NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:03:02 -0400, "Gregory Hall"
wrote:


"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
...


Armond Perretta wrote:
Sorry for crosspost but r.b.e doesn't seem to see much traffic these
days.

I am trying to rebuild several old handheld VHF battery packs that seem
no
longer commercially available. The radios themselves seem fine and are
certainly OK for my application. I took the batteries apart and tried a
temporary fix with standard alkaline AA cells, taping aluminum foil in
place
to make series connections. The radios seemed to like this so I bought a
quantity of the corresponding NiMH rechargeable AA cells to make a
permanent
repair.

Problem is I am not at all sure how to secure a conductor from "plus" to
"minus" with the cells to make a strong and long-lasting series
connection.
Is there some kind of conductive adhesive or conductive film that can be
used for this application? Larry, where are you when we need you (weak
humor)?

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

Hi, Armond, and group,

I took another device to Batteries Plus. Having already opened the
case, they did them microweld/jumper/connection tags to the
appropriate batteries for only the cost of the batteries themselves.

I expect that would be a good solution to your dilemma...


These posts **** me off. Whatever happened to self-reliance? Everybody but
myself's answer is to pay somebody else to do a simple job. Yes pay what a
battery costs to get somebody else to do what you should be able to do
yourself. Are there any REAL men left in the world anymore or are there just
lazy bums with more money than skill or sense?

If the OP had a Weller temperature controlled soldering iron he would
not be ****ing about with BacoFoil..

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

Gregory Hall wrote:

snip
Problem is I am not at all sure how to secure a conductor from "plus" to
"minus" with the cells to make a strong and long-lasting series
connection.
Is there some kind of conductive adhesive or conductive film that can be
used for this application? Larry, where are you when we need you (weak
humor)?



Use copper wire and solder it to the top and bottom's of the respective
batteries. The trick is to not get the battery ends too hot. Use one of
those fancy butane torches that have a tiny flame. They will melt and stick
the solder without harming the battery. Practice on a couple dead batteries
first to get your technique down. Use rosin core solder.


Our local "Batteries Plus" (USA) will weld tabs onto customer's batteries
for a small token payment ($2 last time I had a dozen done).

Michael

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

"msg" wrote in message
...
Gregory Hall wrote:

snip
Problem is I am not at all sure how to secure a conductor from "plus" to
"minus" with the cells to make a strong and long-lasting series
connection.
Is there some kind of conductive adhesive or conductive film that can be
used for this application? Larry, where are you when we need you (weak
humor)?



Use copper wire and solder it to the top and bottom's of the respective
batteries. The trick is to not get the battery ends too hot. Use one of
those fancy butane torches that have a tiny flame. They will melt and
stick the solder without harming the battery. Practice on a couple dead
batteries first to get your technique down. Use rosin core solder.


Our local "Batteries Plus" (USA) will weld tabs onto customer's batteries
for a small token payment ($2 last time I had a dozen done).

Michael

Strange how at least one subscriber here says "Don't do it!" yet it's plain
that it's done all the time. I guess what some people believe is THEY can't
do it while a so-called professional can. What they're really saying is
don't do it because *I* can't do it and I don't want you doing it because
YOU would make ME look bad. They don't believe they have the skill to do a
simple job. They don't have the guts to even try it on a dead battery. They
would have YOU be the same. How pathetic is that? And these people claim to
be sailors? Yeah right! Probably have to pay somebody to repair a tear in a
sail, or put an eye splice in doublebraid, or wire up their GPS, or put a
coat or two of paint on their boat's bottom, or install new standing
rigging, or install new parts in the head pump.

Stupidity, laziness, fear, sloth and ineptitude is all that one encounters
in this world anymore. A bunch of dependent people all queuing up to pay
somebody else with borrowed money to do things they should learn how to do
themselves. Disgusting and pathetic!

--
Gregory Hall

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

In article ,
"Armond Perretta" wrote:

Sorry for crosspost but r.b.e doesn't seem to see much traffic these days.

I am trying to rebuild several old handheld VHF battery packs that seem no
longer commercially available. ...

Problem is I am not at all sure how to secure a conductor from "plus" to
"minus" with the cells to make a strong and long-lasting series connection.
Is there some kind of conductive adhesive or conductive film that can be
used for this application? Larry, where are you when we need you (weak
humor)?

Conductive adhesive does not work for these currents.

Get them from a manufacturer's distributor - they will weld them with
strips in any shape you like, or even have them in your desired shape.
By far the best option.

HTH

Marc

--
remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail
http://www.heusser.com

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

"Armond Perretta" wrote in
:

I am trying to rebuild several old handheld VHF battery packs that
seem no longer commercially available.

www.batteriesplus.com

Our local stores can take apart many, but not all, battery packs and
replace the cells with new, even improved ones. My old Standard marine
walkie has 2.8AH Ni-mh cells replacing the old .6AH Ni-Cds. Batteries Plus
has the spot welding equipment right in the stores to safely weld the
straps onto the cells without damaging either, same as the manufacturer of
the pack.

The best rebuilders hardly make a scratch breaking open the plastic welds,
but, of course, there's no guarantee. As he's breaking something that's
patently worthless, there's no risk. If you worry about him getting it
apart, do what I do, take the pack apart, YOURSELF, and carry the guts of
it into the store, then reseal the pack yourself.

That 2.8AH power beast costs about half what any Waste Marine would want
for a 600maH pack in a bubble pack. Having over 4 times the capacity of
the original is no-extra-charge...(c;

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

Goofball_star_dot_etal wrote in
:

Buy cells with solder tags:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourc...8&rls=GGLD,GGL
D:2004-11,GGLD:en&q=nimh+solder+tags and find someone to solder them.
NiMH need to be cycled quite a few times until they reach full
capacity so don't get disappointed too soon. They also self-discharge
quickly so recharge before use.



DO NOT SOLDER THEM! Heating a Ni-CD or Ni-mh battery with a soldering iron
may cause an EXPLOSION! NO NO NO!

These things are spot welded with a tiny spot welding machine that is
instantaneous, a tiny spark welds them together.

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:18:24 +0000, Larry wrote:

Goofball_star_dot_etal wrote in
:

Buy cells with solder tags:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourc...8&rls=GGLD,GGL
D:2004-11,GGLD:en&q=nimh+solder+tags and find someone to solder them.
NiMH need to be cycled quite a few times until they reach full
capacity so don't get disappointed too soon. They also self-discharge
quickly so recharge before use.



DO NOT SOLDER THEM! Heating a Ni-CD or Ni-mh battery with a soldering iron
may cause an EXPLOSION! NO NO NO!

What do you think solder tags with little holes in them are for?


These things are spot welded with a tiny spot welding machine that is
instantaneous, a tiny spark welds them together.

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

In article ,
"Ernest Scribbler" wrote:

"Matt Colie" wrote
Do not solder to the cells. This is a recipe for problems.

I've soldered them successfully. It's definitely not a job for the
ham-handed, though, which is why the manufacturers tell you not to do it.
I've been buying cells from http://www.all-battery.com lately, btw. Pretty
good selection and price, tabbed and otherwise.

I have soldered new NiMH, Nicad, and Lithium Cells into new battery
packs, for rebuilding Batteries for older Radios for years. I find
that if you file the Plating off a small spot on the Cell ends, that
they solder a whole lot easier, and with much less heat, than if you
don't. Never had a cell, explode, or die prematurely, Yet.....

--
Bruce in alaska
add path after fast to reply

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:18:24 +0000, Larry wrote:

Goofball_star_dot_etal wrote in
:

Buy cells with solder tags:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourc...8&rls=GGLD,GGL
D:2004-11,GGLD:en&q=nimh+solder+tags and find someone to solder them.
NiMH need to be cycled quite a few times until they reach full
capacity so don't get disappointed too soon. They also self-discharge
quickly so recharge before use.



DO NOT SOLDER THEM! Heating a Ni-CD or Ni-mh battery with a soldering iron
may cause an EXPLOSION! NO NO NO!

" Do not solder directly onto batteries. Always solder onto solder tag
for connection. "

http://www.steatite.co.uk/batteries/...echargable.pdf

Notice that they have vents too.

NiMH Rechargeable Battery Repair
 

In article ,
"Gregory Hall" wrote:

Strange how at least one subscriber here says "Don't do it!" yet it's plain
that it's done all the time. I guess what some people believe is THEY can't
do it while a so-called professional can. What they're really saying is
don't do it because *I* can't do it and I don't want you doing it because
YOU would make ME look bad. They don't believe they have the skill to do a
simple job. They don't have the guts to even try it on a dead battery. They
would have YOU be the same. How pathetic is that? And these people claim to
be sailors?

There are good reasons not to do it yourself here.
I can solder - but I also know that such a procedure will hurt the
battery, and I also know that solder joints are susceptible to failing
under vibrations, corrosion etc.
Just because something can be done and it works first does not mean it
will be reliable and live long. Qualities I tend to look for if it is
installed on my boat.
Of course everyone is free to use their preferred solution. I just do
not recommend soldering for this purpose.
It is just like I'd never use screw terminals to join conductors on a
boat.

HTH

Marc

--
remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail
http://www.heusser.com