Ryobi Drill Batteries

Ni-Cd vs Ni-Mh vs Li-ion. Cordless Power Tool Battery History

The name of the game is to have great mobility. Get rid of the ball and anchor that ties us to the power bar. That is why we are considering buying a cordless power tool. Battery power though, has to meet our production needs. It has to do the job! It has to be powerful, lightweight and long lasting.... and work in cold weather!

In the last 25 years, tool manufacturers like Makita, DeWalt and Milwaukee have invested huge research dollars to advance the technology. The main focus has been to produce a lighter cordless power tool. Battery weight has been the greatest challenge, and the greatest opportunity for improvement.

By studying the understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of cordless tool battery, we can more effectively purchase tools that best fit our needs.

Nickel cadmium (NiCad): The "Ni-cd" is the mother of all batteries typically used for a cordless power tool. Battery production is relatively less expensive then other alternatives and these batteries have proven to be fairly durable and a cold weather friend.

Ni-cd batteries are more likely to take more charges then their Ni-Mh cousin but have a history of "memory affect problems." Some manufacturers dispute this, as second generation ni-cad batteries come onto the market, especially in the higher end professional grade cordless tools.

Cadmium is consider to be a hazardous waste and in this more environmentally conscious society ni-cad batteries do present some marketing challenges. They are also larger and heavier then the next generation of Ni-Mh batteries

As well, many feel that a ni-cd cordless battery pack has reached its peak performance within the constraints of acceptable weight. It has no more juice to give. As we demand more powerful cordless tools, so must follow the battery technology.

Nickel-metal hydride (Ni-Mh): these batteries were originally introduced as a more environmentally friendly and powerful battery option. But their design dictated greater internal resistance and its associated heat generation. It is this heat production that leads to it downfall.

In fact chargers for the Ni-mh batteries include fans onboard so the batteries don't overheat.

Heat causes the nickel metal hydride batteries to survive less re-charges and thus offer a shorter life cycle. This leads to a lot of consumer frustration with the ongoing need to purchase a new cordless battery pack. The higher amperage, lower weight and smaller size of the typical Ni-Mh battery is offset by its shorter life cycle and thus higher cost.

Metal hydride batteries were also not well known for cold weather performance, thus for any in the construction trade where outdoor usage was a factor, they tended to stay with the heavier but more reliable ni-cd batteries.

Li-ion: This is the new kid on the block that is promising to blow all other cordless battery packs out of the water.

• lowest weight of the 3 for any given voltage
• maintains runtime at the lowest temperatures

So what's the down side? Li-ion batteries require an electronic circuit to control the power movement both to the motor and from the charger, assuring that each cell receives and expels the same amount of power. This prevents damage to your Li-ion cordless battery pack. It also suggests longer re-charge times to allow for rebalancing cell to cell differentials and more sophisticated battery chargers. This all adds to the cost and complexity of the design.

Time will tell if this technology will be the winning one.

Some Generalities: #1 = best #3 = worst

	Ni-Cd	Ni-Mh	Li-ion
Lightest	#3	#2	#1
Cold Weather	#2	#3	#1
Best Price	#1	#2	#3
Run Time	#3	#2	#1
Shortest Recharge time	#1	#2	#3
Life Cycle	#1	#2	#1

Key Factors for Cordless Power Tool Battery:

Run time is the amount of work a tool can do, from one charge. As the battery reaches the end of its service life, you often notice a decline in run time

Life cycle is the number of times you can recharge the battery.

Amp-hour rating: The higher the rating the longer your tool will last, so this is the key to comparing two identical, say 14.4 volt cordless batteries to figure out which cordless power tool battery will last the longest.

Exactly What Power Tools Might Do For You.

Recognizing just what you will will need the drill to carry out should certainly aid you choose the very best cordless drill meant for each project. Attempt to use a review pertaining to every one of the drills that you’re deliberating on. Doing this, you may make certain whatever cordless drill you have chosen is a good tool meant for just about any work you should do. In the event you have to have some additional intensity provided by their particular equipment, the best cordless hammer drill would likely be the perfect selection.Having a useful hammer operation, this kind of item of equipment allows the individual extra effect needed for the more challenging projects.A good Special Direct System variation will likely have the more robust hammer action if ever that’s just what you actually need to have.With all the additional hammer capability, and also the most suitable drill bit, it will be easier to drill into the most challenging substances. An integral part of any cordless drill is its battery power. Drill batteries are going to be provided any time you select the drilling or screwing tools, together with a charger. It is also beneficial to buy even more battery packs, so your drill is always available, irrespective of how many hours the project may take you. When you want to use your drill a whole lot, or possibly it’s a resource you have in your profession, you may potentially wish to give consideration to getting a number of spare parts to make certain you will be prepared for just about any little equipment failures. Often the battery is usually one of the key parts of your own drill, for that reason it’s a wise decision to maintain it. Finding out those actions you need to come to be making use of any drill to work on will let you determine what you need. This in turn allows you to go with unquestionably the top rated drill relating to the sort of work you’ll be getting hired to do.

A certain amount of customers could benefit from a compact device which often doesn’t always have to be very mighty. Where as many others may benefit from a product a good deal more mighty, for that reason the capacity created by a battery operated drill just isn’t as vital as its juice. The ideal cordless drill can certainly make any task simpler.

One of the better processes to pick out a battery-operated drill, as well as other cordless tools that you’re pondering over selecting, is simply to consider all ratings with regard to every one of them. Screwdrivers, jigsaws, not to mention belt sanders are to be found in cordless designs. Like drills, there’s an abundance of choice, hence it is advisable to embark on a detailed comparison prior to making a purchase.

28-volt battery delivers twice the run of 18-volt models with less weight.

Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong developed the V28™. This 28-volt battery delivers increased power and up to twice the run time of traditional 18-volt models, yet the battery weighs slightly less. This means the introduction of new tools like the world's first cordless band saw powerful enough for every day professional use. Containing no cadmium, the lithium ion battery has built-in fuel gauge that tells users how much run time is available. In addition, this battery is equipped with built-in Performance Optimizing Circuit to provide consistent, fade-free power throughout discharge cycle to ensure job power consistency.

Techtronic Industries (TTI) and its newly acquired Milwaukee brand has shown a new V28 lithium ion battery technology that will offer some useful functionality and additional oomph to cordless power tools. The new 28 volt battery delivers increased power and up to twice the run time of traditional 18 volt models, yet the battery weighs less and the amount of power on offer enables new first-timetools such as a cordless band saw.

The V28 line of tools also includes a hammer-drill, circular saw, Sawzall reciprocating saw, impact wrench, work light and battery charger. The V28 line will be available at participating distributors nationwide in the second quarter of 2005.

The new technology also offers a number of other benefits over traditional 18 volt battery technologies used in cordless power tools. In optimising the Lithium ion battery platform (most popular for its use in cell phones and digital cameras) for “high current draw” applications, Milwaukee has been able to achieve twice the in-use time of the tools between recharges, a built-in “fuel gauge” showing how much run time is available and some clever recording technology within the tool.

V28 “smart batteries” internally record the first date of product usage, and detailed information about the usage patterns of the tool. This will enable warranty claims to be validated more accurately and will contribute valuable data to improve future tool/battery designs.

Two new V28 product offerings will be announced in the near future - a rotary hammer and job site radio.

How to Recharge a Drill Battery with a Solar Panel ?

When working away from a electrical outlet to charge your electric drill battery can be a pain especially when you really need to use your drill on an important project. Fortunately it is possible to use a solar panel to recharge that drill and any other power tool or electrical device’s battery. The question is how to use a solar panel to be able to charge these batteries?

The answer to this question is by connecting a solar panel to a 12 volt battery and then by using an inverter connected to the 12 volt battery you can charge the cordless drill battery and any other electrical device that you may need. Charging a cordless drill battery in this way may take longer than normal.

You can get help setting up this kind of solar charging system by visiting a boat supply store, many people around the world use this kind of solar charging system when living on yachts and its simple to set up, all the components can be purchased at a boat supply store and are the best quality but a bit expensive, you can also find an inverter and solar panel cheaper online to save some cash.

NiMH vs. NiCad vs. Li-Ion

Making the Power Tool Battery Decision: NiMH vs. NiCad vs. Li-Ion

If you've ever wondered about the difference between NiMH vs. NiCad vs. LiIon you're not alone - there are thousands of DIY home improvement types out there wondering the same thing as you, and wondering how to make the best decisions for their next power tool purchase.

Here's a question you may be asking yourself: "What is the difference between NiMH and NiCd. How do Lithium Ion batteries work compared to the others?"

To tackle this question we have to look at the criteria for making the power tool battery decision. And then bring Lithium Ion into the equation to round out the choices when you're next making a power tool purchase decision.

Read closely - your power as a consumer lies in your understanding of the products available!

Criteria for Making Your Power Tool Battery Decision
According to Building a Better Power-Tool Battery you should be looking at a battery's run time, life cycle, volts and amp-hour rating.

Run Time:
Quite simply run time is the amount of work a tool can do before its charge runs out.

Life Cycle:
Life cycle is how many times the battery can be recharged during its life time.

Volts (Power):
Volts will determine work output of the tool. John Sara, cordless product manager for Milwaukee Electric Tool, says "Individuals currently using a 18-volt NiCad battery, should see 2 - 21/2 times more work output from a V28."

Amp-Hour Rating
The higher the Amp-Hour rating the longer the battery lasts - be aware that power tool batteries of the same voltage will often have different Amp-Hour ratings.

NiMH vs. NiCad vs. Li Ion: Picking What's Right for You

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) Batteries:
I don't think I could define it better than wiki pedia: 'A nickel metal hydride battery, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery but has a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the anode instead of cadmium. Like in NiCd batteries, nickel is the cathode.'

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) advantages:
-- lighter than NiCad
-- 2-3X capacity to equal size NiCad

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) disadvantages:
-- fewer life cycles compared to NiCad
-- shorter run time
-- performs the worst in cold temperatures, so keep that in mind if you plan to use tools powered by NiMH outdoors in cold weather
-- higher self-discharge level than NiCad
-- voltage drop at near-discharged levels

Nickel cadmium (NiCd) Batteries:
According to Wiki pedia: the 'nickel-cadmium battery (commonly abbreviated NiCd and pronounced 'nye-cad') is a popular type of rechargeable battery for portable electronics and toys using the metals nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) as the active chemicals.'

Nickel cadmium (NiCad) advantages:
-- longer life cycles
-- performs in cold temperatures (perform well to 20F)
-- lower self-discharge level than NiMH
-- no voltage drop at near discharged levels

Nickel cadmium (NiCad) disadvantages:
-- Heavy, making it harder to use for longer periods of time
-- May suffer from 'Memory Effect' or 'False Bottom Effect' if constantly discharged half-way and then recharged (wiki pedia)

The Lithium ion (Li-Ion) Battery:
The new comer to power tool batteries, Lithium Ion are hot because they have 'one of the best energy-to-weight ratios, no memory effect and a slow loss of charge when not in use,' according to Wiki pedia.

Lithium ion (Li-Ion) advantages:
-- High performance in cold weather - to 0F - great for winter outdoor use
-- Light weight. You can lift tools powered by Lithium Ion over your head all day.
-- Increased life cycles over NiCad and NiMH, so it keeps going past other batteries
-- more rapid charge times that get you back on the job more quickly

Lithium ion (Li-Ion) disadvantages:
-- less tested than other battery formats - in early stages of development
-- has a shelf life based on life of battery, not related to charge or charge time
-- can sometimes erupt or explode in high heat - hot cars, direct sunlight, etc, or sometimes after tampering. a more dangerous battery than the others
-- permanent damage to battery if stored at too-low discharge level, so be careful and keep these charged well

What battery is right for your power tool decision? Clearly there are many different options, and many different pluses and minuses for each battery type. That's why it's imperative that you come to your purchase prepared with knowledge that will help you make the right decision for your situation.

Plus you are certain to impress the guys at the big box tool depot when you display your knowledge about the different types of batteries and their different merits.

Now you know what to look for - life cycles, run time, volts and Amp-Hours and you know the three major battery types. I hope that with that information you'll be better equipped to make the decision between a NiCD, NiMH or Li-Ion battery!

Source:Garrett French:Editor for ToolCrib.com

How To Disassemble A Makita 18V Battery

How To Disassemble A Makita 18V Battery by Thomas West

Here’s a pretty cool article I came across on how you can save money by opening the pack and replacing the individual batteries inside, instead of having to buy a new one. Again, I came across this article only and won’t take any responsibility of what could happen to you or your battery if you should take this route. Do this at your own will!

As with any battery, it will being to lose power over time. The Makita battery will begin to be depleted once it has reached it’s life cycle recharge time. Although Makita does state the 18-volt LXT battery produces 280-percent more lifetime work with 2-times more cycles and it could be charged any time with no effect on the battery. A self-discharge keeps the battery cells active and ready for use anytime. However, eventually the battery will lose its power and will not hold a charge, requiring a replacement.

Instructions (you’ll need a Soldering Iron with chisel tip):

1. Place the battery pack with the contacts facing upward on a work area. Install a chisel tip onto a soldering iron. Plug the iron in and let it heat up.
2. Push down gently with the iron and work around the entire perimeter of the top of the battery pack so that the tip cuts, or melts, through the plastic case without damaging the batteries or components inside the case.
3. Grasp the battery pack near the contacts at the top and pull it straight upward to separate the two halves. Pull firmly but gently to separate the batteries from the adhesive insulator sheet that holds the them into place in the bottom of the battery pack casing. Place the bottom portion of the battery pack aside.
4. Remove the batteries from the upper portion of the battery pack by heating up the soldered connectors with the soldering iron. Pull the battery away from the pack to release it from the adhesive insulating sheet. Remove all batteries (there are a total of 12) in the same fashion if necessary.
5. Unplug the soldering iron and let it cool.