[mvadg]

Originally Posted by condor

Thanks. The cells are inside the screwdriver, and not removable. Removing means a servicing task.

Regarding charging/over-charging - this will have to be a visual monitoring, as I have mentioned earlier.

May be I misled you on the "drop in" part. You should stick to the OEM battery or compatible replacements. I've only done this with AA NiCd for small gadgets. The following is from a more reliable source:

https://www.edn.com/battery-expert-c...d-battery-pack

To some degree, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) is interchangeable with Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) — with caveats. The issues related to replacing NiCd with NiMH are the charge methods, the discharge characteristics (specifically rate capability) and then the effect of both on cycle life.

The rate capability is perhaps the most pertinent question. Consider the specs of one of the leading manufacturers of NiCd and NiMH. The NiMH AA-cell has an impedance of 25milliohms, while the NiCd Sub-C has an impedance of 6 milliohms. While NiMH AAs could show an initial improvement over the older, well-spent NiCd battery — particularly if using more AAs (in parallel), as one reader implied — they are not inherently lower in terms of impedance.

While the impedance is a factor, another important issue is the cell’s ability to transfer the ions quickly and keep up the electrochemical reactions at the rate demanded by the device. The NiCd Sub-Cs were designed for just this task (thinner and higher surface area electrodes, more conductive electrolyte, etc). They can support the rates necessary for power tools without stress or damage to the cell’s system.

The NiMH AA-cells found on retail shelves are optimized for energy density (capacity). They suffer from lower cycle life compared with the original equipment-type cells. The cycle life of a NiCd Sub-C is three to five times that of a retail-type NiMH AA-cell. With the additional “abuse” of discharging at high rates, the life of the common NiMH cell is significantly shortened and ultimately disappointing.

There is a power-tool class of NiMH cells available today. However, these cells are typically available direct only to a battery pack manufacturer or device OEM and are not the type typically found in a retail store. (High-rate-capable NiMH cells may be available from Internet battery wholesale sites. The buyer should verify that those available are the high-rate NiMH cells.)

Of particular concern regarding charge methods is that of charge termination. Both NiCd and NiMH can be charged with constant current, and both have a similar rise in voltage and temperature as they approach full charge, although the NiMH voltage peak is less pronounced than the NiCd peak.

Nexergy Figure 1
The most common method for terminating charge for NiCd is typically referred to as Negative Delta V. You try to capture the point at which the voltage comes down from its peak by a prescribed amount (usually 5-10mV/cell). Because of NiCd’s tolerance for overcharge, older versions of chargers may employ a timed charge using a C/10 charge rate for 16 hours or simply a low-rate float charge indefinitely.

The recommended method for charging NiMH is the dT/dt method (change in temperature with respect to time) that is typically set to 1-2degC rise per minute, at which point the charge is terminated.

Nexergy Figure 2
Going beyond this point is considered overcharging NiMH. While NiMH can accept some overcharge, going to a Negative Delta V termination will typically cause faster degradation and reduction in cycle life (again going in the wrong direction). As one of your readers pointed out, purchasing a NiMH charger would be recommended.

As all of us at Nexergy can tell you, there are practical concerns in terms of assembling the battery pack. Not too many people have resistance welders at home to weld tabs from cell to cell to get the low-resistance welds you need for a supplying a high-discharge rate. Our recommendation is to visit your local Batteries Plus or similar outlet and ask if it carries a NiMH replacement for your battery and appropriate charger. Some locations may also have the capability to take your old battery and replace it with the appropriate NiMH cells. (If nothing else, it is just plain fun to go into a store that sells nothing but batteries.)

[adrian]

You need these only if you own an oldie

Grease gun bucket



Grease scoop - To do the dirty work of transferring grease to the grease gun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fWneG3aLOA

[adrian]

Grease gun attachment used to lubricate sealed bearings. Basically a needle with a grease zerk attached to one side. Brand : Groz.

[adrian]

Combination wrenches ( open end + swivel ratchet head)







No change direction lever for the ratchet head. Flip the wrench to change direction of ratcheting. All together the wrench is of good quality.

[honeybee]

So the painting bug hit me, and hit me hard.

Tried a brush, a roller and finally today, the electric spray gun from BuildPro.

Am returning the spray gun tomorrow, as it heats up a lot and creates a terrible racket. Wasn't able to paint a 5x5 feet part without having to stop, and the bugger still was hot.

Its rear grille is probably the culprit, not leaving enough space to dissipate the heat.

But the roller was the best amongst the three. It ideally needs a tray or some such flatter reservoir to hold the paint, but it works beautifully. Especially on long flat surfaces like a compound wall, or a house wall.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Some more additions:

1. 2T Classic Jack

Handle was the flimsiest part of this jack, and it broke into two when I tried jacking up the Crysta.

Tools shop said handle isn't available separately, and that I should look for alternatives. Immediately, side impact bar in Maruti's doors came to my mind. Asked my MASS to get me a bar from one of their scrap doors. Well here it is! They made a hole at one end for bolt to pass through.

The rod is extremely rigid and will last the distance IMO. Will paint it for a cleaner look.

Regards,
Shashi

[Chhanda Das]

Do you even lift ?

Let us talk about vehicle jacks for your cars.
If you are a vehicle enthusiast and/or want to maintain your car by yourself by choosing the DIY route then a good jack is indispensable for you. Frankly speaking, we cannot use the stock mechanical scissor jack (the one provided by your car's manufacturer) for anything else other than removing/replacing the wheels and/or performing minor jobs like replacing the brake pads.

Hence a good high-capacity jack is very much necessary if we want to maintain our car by ourselves. When choosing such jacks our options are practically limited to two basic types - the mechanical ones and the hydraulic ones.

Mechanical jacks : These are cheaper and usually come in the stock scissor shape or the higher capacity bottle shape. The bottle-type mechanical jacks are usually cheaper and last for a long time without almost any maintenance but these are prone to tilting and that is probably their only disadvantage apart from being cumbersome to use.

Hydraulic jacks : These are more expensive and are usually of two types - bottle type and floor/trolley/crocodile type. The bottle-type hydraulic jacks are compact but these are prone to tilting as well. The floor/trolley/crocodile type hydraulic jacks usually do not tilt but can definitely slip if used incorrectly especially when used in conjunction with jack pads for pinch welds at the jacking points found in monocoque chassis cars. Low-profile versions of floor/trolley/crocodile type hydraulic jacks are definitely available but those are substantially more expensive and intended for cars with very low ground clearance. These usually have dual pistons in a single cylinder instead of the single piston in a single cylinder in the regular ones which are not low-profile.

Choosing the capacity of the jack :

A good place to start is by looking at the unladen weight (minimum weight) and laden weight (maximum weight) of your car by as mentioned in the Form 22 for your car or in its registration certificate details on the Vahan website of the Government of India. You can also get your car weighed at any weigh-bridge and these are also known as Dharam Kaanta in the Northern and Eastern regions of India. Sometimes some toll plazas and bridges also have a display showing the current weight of your car. Please note that the weights of different cars or different variants of the same car will always be different.

My 2017 1.6 Petrol AT Creta's laden weight is approximately around 1730 kgs. Hydraulic jacks typically lose 25% of their capacity over their lifetime and I chose to incorporate an additional margin of error to the tune of 25% more which brought the required capacity up by a total of 50% to 2595 kgs. The closest available capacity of a jack above 2595 kgs is 3 ton. It is very important to note here that 1 ton approximately equals 907 kgs and 1 tonne equals 1000 kgs. From what I have seen, the 3 tonne rated jacks (both mechanical and hydraulic) are somewhat of a rarity and even their replacement/spare parts are somewhat difficult to find here in India. The ones rated in "tons" instead of "tonnes" have no such issues. Even though the entire weight of the car will never be on the jack, it is always good to have a safety margin keeping the worst possible condition in mind which explains the additional and apparently unnecessarily high load-bearing capacity of the jack.

Hydraulic jacks usually do not come ready to be used at 100% capacity from the manufacturer/seller due to various logistical issues. The buyer usually has to fill it up with proper hydraulic jack fluid and then bleed out the air before using them. This process is usually very easy and almost anyone can do it. Instead of a proper hydraulic jack fluid, we can also use hydraulic power steering fluid or hydraulic heavy lifting machinery fluid like those in JCB excavators but it is absolutely not recommended to use other fluids like engine oil, brake fluid, alcohol, glycerin, etc. Also, the jack's friction points need to be properly lubricated before using it for the first time.

The regular (not low-profile) 3 ton floor/trolley/crocodile type hydraulic jacks typically weigh around 20-30 kilograms based on the metal used. And they can be kept under the front passenger seat of your car if there is no space available in the boot area.

WARNING : Do not get under the car when it is resting on the jack alone. Always place the car on properly rated good quality jack stands before going under the car unless the car's all four wheels are touching the ground. And always engage the handbrake or the parking brake tightly before using the jack under the car. Additionally, please use wheel chocks before using the jack in case you intend to work on the brakes or if you intend to lift the rear of the car.

After much brainstorming and weighing the pros & cons of all the easily available jacks, my son procured a 3 ton rated floor/trolley/crocodile type heavy-duty hydraulic trolley jack for my 2017 1st generation pre-facelifted petrol 1.6 AT Creta for approximately INR 4000 in early 2018 from a local shop here in Kolkata. Good hydraulic jacks are made by brands like Groz, Elephant, Big Bull, Pittsburgh, Harbor Freight, Husky, etc. You can definitely get good generic ones too.

The one that we got has a minimum height of 140 millimetres and a maximum height of 470 millimetres with the weight being approximately 25 kilograms. Using it is very easy. All we have to do is to connect the two parts of the handle properly and mount it on the jack's square drive. Before we start to pump the handle, it is very important to turn the valve closing mechanism by turning the handle in a clockwise manner to the maximum extent to completely close the pressure release valve or else the jack will not lift. When we need to lower the car, we can slowly open the valve by turning the handle in an anti-clockwise direction. Here are a few images for now :-

Lifted to its maximum position

Fully lowered

I hope that you enjoyed going through this post and I wish you all happy and safe drives ahead

[venkat_partha]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

OK. Two things would be bad about that. First is the question of if the tool spindle is too small for the drill chuck to tighten on it. Second, and more important, assuming that the tool fits is that, ergonomically, it would be like using a scalpel blade attached to the end of a hammer handle.

The ideal Dremel/etc tool would be pen-sized. They can't make them that small (although flexible-drive handpieces get closer, but that gives a feel of how the tool is designed to be used.

Of course, there would be jobs you could do with a Dremel tool on the end of a heavy electric drill. But you probably wouldn't want to.

edit: yes, a randomly picked Dremel-type tool spindle does get held by my Bosch electric-drill chuck.

Any suggestion for a good Dremel?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by venkat_partha

Any suggestion for a good Dremel?

Do you mean as in not-Dremel? Or which model to buy?

I bought a Dremel quite a few years ago, and it was the basic model. It has been good enough for my needs. I was thinking to replace it after its Chennai-flood submersion --- but it still worked just fine! (I checked inside, and dried up a few stray drops of water).

What I don't like about it: speed control is just a few steps. I don't know if higher/newer models have continuously variable.

For bench use, it doesn't compare well with the pendant drill (hang-up motor plus flexible drive plus handpiece) that I used to have as a hobby jeweller nearly forty years ago. That was a basic one too (the real pro equipment was and is very expensive) but had the advantage of a variable speed foot control and a light handpiece, and much more torque. One can hang up a Dremel and attach a flexible drive.

In the end, the answer is dependent on your usage and need. My basic Dremel is good enough for me.

Top hint; with any of the grinding, cutting, or even polishing attachments, don't even think about it without eye protection!

Second hint: get one of the chucks. Collets are fine for the standard-size tool shanks, but the chuck is more adaptable and easier to use.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by venkat_partha

Any suggestion for a good Dremel?

Hard question to answer without knowing the types of tasks you are looking to handle.

I have seen 3 main types of Dremel tools. Oscillating tools, rotary tools, and saws. These come in corded and cordless varieties, with a slew of fittings/tool bits.

• If you are doing small craft work, then get the rotary tool kit.
• If you are doing bigger work that involves straight cuts to pieces of wood, look into saws.
• For general purpose hacking, trimming things, you can get the oscillating tools.

[Leoshashi]

Dear All, Need some advice. I've been collecting hand tools since I was 8 years old, the very first one being a Tester gifted by a friendly electrician. Over the years, the collection has grown quite humongous, and I now have 4 cantilever boxes full of tools. Just finding a particular spanner takes me minutes. So was contemplating a tools trolley, and arrange all my tools using proper cutouts made in foam sheets.

If anyone has experience with the same, kindly advise what I should do, opt for a locally fabricated one, or go with branded ones like Groz, Stanley, Taparia etc. The fabricated ones are significantly cheaper, but I'm not sure about their quality.

For example, the locally fabricated ones:

Rs. 17000:



Rs. 12000:



Branded ones:

Stanley, final price will be ~80% of the MRP:





Groz, Rs. 60k:



Alternatively, if I were to get it fabricated locally, what are the things I should keep in mind?

Regards,
Shashi

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Alternatively, if I were to get it fabricated locally, what are the things I should keep in mind?

I keep building newer versions of mobile tool carts, as I keep coming up with new requirements. Generally speaking, these are the things I would have in mind.

• Sturdy rubberized wheels with 100lb capacity each, with more than 4.5" dia. Bigger did helps you roll the heavy cart easily over small rocks/obstacles.
• 2 swivel and lock enabled, and 2 straights. The locks stop the cart from rolling when parked on uneven surface like a driveway which is usually sloped for rainwater run off.
• Wide sturdy handle- that enables ease of movement
• Wood work bench/ work area on top of the cart. Useful to do small fixes right on top of the cart.
• Soft close heavy duty drawer slides. Slam it and walk away.
• More drawers of shallow depth (minimizes searching/digging for tools)

I wouldn't have a peg board as seen in one of the pictures. It can make the cart unstable, and one cant expect the cart to always roll on smooth surfaces.

[OPMaurya]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I keep building newer versions of mobile tool carts, as I keep coming up with new requirements. Generally speaking, these are the things I would have in mind.

Nice points
I would add a vice, as well. Really comes in handy sometimes.

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Dear All, Need some advice. contemplating a tools trolley, and arrange all my tools using proper cutouts made in foam sheets.

If anyone has experience with the same, kindly advise what I should do, opt for a locally fabricated one, or go with branded ones like Groz, Stanley, Taparia etc. The fabricated ones are significantly cheaper, but I'm not sure about their quality.

Alternatively, if I were to get it fabricated locally, what are the things I should keep in mind?

Regards,
Shashi

I would suggest you to go for banded ones. I was looking for a tool trolley for my own use. The local ones were all negative on the points raised by @GustyGibbon. And yes these were available for as low as 15k. And they do custom orders as well, again the price will go up depending upon the features. So it is more or less the same.

If you want to fabricate - then it would be great idea for DIY. There are quite a few you tube videos. I will take out the dimensions and post here, that I had once chalked out to make my own trolley.

I was lucky to get a almost like new Wurth trolley on OLX for a great price. It ticks all the boxes, for quality, safety and ergonomics. So it would help to keep checking OLX / FB for the same as well

Originally Posted by OPMaurya

Nice points
I would add a vice, as well. Really comes in handy sometimes.

The vice is a really nice accessory to add to your DIY bench but not to a wheeled cart. With Bench you can go for the bigger one thus will suffice for all jobs.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I keep building newer versions of mobile tool carts, as I keep coming up with new requirements. Generally speaking, these are the things I would have in mind.

Thanks a lot for the tips, highly appreciate it.

Originally Posted by manishalive

I would suggest you to go for banded ones. I was looking for a tool trolley for my own use. The local ones were all negative on the points raised by @GustyGibbon. And yes these were available for as low as 15k. And they do custom orders as well, again the price will go up depending upon the features. So it is more or less the same.

True, the quality of spares used like slider, wheels etc are too compromised in locally fabricated ones. I know a couple of interior designers who did connect me with some of the best suppliers for such items, and after factoring the price, cost between branded and local ones is negligible.

Thanks for the OLX tip, will check. If not available, placing an order for a new one right away.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: Is Industrybuying site reliable for Prepaid orders?