Hack a Dead Laptop Battery

The new 6 cells laptop battery can die after 600-800 charge cycles, forcing people to spend roughly $80 or more to order a replacement. Before you dispose of it safely, start from the first step to learn how to hack the battery back to life.

Steps

  1. Disconnect the battery from your laptop. There should be 2 catches, slide them to unlocked and slide it out.
  2. Pry the battery apart. You may also need some patience and a sharp flathead screwdriver or a butter/putty knife.
  3. You will see 6-8 cells connected to a circuit board. This is the battery controller. Look near the connector to find the board, and trace the wires. Carefully examine every cells by a multimeter to ensure the cells are fully discharged.
  4. Make a note of where the wires connect to. This is important.
  5. Use a soldering iron/electric welding tool to separate cells from the wires. Then take them out of the case.
  6. Then solder/weld the new cells together. Remember to refer back to the note you made in Step 4.
  7. Put the new cells into the case. Solder/weld back the wires and cells.
  8. In the end put both rows of cells back together. Let it rest for about 48 hours.
  9. Your hack is complete! Insert your battery and start charging. Turn it on, and you're back in business!



Tips

  • The cells may explode if you use a solder directly onto the cell, so it's best to ask the vendor/seller if they can add solder tabs for you.
  • Generally, your dead battery is the kind of battery that can't charge or supply any power. Most batteries are just uncalibrated batteries but not completely battery. Most parts are still good, meaning the battery cells can be replaced to hack the battery.
  • Buy new rechargeable cells. eBay is a good place to start.

Warnings

  • Watch for strangely-shaped battery packs (e.g. batteries for the Thinkpad T61 and Inspiron 6400).
  • Do everything carefully, as the cells can explode if you strike it hard or the cells are too hot when you weld them.
  • In all, if you are not an expert at DIY stuff, don't try to hack dead laptop batteries. Buying a new one is the best choice.

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Hack_a_Dead_Laptop_Battery&oldid=356229"