Ni-Cad To Lithium Dr. Frankenstein Transplant?
I was given a DeWalt 1/4" hex drive srewdriver and charger base.
7.2 volts
But it's a ni-cad unit. And of course the batteries are long-gone. This thing sat unused since around 1996. It looks new. But I tried control charging the batteries and ended up with five batteries at 130F and 5.9 volts, 3.1 amperes.
I HATE the thought of throwing this thing away. It was made in Japan, not China. The tool itself is heavy and reeks of top grade quality.
But to resurrect it I need to series parallel four rechargeable li-ion batteries. And we know what that means. I found circuit board lithium charge controllers. They are small.
Now it's a question of feasibility cost justification. Browsing lithium batteries is a zoo on eBay. The CR123 size seems optimum but comparing energy density Ni-Cad to Li-Ion what is the ratio? If it's like 200% I'm in like Flynn. I intend to stuff the battery compartment with CR123 batteries. The is a nifty alcove ready to accept the charge control boards. Yes, I seek more than what's available mAh capacity.
But I don't want to buy reject garbage CR 123 batteries. So I seek brand recommendations.
The drill minus batteries weighs about double that of my Dack & Blecker cordless screwdriver WITH batteries.
A DeWalt PISTOL cordless screwdriver costs around fifty dollars on eBray. I would like the convenience of being able to have both a pistol and a straight screwdriver.
So
Advice is sought and appreciated
7.2 volts
But it's a ni-cad unit. And of course the batteries are long-gone. This thing sat unused since around 1996. It looks new. But I tried control charging the batteries and ended up with five batteries at 130F and 5.9 volts, 3.1 amperes.
I HATE the thought of throwing this thing away. It was made in Japan, not China. The tool itself is heavy and reeks of top grade quality.
But to resurrect it I need to series parallel four rechargeable li-ion batteries. And we know what that means. I found circuit board lithium charge controllers. They are small.
Now it's a question of feasibility cost justification. Browsing lithium batteries is a zoo on eBay. The CR123 size seems optimum but comparing energy density Ni-Cad to Li-Ion what is the ratio? If it's like 200% I'm in like Flynn. I intend to stuff the battery compartment with CR123 batteries. The is a nifty alcove ready to accept the charge control boards. Yes, I seek more than what's available mAh capacity.
But I don't want to buy reject garbage CR 123 batteries. So I seek brand recommendations.
The drill minus batteries weighs about double that of my Dack & Blecker cordless screwdriver WITH batteries.
A DeWalt PISTOL cordless screwdriver costs around fifty dollars on eBray. I would like the convenience of being able to have both a pistol and a straight screwdriver.
So
Advice is sought and appreciated
