Milwaukee battery DRM: Difference between revisions
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Community reverse-engineering reports published on Hackaday also documented communication traces between batteries & chargers, confirming that undocumented registers store diagnostic histories not available through consumer interfaces.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hackaday.com/2023/09/15/reverse-engineering-the-milwaukee-m18-redlink-protocol/ |title=Reverse Engineering the Milwaukee M18 REDLINK Protocol |website=Hackaday |date=2023-09-15 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104104402/https://hackaday.com/2023/09/15/reverse-engineering-the-milwaukee-m18-redlink-protocol/ |archive-date=2024-01-04}}</ref> | Community reverse-engineering reports published on Hackaday also documented communication traces between batteries & chargers, confirming that undocumented registers store diagnostic histories not available through consumer interfaces.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hackaday.com/2023/09/15/reverse-engineering-the-milwaukee-m18-redlink-protocol/ |title=Reverse Engineering the Milwaukee M18 REDLINK Protocol |website=Hackaday |date=2023-09-15 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104104402/https://hackaday.com/2023/09/15/reverse-engineering-the-milwaukee-m18-redlink-protocol/ |archive-date=2024-01-04}}</ref> | ||
Some consumers reported that warranty claims were denied when diagnostic data showed overheating events. In online complaints, users alleged that leaving a battery inside a vehicle in hot weather resulted in warranty denial.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/17t5d3s/milwaukee_battery_warranty_denied_due_to/ |title=Milwaukee Battery Warranty Denied Due to Overheating |website=Reddit |date=2023-11-21 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121104533/https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/17t5d3s/milwaukee_battery_warranty_denied_due_to/ |archive-date=2024-01-21}}</ref> | Some consumers reported that warranty claims were denied when diagnostic data showed overheating events. In online complaints, users alleged that leaving a battery inside a vehicle in hot weather resulted in warranty denial.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/17t5d3s/milwaukee_battery_warranty_denied_due_to/ |title=Milwaukee Battery Warranty Denied Due to Overheating |website=Reddit |date=2023-11-21 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121104533/https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/17t5d3s/milwaukee_battery_warranty_denied_due_to/ |archive-date=2024-01-21}}</ref> | ||
==Legal context== | ==Legal context== | ||
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==Industry comparison== | ==Industry comparison== | ||
The use of embedded diagnostic counters is not unique to Milwaukee. Reports indicate that competing brands such as Makita have implemented similar protocols in their lithium-ion batteries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hackaday.com/2024/01/22/makita-battery-protocol-reversed/ |title=Makita Battery Protocol Reversed |website=Hackaday |date=2024-01-22 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712104842/https://hackaday.com/2024/01/22/makita-battery-protocol-reversed/ |archive-date=2024-07-12}}</ref> Ryobi (which is owned by Techtronic Industries, which is the same parent company that owns Milwaukee) also uses the same embedded diagnostics in their batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Badar's Workshop |date=2025-08-25|title=Ryobi Doesn't Want You To Know |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_lyDyzEHY |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-15|website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=NQ_lyDyzEHY |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> The YouTube channel Badar's Workshop, was able to purchase 30 non-functioning or bricked Ryobi batteries on Ebay and got them all working again by simply flashing the code from a non-bricked Ryobi battery onto the bricked batteries ie. no physical repair was necessary, it was simply the DRM which prevented the batteries from being recognised by the Ryobi charger and receiving a charge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kayani |first=Badar Jahangir |date=24 Aug 2025 |title=Ryobi Battery Repair Guide |url=https://badar.tech/2025/08/24/ryobi-battery-repair-guide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915030330/https://badar.tech/2025/08/24/ryobi-battery-repair-guide/ |archive-date=15 Sep 2025 |access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=badar.tech}}</ref> | The use of embedded diagnostic counters is not unique to Milwaukee. Reports indicate that competing brands such as Makita have implemented similar protocols in their lithium-ion batteries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hackaday.com/2024/01/22/makita-battery-protocol-reversed/ |title=Makita Battery Protocol Reversed |website=Hackaday |date=2024-01-22 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712104842/https://hackaday.com/2024/01/22/makita-battery-protocol-reversed/ |archive-date=2024-07-12}}</ref> Ryobi (which is owned by Techtronic Industries, which is the same parent company that owns Milwaukee) also uses the same embedded diagnostics in their batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Badar's Workshop |date=2025-08-25|title=Ryobi Doesn't Want You To Know |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_lyDyzEHY |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-15|website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=NQ_lyDyzEHY |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> The YouTube channel Badar's Workshop, was able to purchase 30 non-functioning or bricked Ryobi batteries on Ebay and got them all working again by simply flashing the code from a non-bricked Ryobi battery onto the bricked batteries ie. no physical repair was necessary, it was simply the [[digital rights management]] (DRM) which prevented the batteries from being recognised by the Ryobi charger and receiving a charge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kayani |first=Badar Jahangir |date=24 Aug 2025 |title=Ryobi Battery Repair Guide |url=https://badar.tech/2025/08/24/ryobi-battery-repair-guide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915030330/https://badar.tech/2025/08/24/ryobi-battery-repair-guide/ |archive-date=15 Sep 2025 |access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=badar.tech}}</ref> | ||
==Company response== | ==Company response== | ||
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==Analysis== | ==Analysis== | ||
Critics argue that the hidden nature of these diagnostic counters undermines transparency in warranty adjudication, leaving consumers unable to contest warranty denials without access to the same data Milwaukee uses. Advocates for the right to repair cite this as an example of | Critics argue that the hidden nature of these diagnostic counters undermines transparency in warranty adjudication, leaving consumers unable to contest warranty denials without access to the same data Milwaukee uses. Advocates for the right to repair cite this as an example of DRM in hardware, where the consumer’s ability to control, repair, & assert ownership over a purchased product is limited by undisclosed technical restrictions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/99321/hidden-diagnostics-right-to-repair |title=Hidden Diagnostics and Right to Repair |website=iFixit |date=2024-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706105544/https://www.ifixit.com/News/99321/hidden-diagnostics-right-to-repair |archive-date=2024-07-06}}</ref> | ||
==Timeline== | ==Timeline== | ||