18v Cordless Drills

- Best practice for maintaining my NiCd Recharable Battery (18V 1.7Ah)?
I have 4 related questions but before i get to them please read the details first: I recently purchased the Worx 18V WG150 Grass Trimmer. This trimmer came with 2 recharable batteries (each battery is: 18v 1.7Ah NiCd). The trimmer included a battery charger with a feature to automatically prevent these batteries from overcharging (it monitors heat). The trimmer only uses 1 battery to operate. My 4 questions: 1. Both batteries have not been charged yet (they are fresh out of the box). Because i want to only use 1 battery can i just pack the 2nd battery away in storage (completely discharged) for maybe a year (or more) and when i need it i can just dust it off, fully charge it, and get going? 2. To best maintain my battery, i was thinking i should FULLY charge it (from a completely discharged state) on the day i need it (charging takes 1 hour when battery is completely discharged), and then use the trimmer until the battery has been completely depleted (a complete cycle). And then store the battery, now entirely discharged, until i need it again maybe a month or more from that point. Is that an acceptable plan, realizing that the battery will be stored totally discharged for long periods? 3. If i fully charge it then how long can i keep the battery in this charged state before i must discharge it? Are there any consequences to keeping it fully charged for long periods besides a potential 10-20% self-discharge occurring? (i.e., will the battery become damaged?) 4. Is it best to keep the battery entirely discharged when storing it for long periods? How long can i keep it stored in a discharged state before i must fully charge it again, if necessary? Does the battery become damaged by being entirely discharged for long periods? Thank you. ----------

A keep them charged but dont recharge them until they are fully discharged,they develop a memory.2 batteries are better than 1

- Quick way to Discharge a Battery Pack unit [PICTURES SHOWN]?
Here are links to pictures of my Worx Battery (18V 1.7Ah) and its accompanying charger unit. The battery is for the "Worx 10-inch 18V Cordless Grass Trimmer" (here is a picture of the grass trimmer: http://images.canadiantire.ca/media/images/products/images/Assortments/PrimaryAssortments/GardenPatio/PowerEquipment/GrassTrimmers/0602256_450_CC_538b3.jpg ): Battery and Charger 1: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/quantass/battery/batterycharger-3.jpg Battery and Charger 2: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/quantass/battery/batterycharger-2.jpg Battery IN Charger: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/quantass/battery/batteryincharger.jpg Battery on its Side: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/quantass/battery/battery-side.jpg Battery from the top: http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/quantass/battery/battery-front.jpg To help keep its long-life for years to come i have adopted a regimen of fully-charging and discharging the battery pack at least once a month. The problem is that to be able to re-cycle the stored energy once a month it requires me to place the unit into the grass trimmer and have it run for the full 30-mins it takes to discharge the battery pack entirely. My question: is there a more convenient way to discharge this battery pack without having to place it into the grass trimmer and letting it run on its own until the power is wiped out? When you look at the battery pack you will see the "cathode"/"anode" leads and so with that is there a safe and more convenient way to discharge this unit?

A You could just use a power resistor, but a light bulb shows you that it has discharged. You can probably find 18 volt bulbs as replacements for the flashlight sold to use 18 volt packs from power tools like yours, or just get 24 volt bulbs sold for trucks or connect two 12 volt bulbs in series.

- Can I put my new 18v lithium batteries on my old 18v Ryobi charger.?
I have the all in one Ryobi system and have two other of the old style chargers. The manual says I can put old batteries on the new charger, but can I put the new batteries on the old charger?

A shouldnt be a prob, as long as the voltage is equal. BUT check to see if the MaH rating is close also.

- 18v ryobi charger has green and yellow light lit after 15 min?


A Remove battery and re-insert If it continues …your battery is probably toast

- can a makita multi charger charge a ridgid 18v lithium battery?
can a makita multi charger charge a ridgid 18v lithium battery If i jumper the right terminals. Im pretty sure they use the same 18650 batteries in their packs but not sure if the electronic boards are similar.

A Answer Awaiting Moderation and Reply

- Question about battery capacity?
Okay... here's the deal: I have 3 different batteries. One is a AA rechargeable Nickel-metal Hydride rated at 2450mAh Then I have a Ridgid LI-ION pack rated at 1400mAh Then I have a Milwaukee NiCD rated at 2400mAh Now imagine the size and weight difference... Okay so voltages are different. The AA is 1.5v The LI-ION is 12V and the NiCD is 18V So let's break it down: It would take 12 AA's (NMHI) to make 18V in case weighing ~16 oz or 1LB. Still 2450 mAh If I take apart the Li-Ion it has 3 cells, so to get 18V you need 4 1/2 cells... weighing about 12 oz and still storing 1400mAh The NiCD is already 18V and weighs almost 2.5 Lbs! And stores 2400mAh Are you seeing the problem? Lithium Ion SUCKS!!! They ripped us off! Said it holds more power, weighs less, and is more efficient with longer life span. Well it appears to me that to get equivalent charge capacity, I'd have to nearly double the weight and size of the Li-ion pack. And out of all these batteries, which one do you think stopped working after only a few charges and a years time? I have 4 NICD packs that have been abused thoroughly for more than 4 years. All still work great. I have nearly 30 rechargeable Energizer batteries (AA and AAA) and yes they fail sometimes, but as it turns out when one flashes in the charger as "bad" you can usually just drain it down in a flashlight and it'll charge again like nothing was wrong. I bought a Ridgid kit for 190 bucks about 2 years ago. it came with 2 12v Li-Ion batteries and I tried it out for a while. Kept it with me. Used it now and then. I don't like it at all. It's weak. It dies suddenly. And, you guessed it. I've only had 1 working battery for the last year or so. I'm not paying 60 bucks for a replacement, and it's BS that it failed soon after the 1 year warranty. I took it apart to see if it's fixable and it really isn't at all. You can't acquire replacement cells without special license (dangerous!) and there's no easy way to test. I am so freaking poor and broke right now, but I need a good power source for my metal detector. So I'm going with the NiCD pack. I'm splitting the cell group into 12v and 6v to power the unit and a light and I'll just put it in my back pack. I'm just not sure if I can have a wire feeding my detector without upsetting the field. And on top of that it's a two-box detector needing two batteries, meaning a wire has to pass between the boxes. Argh. It's a deep cache finder so the field is huge. I can't wear my steel-toed boots or a belt. But hopefully the battery will be high enough to avoid the field. Is there a cheap way to shield metal wire from upsetting a detector? Anyone have any advice relevant to my long-winded rant?

A Maybe you can simplify this? I got part way through and gave up.

- how to use 18v ni cad porter cable charger pcmvc type 2?


A You put a compatible battery in the charger, plug the charger into power. At lest one LED should light, or slowly blink for charging. A fast blink means a bad battery. Solid on means charged. Other blink patterns indicate a temperature error, and bad power.

- Will a B&D 18v portable chain saw work with Porter Cable 18v batteries?
I recently purchased a 18v Porter Cable combo kit with the standard tools and lithium Ion batteries and smart charger for both LI and NCad batts. Since Porter Cable is owned by B&D and the batteries look similar in configuration, I was wondering if I could use the PC batts in the B&D 18v chain saw. It would be a handy addition to my kit since PC doesn't make one. Any thoughts are appreciated.

A Hi Steve, this is Mike with The Home Depot. You are correct, Black and Decker has acquired the Porter Cable Power Tool Company, however the interchangeability of the brands batteries has not changed. Porter Cable still operates as a separate entity, and is still responsible for the design and performance of their tools. While some of the internal components may be interchangeable, the major ones such as the batteries are not. The primary issue is product design. Black and Decker tools and batteries are designed and priced for a specific market, mainly home owner use. Thus an 18v volt Black and Decker battery, will not necessarily offer the some run time or power output as a Porter Cable Battery. A good example would be a v8 engine. A truck v8 will often offer more power and performance than a v8 in a passenger car, even though they are both v8’s. Porter Cable products are designed for the professional contractor, are built to a much higher standard of power and performance and sell at a higher price point. If a less powerful Black and Decker battery were to be used in a Porter Cable tool, the performance would suffer and the Image of Porter Cable tools would suffer as a result. While it would be nice to use the Porter Cable batteries in a Black and Decker tool to boost the performance, the bottom line is the batteries are not interchangeable. I hope this answers your question Mike, The Home Depot Answer Man

- How many watts does a milwaukee 12v-18v charger use?


A Around 800-1200 watts while charging. Hard to say though without knowing the amperage of the device. @frank, You cannot use ohms law on AC systems. AC circuits require a different set of equations because of the reactance.

- I want to buy a inverter for my car to use milwaukee 12v-18v charger. need to know how many watts it uses?


A it uses less than 1 amp to run so i would buy an inverter with at least a 1 amp rating on it. i have that charger but i am not sure on the wattage on it.

- can a makita multi charger charge a ridgid 18v lithium battery?
can a makita multi charger charge a ridgid 18v lithium battery If i jumper the right terminals. Im pretty sure they use the same 18650 batteries in their packs but not sure if the electronic boards are similar.

A Answer Awaiting Moderation and Reply

- can't charge makita 18v batteries. Charger says both batteries are bad.?


A get new batteries....or take them back and get them tested...you may have a bad charger