Makita 18V Battery Has Big Problem!

In this video I was solving the biggest Makita 18V battery problem once and for all. No more faulty dead cells inside and prolonged lifespan.
Used components and more:
Cell Meter 8: rb.gy/et4zlb
JST-HX 5s connectors: rb.gy/tdloow
Spade connectors: rb.gy/cz3v5p
iMax B6 V2 smart charger: rb.gy/yyaoxe
ToolkitRC M7AC - A better smart charger: rb.gy/7i2eww
Adapter file for 3D printing: www.thingivers...
18V Li-ion Makita Battery Protect Circuit Board:
Compact: rb.gy/39cne2
Balanced: rb.gy/9a1kjj
Battery case for 9Ah battery:
With compact board: shorturl.at/dyLPV
With balancing board: shorturl.at/ertNX
DIY video of 9H Makita battery: • Why Makita isn't Makin...

[@izoyt]

looks like you should change title to after-market "makita" batteries have huge problem..

[@Guishan_Lingyou]

I don't know what kind of electronics they have inside but I have several genuine Makita batteries that will no longer charge on a Makita charger. I will have to open them up to see if they have balancing connections to each cell.

[@Brentpn]

It's quite obviously not a genuine makita battery.....

[@izoyt]

@@Brentpn exactly, but that didn't stop author of the video to click bait title as it is original (aka makita batteries doesn't have cell balancing).

[@pubcollize]

@@izoytI was wondering why he didn't mention how to tell which battery has the load-balancing board before buying. That explains it.

[@davey2k12]

​@@izoytit's because it's in the charger 😂

[@wallacegrommet9343]

I bought Makita first gen LXT lithium cordless tools in 2007. Quite a few of those batteries died within 5 years. Makita learned that battery lifespan is important to construction professionals. They rolled out second gen lithium batteries, gave me two on goodwill warranty. I bought many more. Have only managed to kill one of those over ten years. My fault, too.

[@BobsterAction]

If I'm buying Makita batteries say on Ebay, is there a way to tell if they're gen 1 or 2?

[@OmegaGamingNetwork]

Yep, all the failures I've had with LXT batteries were 1st Gen. I've got 2nd gen batteries with 5+ years and more recharge cycles than I can count still working fine. Like any electronic, nothing is perfect. But between very very long life and them constantly putting batteries in bundles with tools. I really haven't had to purchase batteries directly and have more than enough for all my tools plus at least 4 on the charger at all times.

[@6150RE]

How did you kill it?

[@drsquirrel00]

You can get the DIY kit cases with the larger balancing board too.

[@kayaker2k]

The clone battery does not have any balancing leads. the leads which are connected are a measuring wire to check the first cell. This is used to do the fuel gauge and the internal electronics, which are much easier to drive from 3.5V-4.2V and not the full pack voltage. The original board is deactivating the charging, not only with unbalanced cells, but also with low-voltage cells. Which could be charged but are very likely to fail soon and are not capable any more to deliver the currents needed. Therefore makita is deactivating the battery. I dont really like this from a sustainability point of view, but as a manufacturer which have to garanty the current and power delivery for these battery it makes sense.

[@aleksandersats9577]

I find this a bit interesting. I have actually recovered a 14.4v Makita battery where 3 cells were basically at 0V and 1 pair was 2v. I manually fully charged them and the battery continues to work. Even the Makita charger accepts them now and so far there have been zero issues. So the BMS didn't brick itself somehow during this process?? It was connected the entire time I manually charged it back

[@SamiMarjeta]

Funny thing, I came up with exactly same situation about 5 years ago. I got a bucket full of discarded Makita batteries. Some were ok, just low voltage. Some had 1 phase dead, others fine. Makita's charger would not charge them since battery circuits have low voltage memory. I did exactly same solution. I didn't have 3d printer so I made the adapter out of plywood. Also I didn't use epoxy for connector attachment (I think I wil do it now). Still use it today to charge them with hobby charger. Great video!

[@dr.bik.sauerlanderene_HR]

I own over 50 makita baterys, some of them 12 years old and none of them gone bad. Still working fine, all of them. How do you get bad makita batterys??

[@LockBits-ts6eo]

​@@dr.bik.sauerlanderene_HRno manufacturer can guarantee that every single product they make will be exactly the same as the last copy, consequently, there is a statistically significant probability that some cells will "fail", within a given set of parameters. It's the same for all made things, some stuff will fail, even if is a very small number of them. Bad luck if you're the dude that gets one!

[@Eratas1]

It is good to mention that original Makita 18V battery does not include low voltage and over voltage protection. A MOSFET is inside every Makita tool. Important if you use the battery for purposes other than Makita. That's why I added a whole new BMS to the battery that has over and under voltage protection MOSFET included.

[@tohmsquare9957]

Hello, do you have a reference to advise and perhaps a tutorial to watch? Thank you so much

[@uhjyuff2095]

actually search youtube for Tool_Scientist and you will see makita battery video about the makita bms which does have a mosfet!

[@dr.bik.sauerlanderene_HR]

@Eratas1 . Thats a bullshit what you wrote here.

[@yxcvmk]

I totally agree that these batteries will drain to zero - no protection IN the battery. Do you have any information about your protection setup. I'd really like a voltage protection, especially to prevent deep-discharge. Overcharge I am not too concerned about - the Makita charger should take care of that, no?

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@yxcvmk you can make a external bms if you build the packs with the balance wires exposed like in this video. Its weird because you have exposed battery connections but if you are careful with the wires you can get it to have low voltage protection

[@sonlyme4445]

Good video, and good idea for anyone with a fake LXT pack, or who is rebuilding an OEM pack without having a balancing PCB. One note however - the balance cable 5S JST is female at both ends - in order to receive the silver pins on battery and charger. 👍

[@BitTwisted1]

Discovered this issue a few years ago, specifically on the 14.4 battery packs, (because these were the ones we were using). On the early batteries the battery management board is permanently powered from the first pair of cells, resulting in the first pair of cells always being slightly more discharged than the rest of the cells. This issue builds up, especially if the batteries are stored for a long period. When the battery is used with the drill the first pair of cells eventually get slightly over discharged, which degrades them faster than the rest of the pack and reduces their effective capacity. I believe there is some natural cell balancing when the battery is repeatedly discharged and charged, however if the battery is stored this does not appear to be enough and the first pair of cells dies first. It feels like a design fault/money saving exercise/intentional battery lifetime limiting feature, which makita have decided is acceptable because it doesn't normally kill the batteries before the 1000 charges in continuous professional use of the 4-5 years of DIY use. As a side note, The battery management board on the early batteries communicates with the charger and appears to count charges and disable the battery if the number if charges exceeds a number, I have guessed at 1000 charges, remember putting a full battery onto the charger to see if it is full counts as a charge... I expect this is a 'safety feature' which the marketing department wet themselves over.

[@kenlee5461]

Hi, Great video. Is there a link which will tell me the wiring of the balance wires to the batteries?

[@SteveSmith-kf9on]

Great video mate. Quick question, some of my old makita batteries need changing a lot quicker, any fix for that one ? Many thanks

[@estenorth50]

Thanks for the clarification, but can all these batteries with their sizes work on a 5ah drill?!

[@julesgraham6186]

Goes to show you get what you pay for. Cheap aftermarket generic batteries are cheaper for a reason and this video shows why. It was a bit poor that the video didn’t clearly state the battery with the problem was a clone copy and not a genuine Maikta battery.

[@sonlyme4445]

You do. So I chose to pay for premium cells and added a mosfet to protect the pack against low voltage use. I now have an 8ah Makita battery that is not only balancing on charge, protected from being run into low voltages, and all for half the price of a new 6ah OEM one. 👍

[@christiano.4808]

Cells will become unbalanced with age, it's a normal part of the degradation process. When charging it with a RC charger like this, you're top balancing them and you might find at some point that you need to do this more and more often and maybe even with every charge, because they will not stay in balance. This might cause problems with the low voltage protection, because the individual cells aren't monitored during discharge and you rely on the low voltage protection that only checks the pack voltage. With the same modifications shown in the video, you could also bottom balance the cells. You discharge all cells individually to, for example, 3.0V. For optimal efficiency, you match this voltage times five with the low voltage protection of the power tool or the battery protection circuit. Then, you charge the pack, but without balancing the cells (much like the original charger would do, or the RC charger does without the balance wires connected or the balance charge option selected). While charging, you monitor the individual cell voltages through your newly fitted balance connector. Towards the end of the charge, the cell voltages will drift and become unbalanced at the top of their charge cycle. You wait until the first cell reaches your desired end of charge voltage. Could be 4.20V, but you could also consider a slightly lower voltage, like 4.1V or 4.0V, which will increase the longevity of the cells. At that point, all the other cells will have a different voltage. You then take note of the pack voltage. This is your new end of charge voltage for the entire pack. You can then discharge the pack by using it in your power tools and the cells will be balanced at the bottom, just like you've set it up at the start. And then you can charge them again without balancing, using the RC charger or a lab bench power supply with adjustable voltage, set to your determined end of charge voltage. By doing that, you make sure that all the cells, even though they're different because their different states of degradation, are in balance at the bottom of their voltage range. This is a bit more work at the start compared to top balancing, but there are two advantages. The first, you make sure that the low voltage protection still works properly. The second, charging will be quicker, because a top balance charge will take longer than just a normal charge.

[@100-Prozent-MICHAEL]

You are completely wrong. It's not Makita batteries that have a problem, but the counterfeit cheap clones. Your headline is not serious.

[@Zanthum]

Very helpful. I have several aftermarket batteries with PCBs that look like the good one but the cells are out of balance and won't charge. I'll probably do this to my batteries as well

[@davideyres955]

Great stuff. You should take a look at the dewalt flexvolt batteries. I suspect they have the same problem. Would like to see you do a mod to those.

[@PM-wt3ye]

Thats a Problem with After market, Not genuine ones

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

A great video to watch... ....( I have no clue as to what we are talking about.....but cool watching ) tHanks for the video

[@ModGladBlock3.0]

Love your channel brother

[@cryingeva]

The aftermarket battery is junk, that’s not last a year, my older original battery 10 years still going strong

[@jkkater]

Wow nice. Hi I have a question do you by any chance know how you can dewalt battery bms reset? I replaced single cells but unfortunately bms doesn't allow to charge them.

[@johnibbertson2960]

great piece of electronic improvement, why dont the manifacturers do that ?

[@michaeljettershank9069]

Sir, if you wipe the tip of your solder iron on a wet sponge every time you pick it up you will achieve factory spec soldering. thanks for your video

[@leokimvideo]

I have purchased Makita batteries for many years, never touched the knockoff fake batteries that this video shows. Considering the number of house fires related to rogue batteries and non compliant chargers the best bet is to just stick with genuine Makita batteries and chargers.

[@Tlaft47]

what is the thickness of the nickel strip used?🤔🤔

[@PM-wt3ye]

How can this device discharge without a cooler for Heat dissipation?

[@JSunday45]

Got a replacement board and like the dude mentioned the charger doesn't accept it. Says it overheating. Any solutions?

[@izemanevobike]

Good idea, but the OPEN PINS of the jst-xh connector are a safety issue. They are way too easy to short circuit.

[@user-2uf2kr2c]

Hi, i have the second battery with the large charging board. The batteries have the right voltage but i have no voltage at the outgoing pins. Any suggestions? Regards

[@schonsospaet22]

It would be so nice if all that was integrated into the makita charging station. To adjust the charging speed would also be nice, so you can expand the battery life.

[@truthprophesy]

Maybe you can make Makita charger to DC conversion video (use solar to charge) . Sure useful in grid power down scenario

[@saautotek7586]

I am very impressed 👍

[@user-2uf2kr2c]

Hi, instead of using all this extra cell-balancing parts couldn't you just use a small/cheap/right size AliExpress 5s bms connected to the input and 4 wires then to the battery? Or can't you connect separate 1s wires to the yellow plug?Regards

[@peterdevreter]

Just checked my own 5 makita battery's but they all have the big pcb. Even the oldest one still works fine after 4 years.

[@SirMillz]

Dealing with many Makita battery issues; considering switching whole kit to Dewalt.

[@viorsa8200]

Excelente tutorial maestro, buen trabajo, gracias por compartir sus conocimientos y experiencias, un saludo cordial y por supuesto un merecido like desde Narón (Galicia)🔝👍🤓

[@jmpaq51]

super video thanks ( I also like my skyrc balance charger)

[@lyndonthan4350]

Excellent info ! Thank you

[@marvindalla6336]

The ToolkitRC M7AC use same JST-HX 5s conector to balance thes cells?

[@armandine2]

... pity you didn't flesh out the Makita equal balance board with bricked BMS - though I picked up what solution was implied.

[@grafslo4453]

I have many Makita 18V tools.. and no problems with the batteries !

[@JakeRobb]

Some of those batteries are Makita, but the one you disassembled is a cheap copy in a size Makita has never sold. Which is probably why it has this problem. I’d guess that all _real_ Makita batteries have the balanced control board. BTW, the B in PCB stands for Board, so “PCB board” is redundant. Like PIN number or ATM machine.

[@sonlyme4445]

They do, but they lack effective low voltage protection. Which is another killer of all battery packs.

[@ciprianwinerElectronicManiac]

Problem is that if the original Makita charger doesn't want to charge the battery, even if you external charge the cells, the output enable pin won't let the tool run and even if it does, you won't be having any low voltage protection on the 3 pin tools.

[@tombowman4489]

I'm charging each cell of a Wheatley 6ah pack that has gone dead in hope that when they are all charged to the same voltage the Makita charger will charge the pack again... So far I'm at 3.43v - 3.7v. trying to get them all up to the 3.7v mark. When I started 4 if the cells where reading a 0 voltage. But they all seem to be holding a charge now. The pack indicator is now saying 60%. Is this attempt likely to work? Meany thanks advance 🙏

[@chewbaka6394]

You’re comparing an fake makita battery to a real one 😂

[@Iamsuccesspro]

Where's the balanced board battery fix you mentioned for 2nd half of the video?

[@aicisha]

the title should be "makita 18v rip-off battery has a big problem" !!

[@ArthurCliveWalter]

Very clear, well done.

[@gyij3876]

Y is it heated so much plus I smell the plastic burn smell and so stopped after the light just showed in 2nd step which it needed for 3rd step light to be fully charged?smell not normal?

[@slinkos]

I have a similair problem with my Parkside battery. I connected it to my cellmeter 8 and it recognises all the cells and I see disbalance between the cells. When I hold the dischargge button it double beeps and doesn't go into discharge mode. What could be wrong?

[@saltycarpenterr3127]

I've been using 20 18v makita for 6 years even for my mower. Never. Any. Problems.

[@RCHobbyist463]

I'm glad it's just the counterfeits that have this problem. I feel like it would be a massive safety risk if genuine makita batteries did not have active cell balancing.

[@beemergb]

The JST-Hx is that a 6s pin ? And not a 5s pin ?

[@Joaodocaminhao0234]

Thank you 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@nueschtsNutzername]

This is just brilliant!! Thank's a lot!

[@alexsafonov7270]

I love it! nice work sir :)

[@KickAssets]

This video is amazing. Wish I was smart enough to understand it lol

[@johnthetrucker344]

I wait for your Solution for the Big Mainboard with Cell Balancing. I have change the cells but the Charger blinks and Chirp the all time

[@ijaslt4617]

THANK YOU YOU SAVE MY MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Video is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MCsCreations]

Really well done, dude! Fantastic work! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊 And happy holidays!

[@adassociates8235]

This kind of misleading content like this should be monitored, he should change title to FAKE MAKITA Batteries😅

[@LovingIdaho]

No problem with any of my makita batteries yet . I have been using them a lot for 12 years now .

[@johanneslaxell6641]

My 18V makita batteries are over 15 years old and still work fine...

[@atsimas]

Why not just use a passive balancer and continue charging with the official charger?

[@ricardocunha459]

YES. there are not balanced original makita batteries. The author of the video should have choose an original one and avoid problem with people that have never opened a makita battery before, maybe all the new ones now are balanced, Im not sure, but I had old 3ah ones that definitely were not, and stoped charging in about 2 years.

[@jeffryjebaraj503]

Well done nice experiment.....

[@Peter-yn8uy]

I have had only 1 battery failure in 17 years. It was from my original kit 3.0 amp.

[@youngstuden78]

Why you choose lipo type

[@EnnTomi1]

if youve gone this far, might as well buy balanced PCB board to replace it all. those tiny pins on the battery are likely to get shorted (just by touching by a screw drive tip in the tool box) and that is fire hazard. so personally i really against doing this mod (ofc depend on what the batteries will be used for and how). buy a replaceble PCB with balancing charge built in should be the best way to go.

[@-_Robert_-]

Why not place inside whole 5S BMS which takies USB C and charge battery directly?

[@อุ่นใจอาละวาด]

It's a very wonderful idea.

[@TheOnlyDominik]

IT'S A FAKE MAKITA! Use original Batteries!

[@TranTek]

looks like the one without much stuff are knock off not Makita you can tell the spot welder strip

[@Edmorbus]

Well Done Thanks for sharing

[@moltomolto555]

This Video should send to Makita, I think. So that they see what the people think about their products.

[@mknight6026]

I modified a cellphone power adapter to fit my batteries and a laptop power adapter plugs into the cells adapter

[@zanmarinic]

Great video!

[@emil.honganmaki5461]

How can Makita leave the balancing circuit out of batteries, it's even dangerous with li-ion batteries

[@yvesvandemaele8012]

Great video

[@pajajaska]

Thats a great idea!

[@rawkweila4444]

i have 30 batteries, non of them had this problem lol

[@mattmatt2539]

you are genius .thank you so much 🤝

[@terukopops]

Of course the fake battery has a problem, not Makita 18v batteries!

[@rectrorick]

Yes the video title is misleading, but makita battery's do have the same problem even with there on board balance board. So this idea would still potentially fix a dead genuine makita battery, too. Thanks for the video. Could you easily be done without the adapter you made.

[@koenvelaers9876]

Battery problems? Never had any, not even after about 15 years of intensive use of my drill/screwing machine!

[@MartinMartinX]

Its because the bigger 9Ah battery is not a Makita product. Its a Chinese clone which is Makita compatible. Big difference !

[@vaalrus]

Very annoyed with Makita over their first gen batteries…I’ve got 7 that bricked themselves when they hit the low voltage threshhold, some of them (according to the makita factory repair depot) with less than 10 cycles on them.

[@ExpF]

The problematic battery shown is an aftermarket battery! It’s pretty interesting stuff, but your title is a bit misleading.

[@mynameis5886]

7:10 Why do you charge a Li-Ion battery as LiPo? I guess you don't know what going is.

[@rowanarmitage79]

Well, that was time I won’t get back.

[@Bee-o8g]

Why I just get a charger do all the in a single charger

[@user-mt3go4yv4t]

excellent!

[@vegetablepolice1]

might have to bypass the safty board and charge with a bench power supply if possible man

[@uhjyuff2095]

use female connector on battery side and the male connector for battery balancer device.

[@11ildiko11]

Easier, and probably more sure to buy another battery! Old battery is old, no matter what are you doing with it!

[@lukada83]

Nah man, you see the internal resistance is ~15ohm, for a used one that's quite low. I got cells wits 28-32ohm which have been recycled and are running in several batteries without issues.

[@jsaurman]

0:48 Can someone explain to me what that yellow multipin connector on the top of the battery pack actually does? It doesn't ever seem to ever connect to any device which uses the battery...

[@v3nato]

It allows the original makita charger to communicate with the battery chip. To check battery integrity, voltage level, temperature, how many times it has been charged.

[@sodd1000]

I have maybe 15 second hand Makita batteries. None were new when I got them. One failure in 12 years due to overheating it in my Circular saw and it being bricked by my charger due to it being hot. I changed the pcb for a chinese replacement and it has worked for the last 4 years. You are wrong

[@sparky_inda_house]

all this... ill just stick to genuine batteries.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

Seems like spending a bunch of time and money to make cheap knockoff batteries work. Are you really saving anything in the long run?

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

Had mine 5 years 5amp never had one problem

[@forestranger312]

Lithium cells are wonderful aren’t they! Can you imagine the electronic circuit complexity within the ev cars. Then it goes wrong and needs repairing. Nightmare begins. Bank balance crashes. Realisation that you may have made a big mistake believing the government that evs are the answer to the worlds perceived problems.

[@seamusphelan228]

First off that’s a counterfeit or knockoff cheap copy of a Makita 18v battery and nothing to do with genuine Makita. I’ve seen these cheap copies overheat and burn on site from normal use. Always use the original Makita for durability safety and reliability. There is no substitute.