RYOBI 18V Battery NOT CHARGING?! (Try This)

Ahoy Mateys, we can't always predict harsh waters but we can control how we adapt to the storm. Apologies for random audio bugs, my phone doesn't like me much. Had to reupload this with some audio channel fixes.
Outro Music:
Doom Style Industrial Metal - Torn Flesh
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

[@hiker64]

For the record - Sounds like this solution works if there is still some charge in the battery. If the battery is completely dead, which is probably what most of us are facing, then another method must be used. Thanks for the tip though.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

correct, IF your battery is completely dead you can take some wires and jump your dead one from a charged one (another ryobi 18, M18, or Ridgid 18 etc.) connect them for a few seconds then remove them and check for one notch on the battery in question. once there is one notch showing the board on the battery should recognize a charger and begin charging normally. The reason I didn't include it in the video is because that solution isn't dummy proof leading to some people attaching and leaving the batteries connected to "fully charge" or shorting them by putting the leads backwards/grounding them, leading to melting, burning, smoke inhalation and even a small explosion with lithium batteries. Long story short, risky solutions for novices can lead to accidents I'm responsible for lol ~ Work Smart

[@brianmcmahan6719]

Thank you soo much for this. Had 2 chargers not charging... all I did was wipe down the sensors and both charge fine now. You saved me a bunch of headache and time! Much appreciated

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Glad I could help brian

[@marchimelstein5676]

What did you wipe them down with?

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@@marchimelstein5676 You can use rubbing alcohol or a bit of brake clean on a Cotton swab. DON'T wipe it with baby wipes or any products that leave a film or fragrance as they may have an oil or agent that bonds to surfaces.

[@mavric1978]

Thank you for making this video! This worked for me today.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Glad this helped you mavric Work Smart ~

[@HAJ-o9n]

had the exact problem. used your fix and it worked. THANK YOU!

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

That's what I'm here for bra 🤙

[@Jonathancabanyc]

I did kinda the same thing with my battery but it was hard to discharge since I don't a heavy equipment to use it on. What I did was just to run my drill for like 7-10 minutes and then tested it and started charging again. But your video of course was very useful the reason I found this solution which is the same but not with a dead battery 😅 Greeting from NYC

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@Jonathancabanyc a drill will take a little longer to kill it but hey whatever works! Glad it worked out for you Jonathan. If it was the case your battery was dead you could take to wires and go positive to positive negative to negative and use a charged battery to charge the dead one for a few seconds but I would only try it in an emergency AND understanding that some batteries without short protection may be damaged if not connected correctly or left connected too long or somehow make contact to a grounded conductive metal

[@itchy79]

Don't know if this is the same issue, but the other day the two-month-old 36v battery for my Ryobi lawnmower wouldn't charge. I figured out this was because it was still warm from having just used it. I let it cool down for an hour or so and it charged as normal.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

yeah thermal protection is in place since heat is a product of charging. Keep your battery out of the sun and you should be good. grass grows so fast with all this rain within 3 or 4 days it needs another trim. Stay hydrated

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

The original issue was a non-charging battery because of a glitch is battery status detection. Temperature is another issue but cooling the battery (don't put it in the fridge like some idiots suggest as that can cause moisture like condensation into the unit) will fix the issue

[@MGmirkin]

Thanks for this! Just bought a two-pack of Ryobi 2A 18V batteries to add to my collection for emergency use [along with a couple lanterns, an area light, and a spotlight]. Problem is, I got them out of the package and, after the power came back on, after being out for 2.5 days in the middle of winter [not fun!], I put them on the charger(s), and both immediately cycled to flashing red/green and not charging. Both were at roughly one bar showing when you pressed the indicator button, so presumably some small amount of charge. Anyway, thought they must be defective or excessively drained, or something, and won't charge. Figured I might have to return them and have them replaced. But, I didn'twantto do that with brand spanking new batteries out of the blister pack. That seems ... unnecessary. So, I tried two non-invasive hacks (this one and another): 1) I plugged one of them into the LED area light, which flashed 3 times but stayed on, presumably indicating low battery state, and left it on until it failed / turned off. I turned it back on again, and let it run a little while longer [it did, until it didn't]. Then I put it back on the charger. And, lo and behold, the charger went to blinking green charging state, no red/green blinking state. So, apparently draining the battery all the way somehow triggered some state change in the internal charging/monitoring system or something, and allowed the charger to pick it up, and get back to charging. It charged for a bit and now shows full 4 bars. 2) The other battery, I tried another tip which is to "micro-charge" the battery several times by plugging it into the charger, watching it go from blinking red to blinking green, then blinking red/green. I counted how long it took to go through blinking green [charging], just before switching to red/green. Then I'd put it on, count out the like 5-6 seconds or whatever it was through the end of blinking green [charging for a couple seconds], and take the battery off just before it would switch to blinking red/green. Then I'd wait a second or two, and put it back on and repeat the process a few times, ostensibly giving it a few extra micro-charging boosts to get its power level up slightly [and maybe reset its battery meter, or something? Dunno.]. Anyway, after only a few cycles of doing that the green light stayed on and never swapped over to blinking red/green, so I left it on to charge. After a bit it was showing 4 bars. So, ostensibly, both methods work under some circumstances or other, without invasive warranty-busting brain-surgery [opening the case, etc.]... ^_^ So, yeah, if it's showing like part of a bar, but tripping the red/green blinking non-charge state, try one or both: 1) Plug it into something an run the battery down, then try charging again. 2) Try micro-charging it for a few seconds at a time, taking it off, putting it back on, taking it off, putting it back on, etc. The guide I saw said for up to half an hour [if deeply discharged?], but for me, it seemed to work again after just a few cycles, and fully charge up once it lit up blinking green and didn't trip over blinking red/green.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Glad this worked for you! As for the second method, I'd recommend that more with older batteries you care less about as the quick changes in voltage MAY long term cause wear on the cells but in a pinch I suppose if you have work to do then the show must go one :) - Work Smart

[@MGmirkin]

Well, the latter was just another tip I read on one of those "6 things to try" posts, and it sounded non-invasive enough [nothing to open, or disassemble, kludge together, rewire, or "short"]. In my case, it seemed to work after just a couple cycles, presumably since it was a brand new battery fresh out of the blister pack and just needed a quick "jump," or whatever. Not saying it's the best method ever, but it seemed to do the trick pretty quickly [for me, within about 3-4 quick "cycles"]. Just enough to trigger it to somehow "see" the battery as chargeable and keep charging it rather than blinkering off... ^_^ FWIW. So, **hopefully** no long-term harm, no foul? :) Time will tell...

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Fingers crossed 🤞@@MGmirkin

[@MGmirkin]

Not too worried about it. ;) Figure it was basically just a quick one-and-done fix to trick the onboard power management into restarting the charging process, at which point it just charged as normal, not something to have to do on a regular basis [every time]. So, hopefully no "long-term wear and tear" implications. ;)

[@df008]

Thanks for this video it helped me out.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Happy to help

[@scottmullaney6550]

Worked great for me, thanks for the help

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

It be my pleasure matey ⚓

[@mingchan6057]

This totally works. Thanks for the tip 👍👍

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

my pleasure

[@marchimelstein5676]

If I have two flashing green lights is that ok? What about just one flashing green?

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

one green light blinking is typically normal charging. If you see 2 blinking greens (one battery one from charger that's normal charging as the gauge is showing how much charge is on the battery.

[@postalinVT]

This is great but I haven't had this problem. Have you got any ideas about the batteries when they are dead and won't charge at all ?

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Sometimes very worn lithium batteries, when really pushed until they're dead then left uncharged for a while, the cells may be fine but the chip doesn't see the minimum voltage to engage charging. some recommend jumping two wires from another known good/charged battery to the dead one (pos to pos neg to neg) for a few seconds then remove wires and put it on a charger. DON'T do that if you're still under warranty! If it doesn't work with the jump it's possible one or more of the cells or their connections to the board may be damaged.

[@billybonz112]

Did it stop charging when it got to that 3/4 or 4/5 mark? There's 5 cells in there, is it stopping when 4 get charged and the 5th one is bad? Just wondering cuz the video ended before fully charged?

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Nope it fully charged, I just cut a lot because most viewers don't have a normal attention span so after a few minutes they click away. If your battery indicator shows only 3 of 4 full and turns off as if full, one of the cells OR the connection may need to be repaired :)

[@gordonslomba2532]

My battery is not charging but also not running either on drill - any thoughts?

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

FIRST - Try method i used if the video - if that didnt't work.... Did the battery work with any other tools before it stopped holding a charge? If it did, we can blame the drill. If not, was the battery drained and left for a while? sometimes they need to be jump started. if you're already passed your warranty (to get a replacement or repair) you can use solid core copper wires for neg to neg and pos to pos on the battery, ONLY for a few seconds if you see a little smoke that is normal but stop IMMEDIATELY it only needs enough juice for the charger to recognize it. If that doesn't work, it could be a damage to the cells themself OR to the wires or board connections. As for the drill try another battery - if it's fine then good if not the drill is another concern

[@gordonslomba2532]

Not working on other tools; was left on a tool a while; think i have a warranty its only less then a year; like your video!@@TOOL_TECHNICAL

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@@gordonslomba2532 appreciate the love dude. Definitely if the battery is an issue that you didn't cause it's your $ and Ryobi should honor a replacement or repair. The only issue is sending it in. If I were you, look for a local certified ryobi shop with proof of purchase and they'll take care of it and give ryobi the invoice

[@johnpainter5750]

Thanky you Boss.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@johnpainter5750 no problem boss 😎

[@patriciapagliari919]

This was helpful 😊

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Glad it could help :)

[@remgu2000]

The problem is I have the same flashing lights but the battery will not operate any tool

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

does your battery indicator show it's holding a charge? there may be an issue with the circuit within disrupting flow to your tool. sometimes it's a broken solder other times could be a burned component on the small logic board

[@christopher2684]

Just Ran into this issue this morning. I couldn't figure out wtf was happening. So I just plugged it in for several hours with the red and green lights flashing. then unplugged and plugged back in and it started charging. I was initially trying to charge them in my car on a 500watt inverter on a 12v plug I think that caused an issue within the charging Block.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Interesting, at least your charger had the lights flashing (the power delivery aspect was still intact) I also ended up replacing the original charger as it stopped receiving power after I recorded this. I'm glad your situation was resolved! Is it possible your car's 12V was insufficient? - Work Smart 🛠

[@christopher2684]

@@TOOL_TECHNICAL I think so, I think it had too low of amps to keep up even though its a 500watt, The Drill is brand new from home depot, exact same charger as you. I refused to believed it was broken on first use. I started googling this issue, and within minute's I was recommended your video, I saw your Ryobi charger doing the same thing, just unfortunate yours failed entirely, makes me wonder how long mine will last, My work bought this drill for me, doubtful he has the receipt and asking them to replace it might not work unless I see it fail again. I am going to never use it outside the outlet its on now.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@@christopher2684 sounds like a solid plan also check the incoming voltage and outgoing voltage. The transformer inside your charger should be receiving 120 volts and putting out 18-23V (depending on discharge rate) good luck. Without a battery in it was showing normally 2.6-3V when plugged in without a battery

[@AN-kg4ei]

I wish this worked with the M12 Milwaukee batts. Ive had bad luck with them. I think planned obsolescence comes into play with these batts (IC counts down to zero then pulls voltage down).

[@aaa-oy3vl]

@@TOOL_TECHNICALi have exactly the same problem. after i use this battery in my multi tool. i found it is not charging at alll. both light blinking. did you replace the charger? is it charger problem？ do i have to replace the charger too？

[@richardheki4722]

Nope!

[@bradrobbins3328]

Mine says fully charged but doesn’t work.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

Sounds like a faulty indicator. Does it give the full battery solid green light on one or two chargers? What was being done before it stopped working?

[@bradrobbins3328]

Was working fine last time I used it(about a week earlier) went to use it again and you can push the test button and all 4 lights flash as if fully charged but it has no power when you put it in one of the tools. It’s less than a month old.

[@HANDGNR]

Dumb.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

@@HANDGNR thanks for commenting 👍🏼