no explosions please...

[My Young Apprentice]

Hi everyone, first timer here. Just bought my second decent flashlight (first was a 47s preon 1, just got a fenix tk22, so big step up here). I picked up some Panasonic 3400mAh 18650 cells too. Since its my first time using these i want to make sure I'm doing it right. The reason im making a new thread is because it gets specific. I have a xtar sp2 charger for them. I'm reading that a safe charge rate for 18650 cells is 1c. So a good rate to charge these is at 3.4 amps...i think. The three settings on the charger are .5a, 1a, and 2a. If I'm getting this correctly, all of these settings are below 1c for these cells, which means i will be charging them at a much slower ratethan they can be charged? And will be waiting longer than usual? I guess my question is if this is all normal and i just have no clue what's going on, lol.

Edit: I carried them in my pocket today without thinking about it and now one of the cells has a small amount of goo on the positive terminal coming out of the wrapping. Its not on the terminal itself, just the black plastic part around it. It smells kind of sweet and citrus like. What is this? And is this cell still ok to use? Did i screw the pooch on one expensive battery already?

 

[ChrisGarrett]

You were doing peachy until the second paragraph.

Any way to take some pictures and post them here?

Li-Ion cells shouldn't be leaking.

Chris

 

[BVH]

It's nicer to the cell to stay at .7C. The goo part sounds an alarm. There's no reason for any "goo" to be on a quality Panasonic cell. Sure there wasn't some goo in your pocket on on something else in your pocket? If not, I'd get rid of the cell.

 

[Mr Floppy]

It smells kind of sweet and citrus like. What is this? And is this cell still ok to use? Did i screw the pooch on one expensive battery already?

The description most people have is "like juicy fruit", but if it smells like "burnt juicy fruit", it's probably vented. Either way, I think you may have punctured the cell in your pocket. I'd stop sniffing it and throw it away.

 

[My Young Apprentice]

sorry if the pic is too big, but this is the stuff. I checked my pockets, there was no gooey stuff in them.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Did you have a pocketfull of change? It's easy to make an accidental pocketwarmer with a powerful battery and loose metal. The positive contact looks to be in pretty bad shape. Why does the shrinkwrap look gnawed?

 

[välineurheilija]

I had similar stuff on a Keeppower 3100 battery after i tried to put it in a too short light but it came from near the button and i think it was the glue used to attach the black paper?thing. Could be wrong but im still using the battery i have not smelled it though :)

 

[My Young Apprentice]

I had similar stuff on a Keeppower 3100 battery after i tried to put it in a too short light but it came from near the button and i think it was the glue used to attach the black paper?thing. Could be wrong but im still using the battery i have not smelled it though :)

This is what im thinking. Mainly because there is only a tiny bit, and doesnt really smell corrosive like acid, but sour and citrusy like a powerful glue. I didnt have anything else in my pocket but the batteries. And the wrapping isnt mottled, hthe picture just came out bad. It has a tiny bit of fuzz stuck to it and the goo is scrunched up.

Is there a safe way to test this? Like with a multimeter or something? The flashlight and batts were kind of my one splurge for the year, and dont really have the money for more. Luckily i have one more cell, and my flashlight only needs one. So as for my original question, i can basically charge this one cell at 2a and be perfectly safe, right?

 

[välineurheilija]

I dont have an answer to your safety question,but i have used my battery with care by checking the voltage with a dmm before and after charging.
I am not 100% sure that it is glue but as my battery is working fine i dont have any reason to suspect anything else.
Has anyone had a 18650 battery leak?
please chime in :)

 

[ven]

Never had a leak,if i did it would be disposed of...........

If your sure it is a leak then bin it or return it if new,no point in taking any risks,especially with 18650 cells.

Besides you dont want it gunking up your light.............

 

[My Young Apprentice]

Looks like I don't have to worry about this anymore. Contacted Orbtronics and within 5 minutes they responded with "We're sending a replacement along with a return package for the damaged cell with first class priority mail" then proceeded to answer all my charging questions. They're sending the replacement WITH the return box, not waiting until they get the return to send a new one. All this with no questions asked. They do customer service right over there, which is a rarity in most all businesses nowadays. Mods can close the thread now if they want. Thanks to everyone for their input. Although it would have been nice to find out exactly what happened...I think with these beefy cells it's best to leave them alone :) (at least for someone as un experienced as me)

 

[ven]

Result!!!!! just not worth it imho taking risks,make sure you follow up on their findings,be very interesting:thumbsup:

 

[My Young Apprentice]

Will definitely follow up, and report back here for future member reference.

 

[degarb]

One thing to point out. These are not AA NIMH cells. You should only carry these around in protective plastic shells. Not loosely in you pocket. They can vent or explode when: 1. Heat over 212F (FAA says 300F, some cells say 140F). 2. Charge (state over/under and charging) 3. Shorts of any kind (inc. damage to cell.)