Someone mentioned somewhere about converting a cordless battery drill to corded operation. Can't find that thread, so, I'll just post up what I've come up with so they can see. (As they asked if I'd keep them updated).
I found an old 10 amp battery charger at an estate sale for $5. I then found two Makita 9.6v drills for $5 each at a thrift store. Between the two I was about to put together enough working parts for one useable drill. After modifying an IEC computer cord, this is what I came up with. Total investment costs: $32
The old charger has selenium diodes, so the actual DC output is around 11-11.2 volts. The 9.6 volt Makita drill motor should handle that without too much overheating. (We'll have to see). Anyway, the charger has an amp meter on the front, so I can keep an eye on the current during use. But that old heavy duty transformer should be able to handle the drills needs. I really only want this thing to do sheet metal screws and save wear on my corded drills.
The only modification I did to the drill was shorten the handle, as deleting the long stick battery meant that the super long handle was unnecessary. The modded drill almost looks like the short 7.2 volt Makita model. Will be nice in tight areas. And the 12 foot cord should give me plenty of length to plop the power unit down in one place and still be able to reach all around a rooftop air conditioner and its ductwork.
Here's what dremeling, epoxy, and some paint can make.
I found an old 10 amp battery charger at an estate sale for $5. I then found two Makita 9.6v drills for $5 each at a thrift store. Between the two I was about to put together enough working parts for one useable drill. After modifying an IEC computer cord, this is what I came up with. Total investment costs: $32
The old charger has selenium diodes, so the actual DC output is around 11-11.2 volts. The 9.6 volt Makita drill motor should handle that without too much overheating. (We'll have to see). Anyway, the charger has an amp meter on the front, so I can keep an eye on the current during use. But that old heavy duty transformer should be able to handle the drills needs. I really only want this thing to do sheet metal screws and save wear on my corded drills.
The only modification I did to the drill was shorten the handle, as deleting the long stick battery meant that the super long handle was unnecessary. The modded drill almost looks like the short 7.2 volt Makita model. Will be nice in tight areas. And the 12 foot cord should give me plenty of length to plop the power unit down in one place and still be able to reach all around a rooftop air conditioner and its ductwork.
Here's what dremeling, epoxy, and some paint can make.
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