Craftsman Ni-Cd 19.2v XE Batteries all seem bad, but with no good reason.

[Ajfer03]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forum so I do apologize in advance if I posted in the wrong area.

I have 3 19.2v Ni-Cd Craftsman XE power tool batteries. I have tried zapping the batteries with double the voltage as well as deep discharges and have had no luck in getting the batteries above 12 volts. All three XE batteries read as fully charged and are warm when removed from the charger. I have 2 19.2v DieHard craftsman batteries which have absolutely no issues and work very well, which are about the same age as the XE batteries and come from 2 different users. Out of the three XE batteries I have, two came from one guy, and the last one I found at my house in a box. This leads me to believe this is some sort of battery cell quality issue instead of the batteries just being dead or worn out. Is there anything else I can try to restore these? These are full C cell batteries, so I really don't like the price of buying 45 new cells to put inside. Literally any suggestions are appreciated. I like my power tools and just want to get the most out of them.

Thanks!
Anthony

 

[snoobler]

Are the DieHard craftsman Ni-Cd or something else?

IMHO, they're dead. Ni-Cd sucks. If they're put into long term storage, they are usually bad when coming out. If they're short-cycled, they rapidly lose capacity. The 16X cells in there (assuming 16*1.2=19.2V) are in series, and series NiCd can get thrashed due to cell imbalanced where cells are actually run in reversed polarity rapidly killing them. Even full depth discharges only have a 300-500 cycle life depending on cell type.

Zapping a 16 cell battery won't work. You really need to do it on each cell. You need to hit a single cell with about 90V with a 4000uF capacitor. Don't shock yourself.

Warm after charge means you're evolving oxygen on the terminal producing heat - they're as charged as they'll get.

Your only hope is a long slow low current charge. If they are 2Ah, you need to apply a 0.2A current for up to 16 hours OR until the pack hits 110°F, whichever occurs first.

 

[Ajfer03]

Are the DieHard craftsman Ni-Cd or something else?

IMHO, they're dead. Ni-Cd sucks. If they're put into long term storage, they are usually bad when coming out. If they're short-cycled, they rapidly lose capacity. The 16X cells in there (assuming 16*1.2=19.2V) are in series, and series NiCd can get thrashed due to cell imbalanced where cells are actually run in reversed polarity rapidly killing them. Even full depth discharges only have a 300-500 cycle life depending on cell type.

Zapping a 16 cell battery won't work. You really need to do it on each cell. You need to hit a single cell with about 90V with a 4000uF capacitor. Don't shock yourself.

Warm after charge means you're evolving oxygen on the terminal producing heat - they're as charged as they'll get.

Your only hope is a long slow low current charge. If they are 2Ah, you need to apply a 0.2A current for up to 16 hours OR until the pack hits 110°F, whichever occurs first.

Yes, the DieHard batteries are NiCd and are as old as the other ones and were subject to the same conditions. Also, I think I will try shocking each cell, but would I e able to do that with 5 tool batteries in series? I used 2 in series and I literally got an arc off of the terminals of the battery that I was shocking. I think I'm going to set my iMax B6 to a slow charge and discharge cycle as well. Thanks for the reply!

 

[nosys70]

open the battery case , rmove ni-cad cell and replace with a NiMh

 

[schmism]

open the battery case , rmove ni-cad cell and replace with a NiMh

better yet, 3d print adapters to use modern 20v lithiums from your choice. milwalkee, dewalt etc.

 

[nosys70]

yes but you have to be good on 3d design on computer or good with the glue gun,
currently you can find packs with charger and one 20V battery for darn cheap.
usually they are flat versus the old ones who have a protruding part with contact.
so keeping the top part of the old pack should be enough to fix it on the new battery.
if you are lucky, check here

Search Thingiverse - Thingiverse

Download files and build them with your 3D printer, laser cutter, or CNC.

www.thingiverse.com