Anybody ever changed helmet batteries?

[redbeard]

My generic Chinese auto-darkening helmet is acting up and I'm trying to take it apart without much success. I can get the corners of the unit separated slightly, but then it doesn't seem to snap apart like most plastic housings I've run across. Any ideas before I resort to brute force?

[Grizzly1944]

Redbeard,

This is just my preference. Airgas as well as the others sells replacement lenses that you will be much happier with. I have a Radnor 54V lens in my Jackson helmet, and I can see with it. I had a HF special and compared to the Radnor lens, it looked like I was trying to feel my way out of a cave.

These welding lenses are a matter of preference and I know that there are other threads here that cover this subject.

Be good to your eyeballs, they're the only ones you have.

Best Regards!

[I_Love_Plasma]

Call sales they may be able to sell you one..1-877-755-WELD

[sportbike]

It's probably glued together. You can certainly try prying, but you might be heading out for a new helmet. Either way, if it is dead now, ya can't make it any "deader"

[Jason]

Its been covered before but my friend has a HF helmet that works well and the battery in it has lasted a long time. I purchased a Miller Digital Elite and love it but recently there was a review on the helmet Everlast sales and it seemed like a good helmet also. Might be worth looking into.

[redbeard]

Woohoo! Got it working again. Living 150 mi from the nearest welding store kinda ruled out just going out and buying a new one. I'm just glad I didn't have to resort to the old pill helmet with the #13 lens, would have been cutting with a white cane.

I do think a quality one will be in order before too long, but at least I can keep working. It is amazing how much the view improved just by peeling off the protective film, wish I had done that years ago.

Now, for anyone who might want to do this someday:

Turns out it was glued, but it popped right open without damaging anything.



Yet another reason I want a TIG, properly made battery packs. Between the wires and the heat shrink, it came out quite a bit thicker than the original and I wasn't able to reglue the case shut. Fortunately, the front bezel on the helmet keeps it sandwiched satisfactorily.



While I was at it, I decided to put a switch to kill the power from both the solar cell and battery (the negatives had a common tie-in point) and give myself a grinder mode.



Voila!

[zoama]

Northern tool and equipment sells the 3v lithium batteries 9 for $4

[sportbike]

Hmmm... Looks like you got it figured out. Not bad: Start out with nothing to lose from an essentially broken lens, end up with a helmet with more features than it had originally!

Glad it worked out for you.

Good call on removing the protective lens...I always seem to leave them on too. It's kind of like seat covers in a car, why keep them nice for the next guy? lol.

[redbeard]

If you can wait a couple of weeks, DealExtreme has batteries even cheaper, with free shipping. They don't seem to have the exact size, but in this case there was no holder to fit, so no biggie. YMMV

I have broken more than a couple of plastic housings by brute forcing them only to find out that if I had pressed or poked or pried in the exact right spot, it would have come right apart, thus my original rational for asking.

Replaceable batteries will definitely be on the feature list when helmet shopping time rolls around.

[Jason]

Woohoo! Got it working again. Living 150 mi from the nearest welding store kinda ruled out just going out and buying a new one. I'm just glad I didn't have to resort to the old pill helmet with the #13 lens, would have been cutting with a white cane.

I do think a quality one will be in order before too long, but at least I can keep working. It is amazing how much the view improved just by peeling off the protective film, wish I had done that years ago.

Now, for anyone who might want to do this someday:

Turns out it was glued, but it popped right open without damaging anything.



Yet another reason I want a TIG, properly made battery packs. Between the wires and the heat shrink, it came out quite a bit thicker than the original and I wasn't able to reglue the case shut. Fortunately, the front bezel on the helmet keeps it sandwiched satisfactorily.



While I was at it, I decided to put a switch to kill the power from both the solar cell and battery (the negatives had a common tie-in point) and give myself a grinder mode.



Voila!

Nice, personal enhancements that may prove to be valuable. Did it turn off to save battery life at all before you added the switch? My digital auto shuts off after so much time of "inactivity" and saves on battery life.

[redbeard]

According to instruction #4 it did, and since it has been probably 5yrs since I got it, that would make sense. I sure didn't get the 4200 hrs of welding time it claims though.