can power tool batteries freeze free sample

#5 – Use the right batteries. Yes, there are loads of “knock-off” imitation lithium-ion batteries for each manufacturer. But it’s always a good idea to use original batteries with your cordless tools. And stock up! The more batteries you have, the less the cold weather will be an issue for you, just follow the steps above the make sure all your batteries are ready to use on a cold day.

Rechargeable cordless tools are convenient, portable, and ready to work at a moment’s notice. Cordless tool batteries last for several years; and with proper care and storage, you can extend battery life and your investment.

Do Keep Battery Charged: Recharge cordless tool batteries as soon as you notice a decrease in power. Most batteries last longest if recharged when they reach 70% capacity. Even NiCd batteries (the ones with the so-called “memory effect”) only need to be completely discharged every month or so to retain their charge memory.

Do Use Battery Regularly: Battery life decreases with lack of use, so keep those tools in action! If you only very rarely use a tool, you may want to consider a plug-in version, or plan to recharge the cordless tool battery before starting a project.

Let’s examine the inner workings of the cell more closely. A mild short will only cause elevated self-discharge and the heat buildup is minimal because the discharging power is very low. If enough microscopic metallic particles converge on one spot, a sizable current begins to flow between the electrodes of the cell, and the spot heats up and weakens. As a small water leak in a faulty hydro dam can develop into a torrent and take a structure down, so too can heat buildup damage the insulation layer in a cell and cause an electrical short. The temperature can quickly reach 500C (932F), at which point the cell catches fire or it explodes. This thermal runaway that occurs is known as “venting with flame.” “Rapid disassembly” is the preferred term by the battery industry.

Industrial batteries, such as those used for power tools, are generally more rugged than those in consumer products. Besides solid construction, power tool batteries are maximized for power delivery and less on energy for long runtimes. Power Cells have a lower Ah rating than Energy Cells and are in general more tolerant and safer if abused.

There are also safety concerns with the electric vehicle. However, statistics show that EVs produce fewer fires compared to vehicles with the internal combustion engine (ICE) per billion kilometers driven. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 400,000 ICE-powered cars burned down in the 1980s. Today, 90 fires per one billion with ICE vehicles are considered normal; reports say that Tesla had only two fires per one billion driven kilometers.

A process known as sulfation is induced with low charge. Sulfation is an oxidation layer that forms on the negative plate and impedes the flow of current. After excessively extended storage, it may prevent charging small lead acid cells such as Toyo, Yuasa, Hawker (Enersys) Cyclon, and others. In its early stages, a topping charge, cycling, or the application of an elevated voltage may reduce the capacity losses. With elevated voltage application, the charging current converts the sulfate crystals into active material in about 2 hours. The cell resistance subsequently drops, and the charge voltage gradually normalizes. The cell is able to accept a normal charge when it is in the range of 2.10–2.40 volts. This process should not be undertaken if the power supply does not feature current limiting.

Because of the role of temperature, active chemicals, and the typically flat voltage curve of lithium batteries, correlating state of charge to voltage can be imprecise. To achieve a 30 percent state of charge in a device such as a notebook, mobile phone, or tablet, discharge your battery and terminate the discharge at 30 percent charge based on the embedded battery management system (BMS) installed in your device. While the reading is not always accurate, the requirements are not unreasonably strict. If in doubt, you can optionally discharge your battery a single bar in your device’s power level indicator, or to the ‘low battery’ or similar alert. In such cases, it is strongly advisable to apply a full or near-full charge immediately upon arrival. Keeping Li-ion battery packs discharged for weeks or months in shipping could put them in sleep mode by their protection circuit; but they could be re-awakened. The waking feature can also be found in some battery chargers. Modern lithium-ion chargers feature an on-command utility called AirShip that can ready your battery pack to the required 30 percent state of charge.

I"ve been using Bosch 14.4V ni-cad tools for several years. I get along great with the drills, and the little circular trim saw is an overachiever for it"s size, but I could really use a cordless recip, and a cordless circular saw with more guts.

I"ve been looking at Bosch, Makita, and Milwaukee lithium ion 18v sets, and reading some mixed reviews. One of my main concerns is battery performance when cold. I leave my tools in the van in all weather, and my ni-cad stuff works well even when it"s been sitting out in very cold weather. Any of ya"ll have any experience with l.i. stuff?

I"ve got a Makita lithium impact driver and a drill. I have only had them through 1 winter and didn"t notice any issues but I wasn"t paying close attention either like I will be now that you mentioned it. I love the 18V lithium Makita impact though. One of my favorite and most used tools ever. I have never had a cordless reciprocating saw that I was happy with but only ever owned one. (DeWalt 18V) Never had enough juice to get the job done.

I have the drill and impact, I always charge em on the last job I used em on and if I don"t use em for awhile they still have the same charge I left them with. They are amazing tools, I have have to consider the jigsaw.

I love my milwaukee m18 tools. I use them everyday and they work great. weather up here can get down below 0 for a few days in a row. Only thing I noticed was they are a little slow to start up when its below 0. probably more the tool than the battery. onced used for a minute or two they are fine. Around here most places carry milwaukee in stock. just my 2 cents

It was shortly after that trial run that I went to Homer"s and purchased my first bag of those tools. Back in "05 I believe that woulda been. I"ve since added an angle grinder, a concrete vibrator, a jigsaw, and, most recently, and angle drill. And, of course, a couple batteries each time I see a good sale. :)

Rick, to get a look at "just tools" or in other words, cordless tools without batteries, add a "Z" to any tool model. So for the jig saw, the model number BJV180 will get you the tool, 2 batteries and a charger. Model number BJV180Z will get you just the tool, no batteries or charger.

So you"re saying tha Bosch has a patent and no one else can make a radio that has a battery charger? I might be able to possibly understand this if said unit charged Bosch batteries, but last time I checked Makita"s batteries didn"t fit my Bosch tools.

I have the bosch radio and like it okay. I don"t have any bosch tools so I don"t care that it charges batteries, but that compartment is a good sealed area to store little things I don"t want to get dirty or wet (ipod). I got the bosch mainly cause of the nice 4 outlets it has on the side. Since I mostly do remodels now, I don"t use that radio at all. It is now in the garage full time. I use a little ryobi radio that I turn up just loud enough to hear the music in the bathroom I am working in, don"t need no loud music anymore.

I"ve still got a whole gaggle of quite useful DeWalt 18v tools and zero usable batteries. Some of the dead are only a few years old and did not ever see hard use at all. I had no complaints about the tools, only the batteries. :(

Well, I have been hitting all the Homers I pass by looking for the batteries. There is this really nice big one I pass by frequently that usually has the best selection of tools, I was certain they would get the batteries. Turns out a smaller place closer to me got them. I picked me up some, nice to have lots of batteries! Now I need more tools that use them, then I will need more batteries, then....

I just bought the Makita radio I like the fact that I can throw a battery in it to use it, I don"t mind charging them. I also bought the Lithium Ion jigsaw. I been using a jigsaw more and more doing kerdi showers for the drains. I got the one with the battery and charger not just the tool Makita has a promo for a free battery which I will be filling out. This will be good my current tools are the white Makitas with the 1.5 batteries so I will be upgrading to the 3 ahs.

Don your Tim Allen “tool guy” persona and imagine a cordless tool that lasts up to twice as long between charges and has the power of corded tools. How about a cordless tool that performs like a corded and has consistent, fade-free power throughout the discharge cycle, ensuring the last hole or cut is as powerful as the first?

After nearly a decade of research and development, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation recently unveiled a breakthrough technology that allowed it to introduce 28-volt versions of many of its products. The V28 system is based on a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery developed by Milwaukee. Gary Meyer, the company’s manager of research and development, has been with the nine-year project since its inception and believes this approach to battery technology will cut the cord on many more tools in the future.

“About the only thing the new lithium-ion technology has in common with the old nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) technology is that they are used to power cordless tools,” he says.

The Li-ion technology uses a special molecule structure that allows current to flow three-dimensionally instead of through two-dimensional layers in the cell. The results are large increases in power and run time and the ability to run power-hungry tools, such as a hammer-drill, reciprocating saw, circular saw, impact wrench and band saw. These tools can now run at faster speeds, with more power and for a longer time between charges.

Weight: While the new system provides heavy-duty power, “heavy” isn’t a major tool concern. The weight of a 3.0 amp-hour, 28-volt Li-ion battery is slightly less than a conventional 18-volt NiCd battery pack.

Run time: Take your average run time found with NiCd-powered tools and just about double it to see the Li-ion difference. In many applications, one battery charge per day is all that’s required.

Fade-free power: Instead of the gradual but noticeable power decline you expect as a NiCd or NiMH battery pack discharges, the lithium-ion cells maintain consistent power. Power doesn’t drop off drastically until the last hole or cut.

Battery fuel gauge: V28 offers a neat feature here. With its on-board fuel gauge, you don’t have to guess how much power is left in the battery. Before you climb a ladder to the top of a machine or get down into a tight space, you can check to be sure you’ll have the battery power to finish the job.

Corded tool power: The higher 3.0 amp-hour output and 28 volts of muscle mean you can use V28-powered tools that in the past were only available as corded. For example, the newly formatted hammer-drill puts out 600 inch-pounds of torque, and the circular saw cuts at 4,200 rpm, which is much closer to corded saw speeds than the 3,200 rpm found on NiCd models.

Environmental plus: The composition of the lithium-ion battery contains no cadmium, making it more eco-friendly than other high-powered, rechargeable batteries currently used in power tools and, therefore, does not have to be recycled in many states.

Your power tool batteries will lose power gradually. That is bound to happen. Eventually you will have to throw out the lifeless battery from your cordless woodworking tool and get a new one. But there is a LOT you can do to increase the life of the battery. You can even make it last for the life of the tool itself if you are willing to take on restoring and refurbishing the battery. But that’s another topic.

In this post we talk about some great tips for battery care and maintenance that will extend the life of the woodworking cordless power tool battery to its absolute maximum. What you have to do depends on the kind of battery your power tool has, which in technical terms is known as the ‘chemistry’ of the battery.

Do not deep discharge your battery. If the power tool starts showing signs of weakening in power, charge it up or use a 2nd backup battery. Do not run down the battery till its drained. Hard use of your woodworking tool may be unavoidable at times. But avoid deep discharges whenever you can.

Adjust tool power settings. Your cordless woodworking tool may have settings for variable speed and power. Using a lower setting when its sufficient for the job will run the tool for longer for every charge.

Do not overcharge. Most modern woodworking tools have chargers that will not overcharge a battery. Some are designed specially so that you can leave your NiCd and NiMh batteries on them to keep them charged. Unless the user manual tells you differently, do not leave your batteries on the charger once they are charged. Overcharging can damage the battery and reduce its life.

Following the correct charging and discharging methods for your cordless woodworking tools can enhance the life of the battery and save you from buying expensive replacement.

Li-ion batteries do not like complete discharge. Do not discharge below 20% when you can help it. Stop using the tool when it shows signs of weakening in power and slowing down. Re-charge the battery at this point.

Note: A lot of cordless woodworking power tools don’t have a built in battery meter that shows the amount of charge left in the tool. Even the ones that do give a rough idea. Not like the exact percentage that we are used to seeing on our computers and smart phones. So its difficult to tell when the battery is 20% or 90%.

Check if your charger has a ‘reconditioning’ or a deep dis-charge mode. This is also know as a ‘maintenance cycle’. The better cordless tools have chargers with the ability to run the batteries through a maintenance mode.

No. Charge the battery as soon as you feel the power and speed of the tool considerably reduced. Draining the battery completely can damage it. people sometimes try to do this by lying up the trigger switch in the on position.

Memory is a condition in which a battery ‘forgets’ its full capacity to charge and deliver. But this happens in low drain devices. For memory effect to set it, the battery must be drained at the same small rate every time and to the same level i.e. partially. This very rarely happens in wood working tools. The rate of discharge is high since these are high load machines.

Memory effect happens usually in devices that consume less power like cordless phones and electric shavers. Secondly, tools are rarely discharged to the same level on every usage. And the rate of discharge is not uniform. It varies constantly with user handling, intensity of the job and the material it is being used upon.

Therefore, power tool batteries rarely see the occurrence of memory effect. If your tools have Li-ion batteries, memory effect is completely ruled out.

Cordless power tools make life much easier for the DIY-ers and professional tradespeople alike. They carry the same power as their corded counterparts without the hassles of extension cords and generators. Who doesn’t love grabbing their cordless drill and heading to the backyard to finish installing deck boards without having to stretch a long extension cord across the yard?

Cordless power tools come with batteries that are the powerhouse behind getting your jobs done. They may seem a little tricky and bring their own questions. With the right answers, you can not only keep that to-do list short, you will have a piece of equipment ready for any task for years to come. Here are twelve common questions about power tool batteries.

Brand new batteries should be charged overnight to ensure you have a full charge on each individual cell, so that the life of the cell is not compromised. From that point on, future charges on a the proper/adequate charger can take between 30min to 2 hours to achieve a full charge. Never use under-powered chargers for high capacity batteries. Newer chargers are designed so that you cannot overcharge your battery (though don’t store it here, plugged in), and lithium-ion batteries have little to no memory, so you don’t have to worry about emptying it before charging.

When in doubt, check out Ottawa Faster Supply. We have a wide selection of tool batteries and cordless drills, saws, and tools to meet your DIY needs.

During spring in the Pacific Northwest, meltwater from thawing snow rushes down rivers and the wind often blows hard. These forces spin the region’s many power turbines and generate a bounty of electricity at a time of mild temperatures and relatively low energy demand. But much of this seasonal surplus electricity—which could power air conditioners come summer—is lost because batteries cannot store it long enough.

The technology could be particularly useful in a place such as Alaska, where near-constant summer sunlight coincides with relatively low rates of energy use. A battery that can store energy for months could allow abundant summer solar power to fulfill winter electricity needs. “What is so attractive about the freeze-thaw battery is that seasonal shifting capability,” says Rob Roys, chief innovation officer at Launch Alaska, a nonprofit organization that works to accelerate the deployment of climate technologies in the state. Roys hopes to pilot the PNNL battery in a remote part of his state.

Right now the experimental technology is aimed at utility-scale and industrial uses. Sprenkle envisions something like tractor-trailer truck containers with massive batteries inside, parked next to wind farms or solar arrays. The batteries would be charged on-site, allowed to cool and driven to facilities called substations, where the energy could be distributed through power lines as needed.