Soldering Wires to a CR2032 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 12:39:19 am
content: I have a Dell laptop and the 2032 battery seems to be dying because periodically the time changes.I discovered it's not a standard 2032, but one with wires soldered to it, wrapped in a seal, and a connector on the other end. Rather than buy a replacement for $10 (found them on Ebay), I'm thinking I can solder wires to an existing 2032.A YouTube video suggested using silver bearing rosin solder. I also read that the battery case can be sanded (which I assume exposes the underlying metal that regular solder will solder to).Does anyone know which method works best?

author: aqibi2000
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:07:51 am
content: Just solder to it done it several times. Keep scratching at the surface and it will solder

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:17:35 am
content: QuotePlease don't do that. You will damage the battery and there is even a chance it will explode. If you want to make your own, you need to buy a battery with welded on terminals then solder to those terminals.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:30:20 am
content: Soldering to batteries is generally a really bad idea, the proper way to attach wires is to use a capacitive discharge spot welder, I built one years ago specifically for this purpose. You can also buy BR-1632 (and other sizes) which are the same as CR-xxxx cells but with tabs already welded to them.Keep in mind as well that there are also rechargeable Li-ion cells which look very much like standard CR types, do verify that your laptop is not expecting one of these, many/most are.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:40:44 am
content: Quote from: james_s on March 30, 2020, 01:30:20 am"BR" prefix does not have anything to do with terminals. It's battery with different chemistry and slightly lower capacity for the same size. But they are more temperature stable and have less self discharge. Also BR-1632 has lowerthicknessdiameter/capacity than 2032. You can buy both CR/BR without or with terminals.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:46:21 am
content: Hm yeah I guess you're right, I'm not sure why I had that in my head.At any rate you can buy the cells with or without tabs, and the point of verifying exactly what sort of cell you've got there stands.

author: JFJ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 02:00:07 am
content: Quote from: bostonman on March 30, 2020, 12:39:19 amTo avoid possible damage from overheating, it would be better to solder the wires to a button cell holder, and then insert your existing CR2032.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 08:34:32 am
content: Quote from: wraper on March 30, 2020, 01:40:44 amThe first half of the number denotes the diameter, not the thickness, which is denoted by the second half of the number.A 1632 is 16mm diameter, 3.2mm thick, a 2032 is 20mm diameter, 3.2mm thick

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 11:23:46 am
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on March 30, 2020, 08:34:32 amYou are right, I wrote it wrong even though I knew which digits meant diameter and which thickness..

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 03:17:10 pm
content: 2 for 1€, if the connector polarity is wrong, just swap the wires in the connector, and this one has long leads so most likely it will fit in any laptop.https://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-DC08-Dell-G4221-Latitude-D610-D620-CMOS-RTC-BIOS-3V-CR2032-Battery-2-PinSMN/352908058620?

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 04:50:09 pm
content: When I was a kid we used to collect all the old button cells and go round a friend's house and fry them on his dad's camping stove. You do not want to be around when the buggers blow up. They are like little pipe bombs.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 05:07:12 pm
content: Have you checked the voltage on your existing battery to confirm that it actually is out of spec before replacing it?

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 06:55:40 pm
content: QuoteIt's a good question, and the answer is no. I didn't want to remove the battery and lose date/time; and I assumed this would be an easier thing to do.The plastic sealer around the battery reads 2032, but has a few other letters - I've since screwed the cover on again, so I don't know what the number is but can look later. It also had, what I assume to be, a date code, which read the year June or July 2010.I know the battery hasn't been replaced since the laptop was purchased, and, since the time seems to change periodically, I figured for the $1 battery, I'd replace it; until I discovered it's not easy because it's "sealed".

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 07:35:12 pm
content: It's not 'sealed', it has leads attached. They're readily available to just plug in for pennies..

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 06:38:47 am
content: Quote from: bostonman on March 30, 2020, 06:55:40 pmWhy are you worried about the date and time being lost? It takes about 30 seconds to set that.Make sure you've got the right sort of battery to replace it, verify that yours is non-rechargeable before you replace it with one. You can probably buy one for a few dollars that is shrinkwrapped already with the proper connector on it, otherwise get one with solder tabs welded on it and solder the existing wires to those.

author: Mazo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 07:04:20 am
content: I have soldered a small TH diode's leg to a CR2025.As I wanted to keep heating to minimum the procedure I used is the following.1.Apply flux to the spot on battery you will solder to.2.Make a blob of solder on a flat soldering iron tip.3.Put whatever you are soldering on the flux spot and press firmly with the solder blob for a second maximum.By the way after the intervention I measured the battery's open circuit voltage and when it was still hot it dropped significantly(I remember figures around 2V) and recovered to around 80% of the value it had just before soldering,so I guess it got some damage!All in all if if you aren't in a hurry I think there are smarter ways to skin this cat.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 07:24:30 am
content: I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the (to me) obvious solution, which has worked for me. You buy a 2032 holder. Put the cell in it and you have solderable pins. Replacement is easy. They only cost a few cents on ebay. Search 2032 holder.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 10:59:03 am
content: Quote from: bob91343 on March 31, 2020, 07:24:30 amAnd then it won't fit because it's too big. It's not like there are heaps of free space inside a laptop.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 11:26:38 am
content: Quote from: wraper on March 31, 2020, 10:59:03 amI'm not sure about space in the latest or more recent laptops but I did exactly this in an old Gateway laptop which I still use for field work. The original battery was located under the keyboard and difficult to access so I stuck a battery holder in the front section where the speakers are and it's now much easier to replace.

author: johnkenyon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 02:50:31 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on March 30, 2020, 01:17:35 amLast time I looked at cpc.farnell.com a single CR2032 with solder tabs was cheaper than a single battery without tabs.The only reason I didn't use the tabbed version was because I wanted to use a battery holder (MK48T02 battery replacement).Back to the original post - I'd recommend going with the tagged battery, recycling the existing battery lead then covering it with heat shrink - worked for me with an old Dell Inspiron laptop last year.

author: mattgaidica
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 02:17:24 pm
content: Don't solder to the battery. Get some copper tape (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1128), solder to it, stick it on.

author: oliver602
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 02:45:13 pm
content: I soldered two 2032 cells for a auto darkening welders helmet. I tried to do it as quick as possible but the second one exploded. It sounded like a gun shot and my ears were ringing. Luckily it didn't hit me in an eye. Left quite a lot of black powder in all corners of the room.Wouldn't recommend

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 03:02:27 pm
content: Quote from: mattgaidica on June 09, 2021, 02:17:24 pmWhy?Just buy one with tabs or even better, buy one with pre-attached leads and a plug. They're readily available.

author: CharlotteSwiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 03:42:42 pm
content: some time ago soldered the cable directly on the cr2032 battery of an old multimeter. After reading this treadh I think you know it went well ...

author: BrokenYugo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 05:20:37 pm
content: Mouser/Digikey/etc. sell tabbed and probably even leaded 2032s of reputable manufacture (I like Panasonic) for surprisingly cheap prices. False economy to mess with soldering to the battery or eBay/amazon crap.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2021, 05:43:22 pm
content: Quote from: bob91343 on March 31, 2020, 07:24:30 amUmmmm… somebody did, several messages before yours:Quote from: JFJ on March 30, 2020, 02:00:07 am

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2021, 01:54:45 pm
content: i soldered one a while back, but I left it in the freezer first for a while, sanded the area to be soldered and cleaned it with alcohol and fluxed it. the housing that its in could take a bomb, and its been OK for like 3 months (2430)you need to solder it in as little time as possible with as small a joint as possible to keep it from over heating

author: picclock
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2021, 01:55:25 pm
content: A quick bodge for connecting a coin cell is to use a piece of copper clad pcb or stripboard and a paper clip. Just cut a section of the copper to isolate the paper clip connection, and solder to the copper.Buying a holder is a better idea but when you need it now and have no time its an easy bodge.Best Regardspicclock

author: abdulbadii
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2021, 12:16:14 am
content: sodering would defect its functiontry resistance ie. spot welding orgive it firm case of plastic/paper board etc material easy to shaped, then glued using hot glue, give tiny hole, ie get it bored, for cable passing