Dissembly Of Ryobi Battery?

Under a sticker is a favorite place. They often hold them together with double-sticky tape that's stronger than what it's holding.

Last time I looked at Ryobi, they had a lifetime warranty on batteries. Possibly, the lifetime of the battery, not your lifetime. ;-( I discussed it with a rep in the store. Asked him what they were gonna do in 10 years when the replacement battery is unavailable. I came away unsatisfied by his reassurances.

Just curious what you're gonna do when you get it apart?

Stated another way, if you don't need to put it back together, you have more options for opening it. ;-)

Using a utility knife pry along all the visible cracks, and then just use brute force to pry it open all the way.

suggests that there are some plastic clips on the long sides of the body, and that you need to push the main contacts down and out of the cover while you lift up. There are also wires to the "fuel gauge" LED. Read the link; it has more details.

I recently took apart a DeWalt 12V NiCd pack of similar mechanical construction. Once I got all the screws out, it took a little shaking and wiggling to persuade the cover to slide off of the cell that's in the "tower" part. The cell wasn't swelled or broken; it is just a close fit. The main contacts were in their own piece of plastic which easily came out of the tower.

I was going to try to verify that it had dead cell(s), but not many of the inter-cell connectors were accessible. I didn't want to tear into it too far, so I ended up putting it back together.

Various places online sell rebuild kits... often you get the cells already assembled, and you swap the new cell set into your existing plastic housing. I asked at a local Batteries Plus store about that DeWalt battery and found out they offered a rebuild service (they put new cells in my housing) that was pretty competitive in price with buying the cell assembly online. I haven't had the pack rebuilt yet so I don't know how well their rebuild service works.

Standard disclaimers apply; I don't get money or other considerations from any companies mentioned.

Matt Roberds

IME, it's not likely that a method other than the screws is relied upon to keep the case together, otherwise they would have just used more glue/etc instead of the more expensive process of providing for and installing screws.

Lately, I've been checking Youtube links** that show up when I search for items I'm curious about. There are a couple of videos that show how *to change the charger's mind* about a pack that it may determine is bad. I searched for Open Ryobi Battery, IIRC.. and spotted a description of: how to make a charger charge...(? it was clearly a Ryobi charger but the brand wasn't mentioned).

The procedure is to plug in the charger, insert the pack into the charger (LEDs show fault), then rapidly cause interrupted AC power at the cord plug by removing it from the receptacle and briefly reconnecting/contacting the AC plug several times, followed by fully plugging the cord back in (LEDs then indicate normal charging).

If this isn't a couple of random coincidences, then it seems to be a case of the smart charger being out-smarted.

There was another reference to some Ryobi chargers being identical to some Craftsman models, even though the 2 brands' packs are different voltages.

I can appreciate that lithium batteries have good power densities, but I'm triying to avoid them when possible. The newer pouch batteries (like putty wrapped in foil) are sometimes a special size and can't be replaced with anything else within the same amount of space.

I prefer NIMH and the common sizes of cells that can be easily located when replacement is needed.

BTW.. a rapidly intermittent AC power source connection to many electrical devices can cause damage, such as *telegraphing* the AC connection to transformers. The back EMF collapsing meets newly acquired incoming AC power. Blown fuses, failed primary xfmr windings and breakdown of sensitive circuit components can be a result of this type of rapidly repeatedly interrupted interrupted AC power.

** Granted.. there are a lot of youtube videos that are worthless, and many that are made so poorly, they're unwatchable.

--
Cheers, 
WB 
............. 


"(PeteCresswell)"  wrote in message  
news:ep41n8p2a4q9glr2qfbphib092koqai0io@4ax.com... 
> viz: http://tinyurl.com/c788h7k 
> 
> I'm guessing this thing has a weak cell and Home Depot doesn't want to 
> hear about it. 
> 
> I've removed 5 screws (one in each corner, and one in the tower-like 
> appendage), but something's still holding it together. 
> 
> Anybody been here? 
> --  
> Pete Cresswell

Per mike:

Measure each cell's voltage in an effort to confirm my weak-cell suspicion.

If one is way down, try charging it separately and then putting it back into the array. If that fails, keep the remaining cells against the day when another cell in another battery (I have three others) fails.

I'm kind of locked into Ryobi: two drills, a saber saw, a multi-function tool, and three chargers.

I was quite disappointed with Home Depot's reaction because I showed them another battery that was bought on the same day, been through the same service, and works a-ok.

OTOH, the Home Depot guy said that a number on the batteries indicated they were manufactured over five years ago. OTOOH, I have a hard time believing that I've had these things that long... maybe 3 years...Maybe...

The reason I paid extra for Lithium batteries is that mine only see intermittent use - months apart - and lithium does not spontaneously discharge on the shelf.

If I were to do it over again, I would buy DeWalt.

--
Pete Cresswell

Dissembly?

"Disassemble" means to take apart. "Dissemble" means to disguise or conceal, especially one's motives.

So it looks as if either verb applies -- the battery is concealing the means to take it apart!

An option would be to build a heavy duty battery pack to attach to your belt and a cord going to the tool. This would make the tool much lighter, less fatigue maybe (over head use etc).

I've done this with dustbusters and other internal-battery-design devices. There are inexpensive universal chargers capable of auto-sensing 4.8 to

10.6V or 12V to 16.8 NICD/NIMH packs.. I just bought one for less than $20 to take care of 14.4V packs. The universal chargers get more expensive at 24V, and again over 40V.

-- Cheers, WB .............

Per William Sommerwerck:

Nice catch!

---------------------------------------- Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect awl the weigh My chequer tolled me sew.

----------------------------------------

--
Pete Cresswell

Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect awl the weigh My chequer tolled me sew.

I checked, and Word's spell check accepts "mi" (as in do re mi) as a legitimate word. So me could be replaced with mi, further confounding things.

Please assign credit where due.

The (complete) poem is by Jerrold H. Zar, titled "Candidate for a Pullet Surprise", 1992

However, it might now be un-balanced -- making some tools more "nose heavy". But, yes, definitely Something to consider.

This is almost as good as "ladle rat rotten hut", I first saw it in Mother Earth's News a LOONG time ago.

Jon

Per Allodoxaphobia:

Thanks.

Jerry Zar is now immortalized in my source document as in:

---------------------------------------- CANDIDATE FOR A PULLET SURPRISE

I have a spelling checker. It came with my PC. It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks aye can knot sea. Eye ran this poem threw it, Your sure reel glad two no. Its vary polished inn it's weigh. My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing, It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It helps me right awl stiles two reed, And aides me when aye rime. Each frays come posed up on my screen Eye trussed too bee a joule. The checker pours o'er every word To cheque sum spelling rule. Bee fore a veiling checkers Hour spelling mite decline,

And if we're lacks oar have a laps, We wood bee maid too wine. Butt now bee cause my spelling Is checked with such grate flare, Their are know faults with in my cite, Of nun eye am a wear. Now spelling does knot phase me, It does knot bring a tier.

My pay purrs awl due glad den With wrapped words fare as hear. To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should bee proud, And wee mussed dew the best wee can, Sew flaws are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays Such soft wear four pea seas, And why eye brake in two averse Buy righting want too pleas.

Jerry Zar, 29 June 1992 Jerrold H. Zar Graduate School Northern Illinois University Title suggested by Pamela Brown. Based on opening lines suggested by Mark Eckman.

----------------------------------------

--
Pete Cresswell

I've never checked one of their lithium batteries, but with their nicads you just remove the screws and then pry apart slowly so the piece of mica with on bottom that has the sticky stuff on both sides comes off.

Ryobi seems to be pretty good about replacing batteries, even slightly out of warranty. If you paid for the drill kit with a Visa, Discover, or American Express card, they double the warranty, up to an extra year, for factory warranties up to 3 years long with Visa or Discover, up to 5 years long for American Express. Mastercard does this only for warranties up to one year long, and they seem to be a lot worse about providing reimbursement.