Inside a recalled Amazon Basics power bank.

This power bank was sent to me by Peter when it was recalled and he was asked to dispose of it.
I thought it would be a good idea to explore it and try to work out why it had been recalled.
The machinist channels I referenced were:-
Abom79 / abom79
Steve Summers / @stevesummers
This Old Tony / featony
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of KZbin's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

[@Ariccio123]

This is an interesting way to learn my power bank is recalled 🤷‍♂️

[@absalomdraconis]

Could have been worse... he could have mentioned it in a video about one you sent because you wanted to know why it exploded.

[@ObliteAbyss]

You should have had an email from amazon at the time basically asking if you still have it, then they gave a refund if you did.. Though it wasn't directly from amazon iirc so might have looked fishy

[@Ariccio123]

@@ObliteAbyss yeah, but I get so many emails from Amazon that I prolly just missed it

[@hondadna93]

Ha! I thought the same thing lol. I have 2 of the big 16,100mah ones. I love them, but now I'm concerned of the 1 day charge time as I normally keep it plugged in next to my bed 😳

[@tomthumb8192]

Bruv that's my power pack not yours !!!

[@hikerbro3870]

3/9/21 I found out about the recall through this video. Went to Amazon, hit them up on chat, and had the refund available to get a new power bank in about 15 minutes. I was expecting them to say "no" since it has been over 2 years, but they got me sorted with no trouble at all. Thanks Big Guy!

[@makatron]

In my experience, Amazon has never denied a refund in 2 decades of buying stuff there. Good for you.

[@twizz420]

I used to buy computer parts off a guy who would buy computer parts on Amazon and either take the new stuff out and put old, useless parts back in and return it, like taking an X570 motherboard out of the box and replacing it with a M5A97 motherboard and sending it back, or he would just claim they got stolen off his porch. He had been doing it for like 3 years when I last spoke with him back in 2020, he did it multiple times every week, would often do it with $1000-2000 pieces of hardware, and they never denied his refunds or banned his account at all. He's probably still doing it now if I had to guess. It's how he made a living. Amazon really doesn't bother policing their refunds or returns.

[@flowerpt]

If only Amazon knew who had purchased these units from Amazon!

[@tjmarx]

@@twizz420 If you knew that was his scam, why would you buy parts from him knowing you could do it yourself?

[@tjmarx]

@@makatron I've had 3 legitimate refunds denied by Amazon. I guess Amazon Australia does things differently

[@demef758]

My guess for the recall is that as you noticed, the battery was tightly packed inside the plastic case. Li-Ion batteries will expand in their pouches over time. When constrained by the case, as they are here, perhaps over time, the pouches slowly inflated and pushed the case open. Any good design for Li-Ion batteries must allow for a nominal amount of pouch expansion.

[@BillAnt]

I would guess that the plastic housing of the battery bank should allow enough flexibility to expand slightly, or even crack open in the event of a full "puff-up". Pretty much all battery banks have some inherent danger due to the lithium-ion battery pack, so user beware. ;) Since I run a mobile phone repair shop, once I had the unfortunate luck where a phone's internal battery has "exploded" on my work desk (well, caught fire) while trying to remove it. Didn't puncture it as I was peeling out of the housing, apparently it may have had some internal fault (thus the reason for the need of a replacement). From then on I always wear safety glasses when removing glued-in internal batteries. lol

[@themightyhungarian6191]

So, my friend had a power bank, what we took apart, and the LiPo battery was so puffed up, that it was around 2 times the size, and the housing expanded with it, even though it was rigid plastic. Nothing is stronger than a LiPo battery puffing up, but a nail.

[@lambdaman3228]

> My guess for the recall is that as you noticed, the battery was tightly packed inside the plastic case. If that's true, every Li-Ion battery phone in current production should be recalled, as they're all tightly packed into the phone's case.

[@shadowanonymous3941]

You know, I had a problem with the screen bulging on the IPhone SE (I wanna say it was the second gen? It was the one prior to the new OLED screen phone) I’d be curious to see if that was a problem with them, I still have it so I’ll have to take it apart

[@volvo09]

@@shadowanonymous3941 guarantee that was the problem. Super common on those iPhones for the battery to puff and force the screen out.

[@JerryDodge]

When big Clive says "It's probably not a good idear", that's when I go to full screen.

[@mattbowd]

I live for the day that I see the USB load device cooling fan start up :)

[@ShinyMajor]

It'll start eventually, but it takes a while to get up to temperature. Clive just winds it up until she pops and then stops instead of doing a sustained load test

[@wisico640]

Mine kicks in after 15 seconds above 1 amp

[@NitroGuyJH]

Mine comes on in a very low rpm till the temperature increases

[@TheRetroEngine]

mine started up and flew out the window a few years ago.

[@brandonakey6616]

Cant express how much I love your channel lol. Totally unscripted. No Clickbait. Just you being you. I don't understand half of what you are talking about but I feel I am learning a lot. Never change! Cheers from Canada!

[@ianbutler1983]

I love all the commenters who write that this does not seem safe. They must be new here.

[@subject204ghost3]

If they think he's unsafe then theyd have a heart attack watching elctroboom.

[@paulvale2985]

Or Colin Furze!!!

[@TylertheSharkey]

Has he blown anything up yet?

[@bostedtap8399]

Yes, all Isle of Man cats have their tails docked for safety.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@subject204ghost3 Or fanny flambeaux

[@Yossus]

Few things make for a more compelling video than a calm Scottish voice continually asserting that what's about to be done is really not a good idea.

[@CraftQueenJr]

And then doing it.

[@genli5603]

@@CraftQueenJr Big Clive is intensely Scottish....

[@wingerrrrrrrrr]

I keep picturing Stewie of Family Guy.

[@alzdeane]

@@wingerrrrrrrrr Go view the 'bigclivelive' streams - most entertaining :)

[@MegaScott]

Darn it, I was looking forward to actually needing the "Explosion Containment Pie-Dish"

[@spamcan9208]

I've learned a lot more in a few hours on this channel than if I spent a few hours in a book. It really helps me when I see components being used in applications. It makes much more sense to me than just giving me a definition of what a component does.

[@skyediann3399]

*Clive:* Let's test the power bank! *Clive 2 seconds later:* Let me show you my aluminium.

[@Kineth1]

Such an interesting setup for a failure mode: Battery integrity compromised due to penetration by protection circuitry.

[@peksn]

Ironic lol

[@wzr3293]

The Protection Circuitry is absolutely shit.

[@djvanzz]

my favorite way to unstick lipo batteries that have that sticky tape, is to thread a nylon string between the battery and plastic, and pull it back and forth like a saw. It chews up and goes through the sticky and helps to release it

[@cmcrisp42]

Love that he doesn't bring up AvE when talking about caring about holes being out of place. Even BigClive knows AvE doesn't care if the hole is off as long as it's a useful hole

[@boots8645]

Love it. From A Master Machinist to a Master Electrician, you machine as well as I electric. If a screw can go through the hole it's a success. Keep up the Great Vids! And fingers crossed for a Big Clive christmas things from Poundland video.

[@EustaceDeCroix]

Fellow machinist here, glad to see I'm not the last of us around.

[@whatelseison8970]

You can separate pouch cells from enclosures or each other by dipping a thin but stiff piece of plastic (I use a small RC plane propeller) in lighter fluid and then repeatedly sliding it between the cell and surface. It works perfectly. Those look like nice cells too. I'd definitely want to save them.

[@whitehoose]

Dangers to the case: - how about a 6'5" Scot wielding a 10" screwdriver and spudger for a start?

[@patricks.7420]

Pretty sure he's a Manx.

[@whitehoose]

@@patricks.7420 He is indeed .... A Scotsmanx from dear old Glasgow town. He's got a foot (or flat) in Glasgow and a house in the Isle of Man[x] - both of course have Celtic roots but different tribal branches I think. Never known how the link between Scotland and IOM came about - I think his Mum's need for care is the key, but how she ended up there in the first place ....? Maybe one of his live chats will fill in the gap.

[@ethelryan257]

@@patricks.7420 His accent is definitely not Manx, it's Scot's English. He does live on the Isle of Mann, though. Maybe they tolerate more explosions than the Scots?

[@whitehoose]

@@ethelryan257 Lol - they may tolerate more explosions - I sincerely doubt they'll cause as many as the average Glaswegian on Sauchiehall street which is famous for the tea-total "quiet men" you meet there. In reality Glassy is a brilliant cosmopolitan city almost as diverse as Edinburgh or London - but in days past it had quite some reputation - a night out there is one to remember.

[@spvillano]

@@ethelryan257 given Faslane's intolerance for explosions, yeah, Mann it is for explosions. Well, that or come across the pond to my yard. Given our proximity to Three Mile Island, we obviously tolerate explosions. ;)

[@johnmcclain3887]

I spent two decades working in aviation electronics in the US Marines, 76 to 97, and find this very interesting, technology after my own time of investigating, and quite different, substantially more modern. Such minute electronics in my day, were "classified, high end, almost exclusively military", but this is far and away beyond the technology of my time. Thanks for showing all the nitty gritty details.

[@someguy2741]

Big Clive doesnt need to put his name on any of his equipment. His is the one with the big gouges at the seams :)

[@kendalkenny1843]

Haha you know he takes all to bits....

[@bigclivedotcom]

And of course it's pink, which means it's less likely to be stolen.

[@guygordon2780]

@@bigclivedotcom Oh. Is *that* what it means! :-)

[@airgunnut9489]

@@bigclivedotcom so true, if you have a box of 100 black or blue pens on a desk at work they will vanish with in 5 mins, a box of red pens will take about 2 hours to disappear, pens that have a pink casing but have black or blue ink will stay in the box on the desk for months.

[@rodneyk6913]

When buying cigarette lighters always chose pink. Not just because I'm an ex figure skater and ballroom dancer but it could be left on pub table and still be there after taking a slash.

[@JohnnyX50]

I absolutely had tears in my eyes laughing when you gingerly said to the petrol comment " I don't fhhhhukin think soo". One of my jobs as a petrol station assistant is to gently remind mobile phone users while filling up that it is illegal to use a mobile phone on a forcourt. Not because the "radio" side interferes with anything, but because the battery in a phone IS a fire risk and also using a phone is a distraction from filling up a death trap with an equally explosive liquid! Needless to say I have been called a lot of four letter words in my time to which I simply reply, "and you.."

[@dannynorman4666]

I have that battery, and I've been using it since I got it (a couple of years now), and it's probably the best power bank I've used. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find another one to order, but I guess now I know. By the way, it still works great.

[@doge-of-venice]

Hopefully it haven't caught fire since you left this comment?

[@johnjohnson4997]

I've got three and not a hint of trouble. In any case I'm careful where I keep and charge Lithium cells so there's nothing flammable aroun ...and that was before a friend had his house burnt down by a dodgy Chinese power tool.

[@ShadowDragon8685]

I was cringing the whole time you were prying to get the battery itself out. Let out an audible sigh of relief. That was terrifying. Amazing thing to watch.

[@mitch3064]

I love when I am so focused on the picture of the circuit and then Clive picks up the actual item and I suddenly remember that I was only looking at a picture.

[@c.alucard6352]

i repair electronics like this for consumers for a living. For that adhesive you warm it up a bit, and it peels right off, bout 150F. we had a special heating block with clamps for removing batteries and screens.

[@jan_vyhnak]

"Peter disposed it my way." - Thank you Peter!

[@kevinavillain4616]

I don't know if anybody's ever mentioned using dental floss to cut the pad. You can slide down behind and oscillating back and forth to cut the foam or the tape liberating the battery from the device. For those who think there is a better material than dental floss don't you dare try a thin wire. Kevlar fishing line multi strand obviously also works.

[@littlejackalo5326]

A thin wire works fine. If you are going to use it around things that can be shorted out, that means you shouldn't be inside of electronics anyways. And it won't cut into a battery any easier than dental floss, which actually cuts through plastic better than metal wire; since there's more friction. And once you break through into the battery, it doesn't matter if it's string or metal wire, it's going to runaway in both scenarios.

[@lambdaman3228]

@@littlejackalo5326 Dental floss has more friction than metal? Citation desperately needed. My dental floss is coated in a layer of PTFE, so it's literally coated in a lubricant. You are saying a lubricant material (brand name is glide) has more friction than a non lubricant material. Get your facts together.

[@sleepCircle]

@@lambdaman3228 no need to talk down to the guy so smugly just because you think you know better. a little kindness makes the world a much better place.

[@lambdaman3228]

@@sleepCircle Who said anything about needing to? I wanted to respond to misinformation. I did. It felt good. By clearing up misinformation I helped make the world a better place.

[@sleepCircle]

@@lambdaman3228 there are various ways to phrase what you said. "citation DESPERately needed" "get your *facts* together" you don't think there are perhaps higher than absolutely warranted levels of condescension in some of those remarks? if speaking objectively correct facts was all it took to win the hearts and minds of people-to get rid of disagreement-then the world's wars would've ended long ago and paranoia and partisan hostility wouldn't be escalating everywhere across the globe. kindness helps too.

[@AsymptoteInverse]

Seeing the size of those cells and how tightly they're packed, I think I'm going to start leaving my own power bank in a slightly more heatproof location...

[@tazz1669]

Needed a spudger so went with the same one as you. Works great, has the bonus feature of, if you slip with it, it's great as a makeshift scalpel lol. To be fair any spudger would have done the same I just need to be a bit more careful in future, still the screen has been replaced on the son's tablet so he's happy again.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Blade awareness (including screwdrivers being used as prise bars) comes with experience.

[@dshe8637]

@@bigclivedotcom yep, it's a skill well worth having. I half-amputated the tip of a thumb many years ago whilst trying to separate some of those lovely sesame brittle biscuits with a flimsy little craft knife. Nowadays I confidently hack tree branches into wooden spoons with razor-sharp whittling knives.

[@ucitymetalhead]

I'm glad you sold me on those ruideng meters they are very helpful for testing my various usb devices to see what they actually draw.

[@ofar4452]

Removes cell and sets to the side. Shorts on loose line of soldering next to arm. Nothing like living on the edge. :) Thank you Clive for everything you do.

[@genli5603]

You wouldn't believe he was an electrician if he cleaned up after himself.

[@etatsopa]

I was a soldering technician in a previous career, the idea of leaving flux residue on the board makes me deeply uncomfortable

[@theoldbigmoose]

Especially after you are trained to wipe your solder with an alcohol wipe and to snip off the end with nail clippers so you get virgin rosin...

[@flowerpt]

Oh, man, you should see the paste soldering they do with microscopes - it'll give you the willies.

[@etatsopa]

@@flowerpt that’s what I used to do ;)

[@conflubmw1505]

Bought one when available. Received online recall instructions, but could not properly fill in my address. Unable to re-start the process and didn’t receive return instructions. However, it has been working fine for years.😊

[@ethanpowell8163]

" Let's investigate this a bit further " * clenching engageded*

[@mickward01]

Clive I took the same pack apart and for big solder joints like those I use an old Weller 8200 N 100/150 watt trigger iron takes about 8 seconds of course your mains is 240 something volts but for big joints or things that cant be exposed to heat for long time it seems to be pretty good. Cool video and thats like five things i own that you have disassembled

[@Yrouel86]

I had some success with that kind of tape dripping isopropyl alcool and applying a costant pull force and waiting for the glue to separate. What I mean is that instead of constantly increasing the force applied to separate the tape from the other part I just pulled a bit and let the glue separate on its own accord (while keeping it wet with alcool) and then pulling some more etc.

[@amorphuc]

Cool. Thanks Big Clive. This one is before you discovered the isopropanol trick. It's fun going back through the videos. Really an impressive knowledge base. Love it.

[@thetruejay20]

I just found your KZbin channel, and can't stop watching.

[@mixpick138]

"They pinched it down so far that they caused a fire issue." Classic Big Clive understatement! lolol I love this guy! Like many other posts, if I saw a BC cert on a product --I'd buy it!!

[@mr.berlingo8211]

"Dispose of it locally" AKA keep using it"

[@ShionWinkler]

You are correct, Samsung said in a statement to the BBC on 23 January 2017 "According to the findings, the problems centered on insufficient insulation material within the batteries and a design that did not give enough room to safely accommodate the batteries' electrodes."

[@SteveSummers]

LOL, looks good to me😁👍. Thanks for the mention Clive.

[@DieyoungDiefast]

On the topic of not taking iPhones apart, I watched a video where a fella bought two new iPhone 12's, took them apart and swapped parts of one into the other. It didn't work, camera was borked, as was facial recognition and the battery indicator insisted that a fake battery had been fitted. When the original parts were refitted, all was good. Even just swapping the camera caused the phone to fail. So all the modules must be keyed to the motherboard, so that's an end to back street iPhone repairers.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's not a good direction to go.

[@JimFortune]

12:31 I am aghast that you would suspect us of wanting to see lithium batteries burst into flame. We'd much prefer they explode.

[@stinkycheese804]

Naw, explosion is just a sudden bang of annoying loud speaker blowing noise then white smoke everywhere, while fire is colorful and cheery. ;)

[@JimFortune]

@@stinkycheese804 Slow Mo of chunks flying is better than mere flames. Although flaming chunks flying, you might have something there.

[@exgenica]

@Jim Fortune And now you've got me thinking of that scene after transporting the space pig in the movie, "Galaxy Quest"

[@JimFortune]

@@exgenica I loved the movie, but I don't remember the scene. Must be time to re-watch it.

[@gregrich91]

I have that exact power bank... and honestly, i moved it from my car to my desk after hearing about the recall. I trust it 99.999% but my fire extinguisher is closer to my desk than my car.

[@khronscave]

12:08 It's fine to desolder those spot-welded tabs - i've removed (or in some cases, needed to "transplant") the little protection-boards from one cell to the other several times, and i've yet to cause any damage. Mind you, i did use quite a chunky tip on a non-chinese-made iron, so there's that too.

[@LicenseToCode]

I don't understand how something that has been "spot-welded" can be "desoldered". By definition, spot-welding actually melts the material together (hence "weld"), and doesn't use solder at all. In fact, spot-welding is the preferred method of permanently joining to the terminals of lithium cells specifically because it joins the materials with localized heating. This is in contrast to soldering, which requires that both materials be heated up in order for the solder to flow.

[@khronscave]

@@LicenseToCode Those flimsy nickel(?) strips that come straight out of the lithium cell are spot-welded to those larger tabs. *Those* , in turn, get soldered to the pads on the circuit board. The battery terminals or pads *do not* get spot-welded directly to the circuit board. My guess is, those chunkier tabs get reflowed onto the circuit board, and the nickel strips coming out of the battery subsequently get spot-welded to those pre-soldered metal tabs.

[@tgikal64]

Yeah, his tip was just too small to heat that size joint quickly, typically if you're not melting the solder after 3 seconds, your tip is too small or your heat is too low.

[@exgenica]

You might try slowly and SLIGHTLY warming the adhesive/plastic case before pulling on the cells/tape/case. I've used a hair dryer set on "warm" and kept far away enough to keep from heating the cells by any appreciable degree. Depending on the adhesive it sometimes can make a major difference in how easy it is to pull off the tape. You also have to make sure the warmth is distributed throughout the item to keep the adhesive from cooling too quickly.

[@robbieedmonds1195]

These units were recalled because they were just too darned difficult to crack open with a spudger...

[@ladeedaa]

The way I break the adhesive loose is rubbing alcohol in a syringe, it takes very little and it drys quickly.

[@ElementalMaker]

That's gotta be the most accurate hole I've ever seen a electrician pull off! lol JK. Great video as always

[@lostjohnny9000]

Hey it's AvE's insurance policy escaped from the cloning center! (joke) great channel!

[@tactileslut]

"This is probably not a good ideer." Aww, we love ya, Clive.

[@snowdaysrule]

ElementalMaker I love the mini tesla coil I bought per your suggestion! I’ve since bought a few more diy high voltage kits to play with and building them’s been a lot of fun :)

[@RenegadeFury]

electrical engineer*

[@PapaWheelie1]

Barack Lasagna - *Sparkies

[@Vanilla0729]

I have one of those batteries, only mine is marked 16,180 mAh. I love it. I use it almost daily and have no idea why they were recalled and discontinued. I really wish I could have bought a second before they pulled them off the market.

[@davidjack9217]

You mentioned ABOM79 - love that guy - great machinist !

[@MAGGOT_VOMIT]

_Clive, I have the Orange handle snips with the broader head. 10yrs ago It was a bugger to get them to send me less than 100 pair. They agreed if I bought 8 pair, so I did @ $8.00 each. They make great Toe-Nail clippers. Made for Copper/Aluminum/Toenails. My wife destroyed 2 pair cutting Box-Staples._

[@johnphillips4783]

6:40 "that's going into full on Samsung territory there" haha, lol

[@bobgarske9579]

Hey Clive! For separating things attached with soft adhesives like double-sided tapes and removing labels I've discovered that a modest temp heat source works nearly every time. Then there are always solvents in heat- sensitive situations . I've used laquor thinner with great success, and ethanol although less effective, rarely affects plastic surfaces.

[@neodonkey]

HG do a product called "sticker remover" that smells properly of turps, not that substitute but actual turpentine. Whatever it is its very good at removing sticky stuff.

[@elDoober]

Oh my god, I just realized you remind me of Scott Manley!

[@toogee1850]

I'm not even a tinkering kinda guy nor am I into electronics that much but I could watch this guy tinker and talk for hours if I had to lol the "explosion containment pie dish" hahaha

[@maulerrw]

Try isopropyl alcohol to separate the glue next time. It's what I usually use when removing batteries that are glued in like that, along with your flat case separator. Much safer than prying the plastic. The cells themselves are pretty safe from experience so long as you don't puncture. Even smooshing them hasn't cause me issues so far. Iphones are thankfully still repairable. We can still replace most things in them, though apple does try to make it difficult

[@michaelaho1526]

You can use fishing line to cut the adhesive. Loop it around the cell and pull both ends. The fishing line is thin enough to cut the foam center of the double-sided tape

[@THYCR3AT0R]

7:13 Lucky he didn't stab himself there, that woulda hurted

[@Raptorman0909]

"Not bad for an electrician!" OK, that made me chuckle! If you're going to open destructively you might as well used a fiber wheel on a Dremel or similar -- perhaps doing inside your pie dish!

[@fuzzybobbles]

Thumbs up when we need a Big Clive christmas things from Poundland video. It's not a real Christmas without one. :-)

[@peterg.8245]

Fuzzy Electronics yeah put those bandaged thumbs in the air!!!

[@studioprairie]

I love that your videos are basically extreme unboxing or hazardous goods :D Thanks for doing these things I don’t dare do myself ! I would love a video on lithium battery safety and failure modes :)

[@jaynygre]

Mine stopped working before the recall. When I opened it, it looked like the resistor R19A (at left MOSFET) had burned out. The recall came just handy as by opening I also had broken the case.

[@rayoflight62]

I believe, the reason for the recall is the battery. Last two years the market has been flooded with Li-Po batteries that, after few months of use, expands without a cause. Very likely this power bank has such a battery inside... Thanks X the video...

[@bobkaster1]

So a tip for getting through those double-sided foam tape pads is to use dental floss like a cable saw. Easy to thread into tight spaces, and it provides just enough cutting power to get through the adhesive without damaging anything else.

[@trinidad2099]

A light wound g-string for a guitar works pretty good as well.

[@vevenaneathna]

3 year old comment but ill say otherthan isopropal or napthaline, i use a brand name arimid fiber string. for some reason when i say the well known dupont brand name of the polymer it gets hidden on here. really strong fiber, super thin, ultra high abrasion resistance, can cut a limb off a tree with it, 3$ for a roll the size of my head from china lol

[@McNair1952]

I used to work with apprentices in a factory in Aberdeen, Scotland. One day all the apprentices, maintenance and turners, were in the class room doing some basic arithmetic. An electrician apprentice complained that while the turners might be required to work to plus or minus .0015 inches, he only had to work to plus or minus one inch. Big Clive has proven that he can work to much tighter tolerances than that. It was oil field equipment, so all the manufacturing work was done in inches.

[@gantmj]

No ad on this one. Thou shalt not speaketh ill of thyne overload, Amazon.

[@thomasjames6088]

best part of the vid is how he's so calm and collected and then at 14:05 we get " I don't fucking think soo" this guy made my day yo

[@scottg44]

“That’s an Electricians grade screwdriver” -Pulls out a completely non-insulated screwdriver!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@andrewwhite1793]

The Isle of Man does not really do health and safety..

[@phonotical]

It isn't proper if he hasn't sharpened the tip

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

Its a Poundland special whats your problem?

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

Human skin is dielectric to a degree.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Ah, you must be talking about the extra safe ones for Part-P labourers.

[@chinnyvision]

Dropped mine off a table. Not very far. Seemed fine but a couple of days later it had swelled up. I think your suggestion of a lack of protection/buffer is correct and they were failing due to minor knocks.

[@LastNickLeft]

KZbin at 4AM - Inside a recalled Amazon Basics power bank. Me: Hmm, what's inside a recalled Amazon Basics power bank.

[@exgenica]

I have a "16,100mAh" 59.6Wh Amazon Basics pack that was also recalled. I was able to get mine finally cleanly apart...but it took a verrrry long time and using temporary held-in-place spacers (guitar picks). I haven't "clicked" it back together so don't know if it will do that and still be secure from popping apart at some random time. Separating the 16,100mAh unit was also made difficult because there is virtually zero space between the case sides and the 3x Li-Ion cells so one must be extraordinarily careful. However, Apple didn't use double-sided tape in my pack...it was a surprisingly thin (about 1/2 the thickness of a dental braces rubber band) rectangular rubber pad with adhesive only on the battery side, affixed lengthwise in the geometric center of the cell. Plus, it seems about 1/2 the width and 1/2 the length of the tape shown in your vid. That undoubtedly placed less torque on the locking "tabs" (aka niblets? (cause they're *so* tiny)) and made it easier for me to open the case. The "tape" is so think it is very fragile and trying to remove it easily tears it...almost like paper. Another *major difference* is the tabs on the cells in my pack are connected to the converter PCB via 2 relatively thick soldered ~18ga braided wires, standard Red(+) and Black(-). Except for the PCB connection points, the tabs and wires are insulated from the circuit board by both transparent orange plastic film along the entire ends of all three of the packs, and a separate rubber pad about each connection. The only way to examine the tabs themselves was to cut away the plastic and rubber insulation. BATTERY INFORMATION The Li-Ion (surprised me, I assumed they'd use LiPo cells) battery pack is labeled: *AEC Li-Ion battery* *4972115-1S3P......4.2V* *59.6Wh/3P...........5392* I also measured the "practical" ampacity of the unit when new. Note that I did *NOT* test until the unit turned itself off. I ran it under the load from fully charged until the moment it changed from 2-LEDs to 1-LED. ~9,800mAh (measured with 800mA USBout test load, (Start fully charged 4 LEDs, (Stop the moment display transitioned from 2-LEDs to 1-LED, (I guesstimated 800mA on USB port, with losses might be ~1,000mA on the actual cell terminals. After about a month of "seasoning" usage it measured effectively the same. Note: I plan to test the cells directly very soon and will edit this comment when that is completed. Although it is now a couple years older than new (recall was in 2018). I will test with a direct cell load of 500mA to Vt=3.0V across the cell terminals, and try to test again to BOTH the 2LED to 1LED transition point using the same 800mA load on the USBout port, and to when the unit turns itself off. So a bit more data will be available. Note that this will also show whether or not the cells are actually charged to near 4.2V capacity when max charged (I don't expect them to be at 4.2V at the instant that LEDs go from 4-LED=blinking to 4-LED=solid but maybe?). (bigclive...My ~20 yr old sidecutters are Xcelite 175M (founded 1921) vs. your Xuron (founded 1971). Still in great shape today.)

[@exgenica]

POWER CAPACITY/AMPACITY TESTS AMAZON Basics Powerbank, Model PB16 Claimed capacity: 16,100mAh, max 59.5Wh (I assume this is the claimed energy DELIVERABLE to the user's phone, etc) NEW TEST 20201125.0735UCT: Report Time Duration: 20201124.0230 - 20201125.0030 (22.0 hours)(note: 22hrs x 800mA = 17,600mAh = VERIFIES) Charging and Discharging performed directly on 3P1S Li-Ion Cell battery pack leads, NOT via the input/output ports of powerbank. Id = 800mA Vt = 3.10V (I set this to 3.10V for several reasons: 1) this Vt does not overly stress modern Li-Ion cells. Note that many modern Li-Ion cells can go well below this value (example, Samsung Model: INR21700-50E, which has a cutoff imit of Vmin=2.50V) 2) there isn't usually a MEANINGFUL amount of additional Wh to be gained in a real-world environment between using a cutoff voltage of Vt=3.1 to Vt=2.5V 3) it makes it easier to compare apples to apples when testing other Li-Ion cells with higher Vt specs) ============================================== TEST RESULTS: Ah CAPACITY-AMAZON Basics 16,100mAh Powerbank I have now tested the Li-Ion cell capacity in the Amazon 16,100mAh Powerbank. I decided to forego testing LED transition parameter testing, and I modified the planned parameters from those contemplated in my earlier comment. I decided it was more valuable to test that cells themselves, separate from the conversion board. The 3x Li-Ion cells in the PB16 powerbank were charged in their existing parallel (3P1S) configuration to an initial charged state of Vc=4.23V using an Imax B6ACv2 Balancer/Charger at Ic=1.50Amps. The powerbank was then disconnected and allowed to normalize for an hour before testing. Subsequent capacity/ampacity testing was performed using both the Imax unit and a ZB2L3 Battery Capacity Tester. Parameters in tests run using both testers were set to Id=800mA and Vt=3.10V Test results from multiple tests were close enough to be considered identical for all practical purposes of discussion and real-world use. The amount of current discharged and the corresponding battery voltage at that point in time for one of the tests are provided below. Overall, at Id=800mA, the test took 22 hours to run (note: 800mA x 22hours = 17600mAh) Test Device: Imax B6ACv2 , Li-Ion Capacity Discharge Test Mode 20201124.0230 DISCHARGE CAPACITY TEST#2 STARTS mAh Volts 0000 4.20 4000 3.85 7500 3.66 8000 3.63 9000 3.60 10000 3.57 11000 3.55 12000 3.54 13000 3.51 14000 3.48 15000 3.43 16000 3.38 17000 3.28 17250 3.20 17350 3.16 17475 3.10 17500 3.10 At this point, the Imax started varying Id from 200mA to 800mA as the voltage reading remained constant at 3.10V. This behavior near the end of a Li-Ion charge or discharge cycle is normal for the Imax unit. It is a "feature" that cannot be adjusted by the user. 17620

[@GeorgeJFW]

Let see if Electroboom will test out petrols effectiveness on that glue 😂

[@dizzy_derps]

I don't fuckin think sooooo

[@servantsochrist]

photonic induction

[@michaelharris679]

The good part about taking that approach is that your hands don't have to be anywhere near it.

[@christopherleubner6633]

Yup that double sticky tape has excessive glue on it, loves to rip the foil. It's best to fully discharge then apply gentle heat to soften it enough that the battery comes free. Once it's cool apply about 3.5V with alligator clips and you can charge normally. A couple drops of charcoal lighter fluid and persistent prying will free it as well. Tbh I hate those pouch batteries, they tend to go pop and fire very easily.💀

[@ethanpoole3443]

When it comes to pouring gasoline onto a fully charged lithium cell to release the adhesive, I’m with Clive - “I don’t think so!”.

[@pmpwiz]

Incorrect quote. Actually, "I don't f**ckin' think so". Accuracy when quoting is important. I used asterisks because this is a family site.

[@lambdaman3228]

@@pmpwiz This is not a family site.

[@serena-yu]

16:30 Regarding 0829A: It's an 8 bit MCU manufactured by Silan electronics of China, with a manufacturer product ID SC51P0304. You can take it as a mini computer. It probably runs the charging control, protection and, as you mentioned, light control.

[@benjaminc1816]

“You cant get into iPhones these days” - Lewis Rossmann: “hold my beer” .... Ave: “where’s my mini Bosch chain saw?” - Dave Jones: “We’re in like Flynn” ... ElectroBOOM: “plasma cutter anyone?” The 5 of you guys should do a colab! Would be the best thing ever!

[@sadface]

I actually messaged Amazon on Twitter in August because they were still advertising the power banks on the site 5 months after they were recalled. They promptly removed the images and links to the dead product pages and thanked me!

[@hellishinc]

xupcn.com redirects me to your YT page.

[@-----------------------------]

Someone bought the domain

[@7027-s6f]

‏‏‎ not you? (Not me)

[@emppu-tech6065]

Someone (me?) not me bought the domain.

[@excoupe2.4]

some (me not) not me bought the domain

[@dogedelish9635]

Not (some me) bought the domain

[@joshm264]

Clive, you could use something like a few drops of isopropyl alcohol, it also makes hot glue lose it's adhesion

[@theman83744]

Sometimes watching your videos makes me wonder how did you manage to stay alive so far

[@oppositelock4356]

I'd be interesting to buy the replacement and compare the two to see what changed

[@feyetingirish2010]

I have to ask, do you happen to ever give your poster prints away? I would love to get the one in this video. The resolution is phenomenal, how are you able to print on such big sheets at that resolution? Thanks for the great videos, they are always top notch.

[@logandeck6575]

You made my Christmas This Year. I'm glad that I stumbled-over Your Channel. Merry Christmas Daulingg ☃🍪

[@zaprodk]

You don't need to use petrol to release the sticky stuff. Normal isopropyl alcohol works wonders.

[@pierreuntel1970]

yeah, i'm also sure that alcohol would ignite wonders with electrical sparks

[@dustysparks]

@@pierreuntel1970 If it's technical grade, it shouldn't be conductive, and it won't have much water in it... still sketchy as frig though

[@martinclemesha4794]

Always fun to watch again. Just noticed you came close to shorting the cell with your solder :0) at 15:08.

[@DemocracyDiesInDarkness]

"Let's pour Petro down the back of a lithium cell" hahahahaha, that made me laugh

[@guygordon2780]

Honest, I saw that video myself, years ago. Some guy claimed to be telling you how to open laptop battery packs. You just pour a little petrol on them and they snap right open! (Yeah, Right)

[@mittfh]

Sounds like a *case* for Darwin... Even more so if the person attempting such a stunt wedges the power bank between their thighs...

[@Electronicle]

hahahaha his response was great

[@abebarker]

Use that GooGone stuff to remove stickers and adhesive. It is made specifically for it. Actually, I looked up the MSDS for GooGone and it is a mix of kerosene and heavy naphtha. I prefer to use a light naphtha (Coleman white gas) as it evaporates more quickly and cleanly. I love those zippo lighter fluid bottles because they put out a tiny little stream and you don't use too much. It does work. It works well.

[@rp42069]

Came across your channel and now love it! Very informative content

[@bobriemersma]

This stuff is really beginning to grind my gears. If one guy can figure out the difference between good and flawed design then why can't we just get products that are properly designed to be efficient, reliable, and safe? Especially when the difference between good and crap seems to be pennies on the dollar even in the worst cases.

[@Robert-Wilson]

Bob Riemersma here is your answer. The all mighty dollar. Companies keep trying to find a way to save an extra cent so as they cut cost stuff turns to crap.

[@Phred_Phlintstoner]

@@Android-ng1wn if they can a good one for the same price as the bad one, then they only make half (or less) of the profits. Why make a good one the sell you once when they can sell you multiple over time because they keep dieing?

[@svenlakemeier]

In this case he couldn't figure it out and was mostly guessing around. I was expecting more.

[@markfergerson2145]

Often you can blame Marketing and the bean-counters. If BC is correct and the case was just a tiny bit too small, note that giving it square corners instead of rounded would have fixed it. But no, Marketing says "It needs to be rounded, nobody's buying square stuff this quarter!". The bean-counters get with the insurance people and figure out what the monetary risk is to settle suits or do a recall vs. not making the profit, and recommend not fixing it. So you get 53 fires and a recall.

[@russellthorburn9297]

I had one. Loved it but couldn't take the chance so I disposed of it when the recall came through.

[@urugulu1656]

there is a document i find myself using more and more often These days called the smd codebook and although even that is not knowing what a x1xv is it tells that x1 is either BFT93 or IMX1 or BZX84-C27... xv is most likely a Suffix that not necessarily has to have a meaning other than to differentiate different manufacturers although even that is not always the case

[@urugulu1656]

@@TheVitunpaskasaatana mmh that would even be somewhat meaningful as its also a fet but i havent heard of that manufacturer before (not that it would make a difference) while rohm and the like as the codebook suggests are more well known and you probably find a second source for their chip more easily

[@urugulu1656]

@@TheVitunpaskasaatana indeed quite convoluted your approach.

[@urugulu1656]

shouldnt these fets all be somewhat similar?

[@johncrowerdoe5527]

@@urugulu1656 There are only a bit more than 1000 2 character codes possible. It seems likely that the industry has run out of abbreviation to use on tiny package types.

[@will_doherty]

Appreciate that this is an old video, however the below is an extract from an American recall notice/site, which explains the issue:- "Incidents/Injuries: Amazon has received 53 reports of the power banks overheating in the U.S., including one report of chemical burns due to contact with battery acid and four reports of property damage, including fire and smoke damage."

[@justpaulo]

"1.6A in current and 1.8A going into battery" Yes, I also suspect of double duty of the inductor. In other words, the NMOS + PMOS + 2x Schottky diodes + inductor probably form a buck-boost converter and the mystery chip likely controls everything operating the all thing in buck mode for battery charging and boost mode when a load is present. It would have been interesting to see the thermal image of the board when one is charging and loading the power bank at the same time.

[@wingerrrrrrrrr]

Charging generally locks out the use of the outputs, as they need to be done exclusively, so the detection circuits can work properly in their respective modes.

[@SianaGearz]

Samsung showed two failure modes for the Note7 battery cell, the first was around the edge with insufficient insulation, the second was an internal crease at the tab weld point inside the battery layer stack, from which the defect would propagate and cause eventual short. Naturally the defect propagation was accelerated by tight enclosure packing and high charging current, which incurs quite a bit of internal movement. In addition, numerous manufacturers have been caught in the past where microscopic metal shavings would fall into the layer stack during manufacture, and eventually pierce the oxides and the insulation and cause a short. It's a possibility that a manufacturing fault during the cell batch manufacture was discovered which prompted them to recall the power banks - it's not necessary that the fault will cause dangerous modes of failure in this construction, or that fault probability is necessarily high, it's sufficient if similar faults or manufacturing deviations have lead to issues in the past.

[@itsmebougie]

"I don't fawkin think so"

[@steveharleyfan]

I love the fact that the explosion containment pie-dish device is made of conductive metal...

[@kushfromhandsworth6601]

Im jealous of the sizes of your lithium cells

[@Teqnyq]

Sounds like a conversation mobile phones have during a telephone call

[@tomthumb8192]

I'm jealous of the sizes of the umper Rideout switch

[@positivespore2710]

Never thought I'd be watching this as 12:28 am.... interesting....no clue how I got here lol. Interesting none the less, great video!

[@tomgeorge3726]

Hi Clive, good video as usual. Can you do a video checking the calibration of the many USB testers you have? In particular the current readings at the high end of their range over time, to see if the current shunt is worth its chips. Also the volt drop across the tester, are they measuring supply voltage or load voltage.

[@DrTune]

For these kind of cell tabs you want a Weller soldering gun or similar - e.g. 150-200watts. It melts the tab solder nearly instantly and you're not sinking a ton of energy into the cell.