Have you ever replaced cells to fix a dead laptop battery?

[MetroMPG]

A friend gave me an old mini notebook/laptop thinger today. Aside from a dead battery, it works fine (I'm actually typing this post on it).

I could order a new battery, but I've always wondered about replacing cells myself.

I dug into the dead batt:



The issue of course is how to physically connect the replacement cells. The cell connectors in the original batt were spot welded on.

So the question is: Can I accomplish this without a special tool? All I gots is a couple of soldering irons.

[redpoint5]

Would require a very powerful soldering iron as you want to heat it as quickly as possible and complete the solder joint. I get the impression that cheap spot welders ($40) are junk as has been my experience so far.

Aftermarket batteries are pretty cheap though. I bet something like that would be $20 shipped.

I once attempted to replace what I identified as weak NiMh cells in a Roomba pack, and it was a failure. Not sure if it was the replacements I got, or I didn't identify all the bad cells, or what. Probably all of the cells should have been replaced. People started making Li-ion packs that worked much better, so I just switched to that. The garbage OEM NiMh packs would not quite last a year before dying, but the li-ion pack I bought has been going over a decade now.

[MetroMPG]

I wonder if I can get cells with tabs already welded on. Then I'd just have to solder the metal connector strips to the tabs.

Will search for that answer...

Yup, looks like cells with tabs pre-welded on are an option.

I shall order some!

[redneck]

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Paid $20 for a replacement battery for a old laptop. Unless it’s a odd battery. It’s probably not worth the time and trouble.



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[MetroMPG]

Yeah, I started by looking for a replacement battery and struck out. It's probably a low volume notebook. And it's 13 years old.

I'll check the flea site next.

[MetroMPG]

OK... looks like about $36 for a complete battery. Probably take a month to get here from China...

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/112147512941...QAAOSwUalcC94H

Honestly though, if I could get cells with tabs that I knew were the right type/size for less than that, I'd probably give it a go just for the experience.

[redpoint5]

If you need a laptop, I've got a Windows one that is about 8 years old if you want it. Battery should be working too... I'll get details if you're interested. Would put a fresh Win10 Enterprise install on it.

[ksa8907]

Spot weld is the answer.. but I do wonder if some springs might work if you could get it all together without it falling apart.

Car battery spot welder?

[redpoint5]

Crumple some aluminum foil to bridge the gap? You've still got to attach balance leads and the + and - wires. Certainly not worth the time, but might be worth the experience.

[Piotrsko]

Springs from an old ballpoint pen shortened to size work excellent for currents under a couple amps