Project:Junk to Makita Battery Conversion
| ProjectInfoBox Junk to Makita Battery Conversion | |
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| Status: | done (lawn trimmer), more might follow |
| Release Date: | 2025-9 |
| Initiator: | Lukas |
| Materials Used: | crappy cordless tool lacking charger & batteries; Makita adapter plate |
| Tools Used: | 3D printer, rotary tool, crimping pliers |
| Approx. Cost: | <10 € |
I "inherited" a Conentool 24 V cordless lawn trimmer with plenty of accessories, but no batteries or charger (which are pretty important [citation needed]).
Instead of throwing it out, I thought it must be possible to convert it to my other available batteries!
Testing
Before putting too much work into the project, I wanted to see whether the motor still worked at all and whether 18 V Makita batteries would be enough (originally 20 V). A laboratory power supply limited at 18 V showed that it should and that the motor could spin in both directions.
I preferred the polarity that resulted in a clockwise spin which seemed good for a right-handed operator.
Battery Mount
Originally I toyed with the idea of making a dual-sided adapter that would fit into the original battery holder of the tool, but there were a bunch of reasons against that:
- difficulty - I had no Conentool battery available to take measurements, so it would have been a reverse-engineering task
- time & effort - I had no interest in putting any more resources than necessary into the crappy tool
- necessity - I have no other Conentool equipment, nor do I plan to ever buy it
So obviously, a permanent conversion would do.
I got an original Makita adapter plate (thanks Patrick) and 3D printed the surrounding battery holder in PLA.
Assembly
...if you want to call it that ;-)
more details coming soon
