Is it possible to rebuild CF-18 batteries?

Title says it all. I have an old CF-18 battery that is only good for 40 minutes or so...

Has anyone ever taken them apart and replaced the Li-ion batteries in them?

I know there is an outfit that will sell you rebuilt ones for $89, so I know it must be possible, but don't know if it is worth the effort...

Thanks!!

 

You might find my recent thread interesting:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=368759

 

Hooo boy...

Yet another uninformed response from the Forum Divers/Asus division...

See our current thread on this very issue:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=368511

Panasonic uses a smart chip in their batteries that will not reset from Windows Power management; it requires special hardware and software to reprogram the battery so it knows it has new cells.

Please disregard posts from the Dull/@ssus/Hewlick PackAnimal crowd; they don't know Toughbooks, and they often "Forum Dive" with answers without thinking "Do I really know what I'm talking about on this?"

mnem
Don't. Just Don't.

 

And a good day to you too, sir.

If you bothered to read my thread at all, I was asking a legitimate question, and never actually provided an answer for a battery mod. I happen to have a few extra cells lying around, and I think my troubles and considerations in rebuilding a battery are actually relevant to the OP's question.

I was just trying to help. I'll be sure to stereotype Toughbook users in the future. And I thought Mac fanboys were bad.

Regards,
Joe

@displacedtexan: best of luck with your endeavor. As a sidenote, a lot of battery mods I've run across have made it so the battery does not report charge correctly (for example, one eee pc would run down to a reported 0% charge, and then continue to run for another 8 hours).

 

dtdood... There is no need for that tone. Most PC users are not aware that Toughbooks are not built like most laptops/PCs. You cannot rebuild Toughbook batteries like you can with a lot of laptops as there is Panasonic Software that the batteries interact with.

For you to come into the forum not knowing this (Or really much about rebuilding batteries in general) you are really asking for what you got. We have a lot of people from Dull/Asus/Etc forums that don't know any better and come in here to offer bad advice for things that don't work the same way it does on the Dull laptop.... So please keep that in mind... We get tired of correcting the bad advice.

Displaced... There are already about 3-4 open threads that have exhaustively discussed this issue... One very recently...

 

The well armed Ranger places the fat cow in the sling of the trebuchet. Adjusts the aim a few degrees to the left and pulls the trigger. MUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuhhhh! The cow’s trajectory is marked by its startled and discontented verbal protest. The Rangers aim was true and the cow flies directly in to the gaping mouth of the Dragon. CHOMP! As the Ranger walks away he can be heard mumbling “Darn Dragon gets so grumpy when he’s hungry” “We are running out of cows, I’m going to have to start throwing MacBookians to him”. :laugh:

 

I was curious specifically about the CF-18 batteries... I wasn't sure when Panasonic introduced their smart chip battery charging stuff.

I was hoping the CF-18 batteries were old enough to hack... and mine hasn't reached the blinky red light stage.

I think I'll leave it to the pros though...

Thanks!!

 

Displaced... Yeah... They have the same technology as the CF-28 and up... I would assume even the CF-27... They all have the chips inside that CAN be reprogrammed... It is the hooking up and programming that nobody knows about here. But since it is offered by different companies on the Internet... It can be done... We're waiting for that disgruntled employee to leave and spill secrets... HA!

 

No sir, you were doing EXACTLY what I said you were doing; FORUM DIVING. You sit and watch the "New posts" tab, and when you think you might have something to say you post it, without even LOOKING AROUND in the forum you're posting in to see if you know what you're talking about, or just as importantly, to see if what you're talking about has already been posted about a dozen times.

Messing around with Li-Ion batteries is DANGEROUS; it is NOT playtime for the uninitiated. You can get burned, blown up, chemical burns or set fire to your house.

I DID read your thread; the content there SHOWS that you DO NOT (nor do most of the people posting in said thread; with all due respect to Admin Kevin who spent a lot of time in a different thread to tell you it simply wasn't cost effective) have an appropriate understanding of the stuff you're playing around with so blithely.

In fact, Kevin's thread is FAR MORE RELEVANT as it DOES show a good technical understanding, Duck Tape Dood... but of course, referring someone to another person's thread doesn't stroke your ego.

Please, think twice before you go messing around with such dangerous stuff in a public forum; you run the risk of getting OTHER newbies hurt by trying things you've just gotten lucky with.

mnem
Why would you want to tape a duck?

 

Mmm trolling...

I wasn't really looking for an ego boost so much as trying to help the OP-- I'm glad to see you get your ego boost by attacking not only the content of people, but the people who post it themselves. There are other things in life that make me happy, but why not get excited about someone also trying to do the same thing I am? I apologize for this excitement.

And you're right, I've never rebuilt a battery before. I've never said I had any idea of what I was talking about, I just thought this was relevant because I was asking how I'd go about doing a similar endeavor. I only have a general idea of what it entails (in this case, a 6 cell is an array of 2 parallel circuits containing 3 series cells each. 3*3.7v = 11.1v, so if I just add more parallel circuits of equivalent capacity like most everyone else who's accomplished a battery mod, I'm good to go!).

I realize this isn't playtime. I've done basic electrical work before in both high (3-phase 480v) and low (<15v) voltage settings, and I am fully aware of the risks of 53+Wh of stored energy.
I'm sure my basic circuits and high school algebra courses are more than enough to take care of this, combined with a multimeter, soldering iron, and taking little steps like asking a public forum for advice in addition to the other EE's around me. And hey, with the protected cells that were mentioned, combined with the charging circuit safety chip built into the smbus stuff, in addition to checking voltages and resistances beforehand with a multimeter (which no one else I've run into has done), I think I'll have a much diminished risk of blowing something up. At least less compared to the people who have done this previously.

What is so wrong with someone asking why they should or shouldn't do something, or asking how to do it right? NBR has always been a welcoming community for me, and I'm sorry that I hit the wrong chord here. I apologize for my harshness before--though I should have expected it after reading the other thread posted where you were also noted for being a "bit prickly."

I truly wish you and the rest of the Toughbook community the best. Best of luck and skill getting around Panasonic's chip, hopefully there's some headway soon. I'll be sure to never post here again.

If you'd like to continue this flame war, you can PM me. No sense making this thread any more off topic. Mods, have at this any way necessary.

Regards,
Joe

Not sure where you're getting taping ducks from other than to attack my un. Taping ducks would be mean. I might be an "@ssus" user but ducks haven't done anything except love me whenever I have bread around.

 

Okay... I am chiming in and then closing this thread. (Yes... It IS nice to be able to have the last word.)

Joe... You are just a link in a LONG chain of people who come into the Toughbook forum to tell people either what they should do, what they shouldn't do, what they could do, tell them how to load drivers, how to build, disassemble, etc. Generally speaking they have NO CLUE what they are talking about and we spend a good deal of time trying to make sure that NOBODY pays attention to them as some of what they offer is total nonsense as the Toughbook is TOTALLY different than all other laptops. (Certainly the Dull/Asus/Sony stuff out there!) Drivers don't load the same, batteries are not the same, some of the electronics is not the same (You see where I am going with this don't you?)

I really cannot see where you were "trying to help the OP" when all you offered was a dangerous guess about how to do something. You linked to your thread where people warned you not to do things and you demonstrated with your responses that you did not understand that some things aren't a good idea or that perhaps you should educate yourself a little bit more before you attempt it. This is NOT helping the Toughbook forum or any of its members.

Again... The topic of rebuilding batteries has been discussed ad-nauseum here so I am closing this thread as it is going nowhere* very quickly.


*Except spiraling downhill quickly