PowerBook 3400C Battery Rebuild

[Zhinü]

I have a 3400C coming in the mail with a barely alive battery, and want to know if there’s a way to rebuild them currently? If not, is there places where I can find NOS batteries that still work?

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

To my knowledge, the battery microcontroller bricks itself when new cells are installed unfortunately. No one that I know of has been able to get around it. As for NOS, don't think so unfortunately. Try sending an email to CHANS battery rebuild, they're canada based, but they can rebuild just about any lithium ion laptop battery. It's possible that they would know how to reset the controller chip.

 

[Zhinü]

Darn! I’ll have to contact them. Hope they know how to do it cause I want to use this outside of having it attached to a wall.

 

[Byrd]

Have you considered some sort of external battery, a la PowerBank to trial?

 

[Zhinü]

Plugging something into the DC port to act as a external battery? That could work. I’d just need to find something that looks good and can provide the power needed. Also the connector.

 

[TonyJay]

I have a 3400C coming in the mail with a barely alive battery, and want to know if there’s a way to rebuild them currently? If not, is there places where I can find NOS batteries that still work?

This is an older email thread, but I am having a 3400 battery rebuilt by Chans Battery, which happens to be located here in London, Ontario where I live. They have not finished but have opened the case. I thought there would be four 28650 cells but actually they found 12 x 17670 cells, which are only 1800 mAh. 28650's I was told are near impossible to source here in Canada so they will install 4pcs 18650 cells for 2600 mAh. I asked about the batteries being 'bricked' after repair, but apparently they are able to reset the BMS logic board using software that they developed in house. I can let the you and the forum know how it turns out and details of the service.

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Have you gotten your battery back yet?

 

[TonyJay]

I have not gotten the NiMH packs back as the battery size was back ordered from suppliers. The LiON pack for the 3400 was a bust due to the battery management system bricking itself. Reminds me to call the place. Are you planning to try to rebuild a pack?

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Even they couldn't unbrick the BMS? I'm surprised. Someone really should take a crack at reverse engineering it.

 

[TonyJay]

Yes they were surprised as well. I did not get into the details, but I was told that the board chip was an old one, no longer available so that they could replace, and it did not respond to the 'code' they normally use. They had made their own 'in house' software, as there is no commercial source. I did see online someone had an Apple LiON rebuilt pack (not 3400) that had no current output with fully charged batteries, and he got it to work with help from another person's video... but the link supplied was dead. I think there is just not enough interest in the 3400 'battery niche' to have some put time into solving this. Certainly beyond me. I will be happy if I get working NiMH packs back, and just live with less capacity.

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

They agreed to custom order the cells in? I don’t think they usually stock NiMH laptop battery cells, although the 5300 NiMH packs use AA size.

 

[TonyJay]

Not sure if they were 4/5 AA and that was the issue. I will call tomorrow and report progress if any. I am trying to fix my Powerbook 145b so attention diverted LOL

 

[Powerbook27364]

Well, damn. I was really hoping to have my 3400 pack rebuilt at some point since its probably dead. Hopefully they can recell my 2400 since that still seems to hold a charge.

Unfortunately I cant find any services like that anywhere near me (closest is in Ontario and I'm in Alberta), otherwise I would have had it done already. Maybe I will crack it open and see what happens . Assuming the bms isn't locked yet, I can keep voltage to the bms and try to recell it.

Hopefully someone eventually can redesign them since that would be pretty nice for those of use with bricked batteries...

Good luck with your 145B. I have one and restored it. I rebuilt my battery and recapped it, and now it is basically as good as new (except the charger since I didnt have the caps at the time and I'm in university now. Mine has a 170 cpu card and max ram with a bluescsi and its great.

 

[TonyJay]

Good luck. I have read that some have tried to prevent the BMS from bricking itself by maintaining power using external power, but did not work. Should have... but did not. Not sure why Apple did this, as other LiON models can be rebuilt. I have a couple of NiMH packs for 3400 waiting to be rebuilt but they take 12 pcs HR-4/3AU NiMH cells that are twice as expensive in comparison to regular 18650 LiON cells. And of course they have to be ordered and not kept in stock. Good I can hurry up and wait.

 

[Powerbook27364]

I was able to recell my g4 titanium easily. Did it myself and it didnt brick. Was an aftermarket pack, which is probably the only reason it worked. Maybe i can find an aftermarket pack for the 3400 to see if that would do anything. Honestly if I can find some cells that fit and have similar capacities, I may just get those instead if I ever get to work on it. (I only go home for Christmas and summer so not much time to work on it)

I thought the 3400 was lithium? I know my 2400c is lithium and that was produced around the same time.

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

I've never seen an aftermarket 3400 Lithium battery, ever. I'm not sure if anyone ever made them.

 

[Powerbook27364]

Well, there goes my plan. Maybe I can find a working pack to rebuild with some nice high capacity cells then. I will have to keep a lookout for any that come up.

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

At least they'll run on a 5300 pack. Not nearly as good as a new Lithium one, but at least they'll be able to run on batteries into the future when all the originals die. I'm counting my blessings that my 5 packs all somehow work.

 

[Powerbook27364]

Oh, so the Ni-MH packs are rebuildable while the lithiums are not? That would make life easier since I can easily rebuild a pack that doesnt brick itself.

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

They are, but good luck finding one that hasn't sprung a nasty leak yet. I've never in my life seen a battery pack that leaks like those do.