When good tools go bad... Lithium Upgrade

[Bumbo]

I've owned this Snap-On impact gun for at least 8-10 years now...

Its a damn good gun, but back in those days Lithium wasn't really an option, and those Nickle Cadmium batteries it came with have faded away over the years. Surprisingly its lasted this long, so I guess those Japanese made batteries held up pretty well but one of the packs went completely dead. After a full charge, only takes a month of sitting to see 0 volts.

I looked at replacements and those are $100 each, no way am I paying that for Nickle Cad packs...

I looked at a replacement, new Snap-On, and wasn't in to mood to shell out $600 on a set setup.

I looked at the Milwaukee M18 fuel 1/2 impact and its not bad at all for $350, but a brand new impact still has similar specs as my 10 year old Snap-On! Impressive for something I bought that long ago considering its still very valid today.

So with only the packs holding me back, I decided to rebuild them, but I wanted Lithium.

I set off to find some beast mode lithium cells and came across the Samsung INR 25R. These are high discharge / high drain cells. After reviewing the spec sheet I purchased a few to play with.

After testing individual cells, I started assembling them into a 5S1P (5 series 1 parallel) pack. That gives me a max of 21v fully charged. Its the most I could fit into the stock pack.

I marked the tab locations for the series connections...

Its recommended to use a spot welder, but I dont have one, so soldering it is. Its helps to scuff up the surfaces and flux for good flow and adhesion.

I wanted to be able to balance these lithium packs as well, so I made a custom balance cable with the intention of having this port externally accessible. I made the dongle and routed the balance leads accordingly.

Using a high quality hobby charger typically used for RC hobby stuff, I checked the balance leads. I can now monitor and balance each individual cell along with being able to charge the pack itself.

Everything looked good, tested well, so I started packaging it all up and made it secure in the original pack with Anderson Power poles so I can service or rebuild the pack for the rest of its service life.

Because I used Anderson connections, I can easily open the pack for testing. Here is my inline amp meter I used for testing performance.

Here are the results from my 4Runner with lugs @ 83 ft/lb. 23 amps / 460 watts! It literally spins the lugs off like butter. Also well within the battery performance specs.

Here are the results from my Chevy Silverado with lugs @ 140 ft/lb. 41 amps, 712 watts! Its a beast... works like new, and still throw those lugs off with authority. I am really impressed with how much current those cells can deliver. Really impressive for a single series string of batteries.

All in all, a successful project and a new love for a tool I have had for a long time. I really enjoy how light the new packs are too, its easier to handle and just less weight to swing around.

The only thing that has really changed is charging. I use a hobby charger now but its worth the trade off.

I no longer have to worry about my packs going dead in storage, or on the trail. Those Ni-Cads could have left me stranded. There were times it felt full, the the packs loose juice over time.

I always have power and it never fades in storage. Since my charger is DC, I can easily charger it off the trucks 12v battery.

New life to an old tool, and it really does work better as well or better than it did when I got it. I have already started converting other old Hitachi drill pack to Lithium.

 

[LittleCaesar]

That is one serious soldering station!

I have had a SO CT4410a since 2013 and for dynamic torque, it rules. Considering I am only shadtree and not a professional, that may come into play. Even only being a 3/8 impact the 4410 takes off the 140 ft/lbs of torqued chevy truck lugs effortlessly.

My brother has a SO truck come by once a month (owns a boatyard) and his driver had a BOGO on the Nicad 18v last Xmas so I got two. I do have a couple of 14.4v batteries that do need attention though and this may be the route to go.

 

[Bumbo]

I'm not a professional either, just a serious hobbyist that likes his tools too. I like electronics and electrical stuff a lot too in addition to wrenching on cars.

Thanks for the compliment on the soldering station... here is a better shot of that. it's a rework station with a heat gun, fume vacuum, and a temp controlled soldering iron. Night and day from the typical 40 watt Radio Shack stuff.

To be honest its ok quality wise... If knew better at the time I would have bought a JBC iron (soo nice). It's basically the Snap-On of the soldering world. At least what I have is temperature controlled with decent thermal capacity. That is pretty much what you want in a good iron so it works well.

Its paid for itself... I recently repaired my ham radio which had blown finals.

If you have questions about lithium battery stuff just send me a PM... I have been knee deep in battery stuff recently and think its a lot of fun. I also have a 14.4v drill pack that needs some addition.

 

[TK-422]

I'm just curious if you looked to see if they made Lithium Ion packs for your current impact.

I have a bunch of older 18V DeWalt tools and when the NiCad battery packs started losing it I replaced them with three Lithium Ion packs and a charger for the new battery packs. They have been working ever since.

 

[LittleCaesar]

I had always heard that it was mandatory to use a spot welder; I don't have one either.

The SO driver says in the Southern US all those who want an upgrade to Lithium have to have them send to a company for new cells, etc. for a complete rebuild. But as he told my brother, 95% or more techs just buy a whole new lithium package due to their guns taking serious abuse on a daily grind. Plus with the economy being decent at the moment, techs will spend $$$ on a whole new package.

I should have known it was a rework station. My old neighbor had a Hakko. Cool stuff. I just don't have space for one.

 

[ran]

I was almost ready to go Lithium on my C3 Craftsman 19.2 V tools, then I found 3 Amp batts on ebay (Craftsman's is 2-2.2 Amp). Bought a Impact wrench and it runs fine.
_______________________
2007 SE V6 Titanium

 

[Bumbo]

I'm just curious if you looked to see if they made Lithium Ion packs for your current impact.

I have a bunch of older 18V DeWalt tools and when the NiCad battery packs started losing it I replaced them with three Lithium Ion packs and a charger for the new battery packs. They have been working ever since.

I did look around and didn't see anything that was compatible.

The new system has a different mounting interface between the tool and the lithium battery.

That said, there is no reason for it, they could have made it compatible if they wanted to.

 

[Bumbo]

I had always heard that it was mandatory to use a spot welder; I don't have one either.

The SO driver says in the Southern US all those who want an upgrade to Lithium have to have them send to a company for new cells, etc. for a complete rebuild. But as he told my brother, 95% or more techs just buy a whole new lithium package due to their guns taking serious abuse on a daily grind. Plus with the economy being decent at the moment, techs will spend $$$ on a whole new package.

I should have known it was a rework station. My old neighbor had a Hakko. Cool stuff. I just don't have space for one.

I like Hakko irons too, if I ever get another one I would also consider them as well.

I have been watching a lot of DIY projects with lithium 18650s on Youtube and a very large amount of builders solder.

I think the main concern with soldering is over heating the battery, but with a good soldering station and appropriate tip it doesn't really seem to be a problem. I am done with the joint in a matter of a few seconds.

If I had to rely on something like this for my daily grind I would probably just buy a new package too, but enjoying this type of stuff I would have probably did a lithium conversion anyways.

 

[Bumbo]

hi, I'm looking for a good powerful welder. There are many variants, but I can't choose the most suitable for me..

I now use one called the kWeld... it's a very good unit, but it requires assembly.

 

[Gamma Ray]

I use an old Hakko at work. Fantastic iron. It's out of production, but I've heard good things about the newer version, FX-888 if I'm not mistaken. It may look like a toy, but I've heard it's very good. I actually use FX-888 tips these days on the older iron. No problems.

 

[JessyJ]

hi, I'm looking for a good powerful welder. There are a lot ofvariants, but I can't choose the most suitable for me.I read the Pro Welder Guide and it's full of different MIG welder under $500. So far I have settled on a budget product (Hobart Handler 140), it can weld both aluminum and stainless steel and its 140-amp rating enables you to work on thick metals, but I read that the only serious drawback of this machine is that it can't weld for more than 60 seconds at full power.Maybe someone used this machine?