Just to be clear, you canNOT have DeWalt 20V Max tool compatibility with B&D 20V Max batteries just by grinding some plastic. The tools are electrically as well as physically incompatible.
It’s actually more feasible to use B&D 20V Max batteries with the older DeWalt 18V tools. This is what I run myself, allowing me to use my DeWalt 18V tools and B&D 20V Max tools all with the same B&D 20v Max batteries. There’s a guy on eBay who sells an adapter for this. Just beware, his instructions were (are?) wrong from an electrical standpoint.
Joined the forum just to share. So there are aftermarket adapters that allow use for Makita, DeWalt, and Milwaukee batteries to be used on Ryobi tools. Here in Dallas there is a neat place, like a 24 hr fitness, except it’s a workshop. $500 a year and you have access to lathes, 3d printers, plasma torches, etc. Been meaning to go and join to print parts for PC pancakes. Don’t want to buy the $50 manifold assembly, especially for a $3 plastic part and 50¢ o-ring (Work on tools for a living). What I am curious about, does the firmware of the battery track anomalies in usage? I know the Ryobi 40v batteries will lock themselves out when you repair them(the ground gets disconnected via firmware if you break the circuit. Somewhere on that dang pcb is some voodoo that kills the whole thing if it hits 0 volts before negative out, so if you change a capacitor, rectifier, or if it discharges below 26v and is left longer than a month, it self discharges to 0 and will never work again.) Long story short, anyone information on the t1’s 2’s 3’s would be appreciated. Also, most batteries are stupid easy to fix. Exception for the 40v, and Ridgid. I want to play with making an adapter for use of cheap batteries to expensive tools. I have a ton of Ryobi 18v batteries I have repaired as well as BD 20v and 18v batteries on deck.
Hello Gents, Carpenter (AKA Chippy from rainy Britain) rather tired of trademark games here…
I had whole galore of tools and compatibility issues, hence appreciate expertise shared here in relation to batteries.
We (In Europe) and especially in UK have even weirder system of trademark games, also we have a law, whereas construction tools on Site have to be 110V, whilst normal power supply is 230V and chargers comes… in 230V, funny, no? and it is the “law” for over 20 years, still, I end up importing most of my tools from US, due to the better chance of them being made in US, not China…
(another story about my 2’nd power tool imported from US Porter Cable 20V 16ga pin gun, that turned out to be made in China… ah well, after paying customs Tax, it become rather expensive Chinese tool, BUT with 120-110V charger, so I can charge my batteries on site
Thus is after one of my first tools imported from US in 1996 Porter Cable skill saw, has been most heavy, but strong work horse, that my colleague managed to kill it after 4-5 years of use secured to the table, as a bench saw, loved it and remember it fondly)
Back to the batteries: Porter Cable 20V are (semi) interchangeable with ??? Worx, Stanley Fatmax and Dewalt???
Also, I am awaiting for the delivery of big kit from US made by Ridgid (AEG), also few AEG tools shipments… needless to say, unless you gents can confirm or deny compatibility issues-
1- Ni-Cd and Li-In batteries are interchangeable on AEG tools, older chargers (Ni-Cd) do not charge Li-Ion batteries, Li-Ion chargers do charge both.???
2- any Ni-Cd or Li-Ion batteries, of any capacity (charged) work on any AEG tools. will that be the case with Ridgid tools? the reason I am questioning, as I have something like 5 AEG Ni-CD batteries of 2-3AH and new kits I bought (still waiting for) only comes with one 4AH and one 1.5AH (Ridgid -AEG Li-Ion) batteries.
Porter Cable 20v tools are (with minimal modification for fitment) compatible with Black & Decker and Stanley Fatmax batteries. They all share the EXACT same on battery control board.
As to your AEG/Ridgid battery questions, they should all work just fine, and yes the NiCd charger will NOT charge Li-Ion but the Li-Ion chargers WILL charge the NiCds.
Well …
Normal “mains” is 220v- 230V 50-60Hz (as all cordless power tool chargers supplied )
On site we use 110v 16A or 32A continues power tools or cordless, batteries are charged in Site facilities, canteens, toilets etc (apart from me most of my tools imported from US, with 120v 60hz input :D)
We use round ended Yellow cables on construction sites, tradesmen need to have them yellow “step down” transformers or on bigger sites, we have supplied ones (smaller 16A outlets), but NEVER 220-230V…
Why do we do that?- Health & saftey Executive office LAW!
110v cables and tools are way less likely to kill a person, even there is a chance of having not enough of amperage to NOT to have electric muscle spasm- “Lock”
Why tool manufacturers do NOT supply 110v Chargers?.. that would mean their tools, couldn’t be charged on 220-230v DIY sockets and would require chargers to be plugged via transformers even at home…
WHY?
because our rules and rulers do NOT have any knowledge of industry issues, lack common sense and most of us have to obey, accommodate their idiocies
Gents any reasonable Ridgid battery suppliers about? (my old Ni-Cd) batteries are dying, got few AEG/Ridgid, but when using several tools, last thing I want to end up short off …
Thanks!
…This thread scares me… The thought of using a battery outside of its natural system just screams fire hazard to me. Only takes a 0.1% inefficiency between the battery contact, and the tool contact, in order to cause a building resistance overheating problem. CAN you remove plastic to make them the same shape? Yes… Does it make the contacts line up EXACTLY like the battery it is meant to be? Can you guarantee it?
I dunno… I don’t like those kinds of risks. If I’m wrong even the tiniest bit, it’s a large investment to repair or replace the tool systems for me. If we want a cheaper way to do batteries, we should try and petition whatever company is giving us a problem to provide a Battery Rejuvenation program. Basically, after 3 years, pay half the price, they just replace the cells inside for newer ones, and give it back to you without wasting the plastic and metal that make up the shell of the thing. Voila, battery issues resolved.
Modding batteries… ugh… Only if you plan to never use them again, that’s for sure. Doesn’t matter how easy it is, I’m not going to mess up any warranty or repair services I might have on my tools.
so if you check out your moden (recently say 5 years or so) cordless tool battery charger it should come to you with the ability to tolerate either voltage set.
Just like a modern computer. In that it uses a digital square wave to charge with so it creates one. But read the backs of the chargers to verify. or the manual. But it should take either 110/115Vac in or 220-230 Vac in - and yet put to the battery ___ Vdc at ___ A/hr.
and that last part is usually constant - though it monitors the needs of the battery to keep it happy.
I like some others in on this thread am a big fan of Porter Cable. 8 or 9 years ago I bought a starter 18v kit and added on to it. About a year ago I picked the 20v driver/drill combo and just loved it! However, I was infuriated that the new battery format would not apply to my 18v tools, all of which are still very usable.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned prior but I ran across a YouTube video where a guy built an adapter that allows you to run your 18v batteries on the 20v Lion batteries. He has since perfected the adapter and now sells different variations of the adapter on his site:
He has different pricing variations but $44 will get you the adapter. I for one think that very much worth it, especially if you have some of the 18v tools you still enjoy using.
That adapter looks decent, and would have been perfect to have found out about earlier this year, when Tractor Supply cleared out their PC 20v Max batteries (4Ah for $17!) and I still had my 18v stuff. The PC 18v system was my first foray into serious cordless tools (now DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Ryobi, and Ego have supplanted PC), and like yours, my tools were still very enjoyable to use, albeit a bit underpowered and lacking the runtime of, say FlexVolt.
Surebonder makes a hot-glue gun that takes Ryobi 18v post batteries, and then they make adapters for Makita and Milwaukee batteries to fit their glue guns. Of course these work in other Ryobi 18v tools, too. Link: https://surebonder.com/collections/battery-adapter
I wish SOMEone would make an adapter to use Ridgid 18v slide batteries on Ryobi post tools. All the parts are on Thingiverse, just gotta combine 'em and print one…
I made a simple adapter by chopping up a scrap Ryobi flashlight to get the battery socket, and grafting it into a gutted Black&Decker battery, to allow my dad’s B&D weedwacker to run from his Ryobi batteries. It moved the center of gravity back a bit too, which was welcome on an otherwise-nose-heavy tool.
I’ve gutted the cheap Ryobi battery-cap chargers (the P111 and there’s one other whose number I don’t know) and the P150 battery-gauge, to bring out the power contacts to run stuff like my TS100 soldering iron, a series of LED lights, and yes, another gutted DeWalt 18v battery so we could run my buddy’s DeWalt radio off my spare Ryobi batteries.
I believe all the 18v lithium batteries have a protection board in 'em. (The 12’s not so much!), and of course the NiCd don’t care what you do, so I consider it safe to intermix every which way. It’s still prudent not to run something all the way until it stops – when you hear the tool slowing down, stop right there and recharge the battery!
Of course do NOT use these adapters for charging! Always use the native charger, unless you have your own balance charger and know exactly what you’re doing. (And even in that case, you might confuse the coulomb-counter in the board, if present. I haven’t looked into that.)
Stanley tools own Dewalt which is basically B&D re branded. they also own Mac tools Facom and Britool and Irwin. all their Power tools use the same batteries regardless of what brand name they choose to sell them as.
Milwaukee and Ryobi are owned by Techtronic industries in Tiawan. and their batteries are also interchangeable.
Snapon make their own cordless tools and their batteries are not interchangeable with any other brand
some Bluepoint tools are interchangeable with Bosch. and are not made by Snapon.
This is mostly incorrect, I’ve talked of the Stanley Black and Decker brands battery cross compatibility at length. The short of it is 20v Black and Decker, Porter Cable, Fat Max and (Walmart) Bostitch batteries can be used with one another with MODIFICATIONS to the plastic or to tool and or battery. DeWalt and Mac are seamlessly interchangeable and 20v Bostitch (nail guns) can be MODIFIED, again by cutting plastic.
TTI brands, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Ridgid, can NOT be cross compatible. With a very minor exception with Ryobi and Artic Cove, they are completely compatible. Also I can’t confirm but I think Ridgid batteries work on Senco(not a TTI brand).
I can confirm that the Surebonder Milwaukee-to-Ryobi 18V adapter works in Ryobi’s big, 18-inch room fan. I am powering my Ryobi room fan with a Milwaukee M18 12AH battery. With that battery, the fan lasts 18 or 19 hours on Low and, if I recall correctly, about 6 or 7 hours on High. I didn’t test the battery and fan on Medium.
With the large battery, held farther from the fan by the adapter, the fan even balances better. That is, it’s less easy to tip over.
If you want to use the fan’s AC input, you’ll need to remove the adapter. But even if you were using the fan with a native Ryobi battery, you’d need to remove the battery.
ah well, after paying customs Tax, it become rather expensive Chinese tool, BUT with 120-110V charger, so I can charge my batteries on site
most of my tools imported from US, with 120v 60hz input :D)