18650 batteries

CaberTosser · #1 11-03-2018, 06:51 PM

Recently one of my Milwaukee 12V battery cases popped open and I noted that the three batteries inside were the 18650 variety, this got me thinking of a few possibilities, the first thought was the ability to repair batteries by replacing the individual cells if one went out, my second idea was to harvest the remaining good cell(s) from a dead battery pack for use in other devices such as flashlights (or vapes if that's your schtick). Today at a Lowes store they were blowing out some 12v batteries for Black & Decker cordless tools and I scored one for $10 marked down from $35-ish. Being a tinkerer I brought it home and tore it apart to get the cells out, they were made by Samsung though in the handful of links that popped up for the INR18650-15J SDI 1FA4 I have not yet determined their mAh rating. At any rate, 3 name-brand 18650 cells for a measly $10 seemed a good deal to me. The Lowes at 130th Ave in Calgary had around 4 more of the batteries available, the only trick was to gently pry off some spot-welded wiring tabs that had been attached to the units.

averagejoe · #2 11-03-2018, 07:07 PM

Laptop batteries also use 18650 cells.

You do not want to mix new and old cells though, so if you need to fix a battery pack all the cells should be replaced.

Coiloil37 · #3 11-03-2018, 07:28 PM

Just because there are idiots everywhere. If your going to scavenge batteries from all the wrong places you better know if they’ve got protection circuits on them or if your device needs a protection circuit. 18650’s can go bad in a big way if you mess this up. Check YouTube if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Seriously, if a guy needs a good battery buying them from orbtronic is cheap as chips. The high drain 3500 mAh unprotected cells are $10 and the protected cells are less then $20. I’ve put eight years and a few hundred (thousand) cycles on three batteries and they’re still going strong.

CNP · #4 11-03-2018, 07:36 PM

...

CaberTosser · #5 11-03-2018, 07:38 PM

I'll note the disclaimer that I was messing around for curiosity's sake, I posted the thread to get the input of those who certainly know more on the subject than myself. The input on not mixing old and new cells and safety is appreciated.

CNP, the battery pack I got was the small 12V 3-cell. I do have those larger 18V ones as well, though I do not know what type of cells are used in the bigger units....

averagejoe · #6 11-04-2018, 01:46 AM

They all use 18650s, just more of them.

CaberTosser · #7 03-09-2019, 06:36 PM

I finally got a flashlight that takes 18650's today and the three Samsungs that I scavenged work in it. The flashlight has over-heat protection, reverse polarity protection and digitally regulated output. It has 5 brightness settings up to 900 lumens and strobe & S.O.S features. I'm calling it a win, now to grab a smart charger for the cells.

midgetwaiter · #8 03-09-2019, 07:54 PM

Check out AVE’s BOLTR videos on YouTube, he tries a bunch of stuff with 3rd party Milwaukee packs and various cells. Language and general *******ery warning though. I love AVE but he’s a little whimsical.

Also fun fact those are the same cells Tesla uses, there’s over 7000 of them in a 85kw pack for a Model S.

CaberTosser · #9 03-09-2019, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midgetwaiter

Check out AVE’s BOLTR videos on YouTube, he tries a bunch of stuff with 3rd party Milwaukee packs and various cells. Language and general *******ery warning though. I love AVE but he’s a little whimsical.

Also fun fact those are the same cells Tesla uses, there’s over 7000 of them in a 85kw pack for a Model S.

I’ve been watching his channel for at least three years, that guy is hysterical. I’m curious what part of B.C. he’s from, I saw him do a road trip video where he could be seen on some familiar B.C. roads. His knowledge of electrical circuitry and his tool tear down videos are both educational and entertaining. There’s the workshop knowledge getting shared and I now use the word ‘skookum’ a lot more than I used to.

averagejoe · #10 03-09-2019, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I finally got a flashlight that takes 18650's today and the three Samsungs that I scavenged work in it. The flashlight has over-heat protection, reverse polarity protection and digitally regulated output. It has 5 brightness settings up to 900 lumens and strobe & S.O.S features. I'm calling it a win, now to grab a smart charger for the cells.

Watch out with flashlights. Some require flat top batteries and some require a button top which is like a normal battery end. If you fit a button top in a light that needs a flat top the end cap might not fit in. Same thing with protected cells and unprotected cells. The protected ones are longer. Just something to be aware of.

As for chargers I have a Xstar VC2 plus charger. They make larger versions but unless you have a lot of cells, this one works fine. It will even charge normal rechargeable batteries if you have any of those. https://www.amazon.ca/XTAR-VC2-Compa...425784-9085932

roper1 · #11 03-09-2019, 08:38 PM

Ahh Caber, good man, your Scottish roots are showing!

CaberTosser · #12 03-09-2019, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roper1

Ahh Caber, good man, your Scottish roots are showing!

"I'm not cheap, I'm frrrrugul!"

roper1 · #13 03-09-2019, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

"I'm not cheap, I'm frrrrugul!"

Aye, me Campbell muther, she unnerstanns

CaberTosser · #14 03-23-2019, 01:01 AM

Here's another source if you're frrrugal and can't find clearance power tool battery packs. Fresh brand new 18650 cells for cheap, they're 2600 mAh uits but the price is still better than you normally see in the display case next to the Gucci flashlights. B&E has a pretty interesting inventory, quite unique. They even have copper plated boards and chemicals to etch your own custom circuit boards. This is absolutely a full tilt nerd store in which you'd find the entire crew from Big Bang Theory shopping :

https://www.be-electronics.com/product_p/18650.htm

Coiloil37 · #15 03-23-2019, 07:59 AM

As an alternative buy the best on the market. The ones I use in my flashlights are only $12

If you don’t want the protection circuit you can get excellent 18650’s down to $5.50 a cell, buy more then 4 and you’ll save 10%

https://www.orbtronic.com/18650-battery

CaberTosser · #16 03-23-2019, 09:11 AM

Great suggestion Coiloil, thanks. Better mAh than my find. The cheapest retail ones I was seeing were still over $16.

MyAlberta · #17 03-23-2019, 09:36 AM

I use 18650 batteries in several of my projects. I run them through several charge/discharge cycles, looking for anything that can deliver 2000ma/h, and group ones that perform similarly. Todate, the best Lion performer I’ve found was a small rectangular Sierra Wireless cell that delivers 3000ma/h. They stack nicely into a battery pack. Bought a 1000 lot of refused shipment for $50.

ColdFlame · #18 03-25-2019, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I’ve been watching his channel for at least three years, that guy is hysterical. I’m curious what part of B.C. he’s from, I saw him do a road trip video where he could be seen on some familiar B.C. roads. His knowledge of electrical circuitry and his tool tear down videos are both educational and entertaining. There’s the workshop knowledge getting shared and I now use the word ‘skookum’ a lot more than I used to.

He's in Kamloops. I love his videos too, and also have an interest in 18650 cells.

Cheers!