paper wrapped 18650's salvaged from laptop

[ksJoe]

I found the threads on salvaging 18650's from laptop batteries lovecpf So I raided the battery recycling box at work today and got a couple.

One was a modern HP battery, and had 6 samsung's labeled "IRC18650-22E". All 6 were at 3.79 to 3.82v - Yeah!

The other was an old Dell. It had 9 unlabeled 18650's that were wrapped in paper. 3 were 0.0-0.01v. The other 6 were around 3.6 +/- a bit. The paper wrapping is just sitting on the battery. I can slide them off, which makes me a little nervous. Their shells also seem to be a little thinner because they dented slightly when I pried the tabs off.

I'm thinking about either putting some glue on the paper to hold it on, or getting some heat shrink to replace the paper with.

What would you do?

 

[nathan225]

I have done the same thing with a laptop battery in the last month they seem to work good in my ta 21 so far but have not done a lot of testing

 

[core]

I have several of these as well. What makes me nervous isn't the fact that the paper slides off -- what's bad in my mind is there's really nothing securely holding that cardboard ring around the positive terminal. Glueing the tube but not the ring does not seem like it would help that situation much.

Mine are currently sitting in a large pyramid on the floor acting as cat toys, so I cannot offer firsthand knowledge of what works out well in the long run. I think if I were going to use these at all I'd go for the shrink wrap.

That is... if I knew where to get some that fits 18650's perfectly. (Anybody?)

 

[ksJoe]

That is... if I knew where to get some that fits 18650's perfectly. (Anybody?)

I have a box of assorted shrink wrap from Harbor Freight. The largest size is still too small. I'll bring one with me next time I go and see if they have a larger size.

 

[Fallingwater]

Thin electrical tape works well, just be careful about not applying it on top of another layer or it'll make the cell too thick.

 

[kramer5150]

I would just recycle them... hardly seems worth the effort + risk when unprotected cells are only $7

 

[ksJoe]

Here's a followup question - would the ones showing 0.0 or 0.01 volts be safe for some destructive testing?

I noticed the paper wrapped ones seem to have thinner/weaker cases. As I was prying the tabs off, they bent slightly. I suspect if I put them in a gun mounted light, the recoil would deform them quicker than other batteries. I'd like to try several mounts, with and without cushioning in the mount, to see if I can reduce the deformation. Having a battery that deforms easily, but is safe, would make this testing easier.

 

[core]

Why not place one downrange first to test it? Then you'll know for sure if it's safe to use in your mount.

Please post your videos here afterwards.

 

[ksJoe]

I'm sure the shooting range would not tolerate that. My other option would be at a friends house where we use the dam on his pond as a backstop. I doubt its eco-friendly to splatter li-ion juice where it will wash into the pond :mecry:

But I did shoot a patato a couple weeks ago. I had pressed it into the mud and shot it from 70 yards. All I found was a small sliver left down in the mud, and a couple fragments 30' away. The catfish probably found the rest of it

 

[Fallingwater]

Here's a followup question - would the ones showing 0.0 or 0.01 volts be safe for some destructive testing?

Probably not. Not having any charge left doesn't remove the reactive properties of the elements inside the cell.

 

[Battery Guy]

Here's a followup question - would the ones showing 0.0 or 0.01 volts be safe for some destructive testing?

I noticed the paper wrapped ones seem to have thinner/weaker cases. As I was prying the tabs off, they bent slightly. I suspect if I put them in a gun mounted light, the recoil would deform them quicker than other batteries. I'd like to try several mounts, with and without cushioning in the mount, to see if I can reduce the deformation. Having a battery that deforms easily, but is safe, would make this testing easier.

I routinely do destructive testing and tear downs of lithium-ion cells. That being said, I have a lot of experience doing this and was trained by people who were experts in battery safety. I also have all of the tools and safety equipment that I need. I have seen experienced people get hurt (e.g. burns, sliced fingers on sharp can edges, electrolyte in the eye, etc...) doing destructive testing, so I do not recommend that you do any destructive testing on any battery, period.

With respect to your paper wrapped 18650 cells, I am very suspicious about those cells. I have opened many Dell packs and have never seen a paper wrapped cell. I would not use these cells for anything. Take them to a battery recycle center.

Finally, I would not use a lithium or lithium-ion cell in a gun mounted light unless you are confident that it has been tested and shown to withstand the G-force during recoil.

Cheers,
Battery Guy

 

[core]

With respect to your paper wrapped 18650 cells, I am very suspicious about those cells. I have opened many Dell packs and have never seen a paper wrapped cell.

"Suspicious"? That's kind of a strong word to be using without backing it up with some information. That carries all the connotations of fraud or other wrongdoing which I think is not necessarily deserved in this case unless you know something about their source.

I've got several of these and they were in fact from Dell packs. "Unsafe"? Yes. "Suspicious"? Ummm... No reason for me to subscribe to that.

By the way, "paper wrapped" is probably making it sound more dicey than it really is. It's almost as thick as a toilet paper roll core.

 

[ksJoe]

Yeah, it is stiffer than paper. Somewhere in between paper and a toilet paper core. There were 9 in the pack. 3 were 0.0 or 0.1v. The others were all around 3.6, and surprisingly close. I've charged 4 of them so far. They didn't get warm when charging. I removed them from the charger at around 4.1 to 4.14 and they're now between 4.04 and 4.07. I think that's well behaved.

 

[Larbo]

I would just recycle them... hardly seems worth the effort + risk when unprotected cells are only $7

+1

Also if you live in an area subject to frequent or extended power outages charge em up and store them in a cool place checking them every few months or so.

 

[Battery Guy]

"Suspicious"? That's kind of a strong word to be using without backing it up with some information. That carries all the connotations of fraud or other wrongdoing which I think is not necessarily deserved in this case unless you know something about their source.

I've got several of these and they were in fact from Dell packs. "Unsafe"? Yes. "Suspicious"? Ummm... No reason for me to subscribe to that.

If I had proof I would call them counterfeit. I am suspicious because I have never seen paper wrapped cells in Dell packs, and ksJoe mentioned that the cell cans seemed thin. I have also seen paper wrapped cells with thin cans and very poor quality in counterfeit and aftermarket packs for other manufacturers.

That being said, given that you have seen several of these packs with similar cells, I am now less suspicious of these cells.

Cheers,
Battery Guy

 

[jasonck08]

Most laptop cell pulls I've pulled are not worth using because the capacity is too little. Test the runtime in a light vs another known good cell and see how they do. Then decide if you want to keep them.

 

[ksJoe]

I've only tested one so far. It was one of the green plastic wrapped samsungs. The light (sku 16847) was on over two hours to drop from 4.1 to 3.8.

For me, they don't have to have an exceptionally long run time to be worth using on the gun. Because if they're in good enough shape to charge up and safely use once, I can toss them after they've felt just a few recoils. I don't think I'll have a problem finding more bad laptop batteries.

The gun I'm using has a relatively light recoil, but it obviously still has some. I've ordered an oversized mount (30mm vs 25mm) so I can mount the light in foam padding. I'm guessing that should help minimize any battery recoil issues, but I think the 0.0v ones are the safest way to find out.