by Nathan Perkins

Created on: November 25, 2011

When your drill battery dies and the good battery cartridges you have won’t fit, there is a relatively easy repair that may serve you.  

Those battery cartridges you have with no drill can become a working battery for the drill you have with no battery.   If the batteries are no longer charging, try switching the actual batteries in the bad cartridge (that will no longer charge) out for the batteries in the good cartridge. 

The cartridges are a different shape and fit differently but most of them have a similar cluster of 1.5 volt batteries in them.  If there are twelve batteries in the cluster you have an 18 volt battery.  To get to the good batteries, disassemble the casing.  They are usually held together with screws.  Some use phillips head some are a hex.  Each one will be different.  It is quite simple. 

Once you get inside the casing you’ll see a cluster of batteries wrapped in tape.  The batteries will be strung together positive to negative by metal tape.  If the good battery cluster has more batteries then you need, disassemble the extras from one end of the cluster.  In many cases you’ll be able to disassemble them in such a way that the shape still matches the battery casing for the good drill.  That’s what you’re going for.  They have to fit into that casing. 

Once you have the new cluster fit into the casing for the good drill you’ll need to weld the batteries to the contacts for that casing of the good drill.  Don’t forget along the way that you are working with a hot electrical source.   If you touch both contacts you’ll get burnt.  18 volts can cause a serious burn.

Now put the case back on the newly repaired battery cartridge, slide your drill onto the battery and presto.

There are some things to keep in mind if you decide to do this repair.  You can test the battery with a batteries tester to see if they share the same levels, but usually the cartridge of both batteries will have the information you need on them.   If they have the same size cells but a different number of batteries you can downsize the cells to fit the unit that needs them.  Be sure before you make the switch that the individual batteries are of equal rating with the ones you are replacing.  They are usually 1.5 volts each.

Also remember you are working with a power supply.  Crossing contacts

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