Drill battery conversion from NiCd to Lithium

I converted an old NiCd drill battery to Lithium by using salvaged 18650 battery cells from old laptops.
Mar 10, 2023 — 2 mins read — Electronics

Drill battery conversion from NiCd to Lithium

Have you ever had a cordless drill that's no longer holding a charge?

If you have, then you know how frustrating it can be to have a tool that doesn't work when you need it to. That's why I offered to help my neighbor and converted his NiCd battery to a Li-ion one, so he could keep using his Einhell drill without any problems.

The Lithium cells are actually salvaged from old laptop batteries so this makes this conversion a double win as we can fix the tool as well as reuse those old cells in a new life.

The conversion is basically done in a few steps where we first disassemble the old battery pack and remove the old NiCd cells. Next, we'll add in the new Li-ion cells, and wire everything up to the BMS (battery management system) module. With a little bit of electrical know-how, basic soldering skills, and some patience, you can convert your old tool batteries to Li-ion ones and extend the life of your cordless tools.


Below is a list of everything that you might need for this conversion:


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