'Harvesting' 18650s from portable power packs

jt7747 · Sep 29, 2015

I recently bought my girlfriend an Anker Astro Mini 'lipstick' charger for 10 bucks, eg http://amzn.com/B005X1Y7I2

It strikes me that these have 18650s in them. Furthermore, they also have usb charger circuits.

Has anyone found a good way to take these things apart so you can charge your flashlight 18650s in them. Moreover, is it actually cheaper to buy one of these units, extract the 18650 and save money compared to purchasing an 18650 on its own?

NoNotAgain · Sep 29, 2015

The cost of the power bank that's powered by a single 18650 verses purchasing new cells is moot.

The battery that the bank provider uses is of Chinese origin with an unknown capacity verses purchasing a 2600-3500 mAh rated battery.

I've got a small power bank I use for emergency cell phone charging. Other than that, I'll stick to using one of my Milwaukee 18V tool batteries with the usb converter.

more_vampires · Sep 29, 2015

My Thailand Banana 18650x1 power bank comes open and you put whatever you want in there.

Some banks come apart easily, some do not. Once you snap my Thailand Banana together, it's a bit tricky to get them open again but doable.

Might web search for "removable 18650 power bank." It will do what OP is asking. There's many.

As far as "saving money," I consider whatever battery comes with a power bank to be junk and I throw a Panasonic in there or something.

ChrisGarrett · Sep 29, 2015

jt7747 said:
I recently bought my girlfriend an Anker Astro Mini 'lipstick' charger for 10 bucks, eg http://amzn.com/B005X1Y7I2

It strikes me that these have 18650s in them. Furthermore, they also have usb charger circuits.

Has anyone found a good way to take these things apart so you can charge your flashlight 18650s in them. Moreover, is it actually cheaper to buy one of these units, extract the 18650 and save money compared to purchasing an 18650 on its own?

You can buy well designed li-ion chargers for not a lot of money. Chargers that are USB, or 12v, which can work in the car with the right adapters.

The Xtar MC1+ is about $10 and will charge an 18650 up at 1A/500mA and do it correctly.

Quality 18650s are anywhere from $6-$10, so for under $30, you can have a couple of great cells and an excellent and safe charger.

I don't know how correctly those lipstick powerpacks charge up a cell.

Chris

Vinjints · Sep 30, 2015

The anker lipstick I've got will last for three full charges and does so seemingly faster than a wall charger.

FRITZHID · Sep 30, 2015

I've found that most of the cheap lipstick chargers don't fully charge their battery. I have 7 or 8 of them kicking around, some charge to 4.2v others never top 4v. They are not very quality controlled. I agree with Chris, just buy the proper stuff.
I guess one could gut the charger out if it's accurate and stuff it into a light if one wanted to buy I think I'd rather have a more reliable device.

jt7747 · Sep 30, 2015

Thanks all, I appreciate your thoughtful replies.

The problem is that I'm based in the UK, so even a fairly modest 18650 costs way more than an Anker, see for example http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/li-ion/

It struck me that, by virtue of economies of scale, the Anker-type manufacturers would use top quality 18650 cells but get them very cheaply in bulk.

I really like the idea of being able to charge an 18650 in the usb container, but also have the option to use it as a power pack to charge phones etc. That is surely more flexible than taking a separate charger for the 18650s. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

more_vampires · Sep 30, 2015

Ahh. "Powerbank flashlight."

3,810,000 results from a search engine just now.

ChrisGarrett · Sep 30, 2015

jt7747 said:
Thanks all, I appreciate your thoughtful replies.

The problem is that I'm based in the UK, so even a fairly modest 18650 costs way more than an Anker, see for example http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/li-ion/

It struck me that, by virtue of economies of scale, the Anker-type manufacturers would use top quality 18650 cells but get them very cheaply in bulk.

I really like the idea of being able to charge an 18650 in the usb container, but also have the option to use it as a power pack to charge phones etc. That is surely more flexible than taking a separate charger for the 18650s. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

Are you going to have to crack the Anker PB apart?

What are you going to do when you find that the mother battery is soldered to the charging circuit?

I'm in America, so things are cheaper, but I bought a dedicated 4x18650 Ruinovo PB (HKJ reviews this) that came with 4 Sanyo 2600mAh FMs and cost me $32 shipped from FastTech. With a little effort and $40, I can swap in the latest, greatest cells and have ~14,000mAh to play with.

Right tool for the right job.

Chris

ForrestChump · Oct 7, 2015

jt7747 said:
I recently bought my girlfriend an Anker Astro Mini 'lipstick' charger for 10 bucks, eg http://amzn.com/B005X1Y7I2

It strikes me that these have 18650s in them. Furthermore, they also have usb charger circuits.

Has anyone found a good way to take these things apart so you can charge your flashlight 18650s in them. Moreover, is it actually cheaper to buy one of these units, extract the 18650 and save money compared to purchasing an 18650 on its own?

I believe the cost is heavily justified in regards to safety / quality / time. Just grab another. ANKER makes awesome stuff.

Rick NJ · Oct 12, 2015

FRITZHID said:
I've found that most of the cheap lipstick chargers don't fully charge their battery. I have 7 or 8 of them kicking around, some charge to 4.2v others never top 4v. They are not very quality controlled. I agree with Chris, just buy the proper stuff.
I guess one could gut the charger out if it's accurate and stuff it into a light if one wanted to buy I think I'd rather have a more reliable device.

Buying "quality" is not as easy as it seems. I had a $2 can opener that lasted just over a year. I decided to buy a better one so it could last longer. I spend $13 (or $17, forgot which) and it didn't last two weeks! Too bad I lost my receipt. I just got the same $2 one. I'll see if this one last two weeks or I was just lucky last time around.

flashlight chronic · Oct 12, 2015

Sheeesh! When did lipsticks have chargers?!

KeepingItLight · Oct 12, 2015

flashlight chronic said:
Sheeesh! When did lipsticks have chargers?!

Surely you've heard of shocking pink?!!

more_vampires · Oct 12, 2015

flashlight chronic said:
Sheeesh! When did lipsticks have chargers?!

...when they started getting flashlights in them as well. Not sure I get it, but hey... more flashlights!

'Harvesting' 18650s from portable power packs

jt7747

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NoNotAgain

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Vinjints

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jt7747

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