Makita battery conversion kit.

You asked;

Can you show me a picture of the charger you use in this conversion. And how would I know if a battery has timed out or not.




My answer;

Hi,

If your Makita charger does not start charging a battery but signals a defect when you insert it then it is timed out. The chip in the battery will allow for three default tries before it shuts down permanately. Therefore the phrase "Timed Out".

It has nothing to do with the internal timer in Makita batteries but a default chip that is programed to say, No More. The rest of the circuit board is usually ok and once the battery is rebuit it will take a charge and go back to work with an alternate charger.

The universal charger that is in my offer would perform the function of analyses but when the fault in the battery comes up it will check out just like the Makita charger. The difference is the Makita charger reads the battery for information and will not respond when the chip in the battery opens.

I would suggest that all of your batteries has some internal problem (usually a bad cell) that has caused the battery to fail. Now if the chip has been tripped three times it can't be reset and your Makita charger will never recognize it again even after the fault has been neutralized.

If you have not tried to charge the batteries after the first fault the batteries could be rebuilt and then again recharged on your Makita charger. If the chip has been tripped then you have to use a universal charger after the battery is repaired or rebuilt.

If you would ship me the batteries I could run the tests to determine the problem with the batteries and if the chip has tripped or not. In either case the batteries can be rebuilt. The only question then is how you are going to charge them. The options are all better than tossing the batteries and replacing them with new.

I am going to send this message now and in a few minutes I will send you the link where you can see the charger.

I have a number of these units out and they are working great. This charger will work on any 18v Lithium Ion battery.

Thank you,

Milwaukee V18 and V28 Lion Tool Batteries

You asked;


Can you rebuild 28 volt lithium ion Milwaukee batteries?? If so, how much??


My answer,

Hi,

If you are talking about the V18 or V28 Milwaukee LI-Ion battery it is not the question of can I rebuild but can I get the cells to do it.

For a short time the cells were available in small numbers but now they have been classed in such a manner that they will not import them into the USA.

I have three (3) V18 in house that can not be rebuilt.

I have a customer that has used the V18 for some time but his usable batteries are dying out so I convinced him to go back to the Ni-Cd battery which we can rebuild in pretty substantial units.

I am not aware if they built a 28v Ni-Cd to work with so I would have to research that before making any suggestions.

The tools that use the V series battery are excellent and most customers do not want to dispose of them just to update to the newer battery configuration.

What is available on the market for purchase are, I believe, the last of the line. When they are gone then a battery option will force everyone to change.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for asking,

Power tool battery listed capacity vs reality!

Well as I posted earlier, the stuff hit the fan.

Two complete orders of 18650 Li-Ion cells came in and in test they produced less than 20% of advertised.

After a lengthy one sided conversation with the supplier the decision was made to file a case against them to recoup part of my investment.

The moral to this story is, DO NOT buy rebuilding cells based on advertised capacity.

I see that Honda is being sued for false advertising on fuel mileage on some of their hybrid cars. I support the lady who has the ambition to challenge an age old  farce. Good luck to her.

I am to old and tired to take on the world market but love to share with those that are interested the facts of Truth in Advertising.

I did win my case but the rewards will be slim and the system will not change. Oh well, I try.

We just have to hang in there.

Fake 18650 Li-Ion cells from China

As a rebuilder it is amazing what is offered in the replacement cells for power tool batteries.

I am no novice but like others I reach out for good deals to keep the rebuilds price comparable.

I purchased a box (100} of Li-Ion cells for stock  from a supplier in China. I was hoping to get 50% of the listed capacity out of the cells and as always I test each batch before installation.

To my amazement these cells produced less that 20% of their listed capacity and are practically unusable.

I pulled the wrapper off the cell to see what I had and discovered that the outer wrap was installed over another wrap that covered what I assume was the original wrap. There were no markings on the inner wraps but it was evident that the assembly of these cells was from at least three differing manufacturers.

This makes me wonder how many of our Asian suppliers are taking reject cells and repackaging them for the western market.

This is my own fault, I know better but you can not stand on your hands and not research new products.

This is an ongoing deliberation that will end up in frustration, but that's life.

Hitachi 18v Li-Ion power tool battery (Complete Rebuild)

Check this out in my EBay store

Hitachi 18v Li-Ion HXP Battery

Complete Rebuild

Item Number:  330640382241

Price $60.00

This item has been sold

Power tool battery output capacities. Myth or Fact ?

It is not unusual to question the facts in advertising. Yet in my younger years I believed most of what was published as fact. As I got older I now know that most things advertised is fiction.

I have always given the benefit of doubt to all publications but reserved the final decision until the facts presented themselves.

In the power tool battery rebuilding business I was forced to realize that the published output on any battery was questionable.

I advertised that I was building with 2200mah cells and yet after installing cells that were rated at that capacity I could not come close to that number. I was frustrated and confused what I was doing wrong and abused my test equipment as not accurate. After deep study in the industry I found that the test results at the manufacturer were tightly controlled under perfect conditions and the results were not linear with advertised numbers. Even if the numbers were consistent the amount of time the batch tested sits on a shelf before sold wildly influenced the final test.

After many months of  testing of comparable cells from many manufacturers it was apparent that just from one batch to another the testing was off the scale.

Soon after, I concluded that I could not depend on listed capacities and went to individual testing of all cells before installation.

As the result of this information I quit publishing output capacities and referred to output series only.

I have been talking about the output capacity of power tool battery cells, for the most part, but do not  forget that the billions of batteries sold every year are built for flashlights,  toys, camera's,  Etc. and the listed capacity on those are as erratic as the ones I use.

Don't get me wrong, there are really good batteries on the market that do just fine, but please, don't read the hype on the package and believe what it said. You will have to do what I do and check out the differing brands until you find the one that works for you.

Makita battery conversion Details

YOU ASKED,

Will this charger charge batteries that the chip timed out in? Also, what has been your experience with this charger in new Makita 1830li batteries. I'm a remodeling contractor and and have had 3 1830's go out last week and need a charger that can overcome this "chip" problem.
MY ANSWER,

Hi,

I have to say that irony has a way of bringing up a smile. What is the chance of Chip having a problem with a chip.

Anyway, no pun intended.

The universal charger that is in my offer would perform the function of analyses but when the fault in the battery comes up it will check out just like the Makita charger. The difference is the Makita charger reads the battery for information and will not respond when the chip in the battery opens.

I would suggest that all of your batteries have an internal problem (usually a bad cell) that has caused the battery to fail. Now if the chip has been tripped three times it can't be reset and your Makita charger will never recognize it again even after the fault has been neutralized.

If you have not tried to charge the batteries after the first fault the batteries could be rebuilt and then again recharged on your Makita charger. If the chip has been tripped then you have to use a universal charger after the battery is repaired or rebuilt.

Historically, what I have found is the one cell that powers the circuit board is the first cell to die and may be the only bad cell in the pack. This is not always the case but I would put my money on the thought.

If you could ship me the batteries I could run the tests to determine the problem with the batteries and if the chip has tripped or not. In either case the batteries can be rebuilt. The only question then is how you are going to charge them. The options are all better than tossing the batteries and replacing them with new.

Just a suggestion. Let me know.