Power steamer. If you don't have one , perhaps propping the battery pack on its side above a pot of steaming water would do.

[@OmikronZeta]

@@jimanderson699 Good tip! Maybe a garden hose on a teakettle...

[@jimanderson699]

@@OmikronZeta . Exactly . I hope that works for you.

[@joetterolison1286]

Thanks Mike

[@dasherj11]

Hey Mike do you have a link to the type of cells you purchased? Thanks!

[@MikesInventions]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009WXZMIG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@HsingSun]

Do you use Re-chargeable C batteries?

[@kapilbusawah7169]

Hooked to this channel. Do you do challenges? If you do could you make a RC car out of a DVD player? I know they're cheap everywhere

[@raulmarmitajo3548]

here's a few tips for fixing a car battery Don't try to do this until you are sure what you are doing - the acid can burn your skin Test the voltage first - there may be a kaput cell which would waste your time. Check the battery fluid. attempt to fully charge the battery. (I read about these and more from Jons Mender Guide site )

[@luisdiegoc.c6302]

hello my friend a question what types of batteries or model of batteries do you use

[@MikesInventions]

They are called "Sub-C" size cells, these are Tenergy brand .NiCad

[@HsingSun]

He said, "Sub C size cell," I think the model is DC 9098 (same as mine). I would use rechargeable C size batteries.

[@luisdiegoc.c6302]

Hello Mike Thompson what models are the batteries you use

[@HsingSun]

His DeWalt 18V battery model (same as mine) is DC9098.

[@frankdeegan8974]

Why solder when you can use E6000 and glue the battery tabs back on

[@seniorjohnl]

Most people wouldn't consider doing that because E6000 is non-conductive.

[@garryfoote695]

Those batteries from Amazon.com are $31.99 but from Amazon.ca they are $111.37 awesome job on the video but if your in Canada, not worth trying, cheaper to buy new Dewalt?

[@MrPhotodoc]

Who doesn't like a little battery hack now and then?

[@brianbrown695]

why or where is the link to where you purchased the batteries?

[@brianbrown695]

sorry just saw it in comments

[@wongchoi162]

hi Mike,what is mean AMH? my dead batteries cell is 12v, 1200amh, can I use 12v, 2200amh cell to rebuid it?

[@MikesInventions]

Hi! Yes, you can use higher capacity cells if you'd like. It'll run longer. The only drawback is it'll take about twice as long to charge. Thanks for watching!

[@danielroque657]

Greetings from Lima, Peru

[@MikesInventions]

Hey Daniel! You can get whatever batteries are available. Of course Duracell is good, but you can buy complete kits on eBay or somewhere online for a lot less trouble than doing this yourself. It's an interesting exercise, but really not worth it. I've since upgraded to Lithium batteries about 2 years ago.

[@danielroque657]

@@MikesInventions Hi Mike! Thank yoi so much for your video i am going to do it. I will buy by ebay. So i have any question please help! Or what is your email? This is my email: [e-mail]. Greetings from Tablada de lurin, VMT, Lima, Peru.

[@luragg6008]

F**** brilliant job! I will have a go soon! Thanks!

[@FourFoot25]

Mike, Why not use Li-ion batteries? I have a charger that will ..Dewalt DC9320 7.2V-18V NICD NIMH LI-ION 1 HOUR DUAL PORT CHARGER. Thanks for your video..