DIYbanter - View Single Post

wrote:
I got one of those Skil 12 volt battery drills. The battery charger
died. Skil told me the battery probably shorted. Well, by the time I
finish getting a new charger and battery, I may as well get a new
drill. I am not fond of Skil anyhow. However, rather than toss the
old drill, I am wondering if anyone has ever run one of these off a
car battery? I can easily rig a lighter plug and hook some wires to
the drill. It needs 12 volts and thats what the car battery is. At
least this way I can still use it around the car, and I also have a
12v gel cell so I can use it portable.

The replys you are getting are nuts. Sure you can
use a 12 volt battery, will work perfect as long
as you use the right wire. That drill can draw a
lot of amperage so you need to connect directly to
the battery. You should not be using wire smaller
than #6. Battery cables may be big enough but you
still need to keep the length fairly short.
There is a reason the lugs on the drill batteries
are heavy and that the batteries are attached to
directly to the drill.

Try it with not less than battery cables and feel
the cables for a temperature rise.