kobalt 24V tool packs (2ah and 4ah)

misterb

10 mW
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
30
Location
Rockwall, TX
I needed a new power drill anyway, and seeing the pricing on these 24V 2ah packs ($20 @ lowes) had me intrigued, so I found a good deal and bought a drill kit (drill, charger, 24v 2ah pack). Yesterday I picked up a 4ah pack ($50 - $15 off $50 coupon = $35). As expected it looks to be identical inside, with the exception that it is 2P:
20160817_082628sm.jpg

so, the 2ah pack is 6s and the 4ah pack is 6s2p -- it appears the circuit board is the same, I'm not sure if it's a full BMS or not. the markings on the cells are:UAD9RXD 064854. I haven't turned up any matching searches for those queries, so I'm not sure who is manufacturing the cells.
 
Sorry I couldn't help.

Possible info on similar packs
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=kobalt&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=firstpost&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
 
amberwolf said:
Possible info on similar packs
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=kobalt&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=firstpost&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
Thanks, this is a newer line so I'm not sure if they are using different cells. They are definitely cheaper per cell than the 80v and 40v packs.

Since these each have independent BMS per toolpack, does anyone know if it would be possible for me to charge them wired in series against a 48V charger? @Jestronix has confirmed in his thread (https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=82461) that you can charge them in parallel. I know I could bypass the BMS and bulk charge them in series, but I'd rather let the BMS do it's job. If I need to create a RIDE vs CHARGE harness then I can do that as well. I don't intend to mix the two different sized packs, instead I'll pick up 3 more of the 4ah packs to make up a 48v 8ah pack.
 
I use Bosch Bat620 18v 4A packs and series them to get 36V. I use 36V (41.5) charger to charge them. and have not had any problems.
 
My guess is they are Sanyo cells and you are reading the batch code or some other code. Are you going to take the packs apart further? If so we can ID the cell better.

I saw these packs a while ago at Lowes and was surprised that they were so cheap. About half the price of most competitors packs! And it has a 3 year warranty. If someone rigged up a few of these together they'd have a very cheap ebike pack!

Also the potting is a nice touch. Should make it handle occasional water spills or shocks from being dropped better.
 
bionx 1954 said:
I use Bosch Bat620 18v 4A packs and series them to get 36V. I use 36V (41.5) charger to charge them. and have not had any problems.
thanks, I apprecate the feedback. I'll give it a shot once I pick up the additional packs and post my findings as well.
 
redilast said:
My guess is they are Sanyo cells and you are reading the batch code or some other code. Are you going to take the packs apart further? If so we can ID the cell better.
quote]

I may tear down one of the packs further. In general I wanted to keep them intact so I could take advantage of the warranty if needed. I will post pics if I do any further tear down.
 
Does anyone know about the 1.5ah packs? They are only $10. Seems too cheap?
 
veloman said:
Does anyone know about the 1.5ah packs? They are only $10. Seems too cheap?

The 1.5AH packs have 6 Samsung INR18650-15L cells. Green wrappers, 18 amp continuous discharge. I picked up a few last November.
 
Bump.

Lowes has not been able to get as much adoption of their 24V / 7S line of tools, as they had hoped. I'm hearing reports that their suitcase tool "bundles" are aggressively priced to get weekender handymen to buy into the system.

I'm told Milwaukee has a patent on using five lithium cells to make an 18V/20V pack for tools. I dont know how that's even possible. But using 7S works around that and also provides slightly more power.

The downside is the packs are a tiny bit larger and heavier. Bad if you are drywalling all day, but drywall doesnt need the power of 24V.

For those that are concerned about a heavy tool in the hand, you can get a corded adapter that puts the battery hooked to your belt.

Apparently Kobalt is aggressively pricing these packs, so the batteries from the "big three" will seem worse by comparison.

The 4.0-Ah packs use 21700 cells, and they are turning out to not have a very long cycle life, but again, 4.0-Ah of 7 cells can provide a long run time per charge, while being smaller and lighter than a 5.0-Ah using ten 18650 cells.

So...Kobalt is shooting for the niches in between the popular sizes.
 
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