I have a Black & Decker 12v cordless drill which must be 10 years old, not used much but I really like it. Just stopped working! Checked the battery with a tester and that is fine but what next. Do I throw it away and buy a new one. Do I try and mend it but how? If I buy a new one what is the least I can pay to get a replacement?
Ken
Did you test the battery on load? eg put a car lamp across its terminals..
If the battery really is OK, you can open up the drill casing and look for a broken wire or bad connection. Failing that, the odds are that it is "beyond economic repair".
If a Black and Decker has lasted you 10 years, I suspect that you don't have a heavy and frequent requirement for a cordless drill! I'd go to a DIY shed on a discount day, IIWY.
What I did on my cordless tools was to put a socket on the battery pack. I carry a 12v gel lead acid battery in a small shoulder bag and plug a lead from that into the socket. That disconnects the internal battery so the tool runs off the external one. Saves all that having to stop and change batteries...and a sealed lead acid is a LOT cheaper and last a whole lot longer than a spare power pack..
-- Sue
Thank you Pallindrome and Gazz for your help. I borrowed my neighbours battery tester and that is fine. The drill is only used for screw driving and small holes in wood and usually only in the house. New batteries seem to cost only a little less than a complete new drill so I will open up the drill to see if there is anything obvious I can repair otherwise buy a new one. I had been using it one day no problem and next day dead as a dodo.
Ken
.zen.co.uk...
I have a 12 volt cordless bought from a car boot sale for a quid some 6 years ago with the intention of attaching a power lead and bulldog clips so as to use when away on vehicle based competitions direct from the vehicle battery. That is of course one use for a 12 volt drill with dead batteries. However after a little inspection it turned out that the fault with this one was not dead batteries but simply the battery connections inside the handle of the drill. A little re bending of these and my 1 pound bargain has worked perfectly for about 6 years. Try feeding 12 volts directly to the contacts in the handle of yours, you may have the same fault.
Mike
Hi Mike Thanks for the tip but already tried and seems the drill is dead. So will get a new one.
Ken
Have you checked the brushes.
First thing to try (very carefully), turn the drill on (press trigger or however you do it). Nothing happens as you've described. Keep the trigger pressed and turn the chuck a little by handle (very carefully - good idea to have it on low speed if that is possible on the drill). If it starts then that is a sure sign the brushes have just worn enough to stop working reliably.
If it doesn't start, it may still be brushes but that they are worn so much nothing is going to help them start. In that case, if it's a good drill it's just a case of replacing the brushes for a few quid.
Cheers,
Nigel
"Nigel Heather the-heathers.co.uk>" Have you checked the brushes.
Hi Nigel
Absolutely dead even when trying to encourage it to turn. Was binned a few days ago but only a cheap 12v B&D which are £30 but with 10% sale £27 so it will have to RIP. But thanks for your tips. Ken
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