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New Harbor Freight batteries working in DeWALT tools.
- Thread starter ckeboss
- Start date
bubinga
Well-known member
Watching thread
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Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
bcradio
Well-known member
Thanks for posting. Very interesting
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Interesting video. You clearly know what you are doing, but why? If they are the same price, why wouldn't i want to use the dewalt battery?
Interesting video. You clearly know what you are doing, but why? If they are the same price, why wouldn't i want to use the dewalt battery?
Your exactly right. There is very little practical reason to do this at the current price point. Perhaps if the price point comes down, let's say to $15-20, it would become more attractive. Or if they come out with higher capacity packs at a different price point than the comparable dewalt packs.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Your exactly right. There is very little practical reason to do this at the current price point. Perhaps if the price point comes down, let's say to $15-20, it would become more attractive. Or if they come out with higher capacity packs at a different price point than the comparable dewalt packs.
Still, with how expensive my dewalt stuff was and how dangerous litbium batteries can be, i don't think it would be worth the savings, at least for me.
lbhsbz
Well-known member
Still, with how expensive my dewalt stuff was and how dangerous litbium batteries can be, i don't think it would be worth the savings, at least for me.
You can buy 2 aftermarket 4.0 Ah batteries on ebay for $42 that fit dewalt. aVe did a review of the earlier ones, and they didn't have thermal protection or some critical feature...but I think I'd go that route before I went with the more expensive Hercules batteries that require modification.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
You can buy 2 aftermarket 4.0 Ah batteries on ebay for $42 that fit dewalt. aVe did a review of the earlier ones, and they didn't have thermal protection or some critical feature...but I think I'd go that route before I went with the more expensive Hercules batteries that require modification.
No way I would buy lithium batteries without thermal protection, at any price.
Sure it may be unlikely they go up in flames, but best case, they are in the yard, worst case they in in the car or house. No way, not for what the real deal costs.
I don't know enough about the mods in the OP's video, but it looks like the resistor would cause the thermal protection to be overridden...please correct me if I am wrong.
dewalt batteries are not cheap, but they are also not that expensive. If the batteries are cost prohibitive, the cordless platform probably isn't the right one to be buying. Ryobi or a house brand might be the better choice.
lbhsbz
Well-known member
No way I would buy lithium batteries without thermal protection, at any price.
Sure it may be unlikely they go up in flames, but best case, they are in the yard, worst case they in in the car or house. No way, not for what the real deal costs.
I don't know enough about the mods in the OP's video, but it looks like the resistor would cause the thermal protection to be overridden...please correct me if I am wrong.
dewalt batteries are not cheap, but they are also not that expensive. If the batteries are cost prohibitive, the cordless platform probably isn't the right one to be buying. Ryobi or a house brand might be the better choice.
Agreed.
I purchased a pair of the aftermarket ones (didn't read closely enough...just figured eBay pricing) and just received them. If I use them, which I probably won't, they'll go into tools that are tough to overload, like a flashlight, blower, or vacuum.
One excellent use, if they cells are decent, is to use the cells to rebuild failed battery packs. They're all tabbed together already, they should already fit in the case, just resolder all the electronics out of the old pack onto the new cells and shove it all back in the OEM case. At $20 for a 12 cells pre-assembled, you can't really beat that pricing.
No way I would buy lithium batteries without thermal protection, at any price.
Sure it may be unlikely they go up in flames, but best case, they are in the yard, worst case they in in the car or house. No way, not for what the real deal costs.
I don't know enough about the mods in the OP's video, but it looks like the resistor would cause the thermal protection to be overridden...please correct me if I am wrong.
dewalt batteries are not cheap, but they are also not that expensive. If the batteries are cost prohibitive, the cordless platform probably isn't the right one to be buying. Ryobi or a house brand might be the better choice.
Just to clarify, the thermal protection is not in the battery itself in most designs. It's in the tool. So even OEM dewalt batteries have no protection when outside of a tool of thermal runaway.
slothfryk
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hello James, I like what you did with the resistor in parallel on the board to bring down the effective resistance of what the DeWalt will "see." However, in the video you identify the thermistor in the Hercules, and that is what the tool will use to measure pack temp, even if the logic is performed on the tool. Agreed that with the pack disconnected, there is no way to identify thermal runaway, however the pack should only ever see an open circuit, unless it's charging- and the charger likely has a similar logic circuit to identify thermal conditions.
From back in my RC days, we would rebuild battery packs all the time. But those cells were only ever soldered, not the current sonic-tack-welded thin-sheet bars being used in mass manufacturing today. Meh.
Because of the concerns over the stability of Li-ion, I'd like to see tool companies go the way of LeFePO4, lithium iron phosphate. I've had amazing luck with packs that I've made for my bikes. They are lighter, higher current, and far more shelf-stable than their lead-acid equivalent, and should hold up to the current-needs of the power tool industry. I'm curious when the companies will make that transition and market the benefits of the chemistry... Le sigh.
From back in my RC days, we would rebuild battery packs all the time. But those cells were only ever soldered, not the current sonic-tack-welded thin-sheet bars being used in mass manufacturing today. Meh.
Because of the concerns over the stability of Li-ion, I'd like to see tool companies go the way of LeFePO4, lithium iron phosphate. I've had amazing luck with packs that I've made for my bikes. They are lighter, higher current, and far more shelf-stable than their lead-acid equivalent, and should hold up to the current-needs of the power tool industry. I'm curious when the companies will make that transition and market the benefits of the chemistry... Le sigh.
Interesting video. You clearly know what you are doing, but why? If they are the same price, why wouldn't i want to use the dewalt battery?
Because he can!
DerekV
Well-known member
Hello James, I like what you did with the resistor in parallel on the board to bring down the effective resistance of what the DeWalt will "see." However, in the video you identify the thermistor in the Hercules, and that is what the tool will use to measure pack temp, even if the logic is performed on the tool. Agreed that with the pack disconnected, there is no way to identify thermal runaway, however the pack should only ever see an open circuit, unless it's charging- and the charger likely has a similar logic circuit to identify thermal conditions.
From back in my RC days, we would rebuild battery packs all the time. But those cells were only ever soldered, not the current sonic-tack-welded thin-sheet bars being used in mass manufacturing today. Meh.
Because of the concerns over the stability of Li-ion, I'd like to see tool companies go the way of LeFePO4, lithium iron phosphate. I've had amazing luck with packs that I've made for my bikes. They are lighter, higher current, and far more shelf-stable than their lead-acid equivalent, and should hold up to the current-needs of the power tool industry. I'm curious when the companies will make that transition and market the benefits of the chemistry... Le sigh.
The Dewalt XRP lithium packs as well as the Craftsman 19.2v lithium packs use(d) LiFePO4 cells. LiFePO4 has some benefits as you've mentioned, but it is old news in the tool world. A properly managed lithium cell will outperform a LiFePO4 cell any day of the week. Key words: properly managed. Higher energy density, more charge cycles, and longer shelf life are just a few of the advantages. There's a reason why literally every reputable tool brand uses them over LiFePO4 nowadays.