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Andy McArdle
 
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Any competent rebuilder should have the ability to dissasemble
virtually any battery pack and rebuild it...there are at least two
independent ones in Wichita I've used. Everything from early-death
drill packs to antique HP calculators.


Somehow I don't think this is what the OP had in mind. The eBay scam
looks more like a magic pill than a competent rebuild.


True, I was just referring to the subthread complaint about a particular
shop somewhere that was unable (or at least unwilling) to tackle a
welded-plastic b-pack...


It could also be the Ol' "reverse zap" method. Using a 12v car battery, zap
the NiCad for a split-second with the polarity reversed. ie. +ve cable to
+ve terminal on car-battery *and* NiCAD, -ve to -ve. I zap 'em two or three
times, with pauses in-between to ensure nothing over-heats.

I've done this several times with NiCads that were past their prime, and it
works, ort of. About 1/4 of the NiCads I've done to date recovered and
worked well for a while, about another 1/4 recharged OK once or twice then
turned toes up again and the rest stayed parrots.

As they were cactus dominictus anyway, I wasn't concerned about damaging
'em *but* I've learned a thing or two since then and have stopped doing it.

Damaging the car battery is a very real possibilty... so are exploding
NiCads. Be warned, it ain't worth it.

--
- Andy
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Another great idea from the man who brought you Beer Milkshakes!