| Rebuilding Dell Batteries Page 2 |
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| Now that all the cells are seperated and removed from the casing, you are ready to install the new cells. I purchased my new cells from a distributor off of ebay for under $20. I replaced my panasonic cells with the sony brand, but they were the same CGR18650 part number. This is a far cry from the $100+ that everyone wanted for a new battery. The next step is to figure out how you wish to solder the new batteries to the metal tangs in the battery case. Another warning here, when soldering, use the highest power solder gun available, do not use the low power wood burner or soldering irons. You do not want to heat up the batteries very hot, and the high power solder gun will have the solder melted and the tangs attached in a few seconds because of its high power charcteristics. Some suggestions to make the soldering easier and stick better. I suggest that you score both ends of all of the batteries with a fingernail file or a sharp hobby knife to give the solder something to grab onto. The easiest way i found to solder the metal tangs to the batteries was to cut a piece of solder about 1/4 inch long and the fold it back on itself so you have a doublewide piece about 1/8 inch long. Determine which end of the battery you want to work with and stand that end of the battery up. Next place the piece of solder on the newly scored battery end. Now sandwich the solder between the battery and the metal tang that you need to solder to that end of the battery. Place the solder gun on top of the metal tang and hold it there for the few seconds it takes for the solder to melt. When the solder melts, the tang will sink closer to the battery. Now that the metal tang is contacting the battery, hold the solder gun there for a "one onethousand" count and remove the gun. This was more than adequate to hold the tang and battery together. Continue this process until you have re-connected all of the connections, and place the batteries back into the case. On the Dell batteries, there is a battery status indicator located on each battery, now would be a good time to press that little button and check for the green LED's to light up. You may need to hold the button in for a few seconds the first time you press it after reassembly before you see any lights. Now that the batteries are back in the case, replace the top half of the case and assure that it fits back together properly. If it fits together good then you can begin the process of glueing the case back together. I used a few small C-clamps and some superglue to accomplish this. Let it sit overnight and then you are ready to try out your new battery cells. Now that your battery is back together, its time to put it back into the laptop and see if it will take a charge. The first 5-10 cycles on the battery, the computer will not really know the upper and lower limits of the new cells charge capabilities. After these cycles the computer re-learns the upper and lower limits of the new cells and continues normal operations. And Voila!!!! you have a nearly new or personally refurbished laptop battery. Good luck with this project if you decide to take it on. |
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