Mikey Sklar’s Dirt Dog battery pack was kaput. He took it apart, found the dead cell in the pack, and replaced it with a NiMH AA rechargeable.
iRobot Dirt Dog Battery
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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.
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This is not such a good idea. The AA batter is considerably different in capacity to the existing batteries and will be subject to overchanging when the pack is charged.
The battery charger will have been sized to expect all the batteries are the same size.
It will work for a while but the AA battery will fail and could potentially explode when charged.
Far better to actually remove the dead cell and wire across ad the loss of one cell is minor in comparison in a large battery pack.
Even better get another Nicad/NiMH cell of the same size – they are readily available from even supermarkets now.
As a last comment are they NiMH cells – I would have perhaps expected them to be Nicads. – Is so even less reason to replace a Nicad C cell with a NiMH AA cell. Different charging characteristics.
I tried this on a couple of things but could never get the solder to stick to the new battery. The solder just would not stick to the battery terminal. Any advice would be appreciated.
Your best bet is to use batteries with solder tabs – they can be bought from most electronic supply places.
If you are using batteries without solder tabs, the best way to attach is not soldering but spot-welding. However not many people have the gear for that.
If you have no option but to solder, make a pool of solder on the end of the cell, and with a sharp object, scratch the surface of the metal underneath the molten solder. You must get through the shiny surface of the metal without exposing the scratched area to the air. Doing this will allow the solder to stick, but you must keep the time you apply heat to the cell to a minimum.
Also as others have said, you must use the same cell chemistry and capacity as the others in the pack.
You can also get a complete replacement pack including the special screwdriver from these folks:
http://www.all-battery.com/144v3800mahnimhbatterypackforirobotvacuumcleaner-roomba4905.aspx
Just got a new battery off eBay. $27 delivered. I’ve charged and drained it twice. In both cases, it ran for just under 2 hours (47 minutes).
http://www.digital-camera-battery-charger.co.uk
http://www.battery-charger.us
http://www.power-jack.net/
We are committed to the laptop battery, digital camera batteries, camcorder batteries, PDA batteries and Chargers, development, production and marketing services, the products sell well not only 11 years in Europe, America, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and other countries and regions, but also through all major cities across the country to establish a sales agent in the form, the establishment of a comprehensive sales network and after-sale service system, the first class products and perfect after-sales service to consumers.
http://www.digital-camera-battery-charger.co.uk
http://www.battery-charger.us
http://www.power-jack.net/
We are committed to the laptop battery, digital camera batteries, camcorder batteries, PDA batteries and Chargers, development, production and marketing services, the products sell well not only 11 years in Europe, America, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and other countries and regions, but also through all major cities across the country to establish a sales agent in the form, the establishment of a comprehensive sales network and after-sale service system, the first class products and perfect after-sales service to consumers.