A recent trip to the dumpster netted me a couple of old laptops (from around 2012). The batteries are completely flat and will not take a charge. I plan on using them as beater computers around the house, so battery life doesn’t really matter but would be nice to have. The cheapest no-name batteries available for them are about $15 each. A used OEM battery with about 75% health is a dollar more.
For those who bought the cheapest aftermarket battery, was it worth it? Were the batteries surprisingly good or am I better off with a used but original one?
What sort of batteries does it use? If it’s just Li-Ion cells like 18650s, it should be fairly easy to DIY. If it’s a proprietary Li-Poly, probably going to be more problematic.
18650s, but the laptops refuse to charge the batteries, so the BMS might be toast already.
Ah! That’s unfortunate. If adventurous, maybe hunt down a used battery that partially charges and swap cells?