topic Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:29:47 GMT

I bought a cheapo B&Q cordless drill a couple of years ago,... and the batteries in the battery pack are not holding charge .... I have just drilled four holes in two pieces of wood, about half inch thick... and the drill is all but useless now....
Yeah I know...ya get what you paid for.... and I knew when I bought it , that they did not do a replacement power pack...
easy to open it up, though , as they conveniently made it with 6 phillips head self tap type screws.... once opened you can remove the 10 X 1.2 volt 1200mah Ni-Cd batteries.
(see pic )...
question is... for this forum.... who is the best supplier of similar type batteries that you know of... so I can buy a new set and solder them together to make up a new power pack...
Did think about Ebay... but so many "duff" battery sellers.... as in "duff batteries" and "duff sellers".... that I though I would call upon the residents of this forum to speak up and point me in the right direction of something a bit more reliable... both in value for money.. ( cheap ).... and in longevity of service ...
I would probably buy a larger capacity battery say 2400 as opposed to orginal 1200 `s... depending on the price...

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

Oldjim — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:34:16 GMT

The first question is whether they are a standard physical size

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:39:17 GMT

Good point, Jim...... they are slightly smaller in diameter and length.... than the "standard" C or R14 size battery.... ...... just checked and where the two on the top connect via the plastice "tongue" into the handle of the drill... the C or R14 battery will NOT fit into that "tongue"...
However,.... I could.... use 8 of the C or R14 batteries... and pick the best two out of the remainder for the "tongue" batteries.... as there is plenty of room inside the "foot" of the power pack...

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

Oldjim — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:43:34 GMT

If you can jury rig something I would suggest something like Sanyo Eneloop as they hold their charge for a long time when not in use
I would look at wiring in a new connector rather than mixing batteries

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

karencharltonuk — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:48:21 GMT

The cost of decent c type rechargeable batteries might be high though. You may be better off buying a new cheap drill

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:55:27 GMT

Yes,..... just been "a-googling"... and the cost of a set of 10 "subC " batteries would be about £25.00 and Screwfix have a " trade rated" 1.5aH cordless drill with TWO batteries for just under £30 ... so I think that is what I shall do.... save a lot of hassle... messing around with the soldering iron....
sometimes the brain just does not seem to think in straight lines !....
Thanks guys ( and gal )...

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

jelv — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:03:00 GMT

I bought a cheap Li-Ion drill from Lidl's (Parkside PABSW 10.8 - one of their specials). It's been excellent and holds a good charge for absolutely ages.

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:03:22 GMT

Just my luck...... Screw Fix... have no stock.... !...
Ok... so I`ll go around the corner... ( almost ) to B&Q...... check the website... and they have a "similar" one to what I bought... for £14.95..... except.... They are out of stock...

.the nearest would be on the isle of wight.... but they have "low stock"... so by the time I got over there... add in the ferry and car parking... hardly worth the effort ! ! ...

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

billnotben — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 18:57:29 GMT

As you're talking batteries..................
I have an 18 volt power tool battery but no charger for it.
The nearest charger I have, from another power tool, outputs 15 volts 2.5 amps.
Would there be any major problem if I jury rig that charger to the 18 volt battery?

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

PowerLee — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:09:08 GMT

A 15 volt output charger will not fully charge an 18 volt rechargeable battery.
I wouldn't recommend mixing incompatible rechargeable batteries & chargers.
dick:quote

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:09:48 GMT

Dunno...... OldJim may know the answer to that...

Since my last post about Screwfix being out of stock of a "cheap end" cordless drill.... I investigated. other suppliers..... Tesco..... Asda..... Argos... Wilko.... B & Q. ALL out of stock... !... the only place left for me was a chance google on "Toolstation" ..... which just "came into my head"... from nowhere, really... and it appears they have one for just over £22 which I shall , hopefully , go and get tomorrow.... can`t check the online stock unless I order it... so will take my chances at the counter ..... !..

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

billnotben — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 08:46:57 GMT

Quote from: PowerLee
A 15 volt output charger will not fully charge an 18 volt rechargeable battery.

I suspect that is the case as voltage is the pressure which would explain that chargers are normally a higher voltage than the batteries they are charging.

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

HPsauce — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 09:25:42 GMT

I bought a set of such batteries online fairly recently for my drill. They were the "tagged" sort so soldering was not "that" difficult.
I'll look up the supplier shortly......
Here: http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/ they sell various "packs" to suit. I needed a 12-pack for a 14.4V unit.
This is the type I got as it needed NiCd: http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/acatalog/Sub_C_2000mAh_NiCd_Tagged_battery.html

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 11:54:05 GMT

Thanks HPsauce....
Having looked at the cost of those batteries.. ( see previous post )... I decided on buying a new drill... and this is the one I got...

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tools/d40/12v+Drills/sd2769/Silverline12V+Drill+Driver/p83183
so for the same price as the batteries.. I have a complete new drill.... !..

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

VileReynard — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:02:48 GMT

Quote
Max drilling capacity: steel 8mm, wood 20mm

I suspect that you won't be drilling hundreds of holes on a single charge!

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

shutter — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 07:57:43 GMT

Nope... for that I will use the Bosch drill (mains powered) that I found in the middle of a road, about 40 years ago..... !... But, then again, I won`t be drilling many holes at one go, anyway........

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

HPsauce — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 09:17:15 GMT

Quote from: shutter
Thanks HPsauce....
Having looked at the cost of those batteries.. ( see previous post )... I decided on buying a new drill...

I must admit that thought went through my mind too, but my drill is a more serious piece of semi-professional kit that I've had for many years. It cost many times that originally.
It's got the odd visiting tradesman out of a hole when theirs wasn't up to the job!
And I've still got an ancient mains-powered B&D one somewhere that still deals with almost anything.

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

kmilburn — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 09:47:37 GMT

Another possibility for more powerful drills, is a complete battery replacement. I've swapped the NiMH cells from an 18v Makita Drill battery pack for an 18.5v LiPo pack.
The pirmary modification required is to expose the balance lead, and I also used a battery level sensor to help prevent discharging the battery too much. It's best if you already have a LiPo charger, otherwise you'd need one of them too.

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

twocvbloke — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 10:20:25 GMT

Photonicinduction points out how to test the battery packs and a good cheap source of drill battery cells, to repair a duff pack easily, for a lot less than buying a new drill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96foswY1m58
Makes me glad my drill uses three of the rather common 18650 cells, they're cheap as chips these days individually...

Re: 12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

HPsauce — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 10:32:40 GMT

Yes, I checked individually all the cells in my battery pack first and most were failed or failing, so I decided to replace the lot.