convert old 18 volt dewalt battery tools to 20 volt system

Converting Old 18 Volt DeWalt Battery Tools to 20 Volt System

Are you looking for a way to upgrade your old 18-volt DeWalt battery tools to a more powerful and efficient system? Look no further! In this article, we'll explore the process of converting your old batteries to a new 20-volt system.

First, let's start with the basics. The top part of the warnings is not terribly fun to read, but the back of the packaging comes with a handy list of 'Things I'm about to do with a battery pack' - though you may not do all of them immediately. If you're doing a lot of overhead work, the extra half pound might matter to you - but otherwise, this is a very nice improvement.

The new pack sounds bigger than it is - it's really only a small increase in size and weight over the old pack. You can consider this a case of 'Battery technology advancing.' It's half a pound heavier and marginally larger in all dimensions for twice the capacity. To give you an idea of how this pack compares to the more common 3.0Ah pack, I've compared the new pack to the 3Ah ones I have laying around and previously tore down.

But before we dive into the details, let's talk about specifications and size. The DeWalt 20V Max 6.0Ah Tool Pack is supposed to be twice the capacity at 6.0Ah - or, as the front cover helpfully explains, '50% More Capacity vs DCB204 4.0Ah Battery.' Math!

Back in 2016, I tore apart a 3.0Ah pack I had laying around - that particular one had a bad cell group (dead short in a cell - that must have been exciting when it failed), so it was quite unusable and I couldn't really get much data on it. I've looked at the DeWalt 20V Max packs before. What's inside? Is it any good?

The answer is yes, it is! This is a notable pack in that it's (supposedly) using 20700 format cells - the first non-18650 based tool pack I've had the opportunity to rip into. It's been a little while since I've had a shiny new tool battery to tear down!

If you're looking to upgrade your old DeWalt tools, you can get two of these packs for $150 (shipped) on eBay - which almost certainly beats your local hardware store by a lot. So go ahead and give it a try!

Convert old 18 volt dewalt battery tools to 20 volt system