Please read the comments below. They contain a number of important hints and sources for batteries.
Tony repaired his toothbrush using the instructions below and made a short video tutorial!
We have a nice Oral-B Sonic Complete electric toothbrush. Unfortunately, the rechargable battery inside only lasts about two years until it is more or less dead.
Asking our vendor how much a replacement battery would cost we were told to just throw away the toothbrush and buy a new one. Great.
So I had to hunt down a fitting battery and replace it myself. If you want to do so, too, follow these steps (sorry, no photos):
- Buy two GP100AFH NiMH rechargable batteries (Conrad: #250465)
- Solder the solder tail on the positive pole of one battery to the solder tail on the negative pole of the other battery. Try not to heat the battery too much.
- wrap both batteries in insulating tape so that you get one long battery
- bend the two remaining solder tails in the same direction so that they lie flat on the battery pack.
- open the toothbrush by turning the recess in its bottom a little bit counterclockwise (I think). A spring will push out the bottom cap.
- carefully remove the bottom cap. Do not damage the wires that connect it to the main part.
- push out the main part by pushing inwards the metal bar that protrudes from the top of the toothbrush.
- carefully remove the main part from the shell
- the battery is soldered to the circuit board. Don't try to solder it off. Instead, cut it off with a small wire cutter. Leave as much of the solder tails attached to the circuit board.
- remove the battery
- bend the remains of the solder pins so that they provide good contact points for the solder tails that protrude from the newly-built battery pack. If you don't understand what I'm trying to tell, either do what you think is right or send me an e-mail.
- put in your new battery pack so that it makes contact with the leftover solder tails from the old pack. Of course, watch the polarity.
- try if the toothbrush works again.
- if yes: great – carefully reassemble the toothbrush
- if not: throw away the mess and buy a new toothbrush
Reflected Total Internal Frustration 
anonymous
/ March 14, 2009Anonymous writes:
thanks for posting — I'll try this as the toothbrush still worksChuck
anonymous
/ May 7, 2009Anonymous writes:thanks for sharing- showed up at top of my google search. its ridiculous that oral-b can't engineer a more environmentally friendly product.
anonymous
/ May 22, 2009Anonymous writes:Yep, same with my toothbrush of a few years (found this post while researching a new toothbrush after the new charger I bought still wouldn't work) and so it would seem countless other Braun electric toothbrush users. Bad form.
anonymous
/ May 24, 2009m writes:Thanks for the instructions, there's surprisingly little info on replacement available. Note that Oral-B Professional Care brushes use a single battery, same diameter but 1.5x longer. Two of the GP100AFH's won't fit in the case.
anonymous
/ May 28, 2009Anonymous writes:Do you know if the GP100AFH NiMH batteries will work in the US?Thanks for the great post.
raphman
/ May 29, 2009The batteries should work in the US – the only difference should be in the charger.
anonymous
/ June 5, 2009Tony writes:Vielen Dank für die perfekte Anleitung. Meine Oral-B ist langsam am Sterben. Ich werde zu gegebener Zeit den Akku nach der beschriebenen Methode wechseln!
anonymous
/ July 6, 2009Finland writes:Thanks, works with Finnish brushes too. 😉
anonymous
/ July 12, 2009Eric Ravenous writes:Thanks for the help. However I do wonder if replacing a Ni-Cd battery for an Ni-Mh battery doesnt't also require some modifications in the charger. I always learned that the charging characteristics for those type of batteries are different. How does this work for you, is the battery pack not overheating?Thanks for your answer upfront,Eric
anonymous
/ July 12, 2009Anonymous writes:Thanks Raphael for the directions for how to remove the battery. I agree with Eric Ravenous about battery – I suspect it would be better to use a Ni-Cd battery replacement that Nickel Metal Hydride because they have different charge and discharge profiles which could result in (low probability and worst case) a fire – think Dell. I called the number on the side of the tooth brush 800-566-7252 and got nothing. Excellent toothbrush, I can't believe Braun/Oral B doesn't provide replacement batteries as a consumable or allow customer to send in for repairs. We bought a replacement Braun cheap electric tooth brush the Oral B Vitality Sonic – it's terrible and was a waste of money. If I can't replace the battery for the original sonic complete, I'll never buy a Braun product again. I took apart both toothbrushes on the off chance I could canabalize the Vitality's battery – inside they are quite different – the Vatality's motor is about 30% the size of the Sonic Complete. Likewise the Vatality has a single AA sized rechargable NiCd battery, while the Complete has two larger but squatter batteries in series (looks 1/2 as long as a AA but is somewhere in diameter between AA and C). Perhaps I can find this replacement part at Best buy. Otherwise why would I buy another Braun product again – make sure if you buy an expensive toothbrush you can replace the battery or at least get it serviced. Your frustrated friend.
anonymous
/ July 13, 2009Dave writes:I share the same problem and concerns. If someone could help with the appropriate Ni-Cd (instead of the Ni-Mh as suggested) battery to purchase, I think my problems would be solved. I am concerned about fire. Since the toothbrush is used for 2 mins and charged unsupervised for 23 hours and 58 mins every day, a battery that overheats due to improper charging could cause a fire in my bathroom. Has anyone tried this replacement using NiMh or can anyone steer me to the correct NiCd battery?Thanks,Dave
raphman
/ July 17, 2009Hi all, Thank you for mentioning this problem – I had overlooked that the original battery is a NiCd one (is it?).I've been using the brush with the NiMH battery for some time now and never had problems with overheating. I have used NiMH batteries with way greater capacities than the original NiCd batteries in many other devices and never had a problem with overheating.While I do not think overheating is a problem with this hack, I would appreciate if someone could link to NiCd batteries with the correct size. I'll try to measure the current the charger draws over time – but I'm not sure when I will find time to do this.
anonymous
/ July 18, 2009Eric Ravenous writes:Hi all,I replaced my broken NiCd batteries with new ones, the battery pack within the toothbrush consists out of two NiCd batteries sealed behind (serial connection) each other in foil. I managed to find a battery store that made this battery pack for me on the spot, it costed € 7,50 in NL. They point welded the batteries onto each other and point welded the soldering wires onto the pack. I could easily replace the broken pack with the new one since all dimensions are the same, just had to do some soldering. Because of the sealing foil I can't determine what the battery type is, sorry about that. My problems seems to be solved now, I put everything back together and the toothbrush is working like a charm.Thanks for the help in this forum.Eric
anonymous
/ July 19, 2009BowWow writes:I'm in Taiwan. My battery is NiMH made by Sanyo. The battery size is like an AAA, but much fatter. What is the orgional rating of the battery?
anonymous
/ July 25, 2009Anonymous writes:I'm in the USA and I have an oral B triumph professional care 9000, I cannot find a replacement battery. The battery says it is a sanyo Ni-MH 337KH any one know what battery i can use to replace it?
anonymous
/ July 30, 2009Anonymous writes:I'm in the US. Inspired by your post, I changed mine and posted the results on instructables.com. Here, the NiCD Sanyo 600AE with solder tabs worked perfectly as a replacement for the original battery.
anonymous
/ July 30, 2009Eric Ravenous writes:I had another look at the batteries I used as replacement. I used two Sanyo KR-600AE which I used in serial connection.the battery is 2/3A size. You can find a datasheet here: http://www.houseofbatteries.com/pdf/KR-600AE
anonymous
/ August 3, 2009Anonymous writes:Hi to all and thanks for the great advice so far. I was able to replace my batteries as above and it worked fine for a while and then stopped. On opening up again, I have dislodged the fine copper wires from their solder points. Does anyone know which goes where?
anonymous
/ August 10, 2009Tony writes:My entry of June 5 became true. The toothbrush ran less than a minute after a complete charging cycle. I followed your instructions (I had never found the method of non destructivly opening it up by myself) and successfully replaced the batteries. I am not worried about them being NiMh (insteas of NiCad) because the charging current is so low, it won't do any harm.I videoed the whole procedure – will see if it is usable.But first I want to thoroughly test my "new" toothbrush.Thank you som much for this perfect instruction!Tony, Zurich/Switzerland
anonymous
/ August 21, 2009Anonymous writes:My repaired Toothbrush is running like new.The video is to be found at YouTube:(not sure if the next line displays properly)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWOY-u5NxvoIf not, go to YT and put "oral-b tony" into the search field and you should find it.Thanks Raphael – your blog was so helpful.Tony
raphman
/ August 21, 2009Hey Tony,Great video – thanks for sharing it. I've linked it in my blog entry.
anonymous
/ August 24, 2009Norman writes:Raph,Thanks for this. I just couldn't see how to open the toothbrush without breaking it and I never thought to look at that peg on the back of the charger for that purpose. It's weird that they put that peg there if they don't expect you to use it.It was a bit fiddly closing it again against the pressure of the spring, but all is working fine now.To those who are worried about the battery overheating, I think Eric is correct. The charging current is very low and it's way, way less than the fast charge current that a modern NiMH cell will accept. I'd be surprised if it even gets warm.For those of you in the UK looking for suitable tagged 2/3A batteries, try RS Components, http://uk.rs-online.com part no. 199-719.
anonymous
/ August 24, 2009Norman writes:Raph,Thanks for this. I just couldn't see how to open the toothbrush without breaking it and I never thought to look at that peg on the back of the charger for that purpose. It's weird that they put that peg there if they don't expect you to use it.It was a bit fiddly closing it again against the pressure of the spring, but all is working fine now.To those who are worried about the battery overheating, I think Eric is correct. The charging current is very low and it's way, way less than the fast charge current that a modern NiMH cell will accept. I'd be surprised if it even gets warm.For those of you in the UK looking for suitable tagged 2/3A batteries, try RS Components, http://uk.rs-online.com part no. 199-719.
anonymous
/ August 24, 2009Anonymous writes:Thanks for this. I'm going to give it a try. I found what appears to be a cheaper UK source for the NiMH cells: –http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/body_single_cells.htmlMark
anonymous
/ September 9, 2009Mark writes: I would like to try to replace my battery, but can't locate the video on YouTube. Is there another source for it?
anonymous
/ October 3, 2009Anonymous writes:I replaced the battery on a Triumph Oral B using these generic instructions. It is easier than the earlier model, and is only 1 NiMh 16.7X48mm cell. I used 2700mAh, had to buy 4 with tabs from Advanced Battery Systems for ~$20 (lifetime supply). Removal and installation of the lcd is one screw and pop off. The battery after unsoldering the leads pops out, and a spring at the top of the battery tensions the battery motor. Once pulled apart it is understood. Used some of the original tab material to fit the slots and deal with an offset negative lead.Cheers,Floydo
anonymous
/ October 18, 2009dude writes:The video has been removed ?! bring it back dude!
anonymous
/ October 20, 2009joylife99 writes:I removed the battery from my Oral-B Sonic Complete successfully, but I forgot to watch polarity. Could anyone tell me for the way it should be?Thank you,Joy
anonymous
/ October 20, 2009Anonymous writes:Thanks to all for contributing, I may tackle this repair as a result of reading this.FWIW, the instruction manual talks about that peg on the back of the charger for removal of the battery for recycling prior to disposal of the unit.a.s.
anonymous
/ October 25, 2009Anonymous writes:Nice job you guys, just a bit of a hassle (about an hour, the last solder gave me some trouble) to save $100+, i very much appreciate your research / documentation.
anonymous
/ November 3, 2009fausis writes:This website is awesome. I replaced my NiCd batteries (750 mAh) with NiMH batteries (1000 mAh) about 2 months ago and so far so good. No over heating issues so far. Only problem I to this date was that the copper wires broke off the solder joint so an amateur solder job was done. As I was researching for battery replacements i came across this step-by-step post.http://www.instructables.com/id/Oral-B-Sonic-Complete-Toothbrush-Battery-Fix/thought I'd share it with this community. By the way, I went to a store called Battery Plus and they were able to solder the batteries together for me as well as place a tab on each end for me, all for less than 10 bucks.
anonymous
/ November 6, 2009Anonymous writes:In the UK, I just used 2/3 AF from maplin.co.uk. Total cost was £10. It works now…NiMH:http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4486
anonymous
/ December 28, 2009Philippe writes:Thanks for trying to short cut ORAL B! I have just followed your instructions and have the battery out. But my brush has only one battery with no information as to voltage or capacity. Its twice as long as the ones you describe and I suppose that it is a 2.4 cell (= to two times 1.2 as in your model).Only remarks it has: NI-Cd SAN(manufacturer?) and 518KH (probably a manufacturing number).So have you heard of such a battery? Its probably a new model with only one battery. The other possibility is to use the batteries you suggest, wire them in series as described in order to replace the one I have.Dimensiosn would be OK but of course I would prefer only to have one. Easier to fit etc..Thanks and again GRrrrr.. for selling such products.Philippe Burger Switzerland
raphman
/ December 28, 2009Are you sure it is really only one? Usually, the two cells are wrapped by a tube, so it appears to be only one cell. Try to feel whether there is a gap in the middle of the long cell.
anonymous
/ January 4, 2010Anonymous writes:Thanks Raphael! You are right, it looks as it was one celle but the two cells are now tightly wrapped together to make one package. Manufacturer is SANYO. I have now ordered two GP100AFH NiMH rechargable batteries and hope to get the brush going again. Will let you know of progress made¨Philippe
anonymous
/ January 6, 2010Anonymous writes:I just replaced the batteries in two Oral B Sonic Complete toothbrushes. No big deal if you can handle a small soldering iron.I purchased the batteries (4) from MOUSER Electronics in Texas(www.mouser.com) for $2.72 each plus $6.80 Priority shipping.The battery number is Sanyo KR600 AE T. The T indicates solder tab.Have fun!
anonymous
/ January 9, 2010Mass writes:HiThere are 4 copper wires from coil in bottom cap soldered to 3 points. One of wires broke off from solder point when I was trying to remove bottom cap. Which solder point should have 2 wires soldered? My guess is the middle one, but can someone check this for me?
mybarry
/ January 10, 2010Also,,can i buy a sonic complete in the USA and charge it on a UK charger.?
mybarry
/ January 10, 2010Hello all, i just joined this site to get some info about my sonic complete..Whenever i brush,,the toothbrush is fine when i am brushing at the front part of my mouth ,,when i go to the back quadrant the brush seems to lose power..Almost like it is in massage mode..It is very annoying as it just does this spontaneously..Even when i am rinsing the brush,,the water pressure seems to 'weaken' it as well..! Would this be the battery or the motor.?Please help..Barry
raphman
/ January 10, 2010Hi Barry,I'll try to find answers to your questions next weekend (when my Sonic Complete and I are at the same place again).
raphman
/ January 14, 2010Originally posted by anonymous:
Dimensions and voltage seem ok. Tell us if they work and I'll add the link to the howto.
anonymous
/ January 14, 2010Anonymous writes:http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/body_vp1500afp.htmlWhat do you think of this battery Raphael.?
anonymous
/ January 14, 2010Anonymous writes:@Mass – it's the middle one. I just finished replacing the batteries a few minutes ago and noted this.Thanks to all for the info. I got suitable nicads (2x Sanyo KR-600AE/T) in the UK from cellpacksolutions.com, delivered very quickly. You can get the individual cells or a pre-built pack (click on toothbrush batteries!), but if I remember rightly the pack didn't have solder tabs. They also have an eBay site, but their own website was a tiny bit cheaper.
anonymous
/ January 19, 2010Anonymous writes:Does anyone know where to find the video for this procedure..(sonic complete battery fix) I cannot find it on youtube.!!!?
anonymous
/ January 21, 2010Anonymous writes:beginning of the month I ordered at Akkuline germany /www.akkuline.de a replacement battery for the Oral toothbrush and got a 2.4V cell (made of rwo 1.2 V celles already wrapped an connected together so it was easier to replace the lot. After closing the brush it only worked after a night's recharging. So now its OK and the recharging works (no fine wires broken!).Battery type is 2.4V-M2-201-KR-600AE CadnicaThanks for your help and hope many other people will be able to do the same change and give the toothbrush another lifetime.Philippe Switzerland
raphman
/ January 21, 2010Originally posted by anonymous:
Oh, it's gone. Could someone capture his battery exchange on video? My Oral-B got lost during a recent move.
anonymous
/ January 30, 2010Dr ED writes:For those of you that haven't ruined your batteries yet: My Sonic Complete has lasted nearly 10 years with the original battery. The secret is, apparently, to only put it on the charger when it is running out of juice.Braun had given us this advice when an earlier toothbrush died prematurely.
anonymous
/ January 31, 2010Anonymous writes:Guys i need an answer to this ? urgently. HAs anyone ever changed the battery in the SONICARE FLEXCARE toothbrush.?
anonymous
/ February 15, 2010Battery cap won't come out. writes:HiI've got a Braun Oral-B Triumph 9000 (handle 3731), and it won't charge anymore. I've tried to removed the battery cap with the triangular key-type attachment on the charger plug, but it only comes out a little, then snaps, and spins around and around. Tried to pry it off with a small screwdriver, and needlenose pliers, but that just scuffs up the plastic.Does anybody know a trick to get it off? From what I've read, it seems like it should just pop out when loosened. The toothbrush works fine, I think it just needs some new batteries. While they're great toothbrushes, these things cost $120-$150 in the stores, and I don't want to have to drop that much green every three years just because of some worn-out batteries.Wish that video was still up. Anybody have a link to another? Or can forward me the original?bpm1600@yahoo.com
anonymous
/ February 16, 2010Anonymous writes:i currently own a oral b vitality. it is the 3rd one ive had in 2 months as after a couple of uses the battery just wont charge fully and dies without even 2 minutes use. it is still under the 30 day refund or exchange in store however its the THIRD one ive had in 2 months so i just wondered if im doing something wrong or is there just a duff batch of these being sold at the moment. please help!
anonymous
/ February 17, 2010EL DOCTOR writes:I know how to open oral-b sonic complete, the representative will tell you, it can't been opened or it'S too expensive to replace the battery so you must buy an other 120$ toothbrush bla bla bla. They are crazy if every 2 years we have to invest 120$ for a toothbrush who the hell they think we are? bill gates? so I have some electronic backgrounds and am opening your toothbrush and make you a battery for 100$.Whats different about my method if it costs $100 almost the price of the toothbrush? let me tell you :1 – You will never need to change your toothbrush2 – The battery I'll make you will be rechargeable and when it's no more rechargeable you go the any store and buy double AA rechargeable batteries ans place them in the dis-positive ill make u in the toothbrush. Like your changing your batteries from your TV remote control.3 – I'll show you how to open it and replace it and close it, I'll even send you a tool I made to open it without a scratch.So how's $100 dollars sounds to you to have your ORAL-B SONIC COMPLETE FOR EVER? m_ka1@live.com
anonymous
/ February 23, 2010Stan writes:I have an Oral B Professional Care. The manual says that the battery is a NiMH. I've taken the battery out and it is a single cell (I removed the shrinkwrap to confirm) and appears to be a 4/5 A cell (14mm diameter x 43mm length). Can anyone confirm that this is the correct battery?Thanks,Stan
anonymous
/ February 25, 2010Jonesy writes:Hello All: I have a Oral B Triump Professional Care 9000 that I have bought batteries for. Trouble is, I can't get the damn thing to open despite using the handy doodad on the charging base plug. Clockwise or counter clockwise doesn't seem to do anything. What am I doing wrong here? HELP! Thanks for any assistance!
anonymous
/ March 7, 2010Orielwen writes:Aha, just read Stan's comment above. I have the same toothbrush (Professional Care), so it looks like 4/5 AF is the way to go.
anonymous
/ March 7, 2010Orielwen writes:Is there any reason I have to use two 2/3 AF batteries joined together, rather than a single 4/5 AF battery (twice as long)? Seems like less work and less chance for something to go wrong if I can skip a stage…
anonymous
/ March 21, 2010Alan writes:Hi,I'm trying to repair a very basic Oral B Vitality, but there's no peg on the back of the charger. The only peg is the one that you put the toothbrush on to charge. I tried pressing it in and turning, but the brush just circles on the peg.I was wondering whether anyone had changed the battery of this basic model.
anonymous
/ March 31, 2010Anonymous writes:Is soldering a must? Can I simply put them together, and the metal tabs will get contacted naturally…But the result is .. no it doesn't work. Does it really have something to do with soldering? I don't have an iron..
anonymous
/ April 12, 2010steamboat writes:i'm ready to do the change on 9000 professional care, where's the video? Thanks to all those who have posted narrative. If no pictures appear soon I'll follow the writings.
anonymous
/ April 21, 2010Martin writes:Hi,newer models of the braun sonic complete use NiMh batteries.. that is even printed outside on the handle. just got a replacement from an ebay seller because I killed my sonic while tried to replace the batterie a 2nd time ^^ for german/austrians here: you can get a 1300mAh conrad NiMh battery for about 4 euro each, bestellnummer 205995hope that helps some1 😛
anonymous
/ May 5, 2010Anonymous writes:I'm about to order batteries and personally the 4/5AF is clearly too short to be the battery in the professional care handset. I'd say it's the A or AF battery
raphman
/ May 5, 2010Hi all. Just a short note to explain, why I seldomly answer questions:I am really happy that my short howto and – more importantly – the numerous comments have helped a number of people. Unfortunately, I no longer use my electric toothbrush because I found a normal toothbrush to be more effective with my teeth. Therefore, I will only seldomly be able to help out with your questions..
anonymous
/ May 26, 2010Andy writes:ROFLMAO!!!
anonymous
/ June 5, 2010Mark writes:http://www.cellpacksolutions.com/Search_Data_Sheet.asp?ID=KR-600AE/TJust an address for a UK battery supplier for the Oral B Sonic (NiCd version of the GP100AFH Tagged)
anonymous
/ June 17, 2010Anonymous writes:Anyone in Australia, I got my replacement batteries from Battery World in Balcatta (had to order them in though) and for an extra $1 per battery they spot welded the tabs on for me. Total outlay was $21.
anonymous
/ July 20, 2010K-dogg writes:Hey guys, so I just spent two hours trying to successfully complete this battery install. I finally got it to work, but I had a lot of trouble getting there, so I wanted to provide as much information as I can to anyone else out there who wants to try doing this. I honestly love my Sonic Complete toothbrush. I got it for $40 on eBay a couple years ago, and it has always kept my teeth incredibly clean (the dentist never had to pick/scrape plaque from my teeth even ONCE after I started using this brush). So, for the price and how good it works, I would HIGHLY recommend this brush. I really wanted to say that.. so, now onto the battery replacement.- also, remember that this is my first time soldering anything, and I took it on as a little DIY project, because it didn't matter to me if it didn't work. Basically.. ANYONE can perform the soldering required here.* What I bought *- soldering iron. I bought a 30W one at a Chinese discount store (on Elmwood Ave, in Buffalo, NY) for $2. You can find it for under $4 on eBay. There's no need to pay more.- "electrical" solder – the metal wire that's coiled up. I bought it at Home Depot for a little over $6.- I had electrical tape lying around, but you can get some at Home Depot for around $0.69.- THE BATTERIES: I bought, "One 2/3 A 1400 mAh high capacity NiMH battery with Tab (as low as) $2.19!", from this link, http://www.batteryjunction.com/one2310mahhi.htmlI bought four batteries, because I anticipated working on another toothbrush as well, but you only need TWO. Also, somehow, they upgraded mine for free to the 1600 mAh instead of 1400 mAh, which I believe is just a slightly greater charge capacity. So, either battery should work fine. You need to make sure you get batteries "With tabs".. that's absolutely necessary!* The Process *Seriously, just follow all the steps outlined in this article (I followed the instructions here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Oral-B-Sonic-Complete-Toothbrush-Battery-Fix/)* Tips based on problems I encountered *First off, if you've never soldered before, this was my setup.. which I believe was safe enough, but someone can correct me if they have a better way. I just took a big frying pan, folded a big sheet of aluminum foil in half and placed it in the pan. This created my "workstation"… so that in case any solder fell incorrectly, it would simply fall onto the foil.- I used pieces of duck tape to help hold the batteries in place, while I used one hand to hold the solder wire and the other to hold the soldering iron.- If I had to do this again, before I did ANYTHING else, I would seriously put some extra solder on the "3 points" that connect to the "4 copper wires" at the base of the "innards" while they are still intact. I ultimately had all the wires break off from their points and I had to resolder them.. which ended up working just fine.. it was just a pain. And remember, the middle "point" MUST have the extra (4th) copper wire. * Putting it back together *I honestly don't have any advise here. It was extremely hard for me to twist the bottom cap in place once I pushed the "innards" back in. And after repeated attempts, I ultimately broke the plastic "hole" in the bottom of the piece… which meant I couldn't try anymore. It sucked, but I just taped it up with duck tape and then electrical tape.. and it looks ok. The main thing is that it still works fine. Just be very careful.. that's all I can say.That's pretty much all the extra input I have. All I can say to anyone attempting this is, don't fear.. you WILL get it to work, even if you break all the copper wires by accident lol!In the end, my toothbrush is charging nicely, and I did test it to make sure it works, which it does :)!I just realized that I used NiMH batteries instead of NiCD. I don't know if that's going to affect anything, but it seems to be working just fine.Good luck!
anonymous
/ August 7, 2010Costello writes: First off all thank you for the explanations so far. For those of you who own the Oral B Professional Care here is the link to buy the battery that is one piece and look exactly the same(at least in picture)like the one from the toothbrush.http://www.zbattery.com/4-5-A-1-2V-1200mah-Nicad-Battery-With-Tabs
anonymous
/ August 20, 2010bill writes:When I took the toothbrush apart – 2 very small looking graphite cylinders appeared Wherte did they come from ?
anonymous
/ August 27, 2010nobblynoel writes:HI there,I have posted 2 videos on my blog site which show you how to change a battery on a Oral B Triumph electric toothbrush.http://nobblynoel.wordpress.com/hope this helps..
anonymous
/ September 14, 2010Anonymous writes:horrible replacement batteries. why can't the batteries be easily replaced? does Oral B have to get repeat sales by making it impossible to get to the batteries without special soldering procedures?
anonymous
/ October 6, 2010Anonymous writes:if any device with NiCads sits around for too long uncharged, they lose there capacity to hold a charge- NiCads have a "memory"- if they are never discharged completely and fully charged they will lose the capacity to be discharged or charged past that point. I did not realize these were NiCads, as you really should let them charge completely, then use them until they are fully discharged before recharging them. Leaving them on the charger is not the best plan for Nicad longevity. NiMH batteries do not have this disadvantage.
anonymous
/ October 20, 2010K-dogg writes:hey guys, quick update.. i changed out my NiMh batteries and put in NiCD ones.. the NiMh batteries seem to only allow me to run through no more than one full brush cycle.. may be it got overheated? but everything is working fine now with the NiCD batteries. Here's the link to what I bought:http://www.batteryjunction.com/nc-2-3a-700hd-t.html
anonymous
/ November 11, 2010David writes:I also had one of my thin copper wires come loose. Anybody know the order they need to be connected too? A picture would be helpful.
anonymous
/ November 12, 2010David writes:Well, I fixed the copper wires. One goes on the left, one on the right and two go in the middle. Not sure which is which but since I just broke the one on the right, I put it back.Also, my toothbrush didn't work right away so I thought I did it wrong. I had a blue blinking light when it was charging but nothing happened when I pushed the button. Anyway, I left it charging overnight and now it seems to work just fine.
DieterZ
/ November 24, 2010Installed 2 Sanyo KR-600AE Cadnica batteries in my Oral B sonic toothbrush following all example given on the video clip on this blog. Turn on the toothbrush, but nothing happened. Since than the toothbrush is recharging the last 15 hours, and still not working. Just took it apart to check everything. Everything looks good, solder sticks and I was measured around 2,5 Volts on the battery. For some reason I did get the brush to work for about 1/2 second. Don't know what could be the problem. Any thoughts???
anonymous
/ December 21, 2010Thomas writes:For the Oral-B 3D, you need the battery size 4/5.
anonymous
/ December 21, 2010Thomas writes:Exact size: 43 x 17 mm
anonymous
/ January 9, 2011Mr.X writes:I installed 2 Sanyo KR-600AE NiCd Batteries and now my Sonic toothbrush work as well as in the first day! I struggled a bit when I hav to remove the "-" connection because I stried to unsolder. After 10 minutes I just cutted the metal from old battery (I guess this was shown in the video) and then I installed the new one. After pushing the button the brush work for half a second, then I loaded it and now it's perfect!Thanks a lot for this manual!
anonymous
/ January 30, 2011Putzer writes:One month ago I replaced the dead batteries in my Oral-B Sonic Complete Electric Toothbrush with two Emmerich NiMH batteries (http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/255031/) according to this instructions. One battery costs 4.20 Euro and has a capacity of 950 mAh. Since the replacement one charge lasts at least one week if two people use it twice a day ;-)Thanks a lot for this guidance!
anonymous
/ March 12, 2011done it writes:Thanks for the guide, was really helpful.I have the same toothbrush and it had a SANYO NiMH cell.I was able to get the same size battery cell and i suggest you do the same.It is a GP Accupower 4/5A NiMH 2000mAh/1.2V
anonymous
/ March 28, 2011Mike W. writes:I think my batery is ok because it will hold a charge for a week or so but my problem is the charger stand on a Oral-B Sonic Complete. The light won't doesn't generally come on but if I disconnect it and reconnect it to 120VAC then the light will come on blinking. Sometimes it will last for ~10 minutes and other times for an hour or more. But if you use the toothbrush and put it back on the stand it will not light up. It's like there is a sensor in the base that is defective. I tried putting it in the garage to see if it was heat sensitive but no dice. Any ideas on repai? Thanks
raphman
/ March 28, 2011Hi Mike,I don't have an idea what the problem might be. Are you sure that the charger is defective and not the charging circuit in the toothbrush?As far as I know, there is no sensor that detects whether the toothbrush stands on the charger.Both the charger stand and the tootbrush have small wire coils inside. If the toothbrush is close enough to the charger, it will inductively receive power and indicate this by lighting the LED.
anonymous
/ April 1, 2011Mike W. writes:Well you might be right. I was thinking that a sensor in the base was defective but thinking about it now there probably isn't one. I was basising that on a cordless drill charger that does have a heat sensor in the battery to detect full charge of course that is not wireless. I babied it by using a variac on it, putting the charger in the freezer, etc. and somehow got it to take a full charge now from a zero charge but again I have to plug/unplug and sometimes let it sit for a while to get the LED back flashing or on constantly. I know there has to be a diode in the toothbrush itself to convert the AC to DC to charge the battery but can't think of any component that would be that tempermental.Thanks for the response.Mike W.
anonymous
/ May 7, 2011Steve writes:I replaced the battery. It shows charging on the display. When I take it off the charger, the display goes dead and the toothbrush does not power on. Any corrective action to recommend? Thanx
anonymous
/ June 16, 2011Miles B. writes:Dear Raphael,I just ordered two of the 2/3 A NiMH 1500mAh 1.2V and, having watched your video, will use it again to do the job.Thank you for working on this to do the job. I can't say I'm surprised that Braun don't supply batteries – there's more profit in selling another brush. Sad, but true. Anyway, thanks.Miles
anonymous
/ June 22, 2011Anonym writes:hey. i replaced the rechargable battery and build in thisNiMH rechargable batterie. i openend the toothbrush twice, first to replace the batterie, second to make sure the toothbrush is really sealed so no water get into teh device.no problems at all and no wires get broke.so, i charge this thing for approx 16 hours till teh blue light glows permanently and shows teh "ready" signal. i start cleaning my teeth and….after 20-30 seconds the device didn't work anymore. wtf?? anyone have an idea what's wrong??i'm sure i did the replacement correctly, but….any help is cool. thx.
anonymous
/ July 13, 2011Oz87 writes:i accidentally detached the copper wires at the bottom , in what order should i reattach them. damn thin wires its like they are made to get cut
anonymous
/ August 8, 2011Anonym writes:Tausend Dank für die Anleitung!
anonymous
/ September 14, 2011Anonymous writes:Oz87 is absolutely right to be very carefully about the thin wires at the bottom. To Anonymous # Wednesday, June 22, 2011 3:24:47 PM: double check the thin wires. If they are cut, not charge will go to battery. I actually followed this nice step-by-step instruction http://sites.google.com/site/electoothbrush/soniccompleteinstructions . Whoever provided the instruction knows exactly what he is doing. The battery selection guide is particularly helpful convincing me to use NiMH, instead of NiCd. The NiMH battery he sells worked out to hold charge much longer than the original NiCd.
anonymous
/ October 11, 2011Anonymous writes:Friends,My brush is dead and I am not wasting a minute in reviving it.I've been using a Walgreen eight dollar electric brush and it's super. Screw 'em.Best, FWMadison, WI.
anonymous
/ November 13, 2011Anonymous writes:Anyone know how to open the battery compartment for a Oral B Precision Care toothbrush? ekelks@msn.com Thanks
anonymous
/ December 10, 2011Gerald UK writes:Thanks Raphael for your blog, I just completed a successful replacement, my points to note are:In the UK the batteries are available at Maplin, order code AG29G x 2 at £4.59 each.To get the bottom off, use the base of the charger, push the brush downwards and twist, easier than using the back.Cut one solder tag from the top of new battery and solder the base tag of the other to it.Cut both solder tags from the old battery to remove (don't cut the thin wires on the sides like I did:)Carefully cut the yellow battery cover off so it can be re-used on the new batteries, holds them together better with tape.Both tags can be soldered on to the remaining tags for a better contact.It's easy to do if you're careful with the thin dangling wires, saves around GBP130 for a new brush – no thanks to Braun / Oral-B! I cannot see one reason why this product could not have been designed with slide out batteries just like a torch!
anonymous
/ February 21, 2012Sir sin writes:Hi,i changed the battery of my Oral B Sonic Complete too and the charging is working well, but over night he lost is power. What could it be? there is not a short circuit.I replaced the battery like you show it in the video tutrial.I bought 1300 mA Battery from Conrad. Is that the reason?Please help. Thanks.
anonymous
/ February 21, 2012Wirecutter writes:Hallo, erst einmal vielen Dank für dieses wirklich hilfreiche Howto. Mit dessen Hilfe konnte ich den Akku meiner Zahnhbürste tauschen. Allerdings war die Bürste danach undicht. Als ich sie erneut öffnete, um das zu beheben, sind mir leider die Drähte der Spule an der Lötselle der Bürste abgebrochen. Jetzt habe ich drei Pins und vier Kabel und kenne deren Zuordnung nicht. Können Sie mir hier weiterhelfen?Mit freundlichen Grüßen
anonymous
/ March 11, 2012Anonym writes:Vielen Dank für die Anleitung! Habe den Akku gleich bei zwei Sonics ersetzt. Hat perfekt funktioniert.
Shane
/ May 8, 2016Surprised that nobody has the moral courage to kick Braun’s proverbial backside for making what should have been a simple ‘battery change ” into such a complicated mess. Just change the bloody battery like a torch! What do I care about soldering irons and the rest of your wonderful U tube instructions. Is there another company that makes electric toothbrushes?