Re-celling a Redvolt XL battery that is failing?

[Marc D]

I have a few Redvolt XL batteries which started to fail so I picked up a few more knowing the same thing could happen with any others I purchased. One of them failed yesterday so I am delving into re-celling them. I have not found any documentation or videos describing the method used to take them apart or what type of battery they are using inside. I am hoping it's a multiple cell type of configuration.

I did find an old video on another type of RED battery and it was using multiple Sony cells but he did not describe taking it apart. Before I learn for myself, I am looking to see if anyone has taken them apart and can provide any information on disassembly and type of batteries inside.

I am aware of the connect and disconnect method which will work in some instances, I believe that method will not work for at least two of the batteries I have because of the 2 led blinking indication.

Using V-mount batteries are an option in the future for some applications but the form factor of the Redvolt XL works well with my gimble and when I am not using anything for support.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

 

[Torkel]

Hi, Marc. I have considering doing this too. At one point a few years ago, I actually managed to take one apart relatively undamaged. It’s locked with a series of clips that is not accessible from the outside, so it was a painful process. I can send you a couple of pictures of how it looks disassembled. My plan stopped however shortly after this because I had a hard time finding the exact same cells to replace the bad ones. I’m not an electronics expert, so I’m not sure if you can mix different brands in the same battery.

 

[Torkel]

Metal front is just a cover plate and is glued on - pry this off and you will find the actual lid of the battery. I found that the easiest way to get it off is by cutting away approx 2 mm of the lid edges on both sides, leave the top and bottom untouched. You should the be able to release the clips by prying the edges on all sides out.

 

[Marc D]

Just saw this post, thank you for posting your experience and results! This will help a lot in taking them apart. I was involved in a project and had to put down the re-celling for a bit. I did find out who makes the batteries. I would advise not mixing cells unless it's absolutely necessary. You want to keep the type and capacity of the batteries as similar as possible. From what I heard the manufacturer is CoreSWX. I contacted RED and someone confirmed the name once I mentioned the name first. Hope that helps. Still need to identify the specific battery.