I have been soldering NiCads for about 10 years with no failures. I use a 40 Watt pencil iron (the cheap kind) and solder braid. The only reason I see for the vent is in an overcharge condition. I charge the NiCads with a max of C/2 and use only Sanyos. Most of my packs are used in RC model airplanes with a value exceeding $1000 so I am very fussy about battery assembly and maintenance. John Ferrell http://DixieNC.US ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Rigby-Jones" To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 6:57 AM Subject: RE: [EE] Spot welder for battery terminals > > >>-----Original Message----- >>From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] >>Sent: 13 April 2005 11:34 >>To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. >>Subject: RE: [EE] Spot welder for battery terminals >> >> >>I've soldered nicads with a 200w soldering gun before. that's >>going to be your cheapest diy solution to battery pack creation. >> >>i used a small file to roughen the surface of the nicad, then >>a rosin flux pen to add a *small* amount of flux to the >>battery and the conductor. Then, soldering gun and plumbing >>solder (ie no flux in the solder), got me some reasonable results. >> >>The key is just getting a load of heat really quickly, you >>don't want to cook the battery :) i hear they go bang if you do that :) > > I'm not keen to solder NiCd and NiMh cells to be honest, though I have > done it before. The manufacturers specifically advise against it as it > dosne't take much temperature to ruin the vent in the top of the cell. > > Regards > > Mike > > ======================================================================= > This e-mail is intended for the person it is addressed to only. The > information contained in it may be confidential and/or protected by > law. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you must > not make any use of this information, or copy or show it to any > person. Please contact us immediately to tell us that you have > received this e-mail, and return the original to us. Any use, > forwarding, printing or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. > No part of this message can be considered a request for goods or > services. > ======================================================================= > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist