Battery vampire, home made

[cityevader]

What does one do, when your personality type dictates that all objects be disassembled to properly dispose of E-waste and batteries?

...build a battery vampire!

Here's a small sample of various lipo cells, and 18650s, in need of discharging for disposal.

 

[cityevader]

A donor light was gutted for its flex head, a plastic box from a fishing store, RC plane slide switch, and 18650 holder is the ingredient list.

Starting with the light, the threaded portion of the body was cut, to "nut" the light to the lid.

 

[cityevader]

Initially, the plan was a really clean install, but i got lazy...instead of some nice lever-lock or spring-connector (think speaker wire connection) for the loose lipo cells, I'll just direct solder it.
Three car wheel weights give a bit of heft to the lightweight box.

 

[cityevader]

Here it is, after a few minutes of tinkering.

It's initially much brighter than Zebralight in moon mode, but after that initial bright, it goes for about a day at about the same brightness, then two more at less than Zebralight moon.

But overall, that already "depleted" cell headed for the trash, gave a three day weekend of nonstop light!

 

[Bimmerboy]

That's as janky as a couple of things I've built, perhaps even jankier... lol.

Love it. Part of the true spirit of Homemade and Modified.

 

[cityevader]

Forgive me; first time posting pics since being allowed to...shame to lose Photo Bucket posts from decades past...

I believe the photo arrangement shows (Zebralight moon mode to the left in each pic), a "fresh" voltage of 4.2v at one foot from a wall.
Second photo from three feet away.
Third photo after several days, 2.3v and one foot away from wall.

Pros: it vampires batteries
Cons: none, my child is perfect

 

[cityevader]

Janky?.....i dunno, there's heat shrink between the switch and led whilst the battery leads are exposed, so....

 

[cityevader]

Closest i could get to a comparison, is a Fenix LD02 on low but without the spill, to the vampire on high voltage...vampire still on the right in the pic.