I have a Porter Cable 12V model 866 and both batteries are about gone, and they never were worth a hoot. They are Ni Cad and the replacement price is around $50. I was wondering if they could be replaced with lithium batteries? I’m getting to hate throw away drills because of batteries not lasting, how about you guys?
There’s no fool like an old fool.
Replies
In principle, yes. Whether it would be worth it, even if you could, is another matter. NiCd and NiMH batteries are 1.2 V per cell. So, for your 12 V pack, that's 10 cells in series. Li-ion batteries are normally 3.6 V per cell, which won't quite add up to 12 V. However, there do exist 3.0 V Li-ion cells, so those might be usable (probably at a price premium, though).
Unless Porter Cable decides to start making retrofit kits (very unlikely) or a third-party vendor decides to do the same (unlikely), there's not much you can do. You'd also need a new charger, as Li-ion batteries require an entirely different charging protocol.
-Steve
I guess the battery drills are like the Ipod, in other words, a rip off. Thanks Steve.
How the batteries are treated makes a huge difference in longevity. Not charging till they hit the knee, no deep discharge, no extended sitting while discharged, not charging while hot etc. I have ni-cads that are over 10 years old and still work fine.------------------------------------
It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
I don't agree. I have had 18V and 14.4V Craftsman Professional, DeWalt 14.4 & 18V, and Milwaukee 14.4 & 18V and never much problem. That said, the Sears finally gave up after about 10 years. But in all, that's the only trouble. I can't count the hours of run-time each drill has seen. I could scarcely give any up, especially the 18V ones. Indispensible is the best description I can give.
My favorite of all is the Milwaukee 18V, but that honestly is just due to its feel in my hand.
Sam
http://www.voltmanbatteries.com/index.htm
Try this place they seem to have decent prices.
$54.00 plus shipping. $38 for a rebuild +shipping. Reminds me of router bits, the router not too expensive, but oh the price of the bits.
thanks;
~~mike
Dear Michael,
I had an 866. I replaced it with a Makita 18 Volt "compact" gun. I can't say enough good things about the Makita. I am a contractor and have owned nothing but PC guns since the original "Magnaquench" 12v came out in the early 90's, but the new Makita is HUGE leap forward. Like yourself, I was tired of throwing out guns just because the batteries were toast. I also found out that the guns themselves were fairly worn out and they didn't perform all that well with new batteries, which as mentioned, really weren't worth much to begin with. Take a hard look at the Makita:
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BDF452HW-Compact-Lithium-Ion-Driver/dp/B000K6ILDW/ref=cm_lmf_tit_20_rsrssi0
Best,
John
Unfortunately, cordless tools are much like computers, TV's, calculators, and cell phones in that they're disposable commodities instead of lifetime purchases. Battery technology has improved so much over the past 15 - 20 years that it just isn't cost effective to keep the old stuff going. You could probably get your old battery packs rebuilt, but total replacement of the drill would be more cost effective.
I agree. Thanks;
~~mike
M, here is a hoot. I had a little ryobi 7.2v for doing locks, hinges on small boxes and small drill bits used for building radio control aircraft, it was nifty,light weight and very handy. The battery has a red light and a little hole for the charger that looked like the cell phone type. I didn't use it for some time and the battery died--off to home despot-- DISCONTINUED....but they were selling off the stock in plain brown boxes for $10 each. YEAH, I now have three drill bodies and chargers, two batteries and am careful to keep up on the battery care. Paddy
I have one of the plug in drills too (not as mall though) do you know if you can get a charger that you can put the battery into instead or just pluging it in
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
af, these are obsolete now and most rebuilders don't do 7.2v packs. I don't think that they ever had a charging machine at this size, Paddy
it's an old drill (3-4 years (I could be way off))
I think I confused you, I'm talking about a legitimate drill/driver like this one (that's the same model as myne, just a different one)
View Image
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
"it's an old drill (3-4 years (I could be way off))"
Kids these days.... That's not an old drill, that's a young whippersnapper of a drill! I have a Panasonic cordless that's 20 years old. The clutch is kind of worn out, but for drilling and lighter-duty driving, it still works fine. On top of that, I can still get batteries for it.
-Steve
Steve, that's pretty new as I have and use a real Black & Decker corded 3/8- 840rpm with a black and silver logo. It's great for drilling flat bar or steel in place that is too heavy for my small Whitney punch---now there's a priceless tool. ha ha . All the best, Paddy
well I ment old because the battery hasn't been changed and is lower on power.
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
Andy, that is a 14.4v , call b&d there should be one that works , get the stock# then look on Amazon ot that battery guy. Paddy
thanks
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
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