dicko wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 20:33:51 -0500, "Paul Gilbert"
wrote:

Soldering is no big deal. I do it all the time. I usually dont cut
the flat strips but grab them with a long nose pliers and pull them
off the button (+) end of the cell, never the bottom (-) end if I can
help it. The button is just a tiny piece of metal and heats up
quickly without damaging the cell. Ulling the flat wires off just
breaks the welds holding them to the cell but usually leaves the wire
intact and long enough to reuse.

You need a high wattage soldering iron and some sandpaper. The cells
seem to have a coating on them that doesnt take solder too well and
requires a lot of heat to burn through. you can avoid all that by
using the sandpaper or a dremel tool to scuff up the bottom of the
cell or the button first. Then its just a quick light touch with the
high power iron to tin the cell (thats the secret, pre-tinning).

Good advice, cleaning, tinning, a high power iron and being as quick as
possible is the key. I would, however, tend to stay away from the + end
since there is a plastic vent underneath that can be easily melted and
become sealed. If it needs to vent at any point in the future the cell
may explode! This is the reason we weld the cells. I would tend to cut
the strips at the centre and solder wires to the remaining stubs.

BTW the Ryobi 2 pack of 18V batteries sold at HD is a good cheap source
of replacements.

Dave