Being cheap by nature, I no longer buy high end tools like when I was young and used to build and repair things. At my age, getting out the drills and saws is something that happens once or twice a year and no more. As a result, a few years ago I bought a Ryobi 18 volt drill, Sawzall, leaf blower and string trimmer. All lightweight, reasonably priced and good enough for an old guy like me. I have 4 batteries and two chargers that have served me well for 3-4 years. Now I find myself with 3 batteries that will no longer charge and I am about ready to buy the 2 pack replacements on Amazon for $38 which is a great deal compared to the factory Ryobi units.
Being cheap as I am, however, I did the YouTube thing and ended up trying a half dozen of the fixes shown on there short of taking the things apart and jump starting the old batteries with a hot wired low voltage transformer. I tried wetting the battery contacts, putting them in and out of the charger quickly for a dozen times and several other crazy fixes and none of them worked. Before I make a trip to recycle them I thought I would ask this esteemed group of experts if there is any way to breathe life back into these things.
Being cheap as I am, however, I did the YouTube thing and ended up trying a half dozen of the fixes shown on there short of taking the things apart and jump starting the old batteries with a hot wired low voltage transformer. I tried wetting the battery contacts, putting them in and out of the charger quickly for a dozen times and several other crazy fixes and none of them worked. Before I make a trip to recycle them I thought I would ask this esteemed group of experts if there is any way to breathe life back into these things.