How to remove battery cover in Plantronics headset

[Jennifer Murphy]

I have an old Plantronics CS70 NC wireless headset. The battery is dying. When I checked the owners manual, I was shocked (Shocked, I say) to discover that the headset has to be mailed back to Plantronics to have the battery replaced.

An Internet search turned up several companies that sell replacement batteries, biut none of them have instructions. The problem is that I cannot figure out how to open the battery cover. It has a little Phillips screw, which I removed, but that doesn't seem to hold the cover on.

There is another round "cap" that appears to require a special tool. I've uploaded several photos:

I called Plantronics. The tech told me that that unit is no longer supported and I need to upgrade to the newer model. I told him that the device works fine. It's just that the battery is dying. He was not sympathetic. I asked him if he could suggest a way that I could remove that cap. He first said that he is not allowed to give out that information and then that he does not have that information.

One website said that the battery is soldered in place.

This is the last Plantronics product I will ever buy.

I tried grabbing the little edges with needlenose pliers and tweezers. No joy.

It looks like it is threaded. I'm wondering whether I could epoxy the head of a Phillips screw to the cap and use that to unscrew it.

Any better ideas?

I don't care too much if I damage it. It's almost useless as it is and Plantronics will not repair it.

[Retired]

Yikes.......

This from user manual at

"BATTERY REPLACEMENT

The custom battery supplied should last 2? 3 years. When talk time decreases significantly, you should replace the battery. Call Plantronics at [phone] ext.5538 for information on sending back to factory to install new battery"

Also same info here

However Staples claims to carry a battery for CS70 ?????

as does Amazon

This outfit claims that for $59 they will do the replacement for you

Good Luck !!

[Fred McKenzie]

Jennifer-

I suspect the headset is considered a replacement part for the system. It appears to be an expensive system, and probably worth replacing the headset rather than throwing it away.

My guess is that you are trying to remove the wrong "cover". There is a replacement battery for a Plantronics CS70 at Amazon. The photo shows a flat battery, which might not fit through the round area you are trying to open. You might contact Amazon or Bedford Power, their supplier, to see if instructions are included.

I would look for a way to remove a side panel of the battery compartment rather than the end. It might be as simple as sliding a fingernail along the edge of a plastic panel. The screw you removed may or may not be involved.

I visited a Plantronics factory many years ago, and was impressed with their operation. Whatever they lack in customer relations, they make up for in the quality of their products. I doubt a chinese knock-off would last as long or work as well.

Fred

[Jennifer Murphy]

Well, I'll be damned. You're right. The silver case comes right off. I just wasn't pulling hard enough.

The battery is indeed soldered in and the connections are pretty small and close together. I think my soldering iron might be too large.

I uploaded a couplew of photos of the connectors:

I'll figure something out. Thanks for the help. :-)

[Jennifer Murphy]

I tried East Coast Photo. They were no help at all. I'll give Battery Bob a try.

[Jennifer Murphy]

Yep, I found many of those same places, plus several more. The prices vary wildly. The Amazon option from Bedford Power at $7.21 + $3.99 S&H is haldf the price of the next lower one. It's on order.

[Jennifer Murphy]

Right you are. The silver cover slides off if you pull in the right direction after removing the screw.

If I ever replace the whole unit, I will definitely be looking for something with replaceable batteries. Soldering the batteries is ridiculous.

[Nate Nagel]

Good luck, it's a disposable society. Even cell phones are going toward non replaceable batteries which I totally disagree with, but I doubt the average consumer will notice. The expected lifespan of the product is likely shorter than that of the batteries.

nate

[The Daring Dufas]

Look to see if you if there is a Batteries Plus store near you, a repair tech there may be able to replace the battery for you. I've installed new batteries for my roommate in dead equipment that had dead rechargeable batteries. He picked up the batteries at a Batteries Plus store. ^_^

TDD

[micky]

I found in the trash a tire pump with a cigarette lighter plug marked "no user-serviceable parts inside". Drilled out the rivet, replaced the fuse, with the same size fuse, and it's worked fine for years.

[The Daring Dufas]

I repair stuff that people toss in the trash all the time. Most of the computer equipment around here is dumpster rescue. LCD monitors, wireless N routers, laser and inkjet printers, keyboards, mice and speakers. I'm using a Dell Precision 390 workstation that was a rescue. I fix chargers, cordless tools and appliances all the time. I just repaired a 2&1/2 foot tall Sunbeam electric radiant heater that a dog peed in. ^_^

TDD

[TomR]

Instead of unsoldering the existing soldered connections, maybe you could cut the existing battery wires off near the existing battery. Then, install the new battery by connecting the wires from the new battery to the remaining wires that are still soldered to the device. Twist the wire connections together and either tape them or, if you want, solder them. Good luck.

[Jennifer Murphy]

Hmmm... Interesting idea. The wires are tiny and the space is very cramped. I don't think any kind of screw connectors would fit in there and ewven take might be too bulky. Plus I'm not sure taping tiny wires in a tiny space would be easier than soldering. It's been a long time since I soldered anything, but I think that's the way to go.

But thanks for the creative idea.

[Jennifer Murphy]

I got out my old soldering iron. I haven't used it for at least 20 years, probably longer. It isn't as large as I thought it was.

I was able to unsolder the old battery without any problems, but I'm having trouble soldering the new one in place. The wires are very thin, which means that they bend easily. I'm having trouble keeping them in place long enough for me to melt the solder and have it harden. I need a third hand.

I think I'll go buy a little bench grippers with alligator clips and a magnifying glass. If I can secure the headset, I might be able to complete the solder.

But, before I do that, I want to try another option. I noticed that there are actually little holes in the circuit board where the wires could go, but they are clogged with solder. The old battery was just soldered on top. So I guess I also need a solder sucker, unless there is something around the house that I can use to suck the molten solder out of those holes. If I can open them up. I can insert the wires and bend them over on the other side. That would make the soldering job easier and probably a better connection, as well.

Can anyone suggest a way I can suck up that solder without buying a solder sucker that I'll never use again? Of course, they are only about $5.

[The Daring Dufas]

On 12/23/2013 12:19 AM, Jennifer Murphy wrote:

You can simply melt the solder and blow it out of the hole like you were blowing out a candle only use more force. You can get an old towel and use it to prop up the gadget you're working on, hold the wire lead in one hand the soldering iron in the other then if you have solder on a spool, have a piece unrolled a bit so it sticks out from the spool then you can tin the stripped end of the battery lead wire with solder by touching it and the solder to the iron at the same time. You don't need more than a tiny amount of solder to tin the short stripped end of the wire lead. If you have solder in a plastic tube, pull out a few inches of solder then hold the opposite end of the tube in your teeth like you would the plastic cap of a ball point pen. Proceed with tinning the stripped ends of the battery leads. The solder in the stranded wire makes it stiff enough to hold together so it can be stuck through the previously cleared hole in the circuit board then bent over enough to stay in place or with your gadget propped up by folds in the old towel, melt a bit of solder on the tip of the iron then holding the wire lead with the fingers of one hand, push the tinned end of the correct polarity battery battery lead through the hole in the circuit board then touch the tip of the iron with tiny blob of melted solder to the tinned lead and printed circuit board where it sticks through at the same time and the solder will flow off the tip of the iron to to make the connection. Don't hold the iron on the circuit board for than a second or you may burn it. Hold the wire steady in place for a few seconds after melting the solder and the connection will cool enough for you to let go. I do this kind of stuff without thinking because I've done it for so many years and even I can screw up so be safe, don't lose focus and concentrate on what you're doing or you could damage something. I'm sure there must be a YouTube video on soldering wires to a circuit board but if you have any questions, don't fail to ask. ^_^

P.S. I know you can handle it. ^_^

TDD

[N8N]

solder wick is another option, probably will cost at least $5 as well. ava ilable at radio shack, so you don't need to mail order. Somewhere around h ere I do have a solder sucker that works well, if I come across it in the n ext few days I'll post the brand.

If this is going to be a one time job and you'll never solder again, you co uld use scraps of stranded wire instead of solder wick if you have any arou nd. Won't work as nicely but if you are only doing two wires, saves you a trip to store and a few bucks.

[Robert Green]

Strip some solid copper wire slightly smaller than the hole, place it against the closed up hole, heat it until the solder melts and slide the wire back and forth through the hole. If it's as small as you say, the solder will adhere to the wire and will leave it open enough to insert the battery wires.

I would caution you to use an alligator clip on the battery wire between the battery and the end of the lead to draw off some of the soldering iron's heat. You need to keep the battery from getting too hot because it can easily explode. DAMHIKT!

[Jennifer Murphy]

Yes, I saw some of those online as well.

Aha. Good idea. The molten solder will wick up into the strands, right? I think I have some around here somewhere. I'll give that a try. Thanks.

[krw]

If she can find a small piece of coax, the braid shield will also make pretty decent solder wick. A bit of flux, and good to go.

A solid wire poked through the hole after the pad has been heated, works too. Keeping the wire cold (heat the pad, not the wire) prevents the wire from being soldered to the via.

[Jennifer Murphy]

The hole is tiny. There are two other connectors of similar size that are unused. I was not able to get the top of a standard push pin through it. Even one of my larger needles is too thick.

I don't think that is a problem. When I was trying to solder it yesterday, I was holding the battery and the lead wires in my hand. I didn't feel any heat at all on the leads.