Rechargeable Lithium Battery Link

Harvey51 wrote:

You are better off buying complete NEW battery packs.

You can get new 18V packs for your Ryobi for about $34 each which is a bargain compared to a lithium fire..

RYOBI BATTERY PACKS

That price is for NiCd battery packs. The Li ones in the link are two for $125, same as the local Home Depot. It also has the $99 for drill, driver and two batteries package. It seems the tools are free and the batteries overpriced.

Would NiCd batteries be the way to go because the lithium cells will inevitably develop a tenth volt differential among the cells and die? I know people who have used a NiCd driver battery for a decade.

Thanks for the link to Li cells.
Would it be safe to attempt eliminating the differential between cells by slightly charging the lowest voltage cell a wee bit - say 50 mA for ten seconds?

Acutally you didn't go far enough down the page of my link..

18V LITHIUM TWO PACK FOR $92

So that is $46 each and you don't take the risk of burning up you or your property.

I personally prefer my Nicads, yes they are heavier but they tend to last a lot longer (many more charge/discharge cycles). Nicads do have a higher self discharge rate and a memory issue but if you manage them correctly they will easily outlast 4 or even 5 Lithium battery packs for life cycles.

My good old 9.6V Makita equipment with Nicads I have had for 25 yrs and in that time I have only replaced both battery packs ONCE..

The odds of you finding the PROPER individual Lithium cells is nearly impossible since the manufacturers of the cells will not sell directly to the public and Ryobi is not going to sell the cells to the public..

It isn't about making more money on the packs, it IS to KEEP the public from putting themselves in danger. Not to mention opening up Ryobi and even the cell manufacturers to possible lawsuits.

As far as you attempting to equalize the cells, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT.

These cells DO NOT TAKE KINDLY TO OVER VOLTAGE OR OVER CURRENT, PERIOD.

If you are really wanting to play, then I would suggest you take them outside, find a area of concrete, gravel, dirt which has NO COMBUSTIBLE items nearby. Run a VERY LONG WIRE and stay far, far way from them. Additionally once you attempt this, you should not ever take them anywhere of value since they can at anytime decide to get unstable. Possibly the next time you charge them or even attempt to use them. Results will be hotter than you will ever expect.

Batteries are consumables, they are meant to be replaced.

Just pay the money and buy the new batteries...