Cellink Neo battery rebuild

[stooge]

i think you have found the point where it goes from a "battery charger" to a "charging station"

 

[chrisp]

po4 is a better chemistry but i would stick with the same type that you are replacing.

not sure with the charger but your cells are 3.2v and the charger lists 3.7v.
the charge cutoff voltage for the 3.7v cell should be around 4.2v max but i am not sure if that is acceptable for the 3.2v cell.
if the cutoff voltage is too high the cell will degrade quicker so i would probably contact the seller and ask if it will be ok with your cells.

What he said.

The existing battery pack will have cell regulators which are designed to protect and maintain the individual cells. These will be set up for a particular chemistry, so best to stay with that chemistry, rather than change it.

LiFePO4 are a better cell in the sense that they are safer, but you really need to stick with whatever the existing system is designed for.

 

[kleanphil]

I ended up just getting 20 LifePO4 3.2V 1,8Ah from AliEpress also , I will use 4 to repair the current pack and save the other 16 for when it goes again, I think
EDIT: It was cheaper to get 20 than 16

 

[Pollushon]

OK sweet, thanx for the extra info, i wondered what 18650 meant. Looks like AliExpress is the go, they are half the price than buying in Aus. I will wait and see if @Pollushon knows of some good sources in Aus.

The Makita packs sound perfect for some practice. I've used https://www.tinkertechau.com.au they're solid with a good range and service. Bulk OS is the only way you can do cheap long term. 18650's are expensive compared to 21700, I wish they were more popular, 12% more volume for 40% more density

I wouldn't worry too much about chemistry on simple packs. The BMS is pretty Neanderthal, they care about voltages, max nominal and min. The degradation difference will cause the biggest impact, lowest common denominator

 

[kleanphil]

Being that i'm going down this road of rechargeable battery's, i thought i would buy a selection of AA AAA and a couple of 9v, is it worth going lithium or are alkaline ok. I notice a big difference in price, also theres NI-MH?

 

[kleanphil]

I ended up getting a twin pack of 20 AA + 20 AAA. The cost between alkaline and lithium is big and i only use them for keyboard and mouse plus Xmas lights once a year.

 

[kleanphil]

So the batteries finally showed. Firstly i charged all the batteries till 100% with my new "charging station". I decided to replace the entire pack with the new batteries and bought a couple of rolls of 8mm nickel strips , the spot welder did come withy some strips but i wanted something a bit wider.

While waiting for the batteries to charge i put together the joining tabs, I soldered the extra tabs on for a good connection.

Once the batteries were charged i started to assemble the individual packs in sets of four.

Next step was to assemble the four packs into one pack, taking note of the polarity of the battery packs when assembling the full pack. The spot welder i bought did a great job hopefully i had the voltage set high enough for a good weld.

Next step was to solder the full pack to the mainboard and reassemble the case.

I then reconnected the hardwire cables to the Cellink Neo and was all go with no issues i know of.

So as far as cost i managed to add a few tools to my toolbox that will definitely get use in the future for roughly a $100 less than replacing the Cellink Neo outright.

 

[chrisp]

So the batteries finally showed. Firstly i charged all the batteries till 100% with my new "charging station". I decided to replace the entire pack with the new batteries and bought a couple of rolls of 8mm nickel strips , the spot welder did come withy some strips but i wanted something a bit wider.
View attachment 264546

While waiting for the batteries to charge i put together the joining tabs, I soldered the extra tabs on for a good connection.
View attachment 264547
View attachment 264548

Once the batteries were charged i started to assemble the individual packs in sets of four.
View attachment 264549

Next step was to assemble the four packs into one pack, taking note of the polarity of the battery packs when assembling the full pack. The spot welder i bought did a great job hopefully i had the voltage set high enough for a good weld.
View attachment 264550
View attachment 264551

Next step was to solder the full pack to the mainboard and reassemble the case.
View attachment 264552
View attachment 264553

I then reconnected the hardwire cables to the Cellink Neo and was all go with no issues i know of.
View attachment 264554

So as far as cost i managed to add a few tools to my toolbox that will definitely get use in the future for roughly a $100 less than replacing the Cellink Neo outright.

Very nicely done, and a great set of equipment too.

I reckon that if any other battery powered tool or appliance you have starts to get weak, you’ll be replacing the batteries with gusto!

 

[kleanphil]

Very nicely done, and a great set of equipment too.

I reckon that if any other battery powered tool or appliance you have starts to get weak, you’ll be replacing the batteries with gusto!

Oh for sure , I have already recycled a couple of Makita batteries that died into a bigger 9ah Makita battery, and with the spot welder, in the future the next rebuild will be a breeze.

 

[Pollushon]

Awesome work man, you have natural talent. This is a skill and gear that will change your battery life