Thinkpads Forum

This is the opposite of the usual "may battery is dying".

In this case, I dropped my T61 with a perfectly good 2012 manufactured battery, and the latching system has a broken "push/lock tab" on the "non-beveled" side of the battery.

Any suggestions on how to fix this or who might do it?

You can open them up, fix them and glue them back together (at your own risk). If you want some parts, I have several of them that have failed control boards in them and could send you a couple to experiment with.

PM if interested

ps. just make sure you don't let the circuits "open" (electrically). I believe this will cause the controller to detect an unsafe condition and shut down, making the battery useless, but if you carefully transfer all the parts into a new case, or replace only the broken parts of it, you should be fine.

You've got 4 of the best 9cell batteries I could find on their way. That should keep you busy. If you should decide to fix some, there is a member that posted a link to a company in china that has some original control boards for about $9 each. I'm sure there are enough good cells there to make at least two or three batteries. I've considered it myself, just don't have the time.

If anyone else wants some batteries to experiment with, I still have several 6 and 9 cells with failed boards.

TuuS -

Thanks!!!

The repair was not difficult.

1. Take a 1" sharp chisel and work it into the seam at the rear of both the "recipient" and "donor batteries (the wider chisel distributes the torque to minimize the damage.
2. Carefully work around all the seams - the ones at the front and side are irregular. Fortunately, there appears to be glue of some kind or bonding (thermal) only on the peripheral seam, not the inside mating surfaces.
3. Remove the locking strip from the "donor" - you will need to pop off the "locking button" from the outside.
4. Note that there is a small tensioning spring. You will need to find the small "locating pin" on the locking strip and slip the pin into the spring.
5. Take 2 thin pieces of Scotch tape and place over the outer 1/4" of each end of the locking strip, and secure to the battery case. This will keep it from dislocating as you reassemble the battery (this will lay over the charging circuit board). Reinsert the locking button from the outside.
6. Do a test fitting of the two battery shells so you can see exactly where everything fits (once the glue is in, you "committed".) Make sure the "locking button" and the locking strip work as they are supposed to.
7. I used cyanoacrylate glue ("super glue"). Have maybe 10 pieces of Scotch tape ready as you will need to secure as you go.
8. Reunite the two shells again, and drip very small quantities of glue in the seam, starting with the back. The glue will get "sucked in" by capillary action. Use tape as you go so the glued area do not separate.
9. Let the whole assembly sit for 15 minutes.
10. Start removing the Scotch tape, ending with the two pieces that secure the ends of the locking strip.
11. If you are really compulsive, take some 000 steel wool and remove the excess glue (use a vacuum as you go).
12. Voila! You have just saved your self $50-120 instead of buying a new battery.

Lastly, this probably would work for other batteries as well - I think of the T4x batteries that would lose an interior locking tab if dropped.