Makita To Parkside Adapter

[Onoff]

I actually started this project a year ago when I bought a few 20V Parkside hot air guns on a whim. I must add I've no Parkside batteries or chargers.

 

I favour Makita tools but baulk at the prices sometimes. Instead I go with other 18/20V kit and use Makita batteries. I / my lad CAD up the adapters and he 3D prints them. I've not tallied up the wins/losses but reckon I've passed the 50% success rate. The Makita batteries on the 36V Einhell garden stuff a definite win. I've converted some really old 18V NiCad tools and that's had mixed results. 

 

This week I couldn't resist the Parkside cordless nibbler for £49.99. The tools themselves are imho actually "alright". The dark green plastic looks like it would pass the drop test and the black rubber sections are nicely done. Little things like the inability to even put a sticker on straight is just annoying.

 

 

You can find suspect solder joints in these cheap tools and with the cordless grinders for instance it's well worth repacking the drive gear with extra grease. 

 

It prompted me to ressurect the adapter design. This is where I am as of yesterday. Test piece done, the part that fits into the Parkside tool. I've used spring finger battery terminals recovered from duff Makita batteries. Fits like a glove. 

 

Next step is to graft on the Makita bit and sort the wiring, copper strips as the + & - positions are opposite ways on the two brands:

 

 

 

I'm not interested in a print that looks rough, it has to look the part on top of working. 

[Onoff]

The "Mak2Par" Makita battery to Parkside tool adapter is done and works. We'll call it the prototype as I'm not 100% happy and will thus make some tweaks for the next one.

So a PETG adapter to my own design. The supported side is a bit rough but that isn't seen as it's against the Parkside tool. Changed from the original PLA filament. The connectors are salvaged from dead, clone Makita batteries and engage with the tabs underside the Parkside tool. 

 

 

The battery tabs where they come through:

 

 

Some 1mm copper tabs to connect to the Makita battery:

 

 

Putting it all together with 14AWG silicone wires was a bit of a fiddly pig! See how the + & - cross over. I had to heat the copper tabs and push them into the PETG. The plan was a screw on cover plate to go over everything. You can see the 10k resistor that connects T of the tool to negative. Without that it won't work. I'll revisit this detail and allow some more space.

 

 

 

 

With the adapter on the nibbler even fits in the box still!

 

 

Will put some video links up later showing it working on both a 20V Parkside hot air gun and nibbler.

[Radian]

Nice work. How would you rate the hot air gun?

 

I wish I could remember where I bought some off-the-shelf replacement Makita contact modules from - they provided the contact blades in a plastic block. For this I 3-D printed a housing but gave it all away with the conversion of a kiddies electric car. Running on 18V instead of 12V gave it some serious oomph.

[Onoff]

10 hours ago, Radian said:

Nice work. How would you rate the hot air gun?

 

I wish I could remember where I bought some off-the-shelf replacement Makita contact modules from - they provided the contact blades in a plastic block. For this I 3-D printed a housing but gave it all away with the conversion of a kiddies electric car. Running on 18V instead of 12V gave it some serious oomph.

 

I'd read the hot air gun was a bit pants and from the quick "holding against the hand test" last night, might agree. However, that was with a non genuine, clone battery, not fully charged. All I want it for is the odd bit of heat shrinking, on a roof where I'd otherwise have to run a lead. 

 

It adequately did the job on a bit of heat shrink last night albeit took longer than say my Bosch 230V would have done. I'll report back on that. Be interesting too, to use outside in near freezing temperatures. Had problems in the past trying to use low wattage soldering irons in that situation. 

 

As for the contact blade plastic block things they're ten a penny on eBay, AliExpress etc. For example:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384280706764?

 

I print mine, dead easy with 1mm copper for the blades. There's plenty of designs on Thingiverse etc.

 

The tricky ones to get hold of are the sprung "finger" contacts that engage with these blades hence my salvaging them from dead batteries.

 

Looking forward to trying the nibbler on sheet metal.

 

In the pipeline is an 18V LXT to Bosch as I've just been given an old 24V SDS drill. Supposed to work well. 

[saveasteading]

Parkside,on balance I  am fairly happy with. The durability isn't great...I had a tiny circular saw thing that just whirs instead of turning. And a strimmer that did not break down but the base plastic was very thin and wore through in a season.

Manual tools have all (?) been good.

 

Aldi stuff I'm not so sure. Just bought a soldering iron and the tip seems to melt along with the solder.

And a heavily ratcheted, supposedly HD branch lopper, ,,,the first one seized and wouldn't open again. The replacement did the same and needed help to open at each use, then the blade shattered.  I don't think they can do any tests or quality control. 

 

 If I aggregated the bargains and wastes of money and time, perhaps I should use known brands.