Help
Posted 27 August 2003 - 06:18 PM
What do you do when the two batteries for your 13.4 volt portable electric drill both go bad and you find out they cost $59 each to replace?
Well if you’re like me you go out and buy a new battery operated drill, with two batteries and a charger for $79. (And you know it’s going to use different batteries from your old drill cause they don't sell new drills with those batteries any longer. It’s a plot!)
The question then becomes “What do you do with that perfectly good, but battery-less portable electric drill?
Well you can convert it to use in your shop or in your Jeep via the cigarette lighter plug.
Here’s a picture of mine:
(Please note, this will only work SAFELY on electric drills that are at least 13.4 volts or greater.)
Here is how I did it:
Pull the battery packs and dispose of them properly.
Then go over to Harbor Freight (or Radio Shack) and purchased a $1.99, 12 volt power plug with a 15 foot long cord and a 10 amp fuse in the plug.
Simply drill a hole (using your new drill) in the handle of your battery-less drill and feed the power cord in. Tie a knot in the cord to serve as a strain relief.
Then connect the positive and negative wires on the power cord wires plug to the positive and negative terminals inside the drill handle using ¼ push on connector.
Plug the power plug into the cigarette light outlet, turn the ignition on (if you have to) and use your drill.
While I personally do not travel with this drill in my Jeep, I might if I were going on a long trip, or camping for some long period of time.
I use mine converted Cheap Jeep Drill in my shop. If I didn't do this I'd heave it or it would collect dust on the shelve having little or no value to me.
Note: You could also use a power cord with battery clips as well.
I hope these two examples will set some type of flavor for you. Please feel free to contribute your ideas. If we all contribute something we can all get a lot more out of this.
