Phillips SoniCare Battery Replacement

[@bobhardy6330]

Thank you Tom. Great video, Now it's my turn to make my wife happy.

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Good luck!

[@mjremy2605]

I did not know a solder braid existed! I wondered how to remove old solder. I learned a key tip from you today, many thanks! Nice to know how to hack into these products and give new life. I am fed up of being ripped off by planned obsolence! This works for all rechargeable batteries including solar lights! Thank you, Tom. fyi - Always test it out before you slip back into case. So you don't damage the tabs any further. That is the only weak point here.

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

@@mjremy2605 I learned it somewhere, sharing knowledge is important to me. I ended up getting a few more years from this toothbrush, worth the time and I agree with you about disliking planned obsolescence!

[@bgable7707]

Well gush darn, I just bought a combo brush and waterpic to replace for this exact model. Great video. I'll probably go ahead and fix my old because I have like 5 heads. Thanks for throwing this repair together !!!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

@@bgable7707 I ended up getting about two more years out of it, so it’s worth the effort.

[@billstratman1323]

Good to know when mine is ready for a new battery that there is hope. Thanks Tom!!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Mine lasted a long time with that replacement battery, I think it was almost three years. I replaced it with a new Phillips because I had a dozen replacement brushes, hopefully it lasts a long time too!

[@Hiker_who_Sews]

Around 2002 I went to a new dentist, and that exact toothbrush was a freebie to all new patients. Obviously, it needs a new battery. I appreciate your video!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Dannie N well I hope you can fix it. It’s a bit of work but always enjoyable to make things work again.

[@chrisweston3072]

I admire your patience. Tight quarters inside that toothbrush. 😅

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

@@chrisweston3072 thanks, it was pretty efficiently packaged. The good thing about making videos like this is the editing, I cut out all the stuff when I got frustrated. 😂

[@edwardchamberlain7858]

Thanks for the help Tom. I put mine in a vice a couple of weeks ago and tried to get it apart, but it wouldn't move. After watching your video I attacked it with renewed energy, and it finally came apart. After twenty years the button cover gave up, so I'm replacing the entire bottom piece. My battery however is still giving me two sessions. May I suggest parking your brush on the shelf till the amber light comes on. Parking it in the charger is killing your battery. Great video. Keep it G and I'm with you 100 percent.

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Edward Chamberlain I always keep on the charger, will have to change that habit. Thanks for watching.

[@vincedesborough6595]

Awesome Tom! Thanks for the great instructions! I have the exact same toothbrush, with the exact same problem, so I'm going to give it a try, and thanks!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Vince Desborough best of luck, let me know how it turns out for you.

[@taffydavenport1965]

im having the same problem....... but, with your video as a guide, i think i can do this. Thanks.

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

taffydavenport1965 if you have access to a soldering iron it’s worth a try. Good luck, let me know how it goes.

[@SierraOne]

Wow! There's nothing that is safe! At least it didn't smoke when you turned it on! (I was waiting)... Keep on tinkering!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Living Larger sometimes I have let the magic smoke out of things, but the teeth-brush is working great so far

[@tom535]

Very good job Tom,, way to go saved your self a lot of money good job..

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Tom Smales thanks , my dentist will be happy as well!

[@TheMono1369]

thanks!...from colombia..but, what kind of battery used

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

TheMono1369 just Google Sonicare battery, it will come up with lots of choices

[@TheMono1369]

@@TomsTinkeringandAdventures ..but some one especial reference?

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

@@TheMono1369 I'm sorry, I don't remember which one I got. I am going to need another, my toothbrush is not holding a charge again so will be trying this repair a second time.

[@RobinPajaritoFlores]

What kind of battery was that one?

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

It’s been a long time, I can’t remember but I know I didn’t get a lithium battery. NiMh maybe?

[@RobinPajaritoFlores]

@@TomsTinkeringandAdventures thank you

[@danielgartin6993]

Will this work for all models because I have the e series

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Probably pretty similar?

[@BradGardner]

Good video. I was about to tear mine apart when mine wasn’t working. I had left of off the charger for a week and when I went to charge it again the green light just stayed solid. I was able to hold in the power button for 5 seconds while on the charging stand and it vibrated. Worked fine since. Odd but hopefully this may help someone as well

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Brad Gardner it will work for a while. Likely going to need a battery but you can squeeze some extra life out of it. Thanks for watching.

[@DougCeleste]

Brad, my Sonicare Essence was in storage for a year. I took it out last week to charge and the light blinked on the brush for about 10 seconds and then the light stayed constant and did not charge. Not sure why since I NEVER had a problem with it before. It is out of warranty and I may have to discard it. Such a shame since this older brush had a beep after each 30-second segment which told me to brush another quadrant of the mouth.

[@BradGardner]

@@DougCeleste You try all the methods mentioned in these comments by chance? Holding the button in etc

[@DougCeleste]

@@BradGardner Thanks for the reply. Yes, I held in the button of the brush while it was on the charger but nothing happened. My only hope is to call Customer Service and "plead my case" to the rep. Yah, getting a new brush is a longshot since the brush is out of warranty by several years but I would be happy if I could get a coupon for a couple of dollars off of a new Sonicare Essence brush. I have NEVER had any Norelco shavers or electric toothbrushes fail on me. My original brush was like the one in this video and it lasted for over 15 years before the battery gave out but that one was not in storage like the one that just failed me. It had been in storage before with NO issues but not this time. I guess the non-use for a year affected the battery. Lesson learned to NEVER again put a power brush like this in storage.

[@skelley1966]

I really wish I could do this. I use to work for Philips and they gave us this very same toothbrush years ago. I never used mine. I stuck to the old school method... my favorite Reach toothbrush. So the Philips Sonicare Elite has been sitting in my closet in its original packaging for years. I pulled it out a few days ago and plugged it up. It does NOTHING!!😩

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

skelley1966 it’s not too much for a battery, it’s what I would call a “mechanical gamble”.

[@jameshendrix8217]

Great video ,same model I've got. I think my battery is on the way out as well, What's the battery voltage on these I've seen 1.2v to 3.7v can anyone confirm the battery voltage on these? thanks

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

james hendrix thanks, I can’t remember which one I got. Will have to research again and maybe add it to the video description.

[@jameshendrix8217]

@@TomsTinkeringandAdventures that'd be great , much appreciated. thanks

[@SriniVasanSPV]

The pin on the battery Snapped while trying to get the battery in the tight fit. I need to get another battery and try this again. Thx

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Srini Vasan yeah, it was a tight fit. I’m still using the toothbrush so the repair was worth it.

[@paintballhallic]

Do you have the battery part number?

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

There are several that will work, but I ordered mine from Ebay and it was listed with this information: FDK 2150 mAh Ni-MH Battery. I hope it helps. The toothbrush is still working fine and charged up completely.

[@alansterling3481]

SO DID IT EVENTUALLY TAKE A FULL CHARGE?

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Alan sterling I brushed my teeth with it this morning. Full charge!

[@jotu173]

Thanks for the EXCELLENT video!! Planned Obsolescence be damned! Your video made my day as I will duplicate this and save myself about $100. (cost of new brush) in the process!!! Some questions... 1.) Do you have any tips on NOT breaking the part that you broke? I assume that the part was not vital since you are using it. 2.) Does the remaining part still stay in position OK? 3.) Is the brush still very water proof-ish???

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Jo Tu just be gentle, I got a bit impatient with it. It’s still working great, brushed my teeth with it today.

[@danielgartin6993]

Mine lasts 7 days on a charge

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

That’s pretty good!

[@billbatchelor6762]

had my Sonicare for decades. Slowly over the years, it would hold a charge less and less. Recently, the death spiral sped up and over the last 4 months or so it went down to running for about 10 seconds. I like to fix things and found this video. I have never soldered on a circuit board in my life (age 55). I have an old rudimentary soldering iron with a tip that was really too large. I watched a couple videos on proper soldering techniques just to see if there were tips/tricks worth noting (I learned a lot about solder types etc as a result). I should have had a much smaller tip. None the less, it worked! After a failed attempt with Amazon and Ebay, I found the battery at BatterySpecialists.com Item HR-4/5AU. $14 bucks. I too thought it was not taking a full charge. After 4 hours it was still just blinking on light #2. However, this morning it is fully charged. Induction charging I guess is just very slow and like most batteries, the last 20% goes down to a trickle charge and takes time. It is working great and is more powerful than I remember. I suspect that not only was it not holding a charge well, but the overall strength had diminished as well. I will use the $110 bucks I saved to buy a new soldering iron that is more versatile. I am unleashed for new similar projects! Thanks Tom. Keep the beard going and tinker on!

[@TomsTinkeringandAdventures]

Bill Batchelor awesome! This is the reason I like making videos, to inspire people to try something they may not have done. Thank you for the kind words and thanks for watching.