DIY: replacing batteries on the PowerBook G3.

I have 3 PowerBook G3 Series (Wallstreet) batteries floating around, and they all have less than 10 minutes' worth of charge in them. This is par for the course; if you leave your PowerBook (or any other laptop with LiOn batteries) plugged in most of the time and the batteries don't get a chance to run down all the way, they're not going to hold a charge after a while. It's good to "exercise" them once in a while.

I did some digging and found this article on how to replace the cells inside your PowerBook G3 battery, and some photos of the battery disassembly process. Turns out each large battery has 9 smaller AA-sized LiOn cells in it, and if you're handy with a soldering iron, you can replace them yourself. The risks are high, though: LiOn batteries will explode if they're not wired up just right. This project is beyond my skill level, especially since it looks like the finished product won't give you anything near the battery life of a factory replacement.

But the plastics on these things are so sturdy. I wonder if I could crack them open and make them into 2.5" FireWire/USB drive cases...