[peeb]

OK, so I finally replaced the main battery on this machine.
What I wanted to do was what I did with a ThinkPad battery a while ago - break it open, replace the cells with new ones, and presto, a cheap new battery.
Problem is I can't figure out how to get the battery open - prising it along the seam with a small screwdriver and knife yielded nothing - are there instructions out there for opening these things?
If not, any other ideas on what to do with this, save dropping it off with Apple for recycling?
Thanks!

[Powerbook]

I had recently an iBook battery breaking up... If they are build the same like the Powerbook batteries, the top part (when looking at it, like it was plugged in the computer) is sort of "break-away-able" (should then look like an 1 mm high cover.)
I planned the same thing with my Pismo batteries but never came around to it.

PB.

[The Godfather]

What I want to know is where do you get your new cells? What kind of cells for a MacBook.

[shifuimam]

I believe they're just Li-Ion AA-size (or similar) cells that you link together, wrap up, and shove in the battery case.

Last time I read about doing this, though, it didn't cost much less than just buying a new third-party battery on eBay or through Batteries+ or something...

[thechidz]

ebay?

[ghporter]

Typically the cells inside this sort of battery have enough identifying information on them — at least a manufacturer's part number — that you can cross reference them to identical or better cells. That lets you build a "new" battery pack that's more robust than the original. Google "Li-ion AA" and you get something over 3 Billion hits, and the first page is full of vendors that have individual cells. I'd be careful to only attempt this sort of thing if you had a solid foundation in basic electricity (including polarity-VERY important here!!!) and really good soldering skills (as well as decent equipment).

My own idea on this, since my son's Dell battery finally gave up a short time ago and I've replaced the whole thing, is to take the dead pack to a "Batteries Plus" store and have them recycle them. Opening up the pack, researching and getting the right cells, and then rebuilding the pack is not a "10 minute gratification" project by any means. If you have the time to do it right, you can save a bunch of money. If not, I wouldn't try it at all.

[cbrfanatic]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Typically the cells inside this sort of battery have enough identifying information on them — at least a manufacturer's part number — that you can cross reference them to identical or better cells. That lets you build a "new" battery pack that's more robust than the original. Google "Li-ion AA" and you get something over 3 Billion hits, and the first page is full of vendors that have individual cells. I'd be careful to only attempt this sort of thing if you had a solid foundation in basic electricity (including polarity-VERY important here!!!) and really good soldering skills (as well as decent equipment).

My own idea on this, since my son's Dell battery finally gave up a short time ago and I've replaced the whole thing, is to take the dead pack to a "Batteries Plus" store and have them recycle them. Opening up the pack, researching and getting the right cells, and then rebuilding the pack is not a "10 minute gratification" project by any means. If you have the time to do it right, you can save a bunch of money. If not, I wouldn't try it at all.

Very True. I'm an electrical and environmental engineer with the USAF and i can tell you plenty of stories of people thinking they knew what they were doing and ended up screwing the whole thing up, or hurting themselves.
If you are going to take the time to do all this then take the time to find some 63/37 rosin core solder as it has negligible plasticity during the soldering process and can withstand the high heat levels, its the only eutectic ratio solder.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by cbrfanatic 

Very True. I'm an electrical and environmental engineer with the USAF and i can tell you plenty of stories of people thinking they knew what they were doing and ended up screwing the whole thing up, or hurting themselves.
If you are going to take the time to do all this then take the time to find some 63/37 rosin core solder as it has negligible plasticity during the soldering process and can withstand the high heat levels, its the only eutectic ratio solder.

Wow, I haven't heard "eutectic" in ages! The "standard" solder for electronics work is anywhere from 60/40 to 65/35 (lead/tin) with any of a number of different rosin types, all depending on the manufacturer; the most common is 63/37, which is also the most user-friendly and effective.

I was an electronics technician in the Air Force (for a LONG time) and it's also very impressive how many people whose profession requires them to solder who just can't do it properly. "The bigger the blob, the better the job" is commonly heard, and it's not uncommon to find melted boards and burned up components caused by inexpert diddling around with a soldering iron. Yuck!

[cbrfanatic]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Wow, I haven't heard "eutectic" in ages! The "standard" solder for electronics work is anywhere from 60/40 to 65/35 (lead/tin) with any of a number of different rosin types, all depending on the manufacturer; the most common is 63/37, which is also the most user-friendly and effective.

I was an electronics technician in the Air Force (for a LONG time) and it's also very impressive how many people whose profession requires them to solder who just can't do it properly. "The bigger the blob, the better the job" is commonly heard, and it's not uncommon to find melted boards and burned up components caused by inexpert diddling around with a soldering iron. Yuck!

"The bigger the blob, the better the job"
I cant stand when people say that, ive spent numerous hours fixing bad connections and such. nice to know someone else out there feels my pain, lol.
And thanks for your service

oh, and it seems from your location that you just cant get enough of Lackland, lol.