Wow Thank You. I thought I bought a garbage. Welding was so weak even on power level 9. I just pressed too hard. Now works really great on level 3-4. Light pressure is the key! Thank You, thank You thank You!
I used my DH20 Pro that I got from Aliexpress, for the first time yesterday making a new 6V battery pack for my Dirt Devil Scorpion hand-vac.The original battery pack was made with 5 - 1500mah Ni-CD batteries that would not charge anymore.So I bought from Amazon the Kastar 5-Pack Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Rechargeable Paper Wrapped Sub C Cell 1.2V 2200mAh Battery Flat Top to make the replacement 6V pack out of.I could not be anymore pleased with the job the spot welder did.First thing I did was use my Ryobi 18V hot glue gun to glue the 5 cells in the semi circle configuration I needed to go in the vacuum,then I spot welded 0.12 x 7mm wide pure nickel strips about 1-1/4" long to the battery pack so I could get about 6 spot welds on the negative side's of the batteries and 4 spot welds on the plus side button of the batteries, worked flawlessly.I give $17.99 plus $14.17 shipping for mine and it only took 14 days to get here.Now I can make other battery packs when needed.Your video among others is why I went with the BIFRC DH20 Pro spot welder,thanks for the informative video.
You sir, are a LIFESAVER. After trying to use my brand new unit and having it turn off as soon as I tried to weld anything, I spent a while scratching my head. A quick google search sent me to this video, and now it works great! Thank you!
Very true and if it came that way the learning curve of using it would be greatly reduced and I think a lot of people who bought one would have been more satisfied with it.
I'm getting the hang of it .The key is light light touch on the tips. Also if I use the pure nickel l I went up one gear. Thanks again. Keep dem coming.
Great Video Chuck! I am just getting started on using a mini spot welder to build battery packs and was happy to find this! It will definitely reduce my learning curve.
The battery inside the welder? I've got no clue. It's a 3.7v flat pack battery with large, solder terminals, which isn't something typically sold to consumers. I did a quick check on AliExpress and a couple of other sources and I couldn't find anything close. And since it's soldered on you'll need a soldering iron capable of melting a large area of solder fast enough so you don't damage the battery. I'd just buy a new welder, they're only $30-$40. There's a newer one I'm about to release a review of that's $40 on Amazon and will weld 0.2 nickel strip easily.
i got one as well after watching the review and as it was said the trick is in very light pressure on tips. I didn't pay attention to that first so my welder was turning itself off and wasn't really working. but the light pressure makes impedance higher so the power dissipated power I^2*R melts the metal on higher resistance points. Thanks for advice Chuck
I agree, it is counterintuitive. But pushing hard increases the contact area which also increases the power required to make the weld beyond what the welder can do. A light touch keeps the contact area within the power of the device and makes for a small but strong spot weld.
I have the Hitachi 10.8 impact, drill, "dremel" tool, reciprocating saw. I also have similar tools in 18v but they don't get as much use. I love the light weight tools, so much easier on the wrists. I just solder tabs to my batteries instead of spot welding. The only trick is to use very high heat with a high power soldering tool and do NOT dwell on the battery but for a second. With a high power soldering gun that has a large tip it only takes a second. Never a problem in many many battery repairs. But hey, do whatever you are comfortable with.
if you solder carefully it is possible but it is not the best solution...(especially with crappy soldering iron or bad technique) I am in the process of replacing the cells in a tool that has an integral/internal battery. I been trying to find a decent small, relatively cheap spot welder because I know I will be doing this again someday. There are several in this similar form factor but I was trying to figure out the best one. Also just a thought, the 5v out might be for draining the battery down to a storage state? (charging a phone would be a good way to do this even if that is not what was intended lol)
I have soldered on 18650ies before and they are all still fine. I was using good flux and a powerful soldering station so I could be really quick without heating the cells too much. It's not ideal but it can be done.
I was thinking the same thing: you can use the 5V output to discharge the internal battery to 70% or less for storage. Lithium batteries degrade way faster if you store them at 100% charge, something around 50% would be ideal.
Interesting question, I'm not sure why you'd need to know that since it has a charge indicator. I'm also not sure off the top of my head how one would test the voltage since it's probably got voltage regulation of some sort, specially on the USB output. But then again, I'm not an electronics expert.
@@3rdpig ok, i found an answer in another Review about this BIFRC spot welder. and it was recommended to use it up to a minimum voltage of 3.8v. because if you use it with the battery in a voltage below 3.8v. it will damage the mosfets. so I just have to check at what level of charge, indicated by the leds. it reaches 3.8v, so I'll know when I have to recharge it, if when it has 2 leds, or 1 charging indication leds. probably it reaches 3.8v when only 1 leds are lit. kinda obvious, I just try to have total ctz, because I heard some comments from people who use it until fully discharged, and in a short time the mosfets were damaged. I saw in some comments that the cause of this is by using it with low voltage (below 3.8v) maybe the battery indicator leds are not so accurate, and when based on them. users end up using beyond limit voltage and safe
I have this Bifrc dh20 pro spotwelder. One thing i know is.. that the included nickle steel plate 0,12 x 8mm strip can be spotwelded fairly easy..My previous ebike battery.. made 6 months ago.. the voltage is sagging allot, maybe because i only used a single ,0,12x8mm strip.I've seen your vid but im still doubing about 0,15 mm pure nickled strip. Will it be powerfull enough to do the job. Maybe its a better option to just put 2x 0,12mm strip on top.
I figured out the problem, my stupid dumbass connected the positive pole first. I am relativly new to all this so I didnt knew thats a thing. Thank you for your response, I appreciate that. So for everybody reading this, NEGATIVE first!
Thanks for video, bought mine from Amazon but every spot wield done the item closes down and switch off even with full charge or USB c powered up & switched on same time So much want to work so am I doing something wrong or have gone faulty item ?
I'm going to guess it's faulty, either a bad battery, bad charging circuit or some component that can't handle the load. It kind of reminds me when my phone is nearly dead and I try to take a flash picture and it flashes once and shuts down.
Thanks for the video. I need to attach a 0.3 x 6mm torch contact to a replacement V250H twin button battery. I wonder if this would have the power for that? Not seen any video of welding .2 never mind 0.3mm
My guess is that it wouldn't do it. If I had anything around that thickness I'd try it I would, but I don't. In a couple of weeks I'll have a different one to test, supposedly more powerful, but still only designed for 1.0 and 1.5.
It would never have occurred to me to have it plugged into an external battery pack while doing this. Were you trying to keep welding after the internal pack was drained?
Nice that sounds good.Yes it's pretty much the same Welder just Updated in Power, Display and touch Buttons.The WelderKit DH30 is the same device like MinderRC.Just different Label
No, I forgot. I'll work on it tomorrow and when I get a working model I'll make a video and post the stl to thingiverse. If I forget again feel free to kick me in the ass.
I just got mine last week. I was disappointed wit the battery. Trying to weld on gear 8 I had to have the charger plugged in .If it shut off. But I tried to keep my pens straight up and down . I'll try your methods right now. I use the 15mm strip. A question for you is it a good idea to use the less expensive nickel plated strips. Versus the pure nickel strips And why or why not? Thank you for your video. I will certainly help me.
I had no luck at all holding the pens at a 90 degree angle to the strips, there's just too much contact area and the welder doesn't have the power for it. Same with pressing too hard, you create more area to be welded which requires more power. Pure nickle strips have less resistance than nickle plated strips and will carry a higher load without overheating.
I'm just starting to spot weld power tool battery packs. I thought I had the nickel plated strip but after doing the salt test I had the pure nickel. I find I make better welds with the nickel plated .Go figure.
If you balance charge 2s2p (4 cells), 3s2p(6 cells), or 4s2p(8 cells), will the balance charger charge every cell or will count each parallel pair as a single cell when using 18650"s ?
My gut feeling is it will consider the parallel pair as a single battery, but modern charge circuits have some some pretty amazing tricks. But you'll need to find someone smarter on the subject than me to give a definitive answer...assuming there really is one.
Each parallel set is = 3.7v-4.2v The capacity is what adds together. The balance charger is going to fill up each parallel set as if it were one 18650. When the sets are balanced and full it will stop .
Nothing if it's just for a second. But I assume if one were to hold them in contact with each other long enough for the device to trigger they'd attempt to weld themselves together. I'm sure you'll understand that I'm not going to try it, I break enough stuff as it is.
I bet I bought mine 30+ years ago. I was working at an Acura dealership and installing rear deck lid spoilers in the parking lot for some side money. I bet I could install a spoiler in 15 minutes and pocket $50 for doing it.
I like your 3D Printed Battery holder. You might want to consider including a gap between each cell so that when you flip your batteries over to weld the other side you can still keep them arranged. I enjoyed you video. Well done Sir!
lol, that's how I feel when I go to watch channels, or Project Farm or Wranglestar. Hell, I bought an air fryer after watching a video and I thought my wife was going to leave me! Women, they just don't get it.
Did you watch the video and try the things I mentioned? Mine worked like shit too until I learned the right technique. It takes a light touch and hold the probes at an angle so they rest on the edges of their tips. If you press too hard or straight down you'll increase the surface area so much that the welder doesn't have the power to compensate for it.
@@3rdpig Thanks for the response. I am already experienced with spot welders and i know that technique is not the problem. I think it might be the battery
@@teun7923 Sorry yours isn't working good. I had a friend buy one recently and his works as well as mine, so I'm guessing you got a lemon. That sucks, but we're rolling the dice every time we buy something from China.
I do want to charge my phone, I just don't want to carry a cheap portable spot welder around as a battery bank and use it to charge my phone. But if you do that's fine, just keep a burn kit on hand and make sure the insurance on your phone is paid up.
@@3rdpig . Camping and such. I wouldn't worry about that. It would be a regulated output. The 5v boost converter in the device would fry first, not your phone. No more risk than pluging in a regular charger into a 15 amp 120v wall socket.
@@E-BikingAdventuresYou do realize that when this is powered on the lead terminal jacks are hot, right? Does that really seem like a thing you'd want in your pocket or in a backpack when a far more powerful, far safer power bank is probably around the same price?
@@3rdpig . Why would you charge your phone with this if it was in your pocket or backpack? Set it down somewhere. You can put rubber plugs in them. I'm sure there is a setting to turn them off or a zero setting. I'm just saying it's a viable option if you're not careless.
Strange i have not discharge my 18650 cells, when i was spot welding a 6A 20v Worx battery, it was 18v and after charging 20.50v, and it worked perfect with my BIFRC DH20 Pro+.
Me telling people to discharge the batteries before spot welding is like companies who make towel roll dispensers telling people not to hang themselves in the towel loop. Congratulations, you're obviously intelligent enough not to require a "don't be stupid" warning.
@@3rdpig Thanks, yeah i know people can do really stupid stuff, and yeah everyone of us has done something stupid, but i am happy noting bad happened to me, i am soldering now a few years and it works ok with my Miniware TS100 and now BIFRC DH20 Pro+. Hope to see much more video's of you soldering and spot welding.
@@3rdpig Well, if you tell people to "completely discharge" the batteries before welding, if they aren't very bright, they will probably kill all their cells with a deep discharge to 0 V. It's gonna be really safe though.
hi maybe its to late to ask but i bought mine and get it today and i have an e-bike on my work with a nickelstrip has broken on its battery and i thinking to put a 4cm strip over it and spot welding over it and start with first gear? so is it possible? im thinking its a old bike and the cellls is pretty good balanced with few difference in it last time i check.. so is it possible to just welding or should i disconected bms pcb and or take out fuses to🤔 btw it is 18650 cell
@@danielkarlsson2538 A e-bike battery is much bigger, and 36 a 48v, but i did do it with all my 20v Worx battery's, when they were around 18v, did not discharge them, i have made 2 extra, and made 4 18v Makita battery's (are 20v in real life), and made a battery's pack to quick charge smartphones and tablets, and they still all work perfect.
