Philips Sonicare FlexCare Battery Replacement

Written By: Joanna Moraza
  • Comments: 53
Philips Sonicare FlexCare Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

6

Time Required

15 - 30 minutes

Introduction

Here is how to replace the rechargeable battery in the Phillips SoniCare FlexCare. This is a difficult repair, be careful. If you see a swollen battery, follow the instructions here: What to do with a swollen battery.

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    • Pull the brush head away from the handle to remove it.

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    • Push the flat edge of a metal or nylon spudger between the seal and the toothbrush body and pry it open. Do this all around the edge until the seal is partially sticking out.

    • Have a look to an alternative opening procedure.

    Where can I find batteries for this product

    lindaw1949 -

    That is a very hard step, there is no room to insert anything in mine. What to do?

    Danielle10452 -

    @lindaw1949 - There are a couple of battery options depending on your model. Check the Parts link at the top of the tutorial or just do a search for ‘sonicare’ on ifixit. You can also check the brand A store.

    @Danielle10452 - The case is elliptical. With your tumb and forefinger, firmly squeeze the front and back of the case at the bottom as if you’re trying to make it circular. Simultaneously apply pressure to the tip (step 3).

    nwjhawk -

    This worked perfectly for me. No need for a spudger, just press on the case and the tip.

    Fritz -

    I found that the metal splugger works best. You are really going to need to force it in, work all the way around several times. Try not to stab yourselves.

    GERARD SZAREK -

    なかなか差し込めないので

    やり辛いです

    もっと簡単に出来ないものか

    ヒロミキヨタ -

  3. iBQ2RWbclQeeRNxu

    • The previous version of this step told people to press on the shaft until the electronics were exposed. DO NOT DO THIS, it can snap locking tabs off

    • Using a small flathead screwdriver, release the two black locking tabs holding the internals in place

    • Slide the internals out of the toothbrush casing

    • Until this step is updated with new pictures, scroll down to step 5 to see the two tabs

    黒い樹脂パーツの爪が引っ掛かっており、手順3が示す方法では外れません。無理やり外そうとすると壊れてしまいます。底蓋だけをなんとか外したあと、その爪を先に開放してください。それから、手順3の方法に入ってください。

    Mega W -

    Gently apply pressure to the shaft and use a small flatbed screwdriver to release the two notches (seen on pic.5) that hold the internals in place. That was pointed out by Huy Vu - Jul 3, 2020, please edit this step! I broke one of the notches by hard pressing on the shaft!

    Philips J. Smith -

    I updated the text part, but can't add new pictures since I don't have one of these toothbrushes

    darth mango -

  4. TwshJdPbLDO4tMm3

    • Grab the circular, plastic base with the o-ring and pull it outward.

  5. BqRcLmKa2EhMivE2

    • Remove the cap that is attached to the end of the interior by removing the two clasps that are holding it in place.

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    • Desolder the battery from the circuit board. Here is a guide on how to desolder. Remove the old battery and replace it. Using the same guide, solder the battery in place.

    • The soldering points are shown in red.

    Thank you. Easy enough; however, my battery was removable and not soldered in place. the number below the bar code is: 06137470842482589. Where can i find a replacement? I do not know the capacity !

    chipspinner -

    WARNING: do NOT connect the battery the wrong way around, it will fry the motherboard. Happened to me, twice lol!

    Anthony_Rs -

    The polarity is not marked on the new battery and there is no mention of the battery markings anywhere in the ifixit material.

    Gary Shelford -

    Deep into this repair my black toothbrush has the positive end at the top and negative at the bottom. Now I just need a soldering iron

    GERARD SZAREK -

    If you can’t see the polarity of the battery, check it with a voltmeter.

    Bryan -

    Thank you for making that super easy for me,

    Joannie S Warner -

    You might not have to replace the battery - for me hooking it up to a proper li-ion 3.4v charger via wires 'revived' the battery of a seemingly dead device that was manufactured over 4 years ago that would not charge with the original glass charger. After few minutes the brush started working and was ok to go on the regular charger.

    Anonym -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Joanna Moraza

Member since: 14/04/15

1746 Reputation

37 comments

has anyone ever done this successfully? OMG it seems daunting!!!!

Jo -

I'm going to try it. Now, to find a battery source.

Scott Minton -

Anyone knows where to purchase such battery and its type/sort code?

Ben Salem -

The battery is a 14500 li-ion with soldered pins.

I bought this one without pin and will try to solder them:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/371716530024

Here, you can buy the version with pins:

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Sonicare-...

mamuc -

Prying open the bottom of the brush like that can damage the plastic. There's a damage-free technique detailed on this guide:

http://toothbrushbattery.com/guides/phil...

Dave W -

I used the same method that Dave W linked to instead of Step 2 and found it worked very well. Just squeeze the bottom across the widest part with pliers or vice grips and the tabs on the bottom will release, then just pick up at Step 3.

AckBrokenAgain -

Thanks for the link Dave. The guide on the link looks more thorough than this ifixit one.

Ad the Bad -

This guide is great. I didn't know you could repair a Sonicare so cleanly!

Ryan Prescott -

I was able to do this after modifying the procedure

I used a tiny snip to cut the negative lead just above the circuit board. I had to remove a little of the plastic surrounding the lead with an Xacto knife in order to do this. Cutting the lead allowed me to pivot the battery upward out of its holder. Then I removed the battery by pulling it out of the circuit board while heating the positive lead's connection to the circuit board. After removing the battery, I drilled holes in the solder left covering the holes in the circuit board (never had much luck removing solder). I was then able to easily insert the new battery, clip the excess length from its pins, and reassemble the toothbrush.

Probably should fully discharge the old battery before trying to remove it.

raylat2002 -

This is ridiculous. I've never had changing a battery be so complicated. I'll find another brand that is easier...so done with this!!!

Drena A Dobra -

And Drena A Dobra, found an other brand that has an easier to replace battery?

I don't think so. This is common use. They make it all the time more difficult.

Kostenzer -

Dear Joanna, I have an alternative suggestion for the screwdriver operation. You can heat carefully the outer part of the hand pieces. You should cover the rest of the pieces so approximately 1.5cm is exposed to the heat of eg. A heat gun. When is heated (give it a several tried to not overheat the plastic) then you bring enough force on the distal part like in your description. When assembling apply some silicongrease to the distal and proximal seals to garantee smooth assembly and setting of the seals and to achieve continued waterresistance of the body. Regards and success!

Leo van de Goor -

Had a problem where toothbrush would shut off right after turning on. Turns out the tab on the positive electrode had came loose. I tried soldering but the tab would not take on any solder (probably should have sanded the surface first). Finally just used a copper wire instead of the tab and fully functional after soldering.

Note sanding the battery electrode surface greatly helps solder to stick.

Howard -

Howard is a genius.

ToH

Howard Woodard -

I have a Philips HX 6240 air floss……I thought the battery was dead, then decided the charger was faulty, stayed on only 1 second then died, batter charge light went out after 30 seconds….not sure how to,separate it, as it has a join 2/3 the way up…..

tried something odd…..I pressed and held the power button whilst pressing the jet button at the same time, it suddenly started working jetting water out…….now works with just the jet button and charge light staying on……maybe it was a stuck button, preventing charging and it working, may have fixed it….

Steve jones -

My toothbrush randomly turns on and off, and won’t shut off by using the button, sometimes it runs for a minute then shuts itself off, all through the day and night , I had to take it off the charger to drain the battery so it won’t wake me up anymore,, what is the problem with my toothbrush?any info would be appreciated, Chuck

clksage1 -

Water got inside. You need to disassemble it, then clean, dry and assemble back.

Igor K -

Sad that the battery is almost as much as just buying a new toothbrush.

Rosco 1776 -

Does anyone know how long a the bttery must last?

F Samadi -

Popping out the battery was a little tricky. I suggest pushing it out from the slot in the back instead of trying to pull it out.

Thomas P -

Hi @clksage1, There is a good video out there that describes the button getting clogged up. Soak for 20 min in warm watter then ‘massage’ the button to squeeze the goop out. Sounds like it may help your brush.

Jeffrey Love -

Any tips on cleaning up corrosion on the board?

Anthony Valadez -

Can you tell me how it worked out, soldering the pins onto the battery?

Alfred Fowler -

I have a HX6930 the was beeping twice then once when charging and lower button was flaky.

I used this guide to disassemble the HX6930. I used the iSesame pry tool - it can’t be beat. I went slowly around the outside edge of the base 2-3 times prying very slightly at each move. The end cap came out nicely for such an old toothbrush.

I found water inside all over. A “High 5” for Phillips in durability. It appears the top seal is defective. I’m not sure on a solution for this as it is below the press fit top plastic retaining ring. Probably going to use some water proof plumbers grease on reassemble.

I’ve ordered some replacement batteries and will install a new one when it arrives. The hardest part of all was applying pressure on the Li-ion cell and heating the solder points to finally release the battery. Probably easier to just cut the tabs and remove the cell and then clean up the solder holes. I used the copper mesh to clean up the solder.

Marc -

he there. so I've got a flex care, about 10 years old. from what I researched, my battery was bad. I got a new one and put it in backwards. doh!! switched it, and now all the lights just stay on and the brush doesn't do anything. I've tried finding a burnt something on the board, somthing to tell me it's broken. I cannot.. anybody have any ideas?

d_foltzy -

I think this could be it https://www.mouser.de/datasheet/2/643/ds... Can someone confirm, that there is a “P” on the f1?

Nicht Albert Einstein -

Nach dem Beitrag hier, ist es vermutlich eine mit Code “P”

VauWeh -

Das ging fix, ich werde dann mal diese hier ausprobieren. https://www.mouser.de/datasheet/2/643/ds...

Nicht Albert Einstein -

Don’t just press until the electronics pop out. When the lid is off, you can look inside and see those two latches sticking out to the sides (picture of Step 5) that clip into the outer shell from the inside. Just take a small flathead and gently pry them away from the shell and it’ll just easily slide out. No force needed.

Huy Vu -

Wonderful step by step guide. I used a razor knife to slowly and gently work out the plug. The supposedly damage-free technique that is alluded to by Dave W will not work as its a different base. Just go slow and cause no harm to the black o-ring, just work the white plastic a little at a time in many passes. The black plastic clip has friction attainment points on the ends. My battery was a Sony. The Sanyo and Panasonic ones supposedly work better. If you go on the internet you will see that most if not all batteries from China are not rated correctly their capacity is one tenth that of what they are supposed to be. I found this out the hard way.

Connie Gus -

I think it's sad but I will prob have to replace brush with another brand never realized how much work was involved just assumed Sonicare was the best

Cheryl Gies -

I’m just going to buy a new brush by the time the cost comes in and my time for 100 bucks you could have a new one!

jcavalc898 -

I’m about to do it. Got my soldering iron and battery! (In Mario’s voice: “Let’s Go!”)

eepmon -

BEFORE buying a replacement battery, be sure sure you open up the toothbrush and check the size of the battery, and don't buy the wrong one like I did. :-) iFixit sells both 680mAh and 740mAh batteries. When I clicked the link in these instructions, it took me the page with the 640 version selected, which I assumed was correct for this toothbrush. Turns out my Sonicare Flexcare brush had a 750 mAh battery in it, which is definitely longer than the 650 mAh battery I got (I assume it's the same size as the 740 available from iFixit). I also discovered that the issue wasn't the battery, but rather that water had gotten in and corroded the circuitry, so battery replacement isn't going to help. :-( Thanks to iFixit for the the handy guide!!

Christiaan Adams -

This is for further reference this battery item code: IF389-000-2 will NOT fit a Sonicare HX9120, the battery is too short and large (in diameter).

Ifixit doesn't care the battery and so far, I haven't been able to find one to fit this model of Sonicare anywhere.

Richard M.

rmwrench -

You might not have to replace the battery - for me hooking it up to a proper li-ion 3.4v charger via wires 'revived' the battery of a seemingly dead device that was manufactured over 4 years ago that would not charge with the original glass charger. After few minutes the brush started working and was ok to go on the regular charger.

Anonym -