Opening an Ibook G4 battery

[Mark.g4]

Hi there,
I need your help.
I would like to replace the battery cells in my ibook G4, but I can't open the battery pack cover.
I don't want to break the plastic coating, so I avoided forcing the joints.
I searched for a guide on the internet but I haven't found anything that can help me open the battery without doing any damage.

Can anyone help me or point me to some links with a teardown?
Thank you all.

 

[micahgartman]

I've never disassembled an iBook's battery but I've dissected many PowerBook batteries. Ultimately you will need to cut the battery with a saw or razor knife then glue it back together once the new cells are installed. Also note that soldering batteries has its own hazards and should be done with great care and patience. Here are the instructions I used for the PowerBook batteries:

Rebuilding a PowerBook G4 Battery « Keith's Electronics Blog

 

[Mark.g4]

Thank you so much.
I had already read that blog about the g4 powerbook, but the battery is different, so I was looking for an ad hoc guide.
Thanks again for your help.

 

[socom_22]

I actually did exactly this a few days ago. They are an absolute nightmare to open but I was able to replace the cells successfully.

Here is what I suggest. Like @micahgartman says, use an Xacto knife (or similar) to make deep cuts along the seam where the top and bottom halves of the case join. By doing this, you will cut through the thin layer of plastic behind it which contains the small clips holding the halves together.

Of course, you will no longer be able to snap them back together again but at least you won't end up snapping the case trying to pry it apart. In mine, only one cell was actually bad, so once I soldered in a replacement, I simply put a bit of epoxy to glue the two halves back together. Job done and works great!

 

[Mark.g4]

here we go,
thank you for advice.
I was hoping you could avoid the cut, but obviously it is not possible.
Do you need a spot welder or do the batteries have welding lugs?
What cells are inside?

of course, as often happens with battery packs, a single bad cell causes the whole pack to malfunction.

 

[socom_22]

here we go,
thank you for advice.
I was hoping you could avoid the cut, but obviously it is not possible.
Do you need a spot welder or do the batteries have welding lugs?
What cells are inside?

of course, as often happens with battery packs, a single bad cell causes the whole pack to malfunction.

There are 6 cells inside arranged in 3 pairs of 2. One pair is connected by wire so is easily soldered. The other 4 cells are spot welded together. The cells in mine are Sony US18650GR (G7).

 

[Mark.g4]

thank you!

 

[socom_22]

The cell on the far right was the bad one of course.