Stihl MSA200c battery charging issue after inactivity.

[TurtleWoods72]

2 hours ago, Fatboy2017 said:

I just tried the reset button, it's a AP200, this is what happens when connected and switched on, plus took battery apart to try what Kram suggested, but over my head, not have the brains to understand how to test each battery without pulling the whole thing apart! Meter connected to the positive and neg contacts

0.2 volts? Yikes. Flatter than a pancake with a hippo sitting on it! 😳

 

Dunno if it’d work, but with no thjng left to lose I’d buy a trickle charger intended for tending motorcycle batteries. The Oxford Products ones are nice because you get a fancy backlit screen with a lot of information as to what’s going on with the battery.

 

You want to make sure it’s one that claims to recover completely flat batteries as some require a minimum voltage in excess of your 0.2v.

 

I’d connect it up somewhere safe, maybe in a steel bucket 🥺 and leave it for as long as you can, periodically checking for any change. 🤷‍♂️ 

 

Disclaimer: please don’t follow my advice if you are worried you might burn your house down, this is just what I would try, but you need to do what you feel is safe. 

[TurtleWoods72]

This is one of the models I prefer to use, I also have a Noco and some random thing off Amazon which was about £15 odd.

 

Oxford Oximiser 900 - 888 Anniversary Edition - FREE UK DELIVERY

WWW.SPORTSBIKESHOP.CO.UK

---

Oxford Oximiser 900 - 888 Anniversary Edition from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.

*** no doubt ‘kram’ Will be along any second to tell me how bad this suggestion is 😂

Edited 12 hours ago by TurtleWoods72

[kram]

Do not do the above. You may aswell pour petrol on the pack and torch it...

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by kram

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, Fatboy2017 said:

how to test each battery without pulling the whole thing apart!

I wouldn't advise taking it apart yet, each cell or pair of cells is probably connected to the battery management system and soldered.

 

Can you count the cells?

 

Fully charged they will each be just over 4.1V. The fact that you are measuring 196mV is either the battery is profoundly flat, which is unlikely or that a cell is out of circuit.

 

Is there any way you can access the terminal each end of each cell?

[kram]

@Fatboy2017 battery packs are connected like this. The thin wires are for the BMS to monitor and adjust the cells and keep the voltage within limits.

 

Your pack has 10 cells in series, so imagine that diagram went upto 10 and the thick red wire is connected on 10.

Except the pack is doubled, so theres a other 10 cells that are connected exactly the same - so cell1 in diagram is two cells.

 

 

[Mark_Skyland]

On 10/12/2025 at 09:40, Fatboy2017 said:

I have a Stihl MSA200c  cordless chainsaw, was used 6 months ago and charged up fine no issues. Had a couple of jobs to do which required a cordless saw, battery showed no lights even though battery, a AP200, was left with approx 75% charge when put away. 

On connecting the charger (AL101) lights up solid green for 3 seconds or so then goes quickly to red, then al lights go out.

The Stihl service info I've read does not mention this code situation. Any ideas? New batteries are horrendous cost so trying to recover this one. I have many saws so not stuck for an alternative but find this one very useful for jobs it's designed for. @mark-skyland? 

I've only just seen this thread as I'm not as active on here as I should be. 

 

TBH I cant offer any advice repairing the battery as unfortunately they are throw away items once they fail. There are no workshop manuals on how to repair them and no spare parts apart from a few stickers and replacement cases on the Husky batteries. I've done a few tests on batteries across the stihl, husky and echo range of batteries but that's only been to satisfy a warranty claim. There will be companies that can repair these batteries but I don't know of any. 

Sorry I couldn't be of any further help but messing about with lithium batteries when you don't know what your doing can end up fairly messy from some of the videos I've seen! 

 

[Fatboy2017]

I will have another look over the next few days. It looks quite difficult to get to each end of each battery.

Kram / openspaceman What do you think about this :

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+bring+a+cordless+battery+back+to+life&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB899GB899&oq=How+to+wake+up+a+cordless+battery&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgEEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjINCAQQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAYQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAcQABiGAxiABBiKBTIKCAgQABiABBiiBDIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCTI2MzU5ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:271e8dc7,vid:aoumXaIhuNI,st:0

 

[Fatboy2017]

Thanks Mark, I was hoping you had some insight into these Stihl battery thingies!

[kram]

12 minutes ago, Fatboy2017 said:

I will have another look over the next few days. It looks quite difficult to get to each end of each battery.

Kram / openspaceman What do you think about this :

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+bring+a+cordless+battery+back+to+life&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB899GB899&oq=How+to+wake+up+a+cordless+battery&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgEEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjINCAQQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAYQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAcQABiGAxiABBiKBTIKCAgQABiABBiiBDIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCTI2MzU5ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:271e8dc7,vid:aoumXaIhuNI,st:0

 

 

Not in the way that describes.

 

If your going to try connecting the battery to anything to "jump start" it, it should not be another battery or high current device, it needs to be done with a current limit.

 

This sort of thing, but it will need power from an 18v battery or similar

https://www.amazon.co.uk/POFET-Buck-Boost-Programmable-Adjustable-Automatic/dp/B0D93WBZ7F

There are more expensive ones that power themselves but for a one off use...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/adjustable-switching-precision-charging-interface/dp/B09C8MT4KM

 

You need to have it on constant current mode, 100mA.

 

After 5 seconds, measure if the battery has taken any charge.

Once its up to 20v, try it on the stihl charger. Fully charged is 42v.

 

[openspaceman]

51 minutes ago, Fatboy2017 said:

I will have another look over the next few days. It looks quite difficult to get to each end of each battery.

Kram / openspaceman What do you think about this :

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+bring+a+cordless+battery+back+to+life&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB899GB899&oq=How+to+wake+up+a+cordless+battery&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgEEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjINCAQQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAYQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAcQABiGAxiABBiKBTIKCAgQABiABBiiBDIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCTI2MzU5ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:271e8dc7,vid:aoumXaIhuNI,st:0

 

I think the BMS has disconnected the battery, the small voltage you see is an ephemera of the bms connections. If so nothing will happen. If the battery was just flat the sudden rush of current would probably melt the wires you jumped the two batteries with, after all the 40V is 3 times what a car battery will zap if you touch the terminals together and a lithium ion battery has much lower internal resistance.

 

I've had similar on a cheap ( but useful) Ferrex 40V grinder battery. It was one cell out of the 10 that had failed. I made the mistake of not de soldering the BMS to get at it and struggled to pull the bad cell out from the nickel strips it was spot welded to. Knowing what I do now I would take it to our repair cafe with a new cell with solder tags ( about 6 quid) and get one of the electronics experts fit it. 

 

If I am right the other 19 cells will be good.

 

I recycle them by taping 4 together, adding a usb charger with type C charge port and protected usb output as little power packs.

Edited 10 hours ago by openspaceman
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