Fixing 18V 2.4Ah Ryobi Lithium Power Tool Batteries

Identifying the good cells in a dead battery and moving them to another battery, to get it working. But even the 'good' cells are well used, so will this repair stand the test of time?

WARNING: Repairing lithium power tool batteries is potentially DANGEROUS. Wear eye protection, do not short or overheat cells. If in doubt - buy new batteries.

[Slangevar]

I hadn't realized the Lithium batteries could be salvaged, Thanks for spreading the word and showing the way!!

[spencermoon]

you were such a great help to me jools after i was forced into a full year of off-grid living following the christmas flooding of 2015 with only a small 100w solar panel and my van and guidance from people like yourself i managed to survive keep healthy clean and safe so big thanks buddy keep up the good work i watch with a growing intrest and am now setting up a small area in my new workshop for electronic projects keep up the good work!

[MrPontus]

wow, I never thought about using the good old cells before, my mind was just set on replacing them all, but this is so much cheaper and less work.
thanks alot

[Mandragras]

I've read a thread in budget light forums where a Sony high drain cell was shown that had leaked and possibly corroded from the inside. The rust you are showing might be a result of electrolyte leakage as shown at 2:40

[dorfschmidt]

Grind the tabs first, use some colophony. An angled face iron tip would be much better than a pencil point tip.
I would put some Kapton tape (before soldering) under the joints for safety reasons.

Great videos!

[heyok]

The solar bridge wire (or whatever it is really called) made for a nice repair!  In the past I have done a similar repair using solder braid.  It doesn't look as nice but it does solder on easily and you can get it in a lot of different widths so you can make sure you have enough current carrying capacity.

[JN._o]

Hi Julian, I know that this is an old video, but this seemed like the best place to ask this. I recently bought a bosch cordless drill with a pair of 5 cell Li-Ion batteries and of course, one of the first things I did was open up one of the batteries to have a look inside. To my dissapointment though there was no individual cell protection, there weren't even wires attatched to the individual cells leading to the drill body. It just had positive and negative going to the drill and two connections for a thermistor. Would you be in agreement that this is bad construction and potentially dangerous? There definitely wasn't any ECP on the individual cells and I'd be surprised if you could fit something to handle 10A on the end of a cell. The only protection seems to be an undervoltage and over current cutout for the whole pack (inside the drill body). I'm surprised and dissapointed in bosch, and I've got Bosch fans jumping down my throat at my Amazon review for suggesting that it might be dangerous. Would be glad to hear your thoughts.
Thanks.

[Aussie]

wow, that is a lot of charging electronics!, no-wonder mine died!, guess they do not like being left out in the rain ;)
time to buy a 2 pack of 2.4Ah ones, the small stock batteries just do not last!

[practicalmedicine]

Can I ask a silly question? If you only have a low powered hobbyist soldering iron, could you use electrically conductive epoxy instead?

[deangreenhough]

Great idea. I have lots of Makita batteries which cost a fortune to replace. Can't wait to try this out. Warning taken note off.

Thank you Julian

[Alacritous]

Buy the blocky USB battery banks from the Dollar General or Dollar store or Poundland, whatever they have wherever you are. Those are made with 18650 batteries. I've used those to replace the batteries in my dead Ryobi one+ battery packs with great success.

[robertyou]

The question is: for how long will they be good? Two weeks? A month? Or three months? Simply put: is it worth to repair these old batteries and is it completely safe to do it? I would buy new ones instead.

[perryscopevids]

Would you consider just adding two new replacement tabbed 18650 cells for the second pack? or are you worried about a miss match in capacity? or is it just cheaper to keep buying 'Faulty' packs 

[PhattyMo]

I've seen the 'rust' caused from the 'other way around'.. That is, the spot welder blew pinholes in the end of the cells, and the rust was caused from the electrolyte leaking out..not from water getting in.

[simoncossettini]

Good video - Its not always just the cells sometimes the boards fail... I have 50 /50 success

[PupettaZoccola]

i've tryed to upgrade a ridgid's battery pack by 2200mah to about 6700mah 18650 panasonic ncr18650, (2 pair for 5 in series), when i started to use a brushless drill i've
had no problem when tryed a brushed tools the same battery pack stopped to work. To enable the battery i insert into owner charger and all back like before, what i have to think bms problem with the brushed tool
Thank you vey much

[richsapplianceservic]

How many hours did you spend on labor to do this.

[robertb]

*Ive used 5 Samsung INR18650-25R, about $25 USD and 2.5 AH using just 5. They seem to be one of the best, don't get on ebay, mostly counterfeits.*

[byroboy]

With model aircraft you 'balance' the cells. I assume the battery pack can do it by its self but you may want to ensure all batteries are sitting at the same voltage.

[pietkaify]

The coloured meter on the battery is completely pants! The slightest use and it changes colour! Has been rectified on new 1.5 and 4.0AH!

I think it is worthwhile I have 2/3 working! And the third one I stupidly put protected cells in! No suprise at all when it didn't work! Brilliant job

any ideas on a capacity test? Like running a 12v 50w lamp to check current capacity maybe do it once a year?