In article ,
Tim Lamb wrote:
I suspect this has been well covered before but...

I have a cheap Direct Power (Screwfix supplied) drill. Unsurprisingly
the Ni-cads are failing after 12 months or so use.

I looked at various battery supply sites and failed to find a match.

A complete new drill plus 2 batteries from Screwfix is around 35ukp
which is roughly the cost of a single *quality* battery elsewhere.

With global warming etc. in mind, I am reluctant to throw away a working
tool!

The Direct Power batteries are easily disassembled so re-celling is an
option. So.... assuming I have the cheapest possible cells... what are
my options?

Two things - cheap cells will fail quickly too. And it's possible the
charger is the cause - or contributing to - the short life. Overcharging
just once will shorten cell life.

Will better replacement cells work OK with the supplied charger? Can I
change to Ni-mh or whatever? Who does one go to for advice and supplies?

I had the same dilemma with my B&Q 18 volt cheapie. New decent cells
(Sanyo) made the actual drill perform *far* better - the lower internal
impedance gave better low speed control and torque. I also modified the
charger to a 1/10th constant current type - and use a timer to prevent
overcharging. The charger on mine consisted of a simple DC power supply
with a series resistor - ie no electronic control. A look inside the base
should show if yours is this poor.

You might look for special offers of a decent brand same voltage battery
on Ebay etc - and rob that of its cells. They are usually the same size.
I paid near the same price (trade) for the Sanyo cells as the drill cost
new. But they're still fine some 4 years later.

--
*Never miss a good chance to shut up.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.