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Tube❄️Time

first, i took it apart and documented the process here on iFixit: ifixit.com/Teardown/IBM+Thinkp

you can read through that if you want and come back. but basically that tells you how to remove the lid without making a huge mess.

7 comments
Tube❄️Time

i pulled the 2/3A cells out. they were stuck in with some adhesive, but eventually the assembly came out. i've noticed something interesting about how the metal strips tie the cells together...

18 2/3A cells that are "accordioned" a bit with their metal strips connecting them together getting unfolded.
Tube❄️Time

you can fold them up so the cells are all next to each other and the metal strips are flat! on the top of each photo is the old pack, and on the bottom are the new cells arranged with the correct polarity and taped together.

i also used superglue to hold rows of cells together, but in hindsight it might have been better to make a 3D printed jig to hold them.

bottom side of the cell pack
top side of the cell pack
Tube❄️Time

i've welded new metal tabs onto the cells, following the pattern of the old ones. here's one of the two inline fuses that i pulled off the other pack. the other one is already welded in place.

cells viewed from the top with spot welded metal strips visible. the fuses have narrow metal strips coming out of them
[DATA EXPUNGED]
Mark Eichin

@tubetime do you have any recommendations for cleanly *removing* tabs from those cells? (I've mostly done OK with just trimming the excess and leaving the welded part on, at least for reusing them in spring cases and such, but I was wondering if I was missing something cleaner...)

Tube❄️Time

@eichin I roll them off with needle nose pliers and smooth the top with a file to remove any burrs

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