1272 How To Reuse Old Phone Batteries

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[@michailnicki2224]

Got my hands on a bunch of laptop batteries. Right now i made a few 12V battery packs and i run my nightstand lamp / phone charging and random projets. Most of the packs i made are just around 4-6Ah each but i can hotswap them and im charging them with a solar panel taped to my window. Never ran out of charge and im running them for over a year now. Planning to make a supercapacitor stabilised high punch current batterypack as an offgrid energy storage. Upcycling is great!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nice mate and yes it is lol

[@magnuswootton6181]

i finally got a super cap to work on my desk, took me long enough... so now im getting industrious feeling myself and i want to make a big thick block of it and try to get to 10,000 farads or something similar.

[@Alex-tj1zo]

WOW ! I've had this idea for such a long time about reusing somehow different old lithium batteries and your video comes right on that path. 😃👍 Now you've got me hooked for what's next 😄 Thank you so much Rob !

[@toml.8210]

The Chinese battery manufacturers want you to have "maximum performance" from your electronic devices, so you'll just have to buy more batteries!

[@ecospider5]

I charge my recycled batteries up to 4.2v. Then let them sit for 2-4 weeks. If the voltage stayed above 4v I write that voltage on the pack. Then when soldering them into parallel packs I use matching voltages. I do this because if you have a cell that will discharge to 4.05v and you put that in parallel with a bunch of cells that stayed at 4.18v the whole pack will get drained down to 4.05v from self discharge.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@marktunney5000]

Ha ha. That lad who brought them just dropped his coffee. Three thousand !!!!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@ecospider5]

When I reuse old batteries I always put the final pack in a fire resistant bag or metal case. That way if they burst into flames you only have smoke damage to the area it is in. Without that it can easily start a fire.

[@Laser2120]

I use an ex army surplus ammo box for storage. Ive seen a setup where they put a bag of sand on the lid if there's a fire it will burn the bag and drop the sand on hopefully stopping any other batteries catching on fire

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@sevenowls7776]

Brilliant! Took me back to my time in a camera store in the 1980s: I used to keep used SX70 Polaroid instant film packs, as the batteries in them were still good and physically flat (and squidgy) and could be used to power all sorts of little projects. They weren't rechargeable of course. Cheers!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nice one mate cheers

[@matthewellisor5835]

Wow! Those are good friends indeed. 10+ kWh, that's what I'm planning for my first bank. I just ordered some PV panels and trying to scrounge some storage. (Thought about Bromine but I'd rather not have that much in the house.) The protection circuits that I find on phone cells typically use a DW01. I wouldn't bin all those, they'll be useful for many projects. Big Clive has a video titled: "Simplest solar light possible, using old phone battery." or something very close to that. It's a good example of how to make use of those protection circuits.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@zylascope]

I think you said between 3 and 3.7v is a cell that's in excellent condition. I didn't know that. I didn't know that the ones at 2.5v could be recovered. That's amazing. Great video. Great neighbours, you have there, Rob.

[@Teknopottu]

Remember, people, when you store your lithium ion batteries/devices using them, it is best if the battery is nor empty or full. Both is harmful because of the chemistry. About 50% of charge in your phone/tablet/gadget or 3,7ish volts is best for storage. Battery may show 4,2V after two years of storage but the total capacity has lowered. Not sure about how much it was but anyways, when with couple or many cells, better to keep them working better.

[@bens4446]

Awesome. I just pulled one of these out of the battery bin at work the other day, not really sure how I'd check it. Followed your instructions and sure enough it's a good one--3.7V.

[@petergambier]

Thanks for posting this interesting film about the humble phone battery Robert, isn't it amazing what people throw away?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it certainly is mate

[@ChannonWW2214]

Awesome awesome gift, a gift to knowledge also because it's science..👍🇺🇲🤔

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

Hey Robert, I agree with you about the batteries below 2.5 volts will probably be dead as a doornail! However, I have learned from some of Big Clive videos. Some of his electronic devices he purchases from poundland come with a dead 18650 battery in them. 0 volts. He applies a trickle charge while keeping an eye on the battery temperature. If the battery still has life in it, once it reaches 3 volts, he will disconnect the charger and watch the voltage to see if it plummets. If it does, you have a bad battery. If it doesn't, the battery will probably recover to be a good battery again.👍

[@lowrads3653]

The voltage may recover, but the watt storage of the battery is considerably compromised as well as the charge/discharge rate tolerance as they all depend on the surface area for the chemical reaction. In an array, the poorest performing cell may end up damaging all the rest of the cells, or just limiting their performance.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@X02switchblades]

In my mind a pouch battery has a better shape than a cylindrical one It feels tidier and has better use of space Thank you for this!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yeah I think like that too lol

[@iHaveWilliWillDo]

Thank you!

[@mikebond6328]

I’ve been waiting patiently albeit anxiously for this series.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate

[@alanblurr1265]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Sorry meant to say that you can do this safely, but others may not & short out? Could also do video on what could go wrong? IF someone miss manage this process!

[@JediBuddhist]

Thanks!

[@alastairwhite8683]

Hi Rob, how about making a power wall with your phone batteries, it sounds like you should have enough power storage to power your workshop for a good few days!! 🤣 👍

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate

[@overbuiltautomotive1299]

LGGear video Robert on my lipo rc battery 2s 5200 3.73 ish is the storage voltage per cell so it says ..going from memory .thats cool you scored battery's

[@stevetobias4890]

I love these batteries,they stack so much better than 18650's. Just need to put a piece of protection paper between each cell and use a good BMS between each stack of cells put in series.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nice - cheers mate

[@JohnBoen]

Nice score! I do a lot of small electronics projects, and use these quite often. AT&T knows me when I walk in - but man, never had more than 5 :) For smaller form factor: My favorite small project battery is from discarded e-cigarette... these contain a 5x1x.5 cm 3.7v. 280 ma battery that normally heats a wire. Good amperage...

[@mikebond6328]

Yes indeed. As the companies that make them look for ways to compete they have started making them in various sizes. I got a 1000mah battery from a disposable ecig that is not designed to be rechargeable. What a waste, use it for one charge and toss it.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I like that tip mate cheers

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I never even thought of that!! - awesome tip mate

[@takyrdai2432]

HAHAHA the cake analogy got me good... Sounds like a lot of people in this throw away/buy new mindset.

[@wraser]

1:50 🤣🤣

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - I hate the throw away mindset I really do

[@RSmerlinRS]

those look like they will power many future projects :) cant wait

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate

[@rlegato364]

You've reminded me of a parallel charger I used for car batteries about 30 years ago.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate

[@queenstreetsystems]

excellent video thank you! please could you explain why lithium "wears out" ?

[@JohnAlexanderICT]

Couldn't you check the voltage using the tabs before you went to the trouble of desoldering? I'm thinking that would reduce the time wasted on unrecoverable packs....

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

there is actually a circuit between the battery and the phone connection tabs - so you are not really checking the battery if you just connect to the tabs you are checking the battery and circuit - so if you get a 'good battery' well - all is well - but if you get a 'bad battery' you actually don't know why it was bad - maybe it was the battery, maybe it was the circuit - it may not matter much when you have a few hundred - but it might if you have one or two - also with one or two - it's a few seconds difference - so why not do it anyway

[@DonovanSexton]

This is exactly something I've been playing with currently. I just replaced my 16 year old prius batteries which I plan to repurpose and I have some handtool batteries that I'm looking to also renew. My question specifically relates to the charge/discharge parameters. I'm wondering if you might be able to simply explain how you came to your parameters where they can be applied to any size/capacity battery. My guess is this would be different based on different battery types. I plan to look at other resources to understand it better myself, but would make for a good addition to your upcoming charging setup video or even a separate video. This could really help as I see this as an even larger problem as governments move to more solar and wind (no judgement only an observation). PS... for those who might get upset/troll the above I do have the parameters and safety information needed for my prius battery by looking at what others have done, but being able to reuse some of these type of cells for other things would be great. Small additional information might get many more people to reuse batteries vs toss them.

[@ecospider5]

I like to do the first charge for good batteries with an amperage that will charge it in 2-4 hours. Any battery that is questionable I like to charge with a current that will charge it at 10-12 hours. If any battery gets a lot hotter than the rest I toss because that signals their resistance has gone to high.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

a lot of the time these batteries come with the data sheets and an outline of the chemistry - different battery types have different parameters - I just look them up

[@lisakingscott7729]

I generally change my phone when the battery dies, because I've never had much success with aftermarket replacements. My current phone is near replacement. The battery appears to charge etc. but dies at between 50 and 70% indicated capacity. It hasn't inflated like they sometimes do, but waste of time reusing. Good luck with reusing old Lithum cells...!!!

[@angelusmendez5084]

Great info Rob! Thanks again 👏

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@styofwye]

Rob. I do wish you would say "like n subscribe" just a few seconds earlier. I generally watch on my TV and have to replay the vid because I can't do it quick enough. I get engrossed with the content and forget! 😊

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - I will try mate

[@craignehring]

Power tool battery packs are a good source for the old 18650's just don't go thinking any pack is lithium however. Many of these new tablets and laptops have flat cells too. Yes the self discharge is very slow, just be sure to store in a safe place so if one did short out it wouldn't start your home on fire!!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate

[@JakobBoyerDrby]

U keep surprising, with new interesting subjects TY Robert

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - cheers mate

[@magnuswootton6181]

They must be setting up an army of battery powered barbie dolls to take over the world.

[@phillipsmiley5930]

18650 laptop cells work great in T6 LED 18650 torches

[@kafkaian]

What does TnT stand for? What's changed?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

we started a twitch stream - TnT - is thinking and tinkering to tie in with that

[@NEVUoficial]

it will be cool if you could do a power bank from these

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

I have been trying to think of a way to replace my e bikes battery system with lithium. This might be a good fit for these batteries. You can't make a home storage from them due to fire risk but an ebike might just work.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I must do a video on this

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

@@ThinkingandTinkering I should have waited for the 2nd video. One of those portions of an EV battery would be even better.

[@chefboyrdee1]

so cool !

[@keithking1985]

its about time someone pointed out this about cell phone batteries. and look at all the projects you could use them in, like E-BIKE PSU's & many, MANY MOORE THINGS.. LEARN ABOUT BMS(battery management system) LIKE BALANCING AND TURN ON/OFF, & ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOUR "BMS" WILL TAKE CARE OF. THROWING THESE AWAY IS A "CRIME TO ELECTRONIC'S"

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

agreed mate

[@MrAnderson4509]

goodnes Rob, you lucky Dog!!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@SimonPlatten]

Have you considering making a video on building a battery to get off grid for home storage from Solar Panels or Wind Turbines?

[@tituscassiusseverus6303]

Ha just watched a video about ebay batterys being relabled and the chips being reflashed and sold as brand new high capacity. This certainly beats that kind of use!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

amazing what folks will get up to!

[@urbanimage]

Very interesting stuff.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@dremaboy777]

Good informational vid.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@theimpatientbrewer]

You can charge them from your wind turbine and connect them to an inverter.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yep

[@hanslepoeter5167]

Funny. I just restored one discharged to 2V and working again. Upper limit is 4.2V I think. When you set the psu to that there's no problem. 4.4V is probably to much. It might be illegal to have so many lithium batteries in one place. The company I work for has many but also the special fire extinguishing equipment to deal with it when it catches fire.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

4.4V is what is printed on the battery as the charge voltage

[@hanslepoeter5167]

@@ThinkingandTinkering ok. I think max voltages vary somewhat. 4.2 is common. I have seen 4.1 but not 4.4 so far. But youre right. If you set a psu on correct current and voltage limits it makes a good charger for lithium. Voltage need to be set accurate though. 0.2 V to much and you might run into trouble.

[@mamupelu565]

Is it the same thing as a flat laptop battery? Looks like its a bunch of those side by side.

[@infinitelyuniversal2390]

If you want any recommendations, ive found techniques to bring back Li-ion cells even if there at 0 volts

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate - if you want to post a few it would be welcomed as others can read and share those ideas too - thanks again mate

[@infinitelyuniversal2390]

@@ThinkingandTinkering If battery is at 0v Step 1 - put battery in sealed air tight bag and put in freezer for over night Step 2 - remove battery from freezer defrost till at room temperature again (Expansion and contraction can break apart any dentrites that may of formed and cause internal short circuit) Step 3 is take another half charged Li-ion cell and jump charge 0v cell for about 5 to 10 secounds ( this will burn out / short circuit any possible dendrite formation in the cell) Step 4 apply 2-3v power supply to battery or use a nearly depleted li-ion cell about 25% state of charge and boost charge dead cell till voltage reaches 2.2v or more Step 5 quickly put refurbish cell on smart charger that detects battery health, voltage, capacity and internal resistance (Note: if step 4 does not work and you cant bring voltage back up you can repeat steps 1-4 a couple more times if you do not achieve positive results then cell is %100 dead dead.

[@lightseraphim6816]

But I want the protection circuit because I want to hook them up to solar panels to charge up and connect them to my outdoor decorations. I find a lot of these batteries and lone high power solar panels at bargain places.

[@TrollingAround]

Couldn't suppress the image of those batteries causing a fire, burning the place down, and the little stirling engine happily chugging away.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol

[@burnroe6611]

Are you going to do a video on the lithium phosphate sugar batteries ?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

probably not mate

[@jasonhaymanonthedrawingboard]

Oxford bell battery is still the worlds most undisputed longest running battery.I wonder if you could make the same here with the phone batteries.

[@tomass9235]

@6:55 I believe you meant 4.2v. Or better yet stay at 4.1v for safety and extended lifespan.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nominal voltage is 3.85 recommended charge voltage is 4.4V only say this as that is what is printed on the battery

[@tomass9235]

@@ThinkingandTinkering thanks. Looks max voltage dependant on battery itself. my galaxy s7 battery is 3.85 (4.4v) too, while older batteries from other phones says 3.8 (4.35) and 3.7v. Googled and it looks that this is due to improved chemistry to get more energy density over 'usual cell'. I have killed few 18650 by accidently overcharhing them, thankfully there was no fire.

[@prototype9000]

my.job sent me to a high school once to do an audit and i saw some teens chewing on batteries because they thought it was getting them high how there head didnt catch on fire or explode is a mystery

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - the stuff folks do!

[@mamupelu565]

lithium is a strong remedy for mental health

[@Laser2120]

It will be rude not to build a DIY power bank now. I do believe there's some pretty good open source software for monitoring each battery level in the bank plus all the other stats, that will take you down a rabbit hole alone haha

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

indeed it would

[@AlaskanInsights]

I repair a lot of old nintendos... if the batter is too dead the charge circuit will not charge them.. so i look up the charge profile for the chem of the battery and do it manually.. 99% of the time.. they come out fine. another thing.. if you put them on a flat surface and spin them... if they spin they are dead , they usually look a little bloated if real bad. danger at that point. a good battery is totally flat and wont spin

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate - but if it is a bloated battery it takes on a barrel shape so spins and is guaranteed to be bad if it is fast it won't spin - so it might be good - but you still need to do the other checks as it isn't guaranteed to be good

[@WalterBurton]

👍👍👍

[@ljp7447]

Nice video, but you did not mention anything about swollen batteries - cause, effect and what to do about them.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you are right I didn't - I should have

[@BasementBen]

BMS boards and monolithic solutions for Battery management is an Immense headache ive seen, $2 china BMS can easily kill many years off the cells, its sad to not see many options for Longevity :(

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

tell. me about it mate

[@lightcapmath2777]

Dr. Murry-Smith, have a question: once a battery has goes below 2V can the material ( Li ) be chemically extracted and purified? or is it similar to a match being lit ( exothermic reaction ) and the process to go back Impossible (high cost)?? do be careful with the batteries please.. DVD:)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you can reclaim the chemistry and materials mate - it is a little involved - but you can do it

[@lightcapmath2777]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Thank you for reply. :)

[@barbufodor1186]

I am green of envy ..... 3000 £ ... just joking I know you'll put them in good use.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I know ate - it is wild!

[@shortbuslife3440]

How are you getting on with producing your paper batteries, I really want to get some from you as soon as they're ready.

[@alanblurr1265]

Hey I think it is good that you are showing how to reuse batteries, But Would say is a safety concern about showing how to fix? Not saying that you can do this safely, but if batteries are shorted they can explode & having 100+ batteries next to you while working on one, is not good working practice!

[@bens4446]

Why are people throwing these away? Just found about 40 in the bin at work with a full charge. If the battery bins at other comparable workplaces are roughly the same, then that adds up to quite a lot of kWh being thrown away. Policy makers should do such calculations before declaring an energy crisis.

[@realfamilyman]

Rob, what exactly do you mean by charge at "open voltage"?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

open circuit voltage mate - a voltage reading without a load

[@realfamilyman]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Thanks. That did cross my mind, but then I thought, you're charging batteries using a variable power supply... so do you set the voltage to whatever each battery pack is supposed to output?

[@jakefromstatefarm4771]

Have you ever heard of Emperor Palpatine? 😊

[@willrobbinson1]

technically they r a cell single not multiple (battery)

[@malakilab]

Better be careful on local environmental laws. For us, those batteries can't be deposited in a "used battery" box. Need to bring them back to the eco-center, and they charge you money to dispose of them. If you trash or dispose them in an "appropriate" way, you get a big fine.

[@niceboy761]

Could you make a slimline ebike battery out of them

[@ecospider5]

These are low current batteries so no because you should only pull 1C from these batteries. That is the amount of current that will discharge the pack in exactly 1h. If you ever put a higher current load than that the might overheat and burst into flames. So the ebike battery has to be really big. Which means it’s not slim line. :). But you will have plenty of range.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I plan on doing exactly that mate

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I am sorry mate but what you are saying here doesn't sound right to me - mechanically and chemically they are exactly the same as what you are thinking of as high current Lithium batteries - physically they are different in being flat as opposed to cylindrical so the battery pack has no inherent air passages when made up to allow cooling - that might have to be taken care of in a built up pack - but the idea that they are different in characteristics from every other lithium of this type because they are flat rather than circular isn't right to my mind - so - what makes you think they are different?

[@ecospider5]

I was half joking because of the slim statement. The pack is going to have to be fairly large to make up for the fact phone batteries are high capacity but low power output. I bet these are safe at a 1 amp draw. Which is 3.7 watt output. So to run a 1000w motor you will need 270 cells. Will that be considered slim. :). You will definitely have plenty of range at that point though.

[@buccleuch7621]

Twizzy to ride again?

[@bretthorwood9396]

Why don't you get a 6v Dolphin Led torch and see if you can put these batterys into it.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure cheers

[@mikebond6328]

Mmm..chocolate bar.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - I think it says a lot about me !!

[@TechKnowCSS]

4.4 VOLTS IS TO HIGH ! ! ! ONLY GO TO 4.2 VOLTS.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

MATE - the charge voltage is printed on the front of the battery! I have no idea why folks don't read - the best advice is just to read the information supplied with the battery - or LOOK IT UP - don't go by random guesses and stuff you think you know - check it first before you do anything

[@TechKnowCSS]

@@ThinkingandTinkering AGREED, HOWEVER I HAVE EXPERIENCED 18650'S EXPLODING AND CATCHING ON FIRE CLOSE UP IN MY EYES AND TRUST ME IT IS NOT FUN AT ALL, JUST TO BE SAFE NEVER CHARGE ANY LI-ION OR LI-PO BATTERIES OVER 4.2V ... PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND WATCHFUL ON THEIR TEMPERATURE WHEN CHARGING BECAUSE IF THEY ARE BAD THEY WILL NOT GO MUCH HIGHER THAN 3.8 TO 4.0 WHEN BAD AND JUST GET HOT AND EXPLODE. PLEASE BE SAFE.