Battery for trend airshield, original design

[stu senator]

I recently acquired an old trend airshield that required a few minor parts and cleaning. This was done but before replacing the filters I want the unit to work properly and to see if it does what I want which is to use it for sanding.
It also needed a battery and charger.

The motor works with a 1.5v battery. not fast but it works so if I want to use it I will need a power supply.

As the battery and charger cost $45.00 plus $63.00 this is steep for occasional use.

One thought is to use 2 or 3 1.5v d cells mounted on my belt. This will give 3 or 4.5v rather then the 3.6v from the original system.This would be a cheap option but the speed will be slower or faster with less or more wear on the motor.

Has anyone done this or something else to replace the power supply?

Thanks,
Stu

 

[RichColvin]

Stu,

I wear my Trend airshield whenever I’m turning, not just when sanding. It’s not just occasional use for me.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[Dwight R Rutherford]

I modified mine so I could wear the battery pack on my belt. This lightened the the helmet and improved the weight distribution. The very best you can do is buy a Tenergy smart charger. It will improve battery performance and life. Rather than spend big bucks on replacement batteries fromTrend, have your battery pack rebuilt by Batteries Plus.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I recently acquired an old trend airshield that required a few minor parts and cleaning. This was done but before replacing the filters I want the unit to work properly and to see if it does what I want which is to use it for sanding.
It also needed a battery and charger.

The motor works with a 1.5v battery. not fast but it works so if I want to use it I will need a power supply.

As the battery and charger cost $45.00 plus $63.00 this is steep for occasional use.

One thought is to use 2 or 3 1.5v d cells mounted on my belt. This will give 3 or 4.5v rather then the 3.6v from the original system.This would be a cheap option but the speed will be slower or faster with less or more wear on the motor.

Has anyone done this or something else to replace the power supply?

Thanks,
Stu

If the original battery is 3.6 volts, that sounds like it must be a lithium ion battery. I have bought lithium ion batteries and chargers at Fry's Electronics for a reasonable price. I would certainly recommend lithium ion over nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride because of the huge advantage in stored charge.

 

[John King]

Check out attached. - John

 

[stu senator]

Thanks all.

I will still go with D cells, mounted on my belt, 2 alkaline to start and if all works well I will switch to rechargeable lithium type tbd with a simple charger. As these are over kill for the motor current draw charging will not be too often.

I ordered a 4 cell d cell holder from Amazon, free shipping, for delivery on a slow boat from the other side of the world.

I have a Uvex for wear when I turn and will use this, trend, for dusty work only.

I will continue to report on progress when some is made.

Stu

 

[Bill Boehme]

There are a few things that you need to know about lithium ion batteries.

• The nominal cell voltage is about 3.7 volts for most of the discharge cycle (see the attached figure) so you would only need one cell
• Lithium ion cells have built in electronics that automatically switches the cell off when the voltage drops below about 3 volts.
• You can't use just any old charger ... it needs to be specifically rated for the battery that you are using.

 

[stu senator]

<There are a few things that you need to know about lithium ion batteries.>

I know that there are many variables with battery cell voltage and chargers and will rethink this (cell type and charger) when the system is working well with a few D cells.

This will depend on my use profile, cost, maintenance and my personnel cheapness factor Vs my personnel annoyance factor.

Stu

 

[Mike Peace]

Stu, any updates?

 

[stu senator]

No, now I am looking for a new lens as the old one is starting to craze. I only use it to sand at low speed so that is OK.

 

[Brian Deakin]

I live in the Uk and have the original Trend Airshield
To replace the fabric which forms face seal

Part number 5 in PDF below
http://go.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000026AA.pdf

I identified a a company that supplies velcro fabric which is used commercially for display purposes


Brushed Nylon 2mm Velcro Receptive Fabric

$10 for a a piece 40 inches by 50 inches

I used the old face seal to form a template and cut a replacement to shape
I would have thought the fabric would be available in the USA

The only other consideration if the fabric may be available in different thicknesses In the UK I found 2mm and 3 mm

To replace the prefilter and filter I took the following approach. I contacted a local company that made air filters ,took the two filters to the factory and asked if they had similar filter material
Though not an exact match I was able to identify an acceptable solution
Further The owner of the factory asked where I had driven from and when he I told him the distance was 50 miles he refused to take payment
To find a fair outcome for both of us I decided to put a sum of money in the charity box he had on his counter
The cost of the filter material was about $3 per square yard

 

[stu senator]

My lens went really bad so I purchased some lexan, got .032 not .04" thick of original so only for use for sanding. Cut a templet from masonite and then cut the lexan to oversize on a small band saw and then used a router on the templet to final size. It almost fit but I had to use duct tape on the sides but it is not for impact use, just dust. Thicker then .04 it will not fit in housing, thinner was purchased on price.

Also took some batteries from a failed floor sweeper and wired them in. This is a higher voltage then the motor (DC, brushes) was originally set for so the motor runs faster but at low load the bearings may not last as long but the motor does not overheat.

See photo for set up.

 

[John King]

See attached Trend Airshield Battery Pack file. I have two (2) part number12BH331-GR (three slot AA battery pack with lead ends) and two (2) part number 1710-2111 (DC plug, 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm x 14 mm) that I do not plan to use. Will send at no cost. Send me a private message with mailing address and how many you want. - John