Poolbuster battery replacement?

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C

cruzmisl

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May 26, 2007
185
Hi All,
My Poolbuster MaxCG batteries are dying. It charges but they die quickly and it doesn't seem to have the power it once had. I don't know what replacement batteries cost from the manufacturer but I have to believe they are inflated. What I'd like to do is somehow use lithium ion batteries as opposed to the Nicad's currently in the unit. For simplicity I'd like to use the factory charging port too.

Anyone have any ideas? If this isn;t possible any ideas on sourcing batteries as direct replacements? Anyone know the size/voltage? Is it an easy swap and something I can do myself?

Thanks a ton!
Joe
 
LOL I honestly don't know. When it comes to batteries, Interstate is my go to and they had one. You might want to check the specifications and compare to your pack before you commit to it based on what I say!
 
Meh! Wrong battery. I have a pool blaster-the pool buster is discontinued. I took mine apart and my battery is at least a 12V. It only measured 10.8V. My charger is a 12.8V but it was putting out 18V :shock: maybe thats why the battery is shot......
 
Any identifier on the battery? I'm pretty sure we can find a replacement if it can be cross-referenced.
portablepower.com, zbattery.com, mouser.com ... someone would have it. I've gotten batteries from all three of these.
 
Based on the cell info you posted ("PB8CELL 2400MAH NI-MH 1309") I get that this is a Nickel Metal Hydride battery with 2400mAH capacity. I *ASSUME* that it's an 8-cell pack, based on the PB8CELL designation, which should be a a 9.6 volt battery (1.2 volts per cell). Since the one you were looking at in your last link is a flat-pack arrangement, I'm gonna guess that your original is something like this? http://www.onlybatterypacks.com/showite ... D=10052.10
 

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To charge a battery, one must force electricity to flow 'into' the battery, which simplified, means that you need to apply a higher voltage to the battery. There are other considerations, such as the current flow and thermal buildup, but at it's basic level, you need a voltage greater than battery level to charge the battery. In the case of small, non-regulated chargers, the voltage supplied by the transformers will drop considerably once it has to actually supply any real current to a load, so while it may read 18 volts disconnected, it will drop to a lower level when it is connected and working. Naturally, the loaded voltage still has to be higher than battery voltage. There should also be circuitry in the charger to limit the current based on charged voltage to prevent the ni-mh cells from overheating and 'venting'.
Each cell in the battery pack should be 1.2volts when charged, so depending on how they are arranged (we assume that they are all connected in series) you should have 9.6 volts when fully charged. If so, you should be able to use any 8-cell ni-mh pack that will fit. You may be able to find higher than 2400mAh (milliamp-hours, a rating of how much current the pack can supply and for how long), but it could be tough on your charger.
Also, you may be able to cut the wrapper off the pack and get a part number from the individual cells, then buy them loose and assemble your own pack, but soldering onto batteries can be tricky as they will vent if overheated. Once they vent, they're damaged.
And speaking of venting, I'll stop now. ;)
 
Well I found a place that will make an 8 cell 9.6V 5000MAh battery for $40. He's also sending along a smart charger for an extra $20. The wall warts can overcharge these NIMH batteries which can be why they perform so poorly. We'll see if this investment pans out. I'll keep everyone posted.
 
Sorry it took me a bit but I had to order one as well. This is what Watertech sent me:

To those customers who have requested to purchase a New 7 or 8 Cell Battery Pack (Only) for a Pool Blaster / Buster Max Water Tech is providing the link to make such purchase.

The customer understands and accepts the follow terms;

He or She is purchasing a 7 or 8 cell battery pack (ONLY) the battery pack contains a heat fuse and wired terminal to match the terminal inside the motor box compartment.
He or She acknowledges Water Tech has offered to service said unit either under warranty or out of warranty under the terms and conditions stated in the owners manual of the unit.
The purchaser acknowledges the battery pack is not returnable and no refund will be offered to the purchaser if the battery pack does not fix any problem that exists with he unit.
The purchaser acknowledges He or She has read the the aforementioned and wishes to continue with their purchase.



http://store.watertechcorp.com/-strse-1 ... Detail.bok
 
I have found this battery pack fits into my pool blaster max. It has 9.6 V out but a much higher energy density.

http://www.all-battery.com/96v4500mahnimhbatterypack11431.aspx

It drives the motor and recharges and includes the correct connector as well. I cut off the foam from the old battery pack and attached to the new battery pack with two sided tape. It worked fine. A tight fit though as it has the extra tape and extra thin film plastic cover from the old battery.
 
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