Repairing Makita Battery

Hello There, I had exactly the same problem with an 18v Dewalt one. At the time I was in Collage(Electrical Installation) and I mentioned it to one of the Lecturers in the morning.
He told me to get it out of my van so he could check it. He gave it back to me before I went home, charging up perfect.
Ask around in your local collage, they use problems like that as class demos.

 

Great story Plumberman but slightly lacking in detail. How did the resurrection occur - down on knees hands clasped together? or something technical . . . .

 

First - are you sure the charger is OK?

Second, whack the battery in your palm as hard as you can a few times, and try to charge/use - sometimes works!

Else, assuming it's out of guarantee, start by taking it apart - there might be an anti-tamper screw or cover, but they're usually no bother.

Be prepared for any unpleasant chemical spillage - ventilation/gloves/goggles/bath sink - I've no idea what is in these batteries!

The problem might be obvious, sometimes they over heat and desolder a connection, or there is an obvious point where an arc/short has occurred.

You can possible check the health of the cells individually with a meter.

Also there might be a thermal trip or other trickery that is stuck/fubar.

Some of these things might not be fixable, but worth a look before you bin it.

 

There was a fault with a diode or something in the battery. Bought him a beer at lunch time.

 

Lithium batteries are great because they carry a large charge for their weight. Also they can be recharged at any point in the discharge cycle without any ill effects (there is no memory effect). They discharge extremely slowly if left unused, so can be stored for long period whilst still retaining most of their charge.

However, they are different from other batteries in that the discharge has to be controlled with current limiting devices or they will rapidly discharge, overheat and catch fire or explode. Also if they are discharged beyond a certain point they are impossible to recharge. Because of these limitations they normally include a fair amount of electronics within the battery casing to control the charging and discharging and keep the operation of the battery within safe limits.

You could try opening the casing and looking for some obvious disconnection fault, but if the electronic control circuit is faulty you will need an electronics specialist to repair it.

BB

 

Try this web site, the repair the batteries, cheaper option by comparison.
http://www.recellyourbattery.com/prices

 

Not Lithium.

 

Think he's probably got a whole new drill 7 years later. No matter this is a good deal on batteries at the moment.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/makita-bl1840-18v-4ah-lithium-ion-battery-56-99-amazon-uk-2429055

 

Its not the only battery repair service

 

i repair them for £15 a battery if anyone is interested

 

This explains it all!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Makita-18v-LXT-Lithium-ion-Battery-Repair/

 

Hi Mark, if you are still repairing Makita Batteries can you please contact me. nigeltaylor17@yahoo.com
Many thanks, Nigel;