Cordless drill with a cord

[PJs]

That charger is a single stage "Bulk" charger, unregulated, and ramps to 17.3VDC. Not good for 5AH Sealed LA even at 500ma and will kill the battery with only a few charges, especially if you leave it on and forget it as it would take quite a while to charge a 5AH at 500ma. See my battery hear it sizzle...It's basically a expensive wall wart.

If you want to charge SLA's you need at least a 2 stage and preferably 3 stage with sealed batteries. For ~$35 you can get a 4 stage charger that charges most types of batteries and will "tend" them, plus use it for other things too.

[mklotz]

That charger is a single stage "Bulk" charger, unregulated, and ramps to 17.3VDC. Not good for 5AH Sealed LA even at 500ma and will kill the battery with only a few charges, especially if you leave it on and forget it as it would take quite a while to charge a 5AH at 500ma. See my battery hear it sizzle...It's basically a expensive wall wart.

If you want to charge SLA's you need at least a 2 stage and preferably 3 stage with sealed batteries. For ~$35 you can get a 4 stage charger that charges most types of batteries and will "tend" them, plus use it for other things too.

My mistake, PJ. That was the first one I stumbled across while searching and, due to impatience, showed it. I should have taken the time to search my Amazon orders and locate the one I bought. Here it is...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A bit more than $10 but still a useful item to have around the house and shop.

[Hemi]

Marv,
SIMPLY BRILLIANT!!!!! I got an older Black & Decker 14.4V Cordless, that I love, the thing is PERFECT for my little shop (I have OTHER much bigger drills, also Black & Decker) NON-"Fire-Storm" versions......

This with the Lead-Acid Battery be GREAT to have that little drill within my shop running on a light wire and keep the ole girl usable.... I cherish this particular drill only because it was MY FIRST Fathers Day gift, and since I've gotten it almost 14 years ago, its recently stopped holding a "charge" on the only battery I got with it, NOW if I could FIND a B&D 14.4V battery that holds a charge, I'll take it, BUT to make the drill work within the confines of my shop well. this is a PERFECT idea!!!!

NOW my question is, would a simple 12 VDC battery run/operate my 14.4V drill? HMMMMM

I'd also make it that the whole thing is reversible back to its original self just in case I find a good 14.4V battery to fit the drill...... BUT at the same time have it usable in the shop, and have a way to "unplug" it from the battery, and may even go as to make this a bench semi-permanent set-up too. with a "cord" long enough to go all around the shop (which is pretty small, 14 feet or less wire be all I'd need, which I have more then enough wire to do this trick right now, I just have to find a battery!!!!! -I even have a slow trickle charge, charger too! SO, I'm almost there!!!!

LOVE the idea!

[mklotz]

Even if you find a 14.4 volt battery, it's likely to be NiCad and suffer the same problems that plague that technology. Lead-acid technology, while old, has the benefits of good current delivery, generous capacity and long life if treated carefully.

I would recommend buying an easily available lead-acid battery similar to mine, e.g.,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and trying it with your drill. I doubt that the voltage difference will matter very much. If you want to be sure before buying, try connecting your drill to your car battery; that will verify that it can run with 12 volts.

Having a couple of these sealed lead-acid batteries around the house can be beneficial in other ways. Many car accessories such as trouble lights run on 12 volts as do some small computer fans. During power outages, being able to operate these is very useful. And, of course, the car accessories can also work with the car battery.

For lower voltage devices such as transistor radios, the lead-acid battery can be used with a buck convertor...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

to deliver the proper voltage.

If you decide to get the lead-acid, be sure to use a proper charger. I use a Battery Tender...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

to top the batteries up once a month if they're not in use and more frequently if they are.

[Hemi]

Thanks for that Marv. I'll be looking further into this a bit to see what I can do to bring that ole Father's Day gift back to service!!!!

[BLLG]

Looks like a good way to extend the usefulness of the drill when the ni-cad batteries quit. I would add a fuse for over current protection. If it draws 1.5 amps a 2 amp slow blow fuse should do it. Watch out using speaker wire it is not rated for electrical service and it melts down. It can catch fire and burn. No telling how I found this out.. Use zip cord.

[nhengineer]

Hey Mklotz,

I had a similar deal with my NorTools impact driver. #2 batter would NEVER hold a charge for very long and #1 is slowly catching up to #2. I took #2 apart and it couldn't be simpler. It's just 3, 3.7V 1300 18650's. Short money on eBay. If you can drive a soldering iron, the replacements job should be less than an hour.

[DIYer]

Thanks nhengineer! We've added your Battery Pack Repair to our Electrical category,
as well as to your builder page: nhengineer's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Battery Pack Repair by nhengineer

tags: battery

[methomas25]

Looks to me like now you have a corded drill again!! Just have a shorter cord!

[mklotz]

Looks to me like now you have a corded drill again!! Just have a shorter cord!

I think you missed this paragraph...

After exhausting my repertoire of curse words in three languages I started thinking about the problem. The real advantage (at least to me, an occasional user) is not that they're cordless but that one doesn't have to string (110 VAC) extension cords to use them. (Sounds confusing but stick with me.) I wouldn't mind if the thing had a short cord attached to a battery if that battery was more dependable than the ones supplied with these drills.

in my OP. By doing what I described I could carry drill and battery in my tool bag. Then, with the bag close at hand at the jobsite, I could pull out the drill and use it as if it were cordless with only the short, light weight cord running to the battery in the bag. Certainly not a solution for a construction site but convenient for homeowner, around-the-house jobs.

With the advent of lithium battery technology I acquired two Milwaukee drills and am pleased to say that their charge life is very long. Even if they sit unused for weeks, I can pick them up and be sure they will have enough charge to get the job done. Nevertheless, the drill described in the OP sits ready to use; the 12 v SLAs are part of my power outage reserve and are recharged on a regular basis so they're always ready to go.