EGO 5Ah Gen2 Repair - Cells Replaced

[@philipershler420]

Great demonstration about locating and replacing the bad cell!

[@xrpnewzealand1778]

Nice work, thanks for taking the time producing this video.

[@offgridwanabe]

Another quality repair thanks for sharing

[@THEOFFGRIDMOUNTAINHOMESTEAD]

Awesome video! Excellent work

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

I can’t wait to see the light repair.. Hope you can fix it .. !

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Hi Stephen, I am working on it now and trying to decide the best video approach. It does have some failed components (3) on the board, and I had issues seeing some of the part numbers on the SMD components. So, I was able to get a replacement controller for it for less than $60, which was very surprising and maybe worth it really. Especially if I can dig around the potting and find the actual components part numbers. That did work, but unfortunately, I can't find any of the SMD components available like EGO must special order with their own part numbers. I can absolutely keep trying and also record the voltage and current of the LED modules to one day be helpful if we need to drive these with our own drivers if the EGO parts get hard to come by. So torn between trying to split onto 2 separate videos instead of 1 long one? The light has been very fun to work with, and all the LEDs themselves are in great shape. Thanks for your generosity for sending it in!

[@martinsifuentes177]

Excelente video!

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks for your kind comment!

[@markgilbert9930]

Well done sir.

[@sixtyfiveford]

Nicely done.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks man!

[@TranTek]

Great Job ! Phillip - Chevon always put this gooie material on their batteries like Flex as well I finally got Kweld, it will do 0.3mm with ease !

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I have not worked on any Flex packs, but wondered about that since both are made by Chervon. you are seeing the phase change sleeve stay gooie on those also? Good to know the Kweld works well. Thanks for sharing!

[@TranTek]

@@ThriftyToolShed yes they put a pad of inside top part and bottom part of the batteries pack and hard to clean top part inside bottom you can clean easily, look exactly the same as that gooie i tried many method and ended up running water and use a thin home depot store card to get inside to scrape them off the replacement still have same pad but they put them in a plastic pad

[@varmint243davev7]

Thank You !

[@Gyppor]

Very interesting video, I don't have any issues with my ego batteries but it's good to see the diagnostic process, I can see this coming in handy. Your presentation is very good as well, your accent is pleasant to listen to. Which state are you from?

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I am from Georgia. I live in an area hit really hard by Helene last month. I shared a little about that in a video last week about fixing my Dad's portable power station if you find the damage in the area interesting. Thanks so much for your kind comment! It means a lot.

[@Gyppor]

@@ThriftyToolShed Cool, I always enjoy hearing all the different accents in the US. Canada has a lot of variations in how we talk coast to coast but I always like to hear Americans from different parts of the country, I think there's more variety of accents. I usually go through the back catalog of videos of new subscriptions so I will check it out soon! I hope your family is safe and repairs/rebuilding goes well.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Awesome! yes, we are all safe, doing well and everything will be fine! Thanks

[@JakkiPi]

I have two ego batteries. One has possible bad cells and the second has a possible bad bms. I would like two get one good working one. Maybe if the shipping isn't too much, I can send you the batteries.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Hi, I don't have a repair business, and for liability reasons I can't fix others items. These are simply items viewers sent in as a donation to help the channel and community as mentioned. Best of luck to ya with yours!

[@ai4px]

Just came upon your channel. Have you been able to figure out hte BMS comm protocol?

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I have not had much time to spend on it. I did take time to share a quick video over a year ago about the D-terminal. I tried to use that video to help recruit some other help in the matter. I did have a few viewers who said they would work on it as well, but no one has come back with an answer yet. I believe Tool Scientist would do it if we were able to send him some packs and BMS boards to test with. I believe he is in the UK. It's on my to-do list. Unfortunately, it's way down on the list. Ever since storm Helene, I have more to do than I have time for. The channel has suffered from it, but it is what it is. Maybe someone will respond back with some information soon.

[@omadasmtp543]

if you don't have spare cells with the wax, where can you get the wax and shrink wrap?

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I have not seen the wax sleeves available anywhere. The only way I know of is to get some like I have buying bad packs for spare parts over time and accumulate spares. I also would not be afraid to just replace the cell and get the pack back going. The wax only activates to help cool the cell once the cells get really hot anyway, and I don't know how much they help, honestly. I do like the idea of it. It is a good concept for sure, but I am not sure how well it's proven.

[@mikebroom1866]

I have a 4AH Gen 3 that overheated and let out the goo. Any other reports of that? I figured it would have protections against that. Funny enough, it still shows 2/5 bars.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

So yours stayed liquified also? I have seen many get warm enough to liquidfy and change shape a bit, but still return solid after it cooled down. It's interesting that some of these are staying liquified. I don't know if the cells are leaking a little bit of electrolyte, and that is causing this or if the phase change material has a threshold and can reach a point of no return. I know the cells have good temperature monitoring, and the sleeves are to help keep the cells cool. So changing phase may not be that it did overheat, but an engineered effort to keep the cells cool even when reaching the upper operating temperature level. It will be interesting to see if other viewers have experienced this as well.

[@keithjacobson4493]

Very good! I’ll be following this again to do troubleshooting and likely cell replacement. Out of curiosity, in the electric car realm it is beginning to be accepted that charging to 80% or less for daily use, then only 100% for long trips can significantly improve battery life. Do you think that charging these batteries to about 75% might reduce failures? Thanks

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I do believe the life of the cells has a lot to do with how far we charge and discharge the cells all in the name of capacity. We want our run time. Lithium is such an excellent power source, but it sure has issues. Hopefully, in the next big development in batteries, we will have better chemistry that is more stable and not so finicky about voltage levels and temperature. We will have to deal with these issues a little longer until maybe solid state cells can be affordable and mass produced.

[@jdmccorful]

Thanks for the look.

[@IndependentThinker74]

Have you taken apart an Ego 8.0 or the 12.0 batteries? Do they use 18650 or 210700 cells. I can't find any info on them anywhere.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I have not. There are many members on our Facebook group called On The Bench that have. It may even be some reference to some on there. We can share questions, photos, or even videos with the group, which can be handy.

[@IndependentThinker74]

@@ThriftyToolShed Thanks

[@Jim-r9o]

It looked like the fuse on that output terminal block was only 5 Amps. Is that correct? Is that typical for the 2500mAh packs as well? I was expecting it to be higher amperage.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

It's much higher. Most of these packs are trace fuses so no rating, but 40A atleast in my opinion. Some argue, but the mower has a 40A fuse I know. So I would at least go that big. The larger packs even higher...

[@Jim-r9o]

@@ThriftyToolShed I watched another of your videos where you soldered in a 30A fuse to replace the trace fuse. I did a similar repair my 2.5AH pack using a 40A mini auto fuse. But the board in this video definitely has "5.0" (check at about 4:30) printed on it. I agree that seems really low. But now I'm worried the 40A is too high. I have an Ego string trimmer that has developed an internal short. It blew the fuse inside the tool. I was dumb enough when troubleshooting to jumper across that fuse and connect the battery. It then blew the trace fuse in the battery! Soldering in the 40A mini auto fuse saved the battery. However, the tool appears to be trash! Thanks for your videos and your reply.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

@Jim-r9o Yeah, my first look at the trace fuses on these back then. As mentioned, the 30A was temporary. I use 40A or 50A SMD style fuses rated for 72VDC for long term.

[@musketteer99]

So, I have a 2019 2.5Ah battery with the flashing end of life lights ...i opened it to have a look and found multiple cells swollen...is it worth it to replace cells or just but a new battery pack?

[@ThriftyToolShed]

It really depends on if it's something you enjoy doing and working on. It's a good bit of work replacing the cells, and it can be done for less than half the price of a new battery typically, but it's not for everyone. Some feel like it's a waste of time. I came across a warranty replaced pack on my first repair, and I learned a lot from it, and it only costs me my time on it. I have since repaired some with bad cells, and it is time-consuming, but I sure hated to throw it away!

[@battmanbattman5308]

Another great video, thanks so much. Your approach to reconnecting the tabs with strips and spot welds is interesting and spot welds are recommended for sure. I know I will get criticised for saying this but I have been often soldering the connectors back using an 80w large tip soldering iron with special SS flux. I apply the heat no longer than 3 seconds with a high quality solder that flows well. Done this on hundreds of cells and never seen the connector come away or the cell fail, maybe I've been lucky. I also cut away the plastic with a dremel and small cutting tip. You got lucky with the position of the cells but if you have them in the centre of a pack it's a lot harder as you mention. I posted a home made tool I use on your site a while back to help with removal in difficult positions, I'll add a link below in case others are interested on how to make it and use it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmXEeGZpZ66FgJo

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks for sharing. I actually used to share using a 150W soldering iron because it was what I used for years. Same as you mentioned I would use Flux hit it quick and cool it off with a damp cloth to keep heat from the cell. I did get some criticism on those older videos, but it works if you have the right technique. Its just so discouraged by manufacturers, and I can see why to a degree.

[@johnclarke6647]

The user of that 48 volt really cooked that pack, didn’t he? You just DON’T discharge a pack that much. If it got hot enough to melt silicon - it really got hot.