I have a 18VDC portable drill which needs a new Li battery, but as is often, this battery is obsolete. Is there any way I can get this to work i.e. by sourcing a new battery or converting to 120 VAC?

 

You can get a replacement battery if that model is available from the internet, or you can use a PSU and make it run on mains supply, ideally what current rating it needs will help to source the PSU.

 

If you look on ebay there are several people selling 3D printed adapters to use different brand batteries on power tools (ex: use Makita batteries with Dewalt tool, or Dewalt batteries with Milwaukee tool, etc). Maybe you will have some luck finding something for your obsolete tool.

 

I had a 12 volt drill with a defunct battery. I attached a 12 volt cigarette light plug to it – very handy for little projects in the car or RV.

Laptop chargers usually put out 19.5 volts. One of these should be ok to run the drill from line power.

 

You can get a replacement battery if that model is available from the internet, or you can use a PSU and make it run on mains supply, ideally what current rating it needs will help to source the PSU.

My experience adapting a battery tool to external power instead is that the connection wires and the external supply must provide several amps of current. The 19 volt computer supply might have adequate capacity, maybe.

 

My experience adapting a battery tool to external power instead is that the connection wires and the external supply must provide several amps of current. The 19 volt computer supply might have adequate capacity, maybe.

agreed. Current requirements of cordless tools (and current capacity of cordless tool batteries) are not typically published by the manufacturers. Their tools work with their batteries and that's all you need to know (per them). However if you look at their corded tool cousins, you can infer how many amps might be required.

EX: Dewalt corded drill, 1/2" chuck: 120V/10A
120V * 10A = 1,200W

If this were a 20V cordless variant such as this:
1,200W / 20V = 60A

I doubt any laptop chargers will supply 60A

You might think that the corded tool offers more power than the cordless one, and/or that the cordless one has a more efficient motor to require less current. That is probably valid to an extent, but I own both these tools and can vouch for the corded one being not perceptibly much more powerful than the cordless one, and that they're both brushed and get hot in the hand after prolonged continuous use.

Laptop charger might work for smaller cordless tools (electric screwdriver, high speed rotary tool, flashlight, etc.) though.

 

I have a 18VDC portable drill which needs a new Li battery, but as is often, this battery is obsolete. Is there any way I can get this to work i.e. by sourcing a new battery or converting to 120 VAC?

What are the make and model of the drill?

 

It was bought at Canadian Tire in Canada brandname is Mastercraft, model PowerXchange

 

If you have the original battery you should be able to rebuild it with new cells. Probably better ones than the original.

 

I have a 18VDC portable drill which needs a new Li battery, but as is often, this battery is obsolete. Is there any way I can get this to work i.e. by sourcing a new battery or converting to 120 VAC?

What I have done in the past is open up the clip-on battery compartment and replace the Li_Ion batteries with off the shelf types,

 

There might be an honest local battery store someplace that was willing to sell individual replacement cells. Unfortunately there are also incompetent stores that claim to repair battery packs and do a poor job of that. Anybody wanting to know the detail can PM me, I am not naming names here.

 

If anyone knows where I can get these cells kindly let me know. I think they are sub-C. I am in Toronto but have contacts in Detroit ann arbor.

 

If anyone knows where I can get these cells kindly let me know. I think they are sub-C. I am in Toronto but have contacts in Detroit ann arbor.

You would need to open it up and see what P/N is on the cells. Whatever they are, you can buy them online. Maybe you could get them locally too, but for sure they are online.

 

If it is a lithium pack, it is 18650. If it is sub-C it is NiMH or NiCad.

 

If it is a lithium pack, it is 18650. If it is sub-C it is NiMH or NiCad.

They are Li_ion for that drill.

 

They are Li_ion for that drill.

That's what I expect, but they are almost certainly 18650s.

 

I have a 18VDC portable drill which needs a new Li battery, but as is often, this battery is obsolete. Is there any way I can get this to work i.e. by sourcing a new battery or converting to 120 VAC?

If you wanted to convert to AC supply you could build an external supply using a 120v - 12v transformer, with bridge rectifier and a large electrolytic cap.
Gut the battery compartment and use it for cable entry.

 

If it is a lithium pack, it is 18650. If it is sub-C it is NiMH or NiCad.

15 in series, I doubt it.

 

agreed. Current requirements of cordless tools (and current capacity of cordless tool batteries) are not typically published by the manufacturers. Their tools work with their batteries and that's all you need to know (per them). However if you look at their corded tool cousins, you can infer how many amps might be required.

EX: Dewalt corded drill, 1/2" chuck: 120V/10A
120V * 10A = 1,200W

If this were a 20V cordless variant such as this:
1,200W / 20V = 60A

I doubt any laptop chargers will supply 60A

You might think that the corded tool offers more power than the cordless one, and/or that the cordless one has a more efficient motor to require less current. That is probably valid to an extent, but I own both these tools and can vouch for the corded one being not perceptibly much more powerful than the cordless one, and that they're both brushed and get hot in the hand after prolonged continuous use.

Laptop charger might work for smaller cordless tools (electric screwdriver, high speed rotary tool, flashlight, etc.) though.

Have you taken one of the cordless/battery powered drills apart? The one (a Craftsman 18V ni/cd don't know the model number) that I took apart the motor is now where near what a corded one is. The cordless one has a small hobby motor size in it. High RPM motor with much gearing to bring the speed down and the torque up, to match a corded drill.

 

Yes I did motor looks quite small. It is a PM motor so no field winding.