[NTLK] Re-celling G3-era laptop batteries -- DON'T THROW OUT THE OLD BATTERIES!

[Steven Frank]

Wow, thanks for all the info!

It looks like most of the places that were selling replacements (PowerBook Medic, Newer) no longer have any stock.

I might try BatteryRefill, although the site looks slightly sketchy.  Maybe I should get hold of someone there first and make sure they can still do it.

No way am I going to attempt re-celling myself.  :)  I will end up burning my house down...

There's also this on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/eReplacements-Battery-for-Apple-Powerbook/dp/B000YA9GX8 <http://www.amazon.com/eReplacements-Battery-for-Apple-Powerbook/dp/B000YA9GX8>

The price is right, but why does it say it fits Lombard but NOT Pismo or Wallstreet?  I thought they all used the same battery.

I'll hang onto the dead batteries in BatteryRefill looks like the way to go...

Steven


> On Jul 15, 2015, at 5:21 AM, Lord Groundhog <lordgroundhog at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Back in the day, when my Pismos were the only game in town for me, I came
> across a company who would do rebuilds with Li-Ion cells if you sent the old
> battery.  Unfortunately, I lost a load of bookmarks including that company.
> They still may be out there but it may take some searching.  I no longer
> remember anything useful about them.
> 
> That service I never used because I was in a hurry and found a great source
> of new batteries from a company called Powerbook Medic <powerbookmedic.com>.
> At the time they were selling new batteries of higher specs (7800 mah);
> AFAIK they now only provide used batteries but you'd have to check to see if
> they still can provide new ones.  (FYI, they also sell the PRAM batteries
> and other useful items for older computers in case you need such.)
> 
> Using 2 Powerbook Medic batteries (for those who don't know, a Pismo will
> carry 2 batteries at once by swapping out the CD/DVD player) I was recording
> up to 13 hours of uninterrupted work time.  That's more than enough to fly
> between the UK and the US, for example, and work the whole time except
> take-off and landing, and still have enough work time left over if I needed
> it.  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just did a quick search for "recell pismo battery M7318" and found this:
> http://www.batteryrefill.com/laptops/apple/PowerBook_G3_Lombard.phtml
> (Note:  this battery also fits the Pismo.)  It's not the same company but it
> seems to offer the same service:  you end up with new cells that will yield
> higher capacity.   
> 
> You can do a similar search to find such sites in your own geographical
> area.  There seem to be more of them than I expected.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One more thing.  Back then, I also found instructions somewhere explaining
> how to recell a Pismo battery pack yourself.  I don't know who that was
> either -- another lost bookmark.
> 
> So, doing another search, I came to this:
> http://people.wallawalla.edu/~Rob.Frohne/Powerbook/Pismo/Battery/
> 
> Plainly, he demonstrates the useful basic steps, but he also reports
> shortcomings with his method.  Perhaps someone here with more understanding
> of such things will see how to do better?
> 
> There's also this: 
> http://lowendmac.com/ed/hatchett/08jh/inside-powerbook-battery.html
> 
> 
> 
> There seem to be some others as well, but I can't evaluate the instructions.
> I suspect that the instructions I've linked, if combined with sufficient
> electrical knowledge and a reasonable bit of practical skill, could be
> sufficient to carry out this operation successfully.
> 
> 
> Incidentally, this is a good general site for all things Pismo (and all
> things older-Mac): 
> http://lowendmac.com/2000/pismo-powerbook-2000-firewire/
> 
> 
> 
> So yes, don't be too hasty getting rid of old batteries.  The shells can be
> re-celled, if not by you, at least by someone else.
> 
> 
> 
> PS -- there was also a G4 upgrade (and it's still available, I think) but I
> only put that on one Pismo.  In the end I decided it reduced the battery
> life by more than the speed boost was worth to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Shalom. 
> 
> Christian