Screwdriver Replacing The Battery With Lithium

What is the best battery for a screwdriver

Since this material deals specifically with cordless screwdrivers, before proceeding with the comparison and reviews of the tool, it is necessary to clarify what types of batteries are, what positive and negative sides they have and which one is preferable.

Makita DF333DWYE4

Main characteristics:

Replacing an IKEA FIXA cordless Screwdriver Battery

• Chuck type. quick-clamping;
• Maximum torque, (Nm). thirty;
• Battery capacity, (Ah). 1.5;
• Battery type. Li-Ion;
• The number of batteries included. 2.

Body and ergonomics. This screwdriver has a classic shape with a fairly large and comfortable handle. The body is made of technical plastic with soft inserts on the handle and outward protruding elements. The product weighs 1.1 kg. It can be worn on a belt by attaching it to a metal clip. Built-in flashlight makes it possible to work even in the dark.

Engine, gearbox, battery. The model is equipped with a brush motor with a two-speed gearbox, which allows screws with a diameter of up to 10 mm to be screwed into wood. Depending on the selected mode, the spindle accelerates to 450 or 1700 rpm. Keyless chuck grips bits and drills with shank diameters from 0.8 to 10 mm.

A set of two 1.5 Ah Li-ion batteries with a slider connection allows you to do a lot of work without interruptions to recharge.

Makita DF333DWYE4 complete set.

Functional. The ratchet for selecting the torque value and the motor brake contribute to the high accuracy of the operations. There is a release button and a reverse.

Pros of Makita DF333DWYE4

• Convenient form.
• High performance.
• Engine brake.
• Good build.
• Sold with a carrying case, charging station and a set of bits in a case.
• Affordable price.

Cons of Makita DF333DWYE4

• Batteries without charge indication.

The best screwdrivers with a 12V battery

Such devices are most popular with home craftsmen. They are not too expensive, but they are quite productive and work autonomously for a long time. When deciding which cordless screwdriver is best for the home, many stop at similar models. They will come in handy for a small summer cottage or home repair, they will help to drill metal and wood.

Metabo PowerMaxx BS 12

Main characteristics:

• Chuck type. quick-clamping;
• Maximum torque, (Nm). 40;
• Battery capacity, (Ah). 2;
• Battery type. Li-Ion;
• The number of batteries included. 2.

Body and ergonomics. This compact model is shortened in length and weighs only 1 kg. It has a raised grip, good balance and a wide launch key. It can be placed vertically without fear of dust getting into the interior. A well-positioned light bulb at the base of the handle provides good illumination of the work area. Provided with a metal hook for carrying on a belt.

Repacking Makita 18v Lithium battery with New Cells (Save ‘s)

Engine, gearbox, battery. The robust brush motor does not overheat even when drilling holes in metal up to 10 mm in diameter. The two-speed gearbox provides a spindle speed of up to 360 or 1400 rpm. Keyless chuck is designed for tooling sizes 1-10 mm.

The torque is adjustable and reaches a maximum of 40 Nm. Two 2 Ah lithium-ion batteries have no memory effect and are not prone to self-discharge.

Metabo PowerMaxx BS 12 complete set.

Functional. The model is equipped with a reverse, dynamic brake, spindle lock.

Pros of Metabo PowerMaxx BS 12

• Compact dimensions.
• Convenient design.
• Large torque.
• Reliable materials.
• Two powerful batteries with charge level indication.
• Case and charging station included.

Cons of Metabo PowerMaxx BS 12

• The manufacturer saved on the quality of the plastic for the suitcase.

BOSCH GSB 180-LI

Main characteristics:

• Chuck type. quick-clamping;
• Maximum torque, (Nm). 54;
• Battery capacity, (Ah). 2;
• Battery type. Li-Ion;
• The number of batteries included. 2.

Body and ergonomics. The screwdriver body is made of impact-resistant plastic and has elastic pads on the handle. The well-balanced design with a total weight of 1.64 kg is suitable for professional use. The bottom-mounted battery acts as a stand when installed vertically. LED illumination helps you navigate the work area, even in low ambient light.

Engine, gearbox, battery. The brush motor functions stably when driving screws up to 10 mm in diameter and drilling holes up to 35 mm in wood. The speed switch sets the modes with a maximum speed of 450 and 1700 rpm. The keyless chuck is capable of holding drills and bits with a diameter of 1.5 to 13 mm. A pair of 2 Ah batteries for continuous operation without interruption.

BOSCH GSB 180-LI complete set.

Functional. This drill / driver is capable of working in drilling, perforated drilling and fastening tightening modes. Rotation is possible in two directions. The torque is adjustable in steps, reaching a maximum at 54 Nm.

Pros of BOSCH GSB 180-LI

• High power.
• Large torque.
• Convenient form.
• Two batteries with charge level indication.
• Easy replacement of motor brushes.
  Backlight.
• Impact mode.
• Relatively low cost.

Cons of BOSCH GSB 180-LI

• Slight chuck runout.
• With intensive use, battery overload protection is often triggered.

Varieties of batteries

Nickel-cadmium (NiCd). The largest dimensions, which is not always convenient for reasons of compactness, have batteries called nickel-cadmium and designated “NiCd”. They are quite cheap and work like a clock. without failures, both at high temperatures and at sub-zero temperatures. You can charge them an impressive number of times. But the memory effect present here can serve as an unkind service, in order to avoid which such a battery is sent for storage completely discharged, to zero. Charging is also carried out only when the battery is completely drained.

Memory effect. this is a loss of battery capacity and, as a consequence, its shorter use in the intervals between recharges. If you do not wait until the battery is completely discharged, it is recharged again, it “remembers” that it was not completely used up and in the future it will not give all the energy, but only the amount that reaches this limit. You have to constantly monitor the battery charge level. Owners of the tool with such batteries often ignore this moment, as a result, part of the capacity is gradually lost.

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH). Batteries, called nickel metal hydride batteries, are labeled with the letters “NiMH”. They are 100 percent environmentally friendly and weigh very little. Another significant advantage is their ability to work long enough without requiring recharging. The memory effect of these batteries is present, but not as pronounced as in the previous type.

Alas. they also have a significant disadvantage. It is the inability to withstand frost. Even when it’s only minus two degrees outside, such a battery starts to discharge on its own. Do not store the screwdriver in a garage without heating or in a car trunk. For storage, this type of battery also needs to be charged.

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion). The third type of battery is lithium-ion. Labeled “Li-Ion”. They appeared later than everyone else. in 1991, in mass production, becoming the brainchild of the Japanese corporation Sony. They are distinguished by the absolute absence of memory effect, high capacity and long-term retention of the charge. They weigh forty percent less than the analogs described above. They can be charged in any state. at any charge level. Such batteries are often put on professional models, especially on screwdrivers combined with a drill.

Makita DF333DWAE 30 Nm

Main characteristics:

• Chuck type. quick-clamping;
• Maximum torque, (Nm). thirty;
• Battery capacity, (Ah). 2;
• Battery type. Li-Ion;
• The number of batteries included. 2.

Body and ergonomics. All elements of the outer shell of this screwdriver are made of durable plastic, which allowed the developers to keep within the weight of 1.1 kg. Rubber pads on the handle and the protruding parts of the body not only contribute to a secure grip, but also soften the impact in the event of a fall. There is a spring clip for the possibility of wearing it on the waist belt. Built-in LED lamp illuminates the work area well at night.

Engine, gearbox, battery. The screwdriver is equipped with a reliable electric motor with a good air cooling system. Powerful enough to work with screws up to 5 mm in diameter. The model has two rotation speeds with a maximum frequency of 450 and 1700 rpm for operations with fasteners and drills. Keyless chuck holds tooling with cylindrical shanks with a diameter of 0.8-10 mm.

Includes a pair of 1.5 Ah universal lithium-ion batteries with charge level indicator that can be used with other tools of the same brand. It takes less than an hour to charge each of them in a standard device.

Complete set Makita DF333DWAE 30 Nm.

Functional. The maximum torque is 30 Nm. It can be lowered by rotating the drum. There is a reverse option and electronic speed control.

Pros of Makita DF333DWAE 30 Nm

• High performance.
• Large torque.
• Convenient form.
• Universal batteries.
• Large case made of durable plastic with compartments for tools and consumables.
• Acceptable cost.

Cons Makita DF333DWAE 30 Nm

• When working on the reverse, the chuck is loosened.
• The lamp is located close to the body, so it does not illuminate the entire working area.

BOSCH GSR 120-Li

Main characteristics:

• Chuck type. quick-clamping;
• Maximum torque, (Nm). thirty;
• Battery capacity, (Ah). 2;
• Battery type. Li-Ion;
• The number of batteries included. 2.

Body and ergonomics. The drill-driver of this brand, due to its small dimensions and the use of structural plastic, weighs only 950 g. It has a comfortable handle with a raised surface for better contact. The battery inserted into the handle does not interfere with work in cramped conditions. The LED light illuminates the drilling area well, even at night. There is a slot for attaching a strap, which makes it easier to move with the tool at height.

Engine, gearbox, battery. The power of the brush motor is sufficient for screwing in self-tapping screws with a diameter of 7 mm. The keyless chuck is suitable for bit thicknesses from 1 to 10 mm. The gearbox operates in two modes with a maximum speed of 380 and 1300 rpm. A pair of compact 1.5 Ah lithium-ion batteries when used alternately to minimize downtime.

Functional. The model is designed for drilling holes and working with fasteners. The torque reaches 30 Nm and is infinitely adjustable by means of a rotary drum. The direction of rotation can be changed by simply moving the corresponding switch. The tool is sold with a plastic case, charger and two batteries.

BOSCH GSR 120-Li complete set.

Pros of BOSCH GSR 120-Li

• Compact size and light weight.
• Good ergonomics.
• Quick tool change.
• Illumination of the working area.
• Adequate price.

Cons BOSCH GSR 120-Li

• Cannot be placed vertically on the base of the handle.
• The cartridge loses its grip reliability over time.

How does the battery voltage affect the operating time of a screwdriver

The question of how the battery voltage affects the duration of the product is of interest to many. To understand what power the product has, you need to multiply the voltage by the battery capacity.

For reference! For example, a screwdriver with a 14.4 V battery and 1.5 A / h will have a power of 21.6 W.

General repair recommendations

With regard to nickel-cadmium batteries, the following features are distinguished:

• Such elements have a memory element. According to the classical scheme, they must be charged three times and discharged the same number of times. For the new part, the rules are exactly the same.
• As a replacement, they choose an absolutely similar one so as not to disrupt the operation of the entire device.

Required to prepare the necessary tools

There are also certain rules for lithium batteries that need to be considered:

• Soldering cannot be used. Such parts do not tolerate exposure to high temperatures and quickly fail. It is permissible to use only a very powerful soldering iron, but at the same time it is required to work very quickly.
• It is easier to pick up such elements, because there are both foreign and domestic products on the market, the batteries of which are the same.

Fault definition

Before eliminating the malfunction, it is required to find out whether it is really present. To this end, the following actions are performed:

• Disconnect the battery from the product, while it must be fully charged.
• Disassemble the battery case with a screwdriver.
• Remove all cans from the product.
• With a voltmeter, the voltage is measured on each bank. For nickel-cadmium products, an indicator of 1.2 Volts is considered normal, for lithium products. from 3.6 to 3.8 Volts.
• After taking measurements, it is determined on which part the voltage is the least, it is it that will be of poor quality.
• The battery must be assembled and installed in the tool, and then completely discharged.
• After that, it is required to disassemble the part again, and then re-measure. The element with the lowest scores needs to be changed.

Important! Replacing low-quality elements is quite simple, they are connected in the usual sequence, taking into account the pros and cons. This applies to all models Makita, Bosch, Bison, Metabo, Devolt, Interskol, Diold, AEG.

Ready-made 18650 battery assemblies

How to change batteries in a screwdriver with your own hands

A screwdriver is one of those tools that every man needs. The device can operate both from the mains and from special chargers. Therefore, it is recommended that every owner of such a product know how the batteries are replaced in a screwdriver. The process is simple, but some models may have certain features.

For each product, the number of cans in the battery may be different

Replacing nickel-cadmium batteries in a screwdriver with lithium

Do-it-yourself screwdriver batteries are replaced with lithium batteries by calculating their number, provided that one cell requires 3.7 V. For example, for a product with a capacity of 14.4 V, it is necessary to prepare 4 cans of Li-Ion of 18650 standard.

It is also worth considering the difference in size. To change the battery, you will need to purchase a charge-discharge controller, which is installed additionally in the case with banks. In addition, it is possible that the charger will have to be replaced.

Choosing a Li-ion battery

Manufacturers offer lithium-ion and lithium-polymer cells. The latter are smaller and safer, but they also cost more. However, they are not able to deliver large currents to work. Therefore, experts recommend taking conventional lithium-ion cans.

Battery assembly

Further battery replacement consists of the following steps:

• The disassembled parts of the case are well cleaned;
• Since the dimensions of the new battery cells will be smaller, they must be securely fixed: glued to the inner wall of the case with Moment glue or sealant;
• The positive and negative wires are soldered to the old terminal block, it is placed in the same place in the case and fixed. The protective board is laid, the parts of the battery pack are connected. If they were previously glued, then “Moment” is used again.

Battery cell connection

The connection of Li-Ion batteries for a screwdriver is performed in several ways:

• The use of special cassettes. The method is fast, but the contacts have a large transition resistance, they can quickly collapse from relatively high currents;
• Soldering. A method suitable for those who know how to solder, since you need to have certain skills. Soldering should be done quickly, because the solder cools quickly, and prolonged heating can damage the battery;
• Spot welding. Is the preferred method. Not everyone has a welding machine, such services can be provided by specialists.

Soldering the elements

Important! The elements must be connected in series, then the battery voltage is added up, and the capacity does not change.

At the second stage, wires are soldered to the contacts of the assembled battery and to the protective board according to the connection diagram. To the contacts of the battery itself for power circuits, wires with a cross-sectional area of ​​1.5 mm² are soldered. For other circuits, you can take thinner wires. 0.75 mm²;

A piece of heat shrink tubing is then placed over the battery, but this is not required. You can also put on heat shrinkage on the protective microcircuit to isolate it from contact with the batteries, otherwise sharp soldering projections can damage the cell shell and provoke a short circuit.

The advantages of lithium-ion batteries

Nickel-cadmium batteries have a low price, withstand many charging cycles, and are not afraid of low temperatures. But the capacity of the battery will decrease if you put it on charge without waiting for a full discharge (memory effect).

Lithium-ion batteries offer the following benefits:

• high capacity, which will provide a longer operating time of the screwdriver;
• smaller size and weight;
• keeps charge well when inoperative.

But a lithium battery for a screwdriver does not withstand a full discharge, therefore, factory tools on such batteries are equipped with additional boards that protect the battery from overheating, short-circuit, overcharging in order to avoid an explosion, a complete discharge. When the microcircuit is inserted directly into the battery, the circuit is opened if the unused battery is separated from the tool.

Tips for choosing a security chip

The lithium-ion battery of the screwdriver cannot function normally without the BMS protection board. Instances on sale have different parameters. BMS 3S marking assumes, for example, that the board is designed for 3 elements.

What you need to pay attention to in order to choose a suitable microcircuit:

• The presence of balancing to ensure uniformity of the charge of the cells. If it is present, the value of the balancing current should be in the description of the technical data;
• Maximum long-term operating current. On average, you need to focus on 20-30 A. But this depends on the power of the screwdriver. Low-power enough 20 A, powerful. from 30 A;
• Voltage, upon reaching which the batteries are disconnected when overcharging (about 4.3 V);
• Voltage at which the screwdriver turns off. It is necessary to select this value based on the technical parameters of the battery cell (the minimum voltage is about 2.6 V);
• Overload protection current;
• Resistance of transistor elements (minimum value selected).

Important! The magnitude of the overload tripping current is not very important. This value is offset from the workload current. In case of short-term overloads, even if the tool has turned off, you must release the start button, and then you can continue to work.

Connection diagram of the elements with the protective board

Whether the controller has an autorun function can be determined by the presence of the “Automatic recovery” entry in the technical data. If there is no such function, then in order to restart the screwdriver after the protection is triggered, it will be necessary to remove the battery and connect it to the charger.

Difficulties in rework

There are objective disadvantages in Li-Ion batteries, such as poor performance at low temperatures. In addition, when converting a screwdriver to 18650 lithium batteries, a number of difficulties can be encountered:

• The 18650 standard means that a single cell has a diameter of 18 mm and a length of 65 mm. These dimensions do not match the dimensions of the nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride elements previously installed in the screwdriver. Replacing batteries will require placing them in a standard battery case, plus the installation of a protective microcircuit and connecting wires;
• The voltage at the output of the lithium cells is 3.6 V, and on the nickel-cadmium cells. 1.2 V. Let’s say the nominal voltage of the old battery is 12 V. This voltage cannot be ensured when Li-Ion cells are connected in series. The range of voltage fluctuations during the charge-discharge cycles of the ion battery also changes. Accordingly, converted batteries may not be compatible with the screwdriver;
• Ionic batteries differ in the specifics of their work. They do not withstand overcharging voltage more than 4.2 V and discharge less than 2.7 V until they fail. Therefore, when a battery is being reworked, a protective board must be installed in a screwdriver;
• The existing charger can not be used for a screwdriver with a Li-Ion battery. You will also need to redo it or purchase another.

Important! If the drill or screwdriver is cheap and not of very high quality, then it is better not to rework. This can cost more than the cost of the tool itself.

Disassembling the battery case

The case is often assembled with self-tapping screws, other options are assembled with latches or glue. The glued block is the most difficult to disassemble, you have to use a special hammer with a plastic head so as not to damage the parts of the case. Everything is removed from the inside. You can reapply only the contact plates or the entire terminal assembly for connecting to the tool, charger.

Conversion of a screwdriver to lithium batteries 18650

The industry has been making screwdrivers for a long time, and many people have older models with nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries. Converting a screwdriver to lithium will improve the performance of the device without buying a new tool. Now many companies offer services for altering screwdriver batteries, but you can do it yourself.

Conversion of a screwdriver to lithium batteries

Battery selection

12 V batteries are often used for screwdrivers. Factors to consider when choosing a Li-Ion battery for a screwdriver:

• In such instruments, elements with high values ​​of the discharge current are used;
• In many cases, the cell capacity is inversely related to the discharge current, so it cannot be selected based on capacity alone. The main indicator is the current. The value of the operating current of the screwdriver can be found in the tool passport. Usually it is from 15 to 30-40 A;
• It is not recommended to use cells with different capacities when replacing a screwdriver battery with a Li-Ion 18650;
• Sometimes there are tips to use a lithium battery from an old laptop. This is absolutely unacceptable. They are designed for much lower discharge currents and have inappropriate technical characteristics;
• The number of elements is calculated based on the approximate ratio. 1 Li-Ion to 3 Ni-Cd. For a 12-volt battery, you will need to put 3 new ones to replace 10 old cans. The voltage level will be slightly reduced, but if 4 cells are installed, the overvoltage will shorten the life of the motor.

Important! Before assembly, it is necessary to fully charge all elements to equalize.