I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

Perce

On Dec 14, 10:29*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart..

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

Perce

i get primecell.com to rebuild them, they work great after rebuild,
cost little more than buying the cells alone, one had paint smerared
on the battery case, it came back looking brand new, they must of
cleaned and buffed it too.

its very likely you have a bad cell or many bad cells in those packs..

http://primecell.com/pctools.htm

On 12/14/10 11:13 am, wrote:
On Dec 14, 10:29 am, "Percival P.
wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

i get primecell.com to rebuild them, they work great after rebuild,
cost little more than buying the cells alone, one had paint smerared
on the battery case, it came back looking brand new, they must of
cleaned and buffed it too.

its very likely you have a bad cell or many bad cells in those packs..

But why does it show fully charged? The charger does have an
indicator-light pattern for "battery defective", which I assume (I know,
I know) would be triggered by the presence of a dead cell. As I wrote
originally, there are separate charging terminals, and the charge state
must be getting measured there.

Perce

On 12/14/10 11:23 am, wrote:

http://primecell.com/pctools.htm

I saw no mention of LI-Ion batteries -- only NiCd and NiMH. And their
price to rebuild an 18V NiCd pack ($48) is more than the cost of a new
Ryobi NiCd pack ($40) -- and shipping both ways would be extra.

I can see using PrimeCell (maybe) where a new battery pack is no longer
available from the manufacturer of the tool, but only then.

Perce

On Dec 14, 3:29*pm, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart..

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

Perce

I think your problem lies here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium...y_requirements

On Dec 14, 11:41*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:
On 12/14/10 11:13 am, wrote:





On Dec 14, 10:29 am, "Percival P.
wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?
i get primecell.com to rebuild them, they work great after rebuild,
cost little more than buying the cells alone, one had paint smerared
on the battery case, it came back looking brand new, they must of
cleaned and buffed it too.

its very likely you have a bad cell or many bad cells in those packs..

But why does it show fully charged? The charger does have an
indicator-light pattern for "battery defective", which I assume (I know,
I know) would be triggered by the presence of a dead cell. As I wrote
originally, there are separate charging terminals, and the charge state
must be getting measured there.

Perce- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Can't help you with how that specific battery comes apart. But I
reached the
same conclusion that you did. It's not worth sending them out to
rebuild. Between
the cost, the shipping, etc, you can usually buy a new battery pack on
Ebay for
maybe $10 more.

If you can DIY, then it's an option. I recently rebuilt an old
Milwaukee. Cost
me about $22 on Ebay for the new NiCads.

"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message
...
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

Probably one-way interlocking tabs that snap together. Sometimes, with a
helper you can pry from both ends and pop them without breaking anything but
I've had to glue them back together too many times to bother with it
anymore. You might try pushing very hard along the length of the seam. If
there's a tab along that seam, there will be a greater resistance.
Sometimes you have to squeeze it in a vise to see where the connecting tab
is along the seam. Sometimes the seam is heat welded, though, and you'll
find no weak/strong spots.

I've recall having to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to get into some
packs. Be aware that newer lithium packs often have charging "chips" built
into them that go bad - all your cells can be good but the chip is either
bad or isn't resetting and allowing a full charge. I empathize with your
desire to salvage it, but it could be a lost cause, especially if you snap a
tab that's structurally required to keep the pack attached to the drill.

I do, however, find it odd that is shows "fully charged" when there's no
voltage across the terminals. My charger flashes rapidly in such cases to
tell me it's a bad pack. I assume it charges your other batteries without
issue. Is there any voltage present on any of the contacts?

--
Bobby G.

On Dec 14, 2:07*pm, wrote:
On Dec 14, 11:41*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:





On 12/14/10 11:13 am, wrote:

On Dec 14, 10:29 am, "Percival P.
wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?
i get primecell.com to rebuild them, they work great after rebuild,
cost little more than buying the cells alone, one had paint smerared
on the battery case, it came back looking brand new, they must of
cleaned and buffed it too.

its very likely you have a bad cell or many bad cells in those packs...

But why does it show fully charged? The charger does have an
indicator-light pattern for "battery defective", which I assume (I know,
I know) would be triggered by the presence of a dead cell. As I wrote
originally, there are separate charging terminals, and the charge state
must be getting measured there.

Perce- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Can't help you with how that specific battery comes apart. *But I
reached the
same conclusion that you did. *It's not worth sending them out to
rebuild. Between
the cost, the shipping, etc, you can usually buy a new battery pack on
Ebay for
maybe $10 more.

If you can DIY, then it's an option. * I recently rebuilt an old
Milwaukee. *Cost
me about $22 on Ebay for the new NiCads.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

new battery packs for older tools were likely assembled years ago when
the tools were first produced, so they arent really new they are new
old stock and their cells will already be aged.

if your rebuilding packs yourself buy cells with tabs welded on,
soldering on batteries can damage them

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.

When you check the battery output voltage with your $3 HF miltimeter, does it
show the proper voltage? Tha could help diagnose your theory.

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.
But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves
apart a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly
together in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the
label
on the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?


If you want to rebuild your own battery pack, here's a CD (capacitive
discharge) welder you can build yourself. It's used for welding the
individual cells together.

http://ledhacks.com/power/battery_tab_welder.htm

On Dec 14, 8:36*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.
But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves
apart a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly
together in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the
label
on the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

If you want to rebuild your own battery pack, here's a CD (capacitive
discharge) welder you can build yourself. It's used for welding the
individual cells together.

http://ledhacks.com/power/battery_tab_welder.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All of these issues could be forever ended just by a federal law, all
battery packs MUST have easily replaceabe cells....

Its sensibile, good for the environment, decreases trash, and would
save the owner money...

a win win for everyone

On 12/14/2010 8:55 PM, wrote:
On Dec 14, 8:36 pm, wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.
But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves
apart a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly
together in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the
label
on the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

If you want to rebuild your own battery pack, here's a CD (capacitive
discharge) welder you can build yourself. It's used for welding the
individual cells together.

http://ledhacks.com/power/battery_tab_welder.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All of these issues could be forever ended just by a federal law, all
battery packs MUST have easily replaceabe cells....

Its sensibile, good for the environment, decreases trash, and would
save the owner money...

a win win for everyone

DON"T EVER SAY THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW! Do you have any idea of the
horrors that such a law could bring to this country? Some Republicrat
or Demican will add some weird crap to the bill requiring stool samples
before you can board a plane or all home appliances must be 100%
efficient within a few years or you will have to fill out reams of
paperwork in order to buy batteries for your flashlight because the
batteries which will be required to have serial numbers for tracking
purposes due to a possible hazard to the environment. The end is near!

TDD

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:54:24 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

On 12/14/2010 8:55 PM, wrote:
On Dec 14, 8:36 pm, wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.
But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves
apart a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly
together in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the
label
on the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

If you want to rebuild your own battery pack, here's a CD (capacitive
discharge) welder you can build yourself. It's used for welding the
individual cells together.

http://ledhacks.com/power/battery_tab_welder.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All of these issues could be forever ended just by a federal law, all
battery packs MUST have easily replaceabe cells....

Its sensibile, good for the environment, decreases trash, and would
save the owner money...

a win win for everyone

DON"T EVER SAY THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW! Do you have any idea of the
horrors that such a law could bring to this country? Some Republicrat
or Demican will add some weird crap to the bill requiring stool samples
before you can board a plane or all home appliances must be 100%
efficient within a few years or you will have to fill out reams of
paperwork in order to buy batteries for your flashlight because the
batteries which will be required to have serial numbers for tracking
purposes due to a possible hazard to the environment. The end is near!

TDD

Some laws make sense though. I have a few Roomba batteries that likely
only have one bad cell, but taking them apart is such a PITA that it's
just easier to get a new one. That is a huge waste of resources. It
also shouldn't cost as much to replace a batterry pack as to buy a
whole new drill set, as is the case with some of my old Dewalt stuff.

On Dec 15, 9:47*am, dgk wrote:
On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:54:24 -0600, The Daring Dufas





wrote:
On 12/14/2010 8:55 PM, wrote:
On Dec 14, 8:36 pm, *wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely
that there is an internal broken connection between the battery and
the "supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the
case apart.
But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves
apart a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly
together in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the
label
on the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?

If you want to rebuild your own battery pack, here's a CD (capacitive
discharge) welder you can build yourself. It's used for welding the
individual cells together.

http://ledhacks.com/power/battery_tab_welder.htm-Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All of these issues could be forever ended just by a federal law, all
battery packs MUST have easily replaceabe cells....

Its sensibile, good for the environment, decreases trash, and would
save the owner money...

a win win for everyone

DON"T EVER SAY THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW! Do you have any idea of the
horrors that such a law could bring to this country? Some Republicrat
or Demican will add some weird crap to the bill requiring stool samples
before you can board a plane or all home appliances must be 100%
efficient within a few years or you will have to fill out reams of
paperwork in order to buy batteries for your flashlight because the
batteries which will be required to have serial numbers for tracking
purposes due to a possible hazard to the environment. The end is near!

TDD

Some laws make sense though. I have a few Roomba batteries that likely
only have one bad cell, but taking them apart is such a PITA that it's
just easier to get a new one. That is a huge waste of resources. It
also shouldn't cost as much to replace a batterry pack as to buy a
whole new drill set, as is the case with some of my old Dewalt stuff.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

its all carefully calculated before designs are complete, how do we
assure the next sale?

just pulling a flashlight type cover and swapping cells would be so
easy.....

On Dec 14, 6:48*pm, " wrote:
On Dec 14, 2:07*pm, wrote:





On Dec 14, 11:41*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

On 12/14/10 11:13 am, wrote:

On Dec 14, 10:29 am, "Percival P.
wrote:
I have several 18v Ryobi tools and battery packs, including one of the
lower-capacity Li-Ion ones that shows as fully charged in the charger
but will not operate a tool and shows no voltage across the "supply
terminals" (there are separate charging contacts). It seems likely that
there is an internal broken connection between the battery and the
"supply terminals" that should be easy to fix if I can get the case apart.

But that is the problem: I have removed 4 Security-Torx screws in the
bottom and one in the "plug" part that goes up into the handle of the
tool, but the case still will not come apart. I can pry the halves apart
a small amount at either end, but they seem to be held firmly together
in the middle. There do not seem to be any screws hidden by the label on
the bottom

Has anyone managed to take one of these things apart? If so, how?
i get primecell.com to rebuild them, they work great after rebuild,
cost little more than buying the cells alone, one had paint smerared
on the battery case, it came back looking brand new, they must of
cleaned and buffed it too.

its very likely you have a bad cell or many bad cells in those packs..

But why does it show fully charged? The charger does have an
indicator-light pattern for "battery defective", which I assume (I know,
I know) would be triggered by the presence of a dead cell. As I wrote
originally, there are separate charging terminals, and the charge state
must be getting measured there.

Perce- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Can't help you with how that specific battery comes apart. *But I
reached the
same conclusion that you did. *It's not worth sending them out to
rebuild. Between
the cost, the shipping, etc, you can usually buy a new battery pack on
Ebay for
maybe $10 more.

If you can DIY, then it's an option. * I recently rebuilt an old
Milwaukee. *Cost
me about $22 on Ebay for the new NiCads.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

new battery packs for older tools were likely assembled years ago when
the tools were first produced, so they arent really new they are new
old stock and their cells will already be aged.

It would be one hell of an inventory if vendors were keeping stock of
battery packs from 15 years ago, don't you think?



if your rebuilding packs yourself buy cells with tabs welded on,
soldering on batteries can damage them- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:22:45 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote
All of these issues could be forever ended just by a federal law, all
battery packs MUST have easily replaceabe cells....


Some laws make sense though. I have a few Roomba batteries that likely
only have one bad cell, but taking them apart is such a PITA that it's
just easier to get a new one. That is a huge waste of resources. It
also shouldn't cost as much to replace a batterry pack as to buy a
whole new drill set, as is the case with some of my old Dewalt stuff.

Just send it to Primecell.com and have it repaired. They do an excellent
job. There are many other rebuilders that can fix it equal or better than
news.



Thanks, this looks like a good place. I have many things that might
benefit from them.