2
Score
Frebnad
25
Asked
Battery pack refurbishing with new Li-Ion cells? Opening the battery?
Battery packs, original or substitute, are mighty expensive, and there is no guarantee how long the substitutes might last, since there is no way that one can figure out the manufacturer and quality of the cells inside the sealed battery pack when buying it. So it would certainly be worthwhile to refurbish the original Dell battery packs if at all possible.
Is there anyone who has been able to open a Dell Inspiron 6000 6-cell and/or 9-cell battery pack and re-close or seal it adequately, and can give or has given precise illustrated or video instructions on how to do so on YouTube or elsewhere? Replacing the depleted cells with fresh ones like Sanyo (best, with highest mAh) inside the battery pack would be a relatively easy project provided one is careful with the procedure and polarity.
But what is worrisome is that despite doing so, I have been given to understand that there is a special, sneaky electronic circuit in the battery pack which is intentionally programmed by Dell to block the PC's access to the battery cells(even if the cells are OK), after a specific number of hours of use or a specific number of recharge cycles, so even after changing the cells inside, the battery pack will remain dead, i.e. inaccessible...
Edited by: Sterling Hirsh ( )
3
Score
markus weiher
22.7k
Answered
I can't answer all of your questions - but let's start with a few infos.
the "round" formfactor of the battery tells me that there are "18650" cells inside the battery - you can use something like the "SANYO 18650 3.6V 2.6Ah/2600mAh Cell" for that, but they are expensive.
you could build a 5.2Ah (6 cell) or 7.8Ah (9 cell) battery with them.
the "conspiracy theory" about the charging counter came up on many devices, mostly MacBooks have those funny problems ;-)
in fact, those dead batteries are not ok, i disassembled a few MacBook batteries and tested the li-po cells - there was always one cell that had a problem while the others were fine!
since those batteries are only using simple charging electronics - they orienting the whole wharging process on the weakest link. they don't have real balancer (as used in the R/C scene) - so if one cell is bad - the whole pack is "dead" - replacing the bad cell with a known good one will revive those batteries (thats why many "freaks" are buying dead MacBook batteries on ebay - buy 6 dead ones for 10 bucks or less and sell 5 working ones for togehter ~250$)
i think you won't need the exact video for your battery - here's one that shows the changing process in common: CLICK here
0
Score
Frebnad
25
Answered
Markus,
Thank you for your response. My comments and queries ~
a) Even with expensive Sanyo battery cells, a refurbished battery comes out way cheaper than buying a new original Dell battery pack.
b) The main obstacle is in how to open the specific Dell Inspiron 6000 6-cell or 9-cell battery without irreparable damage to the battery pack's plastic housing. The indicated video for the cell changing process is woefully inadequate vis-a-vis the complicated form and design of the Dell Inspiron 6000's battery pack casing. Here's hoping someone will be able to find an explanatory video on how to open the battery pack,or possibly make one!!
c) So does the Inspiron 6000 battery pack have an auto cutout charging counter or not? Can it be bypassed ?
a) surely - i would do that too. b) since most batteries are glued together - there would always be some risk in doing something like that - but i would buy a dead battery from ebay for 1$ and fix that instead of the own one. c)it would be very unlikely that dell would use those things - they could get in serious trouble with something like that.
0
Score
Frebnad
25
Answered
Marcus,
I may have slipped up in fully accepting your answer, though it was really helpful and indicative.
a) I am still deeply interested in getting clear and detailed instructions on how to open the sealed / glued / whatever battery pack for the Dell Inspiron 6000 from someone who has already done so successfully so as to ensure minimum damage. (I have still not bought a new genuine Dell or substitute battery, but am currently using the PC directly on the mains AC power, essentially as a desktop PC. Incidentally, if the battery pack is dead, is there any recommendation on either removing it or keeping it connected for whatever reason when using the PC on the mains AC power?)
b) Obtaining the 6 or 9 Sanyo cells to replace the dead ones in the battery pack is no big deal; I have already sourced them locally and could pick them up at any time. Soldering them carefully with the correct polarity will also pose no problem.
c) I have seen definite statements elsewhere about the auto cut-out charging counter or timer or whatever circuit it is that Dell uses inside the battery pack, and also the statement that it needs to be reprogrammed or else it will continue to isolate new, freshly replaced cells from the PC, unless it is bypassed - hence the request in my first post for information on reprogramming the circuit, and what would be the effects of bypassing it.
d) Do please let me know, or else please advise me about any other site where PC and especially battery repairs are more concentrated upon,....it seems to me that this site concentrates more on repairs of iPods, etc.
Thanks.
Great Question!! + I'm gonna keep my eyes open for any responses.
Majesty,