Fixing cheap battery contacts?

[Tony.RI]

I know, I know: never use aftermarket batteries.

Excuses admitted, I have an aftermarket Saber battery which holds a good charge and worked perfectly fine for about a year. However the recently developed problem is that the positive contact is now ambulatory. Has anyone ever fixed a moving contact problem, or should I just relegate an otherwise perfect battery to the trash pile?

[kf4sqb]

If you can get enough movement to get to the underside of the contact, try putting a small amount of epoxy under it, then press it back in place. Just be careful not to get any epoxy on top of the contact. Try using a rubber band wrapped around the battery, holding down something (like a pencil eraser, piece of wood, piece of plastic, etc...) on top of the contact to hold it down & in place until the epoxy is fully cured, being careful not to glue what ever you are using down to the top of the battery. Good luck, and let us know how you make out!

[HLA]

is the contact totally broke off or is it still connected?

[Tony.RI]

The contact is still connected, it is just loose enough to move around when its jostled a little. (Evidenced by the radio constantly reseting when it's set down or moved. If I hold it still than it works fine.)

[HLA]

well if you are a cop or fireman and have to trust your life to that radio i'd get a new battery but if you're using it for a hobby then try glueing it

[Tony.RI]

well if you are a cop or fireman and have to trust your life to that radio i'd get a new battery but if you're using it for a hobby then try glueing it

Thats what I was thinking. Even if I shouldn't use it for SAR, I'd still like to have it for when walking around the hamfest.

I was thinking of using superglue. Would that be the best option or is it going to melt the case?

[kf4sqb]

No, it probably won't melt the case, but it also probably won't hold it. See in my first post above, where I said,

try putting a small amount of epoxy under it

By epoxy, I mean a two-part glue that has to be mixed together before use. I would not recommend something like "JB Weld©", as it contains metal and is conductive. You may need to use a hypodermic needle & syringe to "inject" the epoxy under the contact.

[Bat2way]

Does all this extra work/future reliability worries = the cost of an OEM battery? If I was giving this to a customer, for instance, it would have a new OEM battery and fuggetaboutit.

[Will]

But then again.. some of us like to repair things.