This is the inside of my handheld vacuum. The batteries are connected by what appears to be a very resilient adhesive to sheets of conducting aluminum and then soldered to the circuit board.

I have to replace one of the batteries but I couldn't remove the aluminum sheet without breaking it. Can you recommend a product I can purchase to reattach the batteries? I has to adhere on one end to the battery terminal but be able to solder to the other end.

Thanks!

 

They're spot welded.

 

They're spot welded.

Fair enough, but anything I can use?

*Edit: Anything I can use for a basic at-home DIY'r

 

I've soldered them in the past, scratch the surface with a file or Emery paper, and tin it .

 

I've soldered them in the past, scratch the surface with a file or Emery paper, and tin it .

Yes but what can I use to replace the aluminum tape? The tape that was there is destroyed.

 

Copper wire ..

 

I've soldered them in the past, scratch the surface with a file or Emery paper, and tin it .

And plenty of flux.

 

Are you sure the tape is aluminum and not nickel? Nickel is easily soldered with ordinary leaded solder. Nickel is also a little magnetic. Never tried lead free.

As for the surface, I use a grinding wheel in a Dremel hand tool. I think it gives a cleaner surface. Then I tin the surface before trying to solder to it.

If those are lithium cells, they are much more heat sensitive than NiCd or NiMH in my experience.

 

I have repaired a battery pack like this. I used some copper braid stripped from a coax cable, flatten it and tin the ends. As others have said rub down the surface of the batteries and tin them with the solder, keep the heat to a minimum. Wear safety glasses, if you overheat the battery it could explode.

 

If you use enough heat to solder you will damage the plastic seals and the battery will not last very long. So a spot weld or a mechanical force contact are the good choices. And I doubt very much that the material is aluminum, it is probably a stainless alloy.