Makita drill question

[towtruckerfour]

I have a Makita cordless drill that was my dad's. I got it out the other day to see if it worked and all 3 batteries are dead. I tried putting them in the charger but I am not sure if the charger is working. It gets warm but doesn't seem to be charging the batteries. Does anybody know if there is a way to check the charger to see if it is working? I'm also wondering if there is a way to test the batteries? It is a nice drill and I want to be able to use it. Thanks for any help.

[cowbay]

See if someone you know has a Makita and try one of his batteries out. If it works then the charger, if not the drill is done. Most likely the batteries are done. They only have a certain shelf life

[BobbyFord]

Get a DVOM and check the charger.

[towtruckerfour]

To test the charger, I would put the leads on the + and - terminals and see how much the charger is putting out right? I'm assuming it should be around a couple volts?

[basketcase0302]

Troy,
A basic rule of thumb on any charger is the output voltage will always be more than the rated voltage. If you have a 9.6 volt drill, your charger voltage should be slightly more than that (usually around 1-4 volts more). Lot of folks also don't know that you can rebuild your own cordless tool rechargeable batteries, (usually for less than half the price of buying cordless batteries). When you open the battery up you'll see a series of 1.5 cells. Find the correct size, (AA/AAA/C/D) and match the cell size.

[towtruckerfour]

Ok. I got the chance to mess with the charger again today. It has 110 going in but nothing at the charging tabs so I think it is toast. I was thinking of trying to use my car charger somehow to charge the batteries somehow. I've used a car battery to charge c batteries before. You just keep touching the wires to the battery til it gets warm. Not the brightest idea but it works. Any other thoughts? Im going to look on Ebay for a new charger in the meantime.

[averagef250]

If the batteries are old you'll probably need to replace them too. They just don't last more than 5 years or so.

IMO, it's hard to beat the 18V Dewalt stuff. I bought one new when they came out a dozen years ago and have bought good deals on them as they've been popped up on craigslist. They're so common, there's always deals to be had on them. I bet I have 15 good batteries for 8 or so tools. I have a few drills that sit on the shelf with tools in them and stay with just those tools. Didn't cost very much either. I bought 5 tools and 12 batteries NEW for $200 once. The ad was up for 2 weeks before I called on it.

[basketcase0302]

IMO, it's hard to beat the 18V Dewalt stuff.

Agreed Dustin, I have Dewalt 14V stuff (too many tools in 14V or i woulda' switched to 18V years ago).

[basketcase0302]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370619494002?ss ... 1423.l2649

[Donnie]

I'm with Basket on this one, I had a friend who I used to take a box full of Makita batteries to him ....He would pry off the end, cut the ribbon that connects the cells, test them, find the bad one & replace it & send me back about 3/4 of the batteries that I gave him...

To test this theory if you have a 6 cell Maglite, put 5 new batteries in it along with 1 dead one...see if it will lite....

When ANY of me flashlites start to lose brightness, I pull the batteries and meter them, oft times, not always, you will find a bad one,
replace 1 batt & you are good to go.............Donnie,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[la1031]

Just an FYI.

You cannot test a battery charger with a VOM
Most modern chargers have thermosters and voltage/cell sensors so the computer in the charger can setup for charging rates and volts
Good rule of thumb is if the lights work on the charger its usually the batteries, no lights it the charger and still probably batteries

Your batteries are probably toast because they will go bad sitting on the shelf, batteries like to be exercised.

Makita invented the cordless drill and that one sounds like it lasted 10 years or so. I dont by DeFault because i dont like drills made in Mexico on a budget, plus they are really heavy and only just started making lithium stuff a year or 2 ago. Makita is the new industry leader in lithium - but I am biased I own alot of Makita stuff and it is rock solid.

[crazyhorse]

I too agree with the 18 v Dewalt.
I have made it a point to stick with 18v Dewalt and have around 15 or so Dewalt tools, a good number of batteries and chargers.

When buying cordless tools my advice it to pick the all around tool that suits your needs and stick to the onesize/ brand .
This way you will have plenty of batteries/chargers.
I can work all day with my cordless tools and never have to recharge a battery since I have so many batteries.
Same goes for having many chargers-- you can charge 15 batteries at once.

[averagef250]

Pretty much all of the tool manufacturers make crap and decent stuff. Every time an old Black and Decker grinder pops up on craigslist I buy it as there is no comparison to the quality. I have some old Milwaukee grinders too and they're not in the same league as the B&D industrial stuff.

I like Makita. I have one of their handheld narrow belt sanders and use it every day. It's a nice tool that nobody else even makes an electric version of.

Dewalt is what it is. I like the 18V stuff because it's cheap and has worked very well for me for a lot of years. I don't care if it's heavy. I'm not running production with them, the drills I have live with countersinks and specialty tools in them for finishing parts as they come off machines. I do occasionally drill holes and drive screws with them.

[DCrusher]

Yes you can do this to see if the batteries still hold a charge. You mostly do this to erase the battery memory I've use a car battery charger on 12V high boost and just touch the lead to + and - very shortly Depend on if you have a selectable battery charger IE 6V,6V high boost,12V,12V high boost I had 14V B&D firestorm 2 battery I had to jolt and then stickem in the charger and let them charger for a couple of minutes and see if it's holding a charger But I do agree with la1031 that the charger either has a switch to make sure it has a battery in it or sense that there is voltage to turn on Above all if your going to jolt your batteries with a battery charger Please wear safety glasses just in case.

Ok. I got the chance to mess with the charger again today. It has 110 going in but nothing at the charging tabs so I think it is toast. I was thinking of trying to use my car charger somehow to charge the batteries somehow. I've used a car battery to charge c batteries before. You just keep touching the wires to the battery til it gets warm. Not the brightest idea but it works. Any other thoughts? Im going to look on Ebay for a new charger in the meantime.

[la1031]

As far as having a battery tool lineup that has everything you want in tools.

DeWalt has about 9 lithium tools
Milwaukee is made by Ryobi or TTI - they have maybe 30-35 18v tools but they are specializing in 12v max
Makita has 65+ lithium 18v and even these new x2 tools that are 36v and take 2 18v batteries. That is just cool.

As far as "flash charging" batteries, please keep in mind that batteries can cause fires or chemical explosions. Most batteries are made up of a chemical substrate wrapped into paper layers. That chemical does break down and crystallize and adding excessive heat and charge cannot de-crystallize a battery that is completely dead, but it can still burn it. Just a safety tip to those out there.

Another note about Makita as it is my favorite tool. Every tool company has a cheap version of their tools EXCEPT Makita.
DeWalt has B&D
Milwaukee has Ryobi/RIDGID
Bosch has Skil

Just something to keep in mind when you want to buy all one brand, you dont want an orange tool painted red and assume a quality difference.