Replacing the old battery on rechargeable bike lights

A hands-on repair account documents replacing depleted batteries in ten-year-old rechargeable bike lights. The repairer opened the silicone case, removed a few screws, extracted the circuit board, and desoldered the old battery using guidance from an iFixit desoldering guide and advice from makerspace peers. The write-up notes no safety guidance is provided and emphasizes doing the work in a community makerspace. Specific desoldering tactics included using a desoldering pump, taking breaks to avoid overheating the battery, and leaving a welded metal attachment in place because replacement batteries include that part.

Identification and replacement focused on a small lithium rechargeable cell identified as LIR2477 after consulting an LLM and confirming its appearance; DigiKey search techniques were also demonstrated. Replacement cells and silicone glue were ordered from AliExpress for about $20 CAD total. The batteries were soldered in, some tiny screws were lost so fewer were used on reassembly, glue was applied and clamped, and the old cells were taken for proper disposal. The lights power on and have been used for night rides, though long-term charge performance is not yet verified while awaiting a new mini-USB cable. The repair is presented as accessible to newcomers with minimal electronics experience.