jk037
Newly Enlightened
Evening CPF'ers, I know this isn't strictly related to flashlights but it IS about batteries!
I've got a little 12-volt DeWalt cordless drill which is about 5 years old, and the original NiCad battery packs are, well... ****ed. And that's putting it politely. One will only charge up to 7.1V (i.e. only 5 of the 10 cells working), the other manages 10V (7 out of 10 working), and even the better one only gives a fraction of the working life that it used to.
Ideally I'd like to re-cell both packs but I'm finding it difficult to get my hands on the required cells - I believe they're what are termed "4/5 Sub C", being about 22mm diameter by 33mm height. Not only are they quite hard to find - even the usual Hong Kong discount emporiums have failed me! - but I can't seem to find them for less than £2.50 each which makes it almost as expensive as buying a replacement DeWalt battery pack, which can be found for just under £30 on fleabay.
Soooo... does anyone know of a cheap way to get hold of these cells? I don't necessarily mean recommend me a retailer; what I'm wondering is if there are any battery packs for other applications that are (a) full of 4/5 Sub C's, and (b) can be picked up for much less than the cost of the individual cells.
I've got a little 12-volt DeWalt cordless drill which is about 5 years old, and the original NiCad battery packs are, well... ****ed. And that's putting it politely. One will only charge up to 7.1V (i.e. only 5 of the 10 cells working), the other manages 10V (7 out of 10 working), and even the better one only gives a fraction of the working life that it used to.
Ideally I'd like to re-cell both packs but I'm finding it difficult to get my hands on the required cells - I believe they're what are termed "4/5 Sub C", being about 22mm diameter by 33mm height. Not only are they quite hard to find - even the usual Hong Kong discount emporiums have failed me! - but I can't seem to find them for less than £2.50 each which makes it almost as expensive as buying a replacement DeWalt battery pack, which can be found for just under £30 on fleabay.
Soooo... does anyone know of a cheap way to get hold of these cells? I don't necessarily mean recommend me a retailer; what I'm wondering is if there are any battery packs for other applications that are (a) full of 4/5 Sub C's, and (b) can be picked up for much less than the cost of the individual cells.