Description

Introduction

Having recently bought a second-hand set of Nyko Rechargeable batteries and charging dock from everyone’s favorite online marketplace I was dismayed to find out that one of the batteries did not seem to charge. Stranger still the light did not come on at all on the charging dock, having tried the working battery in both slots the issue had to lie with the battery itself.

The Finished Product

The dock showing the before and after, normally the LED is either blue (charging) or green (charged).

Fixing the Battery

First I took a multi-meter to the working battery set on resistance between the ground pin and the middle pin of the battery which read about 38K in resistance. With this bit of info in hand I tested the broken battery and it read infinity ohms or no connection between those two pins. There must be something inside the battery that is either fried or has broken loose.

With the battery apart, which is not an easy task but can be accomplished with a sharp blade like one from a pocket knife wedging in between the small cracks between the two halves of the pack. Now that the pack was open it was easy to notice that what appears to be a temperature probe has broken loose from the center contact on the battery pack. Breaking out the soldering iron and reattaching the lead results in a functional battery pack that would have otherwise been discarded. The pack is then sealed up with my super-glue of choice.

Additional Fixes

While researching the issue I discovered two possible fixes reported to have worked by others online and may in-fact work should the issue not be one of a broken solder contact.

• Use an eraser like the end of a pencil to lightly scrub away any grime or residue on the contacts as this may be preventing electrical contact.
• With a power source of about 3 Volts apply power to the positive and negative terminals of the pack. This might help recover a pack that is failing to charge. One could apply more power for a shorter period with one suggested fix involving a 9 Volt battery.

It goes without saying that all of the above is to be carried out completely at your own risk.