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Raphael's Pflock

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Replacing the Battery of a Oral-B Sonic Complete Electric Toothbrush

Friday, February 13, 2009 11:58:30 PM

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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


Buy proprietary, DRM-locked content and support the Free Software Foundation (FSF)TEI'09

Comments

Unregistered user Saturday, March 14, 2009 10:40:34 PM

Anonymous writes: thanks for posting -- I'll try this as the toothbrush still works Chuck

Unregistered user Thursday, May 7, 2009 3:53:14 AM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Friday, May 22, 2009 3:34:19 PM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Sunday, May 24, 2009 4:47:30 AM

m 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.

Unregistered user Thursday, May 28, 2009 7:31:56 PM

Anonymous writes: Do you know if the GP100AFH NiMH batteries will work in the US? Thanks for the great post.

Raphael Wimmerraphman Friday, May 29, 2009 7:45:11 AM

The batteries should work in the US - the only difference should be in the charger.

Unregistered user Friday, June 5, 2009 8:39:22 PM

Tony 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!

Unregistered user Monday, July 6, 2009 1:58:47 PM

Finland writes: Thanks, works with Finnish brushes too. ;)

Unregistered user Sunday, July 12, 2009 6:23:41 AM

Eric 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

Unregistered user Sunday, July 12, 2009 3:18:14 PM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Monday, July 13, 2009 12:09:46 AM

Dave 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

Raphael Wimmerraphman Friday, July 17, 2009 6:04:41 PM

Hi 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.

Unregistered user Saturday, July 18, 2009 6:17:27 PM

Eric 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

Unregistered user Sunday, July 19, 2009 1:44:42 PM

BowWow 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?

Unregistered user Friday, July 24, 2009 11:20:31 PM

Anonymous 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?

Unregistered user Thursday, July 30, 2009 4:29:58 PM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:34:06 PM

Eric 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

Unregistered user Monday, August 3, 2009 6:51:12 AM

Anonymous 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?

Unregistered user Monday, August 10, 2009 8:26:18 AM

Tony 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

Unregistered user Friday, August 21, 2009 1:38:49 PM

Anonymous 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-u5Nxvo If 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

Raphael Wimmerraphman Friday, August 21, 2009 9:12:46 PM

Hey Tony,
Great video - thanks for sharing it. I've linked it in my blog entry.

Unregistered user Monday, August 24, 2009 11:08:35 AM

Norman 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.

Unregistered user Monday, August 24, 2009 11:11:04 AM

Norman 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.

Unregistered user Monday, August 24, 2009 7:44:46 PM

Anonymous 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.html Mark

Unregistered user Wednesday, September 9, 2009 9:01:13 AM

Mark writes: I would like to try to replace my battery, but can't locate the video on YouTube. Is there another source for it?

Unregistered user Saturday, October 3, 2009 4:05:27 PM

Anonymous 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

Unregistered user Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:04:52 PM

dude writes: The video has been removed ?! bring it back dude!

Unregistered user Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:27:53 PM

joylife99 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

Unregistered user Tuesday, October 20, 2009 5:28:53 PM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Sunday, October 25, 2009 4:44:05 AM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Tuesday, November 3, 2009 5:31:23 AM

fausis 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.

Unregistered user Friday, November 6, 2009 2:47:00 PM

Anonymous 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

Unregistered user Monday, December 28, 2009 12:13:10 PM

Philippe 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 mailto:phiburo@sunrise.ch

Raphael Wimmerraphman Monday, December 28, 2009 12:50:16 PM

Are 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.

Unregistered user Monday, January 4, 2010 8:13:20 AM

Anonymous 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

Unregistered user Wednesday, January 6, 2010 8:41:26 PM

Anonymous 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!

Unregistered user Saturday, January 9, 2010 2:02:54 AM

Mass writes: Hi There 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?

barry burnettmybarry Sunday, January 10, 2010 6:52:26 PM

Hello 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

barry burnettmybarry Sunday, January 10, 2010 6:58:02 PM

Also,,can i buy a sonic complete in the USA and charge it on a UK charger.?

Raphael Wimmerraphman Sunday, January 10, 2010 10:14:58 PM

Hi Barry,
I'll try to find answers to your questions next weekend (when my Sonic Complete and I are at the same place again).

Unregistered user Thursday, January 14, 2010 4:06:50 PM

Anonymous writes: http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/body_vp1500afp.html What do you think of this battery Raphael.?

Raphael Wimmerraphman Thursday, January 14, 2010 4:43:19 PM

Originally posted by anonymous:

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/body_vp1500afp.html

What do you think of this battery Raphael.?



Dimensions and voltage seem ok. Tell us if they work and I'll add the link to the howto.

Unregistered user Thursday, January 14, 2010 8:14:53 PM

Anonymous 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.

Unregistered user Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:04:55 PM

Anonymous writes: Does anyone know where to find the video for this procedure..(sonic complete battery fix) I cannot find it on youtube.!!!?

Unregistered user Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:16:32 AM

Anonymous 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 Cadnica Thanks for your help and hope many other people will be able to do the same change and give the toothbrush another lifetime. Philippe Switzerland

Raphael Wimmerraphman Thursday, January 21, 2010 2:45:43 PM

Originally posted by anonymous:

Does anyone know where to find the video for this procedure..(sonic complete battery fix)
I cannot find it on youtube.!!!?



Oh, it's gone. Could someone capture his battery exchange on video? My Oral-B got lost during a recent move.

Unregistered user Saturday, January 30, 2010 4:20:23 PM

Dr 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.

Unregistered user Sunday, January 31, 2010 4:10:40 PM

Anonymous writes: Guys i need an answer to this ? urgently. HAs anyone ever changed the battery in the SONICARE FLEXCARE toothbrush.?

Unregistered user Monday, February 15, 2010 8:03:33 PM

Battery cap won't come out. writes: Hi I'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

Unregistered user Tuesday, February 16, 2010 7:19:02 PM

Anonymous 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!

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