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How to solder ni-cad batteries together for battery pack.
I want to replace a bad battery in an eighteen volt pack, but can't seem to get the solder to adhere to ends of battery. I thought about welding, but don't want to damage batteries. Any suggestions.?
Comments
9 years ago
You can solder nicad batteries, but you must first sand the ends of the batteries. You don't have to do anything else. You will also need a powerful enough soldering iron with the right tip. You will need at least a 40 watt iron. A hammerhead tip works best for me. I use solder braid to solder the batteries together. You need to use good technique when soldering. Only hold the soldering iron on the batteries for 1 - 3 seconds to tin the ends of the battery.
9 years ago
Here's a a solution. Pick a piece of very fine sandpaper and scratch the metal ends. Then take a tablet of Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), heat your soldering iron, melt a small bit from the Aspirin tablet then rub the scratched metal parts. After this, the solder will adhere much easier. DO NOT INHALE THE ASPIRIN SMOKE !. It's very nasty!
9 years ago
As per Frollards comments, weld if possible, but soldering needs an ACID flux to do it - we have one here called "Baker's fluid" which is great for difficult materiala (not aluminium though)
Steve
9 years ago
Most tabs are welded to batteries using a spot welder that only puts current thru the end cap, not thru the battery itself.
it is possible but dangerous to solder nicads -- make sure you get the end hot enough, and use flux to clean the surface first. Beware, this may explode and kill you and your neighborhood. (really recommend spot welding)