Batteries for Intermec 6651/Sharp HC-7000 - Good News!

I'd just about given up ... an enquiry to Intermec had yielded a polite/sympathetic reply that 'a trawl around all their offices worldwide had failed to find any stock' - and a succession of emails to Sharp Japan, months apart, had elicited no response. Then in desperation I took apart the dead battery - hoping to find some replaceable cells inside. Not a good move! There were indeed (three, Panasonic Li Ion 10.8v) cells inside but they were superglued and soldered to the circuit board - and so firmly that trying to remove them without damaging said board was nigh impossible ...

Then out of the blue, just yesterday, a response from Sharp:


-----Original Message-----
From: Shintaku [mailto:shintaku.toshinobu@sharp.co.jp]
Sent: 03 March 2006 06:08
To: RJ99
Subject: HC-7000

Thank you very much for using SHARP product.

As for battery for HC-7000, it is out of stock, now.

After May, it will be in our stocks. After May, we will reply to you again.
We will remember your E-mail address even in May.

Regards

Sharp Corporation
T. Shintaku

Ref.= O14286054

So great news - and even more so if the price turns out to be not too astronomical! I'll update the Forum at the time - watch this space in May.

sounds cool!

i got a second intermec battery only by getting a dead intermec. battery came with it and is in very good shape.

anyway seems you never rebuilt any li-ion battery packs, did you? because it CAN be done. so if Sharp fails to get you a battery at a reasonable price, this is still a good route to try. i know some people who rebuilt intermec batteries successfully. or you can take it to a place where they refurbish laptop batteries. the intermec battery isn't more difficult than a laptop battery (actually it is much easier than a real laptop batt!)

btw i guess battery's price will probably be around 100$. if it is any less i may be interested (why not get a third battery )

Thanks for the advance warning about the likely $100 - yikes! You're right about me never having taken apart a battery like this - I did think it would be straightforward- it wasn't - at least not with my basic skills/ tools (how does one go about separating a battery cell from a fragile circuit board to which it's been 'superglued'?).

I'll look into finding a battery-refurbisher as you suggest - thanks!

Did an edit and i get a double post.
S/F,
CEYA!

Edited by Ceya 2006-03-05 10:40 PM

COOL! It was hard taking that casing apart. I'm slowly getting around to check out the batteries like I did with the smartbook G138.

S/F,
CEYA!

Edited by Ceya 2006-03-05 10:34 PM