Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I'm thinking about upgrading the cells in my dead ProFormers, and I cam across some 5000 mAh NiMH cells online. My question is: Does anyone know if it's alright to pop these new cells in as-is? Would there be any possibility that the charger won't recognize their chemistry, etc? I don't mind destroying my already dead ProFormers, but I definitely don't want to blow up any cameras, chargers, or myself! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jarrett P. Morgan Posted January 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I would ask John Ritter (http://www.ritterbattery.com/). I think he is on the forum some too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted January 6, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 He recelled some of my proformers as nimh. Big improvement in runtime and none of my chargers seem to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Stone Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Another endorsement for John Ritter. As well, cracking open the AB cases can be difficult to do without making a mess of the shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted January 7, 2014 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Thank You for the referrals/endorsement !! The NiMh cells can be installed in the ProFormer, just be aware that the cells are slightly larger so the case will have to be modified. I have 2 Proformers with fresh cells (NiMh-55 watts) available ready to go if you need them in a hurry, plus I can provide another 6 with a 2 day lead time, no trade in required. I can also Re-Cell your dead packs (3-5 day turn around, plus shipping time). I also do all of the Anton Bauer Battery line; pack/VCLX/Dionic repairs/Re-Cell and any other manufacturer (IDX, RED, Sony, Frezzi, Tiffen, Blue Shape, BeBob, Swit, Switronix/Pro-X, Varizoom, Imports I am also an authorized repair station/dealer for Blue Shape Battery products. Regards John Ritter 954-557-9765 www.ritterbattery.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members brett.mayfield Posted January 8, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Another high five for Mr Ritter. H even made me some snazzy Dionic 110s... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 9, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thanks for the responses! John, I'll keep that in mind about the size. I'm an avid tinkerer, so I'm going to give it a shot and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Crabtree Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 The Ni-Cd charger will charge the Ni-MH batteries but at a price. Heat KILLS batteries. If your charger does not turn off at a certain voltage point (Ni-MH charger) it will keep charging until a certain time has passed (Ni-Cd charger). This excess energy translates to HEAT in your battery and diminishes its life and then you have to get it re-celled again sooner than you would have if you had just put Ni-Cd back into it. You have to weigh out the cost of either: 1. Having lots more watt hours to work with right now with a Ni-MH re-cell and possibly having to re-cell early, 2. Or putting Ni-Cd chemistry back into it with less watt hour to work with and having probably longer life. Make sure and charge the batteries up fully before you build your battery pack. Many batteries have been sitting on the shelf for a while and have naturally degraded over time. Charging them up first before building the pack will assure that they are all close to being the same voltage as each other and you will have a longer life span from them. If you need a professional battery re-cell job done, please look us up at http://batterypackrebuilder.com David Crabtree Battery Pack Rebuilder http://batterypackrebuilder.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 10, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Heat KILLS batteries. If your charger does not turn off at a certain voltage point (Ni-MH charger) it will keep charging until a certain time has passed (Ni-Cd charger). This excess energy translates to HEAT in your battery and diminishes its life and then you have to get it re-celled again sooner than you would have if you had just put Ni-Cd back into it. ` I use real Anton/Bauer battery chargers, so I assume that I wouldn't have to worry about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Crabtree Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 That is true if your AB charger has been upgraded to charge Ni-Mh chemistry or if you have a newer model. Some people are still using older chargers that were only designed for Ni-Cd chemistry and have never upgraded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted January 10, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 I have A/B Twin chargers. I bought them with my Dionic 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Dean Smollar Posted January 16, 2014 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 question for John, I have an IDX E-HL9 that needs checking on, do you also work on those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted January 16, 2014 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Hi Dean Yes I can repair/Re-Cell all of the IDX battery packs. John Ritter 954-557-9765 www.ritterbattery.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alan Rencher Posted February 16, 2014 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I have successfully re-celled my Proformer! This was my first attempt, and minus one ground incident that caused some sparks, it went on without a hitch! I replaced the 30 Wh NiMH cells with 5,000 mAh NiCad cells, bringing the Proformers to 72 Wh. It took me two hours, and I had to modify the case as John mentioned. For a first try, I think I did well. Here's are some pictures of the process: https://plus.google.com/photos/105188795616289789466/albums/5980828415844421121?authkey=CK33meHWuK-0IQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Sponsor John Ritter Posted February 16, 2014 Site Sponsor Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hey Alan Nice job photos look good. Congratulations on the success. John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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