12volt B&Q cheapy drill batteries

[#1]

I bought a cheapo B&Q cordless drill a couple of years ago,... and the batteries in the battery pack are not holding charge .... I have just drilled four holes in two pieces of wood, about half inch thick... and the drill is all but useless now....
Yeah I know...ya get what you paid for.... and I knew when I bought it , that they did not do a replacement power pack...
easy to open it up, though , as they conveniently made it with 6 phillips head self tap type screws.... once opened you can remove the 10 X 1.2 volt 1200mah Ni-Cd batteries.
(see pic )...
question is... for this forum.... who is the best supplier of similar type batteries that you know of... so I can buy a new set and solder them together to make up a new power pack...
Did think about Ebay... but so many "duff" battery sellers.... as in "duff batteries"    and "duff sellers".... that I though I would call upon the residents of this forum to speak up and point me in the right direction of something a bit more reliable... both in value for money.. ( cheap ).... and in longevity of service ...
I would probably buy  a larger capacity battery say 2400 as opposed to orginal 1200 `s...  depending on the price...

[#2]

The first question is whether they are a standard physical size

[#3]

Good point, Jim...... they are slightly smaller in diameter and length.... than the "standard" C or R14 size battery.... ...... just checked and where the two on the top connect via the plastice "tongue" into the handle of the drill... the C or R14 battery will NOT fit into that "tongue"...
However,.... I could.... use 8 of the C or R14 batteries... and pick the best two out of the remainder for the "tongue" batteries.... as there is plenty of room inside the "foot" of the power pack...

[#4]

If you can jury rig something I would suggest something like Sanyo Eneloop as they hold their charge for a long time when not in use
I would look at wiring in a new connector rather than mixing batteries

[#5]

The cost of decent c type rechargeable batteries might be high though.  You may be better off buying a new cheap drill

[#6]

Yes,..... just been "a-googling"... and the cost of a set of 10 "subC " batteries would be about £25.00    and Screwfix have a " trade rated" 1.5aH cordless drill with TWO batteries for just under £30 ... so I think that is what I shall do.... save a lot of hassle... messing around with the soldering iron....
sometimes the brain just does not seem to think in straight lines !....
Thanks guys  ( and gal )... 

[#7]

I bought a cheap Li-Ion drill from Lidl's (Parkside PABSW 10.8 - one of their specials). It's been excellent and holds a good charge for absolutely ages.

[#8]

Just my luck...... Screw Fix... have no stock.... !...  
Ok... so I`ll go around the corner... ( almost ) to B&Q...... check the website... and they have a "similar" one to what I bought... for £14.95..... except.... They are out of stock...

.the nearest would be on the isle of wight.... but they have "low stock"... so by the time I got over there... add in the ferry and car parking... hardly worth the effort ! ! ...  

[#9]

As you're talking batteries..................
I have an 18 volt power tool battery but no charger for it.
The nearest charger I have, from another power tool, outputs 15 volts 2.5 amps.
Would there be any major problem if I jury rig that charger to the 18 volt battery?

[#10]

A 15 volt output charger will not fully charge an 18 volt rechargeable battery.
I wouldn't recommend mixing incompatible rechargeable batteries & chargers.
dick:quote

[#11]

Dunno...... OldJim may know the answer to that...

Since my last post about Screwfix being out of stock of a "cheap end" cordless drill.... I investigated. other suppliers..... Tesco..... Asda..... Argos... Wilko.... B & Q.   ALL out of stock... !... the only place left for me was a chance google on "Toolstation"  ..... which just "came into my head"... from nowhere, really... and it appears they have one for just over £22  which I shall , hopefully , go and get tomorrow.... can`t check the online stock unless I order it... so will take my chances at the counter ..... !..

[#12]

Quote from: PowerLee

A 15 volt output charger will not fully charge an 18 volt rechargeable battery.

I suspect that is the case as voltage is the pressure which would explain that chargers are normally a higher voltage than the batteries they are charging.

[#13]

I bought a set of such batteries online fairly recently for my drill. They were the "tagged" sort so soldering was not "that" difficult.
I'll look up the supplier shortly......  
Here: http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/ they sell various "packs" to suit. I needed a 12-pack for a 14.4V unit.
This is the type I got as it needed NiCd: http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/acatalog/Sub_C_2000mAh_NiCd_Tagged_battery.html

[#14]

Thanks HPsauce....
Having looked at the cost of those batteries.. ( see previous post )... I decided on buying a new drill... and this is the one I got...

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tools/d40/12v+Drills/sd2769/Silverline12V+Drill+Driver/p83183
so for the same price as the batteries.. I have a complete new drill.... !..

[#15]

Quote

Max drilling capacity: steel 8mm, wood 20mm

I suspect that you won't be drilling hundreds of holes on a single charge!