How To Get: Free 18650 Lithium Cells From Dead Laptop Batteries

[@rocketrose2165]

Good video for starters. The only warning I'd throw in is to limit your discharge rate to .4A to .5A max. Anything higher and you are shortening the lifespan of the battery. Yes, the discharge goes slower but you will have batteries that last longer. When you get into measuring the capacity of thousands of batteries you will want an Opus BT-C3100 v2.2. This device looks like a standard four battery charger but it will allow you to measure the capacity of four batteries at once. I own five. The fastest way is to have another four battery charger on either end of the process; one to charge them to capacity, the C-3100 to measure capacity and a third to charge them after the capacity test. This lets me test about 100 18650 batteries per day. I use the large capacity batteries in my E-bike. The smaller ones I use in cell phone chargers. I get the empty boxes from China for about $2.00 and simply add the batteries. I also use the lower capacity batteries in LED flashlights that take 18650s. Both the cellphone chargers and flashlights are used as promotional items for my wife's business. But using them for these purposes lets me write off my project on my taxes. Hope this helps. Rocket

[@user-tr2dh4xx6u]

So you are part of that shady business of selling upcycled 18650 powerbanks...

[@facial210]

I think that magnet idea was the best part of the whole vid and your info is so spot on

[@ldwithrow08]

Good advice. In my experience, most lithium battery packs fail when ONE cell (or maybe two) die. If you disassemble the pack usually the majority of the cells are still good. I put them in a box and next time I have a battery fail, I check if I have anything that fits. Before I store them I use a 3 volt flashlight bulb and a couple of wires to drain the cell completely. That doesn't seem to hurt a lithium cell and it insures that any new battery assembled starts out with even charges in all the cells. I've also used lithium cells to convert old NiCad batteries to lithium. In most cases there is more than enough room in the old NiCad case to fit new batteries.

[@garrygemmell5676]

This is very illuminating - i didnt know laptop batteries used 18650's so i opened up a duff DELL D630 and I now have 6 new batteries for my new project! Good idea using the magnets to hold the crocodile clips onto the batteries!

[@vedangeepandharpurkar6457]

Check the voltages man.

[@martiniafg]

yes you can get them a lot. but: if u took it from laptop batteries dont expect to use in high amp required aplications such as electric tools in house building, drones, viping and more. they are good for powerbanks, flashlights, toys, diy things. if someone could say that earlier to me, i would be very thankfull for information. you can find spec about the battery from numbers on it, and google it. most are 3-5 amp, some 1amp.

[@rdkater]

I stuft them in a electric power drill just do not over charge them respect the 4.2volt per cel limit. btw the drill is a 18volt en i made it a 24volt one to charge you need 25.2volt.

[@shawn576]

Good shit. I took apart some power tool batteries that refuse to charge and now I have more than a dozen fully functional 18650 cells

[@ftmazur]

For the most part an useful 'Tip', but from time-mark 1:30->2:30sec this Tip is an excellent demo' of what NOT to do! FYI - All these type of multi cell 'packs' are Arc or 'spot-welded' together (don't ask how!) because the metal terminals & cell-to-next-cell links are Nickel coated, so cannot be ('tinned') soldered together [YES, Nickel is 'magnetic', but cannot BE magnetised i.e. made into permanent magnets - weird I know]. Ripping them apart as shown will damage the internal Anode & Cathode connections of the cell. It will also start highly TOXIC electrolyte leaks that WILL do CORROSIVE damage to you & any way the cells are used, especially when charging. As demonstrated, this is the very best way to kill cells, or at the least reduce their capacity. SO GREAT CARE IS NEEDED NOT TO DAMAGE ANODE & CATHODE TERMINALS WHEN SEPARATING CELL TO CELL LINKS, as was done here.

[@neoberg]

Tim Mazur 9

[@Rohitmbmee]

what is the best way to remove cell from pack??

[@hallstudio]

@@Rohitmbmee cut the tabs dont rip them

[@nelchan2421]

TIPS : If you're planning to reuse it as a power tool battery and you don't have a spot welder, just leave the old nickel strip on the battery so you can solder it correctly and securely.

[@1pcfred]

No, the main thing is getting the battery packs themselves. They don't just grow on trees by me.

[@1pcfred]

***** I like where I am at now. There is more to life than salvaged batteries.

[@1pcfred]

***** No one is giving anything away in two, out of the three places you mentioned. So there goes the "free" aspect right there. I imagine you would have to be looking in the right dumpster to find 18650 cells too.

[@1pcfred]

***** you might not have said free, but the title of this video did. There's no place by me to look either. I live in a very rural area. I'm lucky I have Internet access today. For many years I did not.

[@vontar1]

I don't plan on breaking down laptop batteries but I did learn from you how to check my batteries better. Now I can test to see if ones I buy are as good as advertised. Thank you. Putting an imax b6 on my future amazon order list.

[@icommandoi145]

18650 voltage between 2.75V and 4.2V. You discharged them to 3V only, however real capacity discharge is 2.75V. Then re-charge and measure the difference in mAh (Discharge vs re-charge mAh).

[@cekpi7]

you should discharge cells at 0.25c since thats what manufactures use, that 1000mah cell might have 1250 if you discharge it at slower rate

[@Boz1211111]

depends for what it will be used

[@chrisvanvoorst2125]

First, your home made charger is brilliant! But I am curious, why did you not use your sky charger to charge the batteries?

[@jeffbrown9369]

I got many of these batteries the same way and use them for many diffrent projects.They make great back up power supplys

[@teeshark6584]

i own the same charger and its a top 10 must have item for the DIY. You can charge any type of battery with it and also has variables you can set for each battery function (lead acid, nimh, lipo, etc...) Have even used it to charge my car battery after i left interior lights on... but 1 trick i just learned from this video thats simple yet genius... magnets to hold the leads on! woohoo... the charger in this video comes with 5-6 different type plug adapters but you would not believe the many 100's of types that you dont have handy. So, im always rigging something up... usually with alligator clips but those dont work every time.... magnets. if anyone has any other of ingenious ways of making these connections (Ex. small connectors where the pins are surrounded by a cover that doesnt leave enough space to get clips on the pins. Nice vid... i do something similiar with lipo cells. many multi cell lipos 2s-6s are common but can have more cells... usually have 1 or 2 bad cells. so you can remove these bad cells... replace them with good cells OR just lower the cells for that pack. Ex. 4s lipo with 2 bad cells will make a good 2s battery. Try swaping pb (lead acid) type batteries for lipos in your kids ride on toys. lasts longer and will make them much faster depending on volts which is determined by the number of cells. the crappy 6v battery powered ride ons suck. drop a 2s or 4s lipo and be sure to test it out with your kids first. they can flip over easier, pop wheelies, etc so use common sense dads... dont blame me if you put a 6s in Little Wilbur's ATV and he slams into the tree doing 20mph. Google this type of DIY projects, you will be amazed at some of the custom rides Dads do for their kids? or for themselves

[@Dusan93etr]

And you can use your batteries for anything you want? Nice project.

[@welldonetips]

I'm working on some projects with those cells allready, so stay tuned, i'll share when will finish it.

[@danijel124]

I use these cells for diy, power banks, flashlights lasers,...

[@robertw2930]

vaporizers too?

[@kneegrow3971]

+Robert W yes

[@rocketraccoon3555]

for vaporizers to?really?vaporizers need a battery that have minimum 20 Amp for safety reason,specially those who do sub ohm and mecha or unregulated mod users for regulated mod that have battery protection it's not really maters because if you use low amp batteries the mod will not fire up it will says battery weak..so what is the amp that laptop batteries have?if it's lower then 20 Amp and you're sub ohm,using unregulated mod you will blow your face off..cmiiw

[@snowlyon4802]

This guy has more free time than an inmate. This guy busts his ass for those 1 amp cells

[@vasiliypetrohof3141]

is soldering to end of battery ok? not done commercially always spot welded. how about a small spot welder project just for things like this? in the '60s my uncle designed and made the worlds first spot welder that was for very small electronics and measured the resistance before it would do the weld. i still have one and am going to try it on some 18650

[@sparksthereaper8749]

Hi your video is very informative, can I ask you something?, if my chargeable battery went to 78.6 mV what does that mean and would it still be usable?...

[@Wanttono]

are those plastic boxes available on aliexpress?

[@BladeRicsi]

Nice idea mate, but if you have a so improved charger, you can set it to "cycle" , and you don't need to the charge step.

[@tylerbessine7010]

I did this from an old laptop for a Chinese clock I couldn't get any because they were "vaping" batteries and I was underage. I get they're batteries but why would they restrict them where I tried to buy it. Thanks for sharing!

[@honestinsincerity2270]

Really clever tips here. Me thinks I'll be making a power bank from the old laptops I have. Thanks for the content!

[@floriaem28]

Great help for me. Currently in a similar project & got some useful tips. Thx a lot!!!

[@zanpekosak2383]

You can sometimes revive dead batteries on the charger by just letting them charge and testing the voltage and capacity a couple weeks later.

[@motorbiking18650]

I've yet to do this without stabbing myself with the sharp soldered tabs. Interestingly - those snot brown ones are the best I've had out of Dell packs - around 2.8Ah each.

[@notdone123456]

you could use the lower capacity cells for a battery bank project for say a car or a house, something where space isnt too much of an issue

[@bryantull7596]

I'm wondering if there would be a market out there for people who wanted to rent an array of Foxnovo F-4S to test/charge 40 batteries at a time. I'm thinking about making a house battery and would rent out the equipment once i'm done.

[@Voltermort]

Great video, great channel. WOuld you be able to link me or tell me what to search for the connecter that bridges your power supply to your imax b6 please?

[@peksn]

Yes please! :D

[@gladyszryan]

Another good Idea is to mark set/pair numbers and date. I do that for my cells and try to use pairs of similar calibration for same device

[@vasiliypetrohof3141]

congrats on the excellent work. question, if there are 18650 that are to low volt, maybe 2 - 2.5, to start charging can a little voltage be applied while in charger (TP4056) so that it starts charging them?

[@65csx83]

So how did you acquire the dead laptop batteries? Are they just lying around somewhere for the taking?

[@jeremydasilvaloureiro7274]

Hello where can i so many liion 18650 battery get or from where you get so many Li-Ion 18650 battery thank you in advance

[@TheJkilla11]

Really awesome idea! I am in the process of building the 18650 charger from your previous video. one question I do have is the iMAX B6 Charger show in this video. there are a variety of them on ebay from $7.00 USD - $50.00 USD, what one do you use? I rather not waste my money on junk. thanks in advance.

[@halethewhale]

Managed to get 6 lg hg2's doing this that's £60 worth of battery's nice video very useful

[@carlcrowder1105]

This is very neat but remember to stay safe and stay hydrated. Thanks for sharing this video. Carl C.

[@ZacksJerryRig]

Great video!

[@RGD-Audio-Repairs]

i use the exact same charger as you.. Imax b6.. BTW... you read the Capacity/Mah reading wrong. The charger is giving you the capacity readings from a half charged battery.. Do a capacity test from a freshly charged battery, for accurate results

[@binaryparrot3352]

The initial voltage depends on how far they were charged up at the time. Why do you write them on the cells?

[@engineer0239]

Isnt a full 1S lipo 4,2v And an empty one 3,7V?

[@angelisone]

Where can I get two 26650 Battery Holder like shown at 3:34?

[@garfieldx]

where do I find those Magnetic Alligator Clips?

[@shawn576]

Step 1: short the batteries by putting aluminum foil across all of the terminals That charger has magnet ends? That is so awesome. I didn't know that existed.

[@RFC3514]

It's just crocodile clips with with some button magnets.

[@walterdorian]

Hi, If I set the charge at 0.5a but the charging doesn't go uppen than 0.2a, this means the cell is gone?

[@pierre5325]

Very Good Sir, I learned much. Blessings, pierre from New Mexico

[@paulanderson79]

Be cautious charging cells of differing internal resistance and condition. Li-ion cells are very dangerous if mischarged.

[@NGC1433]

paulanderson79 he is charging them individually, what are you on about?

[@paulanderson79]

Having watched again yes, you're completely correct. I am still slightly nervous of combining multiple cells in different condition into batteries.

[@benlogic8592]

@@NGC1433 Don't. "Marry" your batteries if they are going to be used in something like a flashlight or laser. If one cell is discharged and the other isn't it will be really shitty. I have a few nice nite cores to charge all mine, be safe.

[@JoseGarcia-px9xj]

when you make a module using this cells, what should be your tolerance on capacity to mix them together

[@Robzetx]

u are awsom, I didnt know I have 3 old laptop batteries and have no use of them

[@HBPowerwall]

i've got 1000's this way :)

[@welldonetips]

+HBPowerwall I'm folowing your power wall project. Epic amount of cells!

[@HBPowerwall]

+Well Done Tips more on the way :)

[@snteevveetns]

Where do you get them for free?!?

[@HBPowerwall]

combination of luck and hard work.

[@1pcfred]

+HBPowerwall that's how, you were asked where though.

[@MWXYT]

1Amp through that little contact patch between round magnet and cell post? Although it is a smart way to connect tings, the capacity/voltage measurement won't be very accurate...

[@radellaf]

I use a similar method, loses maybe 200mV at 1A. At least half of that is leads and connectors, not just magnets.

[@zodiacfml]

Thats a lot of batteries you have there! Waht do you do with those batteries?

[@kalpic11]

Can you use those premade reusable battery chargers to charge them?

[@vey7111]

What these can be used to? They have more volts that 'casual' AA-batteries so I suppose these cannos serve as AA?

[@Christian-is4zq]

DO NOT USE THESE BATTERIES FOR VAPING. I know some guy out there will see this and think he can save money but it is not worth it when your mod blows up and you have to get skin graphs. Batteries are like $18-$30 for a pair, don't be cheap and stay safe.

[@624Cuzzo]

+Christian P some of those 18650s he showed are ones you use for vaping he was charging it at one amp he didnt specify the amp limits but generally the lower the mah the higher the amp as the best 18650's for comping have roughly 1500 mah

[@Christian-is4zq]

+fuck you those batteries are taken out of laptops which have already been through some wear and those batteries are ran in parallel. They have 5-10 amp limit at the most. Still, unsafe considering you want a high drain 25+amp battery like Docan, MXJO, AWT, Sony VTC4, LG HE4, etc

[@624Cuzzo]

+Christian P bro I'm pretty sure I saw some Samsung 25rs in this at least lol but I'll just leave you be since your obviously the battery over Lord of the world and can magically know amp limits on batteries that are unmarked and untested for amp drain to your knowledge go ahead keep making shit up

[@Christian-is4zq]

+fuck you they're laptop batteries run in parallel. It's not being a battery lord, it's years of experience dealing with computers and it's also not hard to take 5min to Google this

[@624Cuzzo]

+Christian P well actually I did look it up lol most of those higher mah cells are completely safe at 20 amps and as i said usually the lower the mah the higher the amp so these seems pretty straight to use in a parallel mod at least

[@karzygijose]

the 6 cell laptop battery for a Hp dv1000 is on ebay for $6-7 at the moment and the cells are panasonic CGR18650AF these any good for a 8 cell battery bank? or if anyone has recommendations for a 10 18650 cell battery bank?

[@vasiliypetrohof3141]

ebay item # 262085265831

[@adambiren]

On what voltage do you set the volt meter when testing those? And on AC or DC?

[@peksn]

dc at anything higher than 4V

[@sofiamartinez3994]

Can you use them for flashlights

[@TT-ii5bu]

Tell me all battery in laptop battery pack all are 3.6 volts? only mean 3 cell are in series 1.2x 3 = 3.6 volts

[@blackdragonx1186]

I have a non genuine imax b6 charger that when I do a discharge test using the lipo setting, mine won't terminate at 3v. It will keep lowering the current to keep the voltage at 3v. Does yours do the same? I found from another video to use the nicad discharge test and set it for 3v to get it to properly terminate at 3v.

[@welldonetips]

+Aaron S mine stops at 3V and at same 1A of load.

[@bartekgolczyk9203]

Am I right if an impulse charger can recover dead 18650?

[@thepalestripper]

how do you know you Max discharge rate you can safely run?

[@mortschubert3909]

Nice! But where do you find dead laptop batteries?

[@stoeibeertje9100]

Are they rechargeble and do they fit in lazers

[@t.nitheesh5898]

Sir I have a dought where will we find those laptop btteeys I search hole area near me but didn't get those please help 😭🤦🏻‍♂️🙏🙏👍

[@Hakimu]

battery with code LGDAS318650 is categorize as 18650 battery? im confusing

[@gauravsharma-gm8pu]

please tell me i am in india and using hcl L1114 laptop ...battery is not working

[@Paulachh]

never fuck with battery safety when it comes to vaping.

[@renylcollado2507]

paul horsburgh true that

[@nandita5477]

Can i get the full amper of the li ion batterys

[@SteveWellsNZ]

What are you using the cells for?

[@bdcochran01]

Ok. Here is a question. Why check the charges on a battery before attempting a recharge? The 18650s are designed to be recharged. I explain. I have a buggy old laptop that I am ready to trash. I have 18650 flashlights for use in the house. Every few months, I check the charges anyway. If I charged up the old lap top batteries (assuming that each would hold a charge) and used them instead of what I am currently using, why bother evaluating them in advance.

[@martiniafg]

how long u took to measure them all? :D capacity only measured by discrarging? cant you charge and then measure? i got acucell 6

[@bx19tgd]

Will all laptop batteries have cells or will some be a battery with battery stuff???

[@rdbtheranger]

Wh-what?

[@lincolnscott7942]

i took apart a dell battery that was not dead but really good cond. it said it had 2600mahs and it had 6 batteries in it. is it safe to use in a mech mod with a .5 ohm aspire atlantis?

[@DJstagen]

No. Unless you want to blow part of your face off.

[@mcearl8073]

Vapers get on my nerves so fucking bad. There's always those who spend 20-30 bucks on a bottle of juice and want to save 5 bucks on batteries by tearing apart your laptop and then those who think you'll automatically blow your face off by doing it. Here's the real answer, Google the numbers on the batteries, that'll tell you what they are and their amp limit, then using ohms law figure out if your vaporizer or whatever you'll be using is under than number, if yes, then yes you can use it, if no then no don't. Will you blow your face off if you do anyway, probably not. Also if you can't figure that out then you shouldnt be using a mechanical mod, especially not in 2016 where you can get a safe VW mod that'll do 200 watts for very cheap.

[@andreasschmitt2307]

Nice idea with those magnets!

[@MagikGimp]

I guess this is worth it (and the injuries)?

[@Zadakleader635IvanTheRobot]

are these useful for toys?

[@thedonutindisguise1783]

Can I use this in my kangertech sub box mini?

[@ozwadnerf]

The Donut In Disguise if they are imr or inr not icr

[@jeffscomp]

Are the Samsung ones better than the Sanyo ones?

[@ryuqe787]

You should to discharge after charge, and work whit charged mAh, because, if battery was half charged (full capaticy 2000mAh) you will measure 1000mAh by discharging.

[@grejuli97]

could i use them for my vape?

[@progressivessuck7995]

No

[@jimmyross1672]

Where do you get the labtop batteries

[@mcknorth]

Why does my brand new 18650 only has 3.8volts and i cant charge them more than 3.8v they are protected aswell 2800mAH

[@ewaldwolk2250]

Crappy charger, crappy protection circuit or cell.

[@chip2567]

how can i make the battery same. to use as lay out tools.

[@STRANGExDAYSx]

Thanks, I never thought of this. These work for vape mods right

[@Βασίλης-σ5τ]

DON'T USE THEM FOR VAPING. IT'S NOT SAFE. These batteries have been charged god knows how many times and the amp limit is very low since they are laptop batteries. Buy new ones. They are cheap.

[@STRANGExDAYSx]

Βασίλης Άγνωστος I won't

[@arrowstheorem1881]

where to buy these old laptop batteries?

[@fusion2344]

You cannot determine the capacity by discharging it from some random point! You need to either completely discharge/charge it to a know minimum/maximum and then you work from there to determine the capacity....

[@JoJanDiezel]

Thank you so much. You answered all the questions that I had. +1 subscriber.

[@Linkhunter]

i found one laptop and dell battery module got 9x battery and 6x battery look like Zippo Lighters just waiting for my multimeter from ebay i want to make a cheap power bank found one it can holde 8x 18650 battery for 5$ i try find one is bigger but only one found can holde 8x battery

[@powertymer2748]

For flash light the cells seem good

[@bleachregular7036]

so you're saying those kinds of batterues are in old laptop batteries?

[@dataluskazan4006]

if you use that charger on nickel setting you can bring at least some of the dead cells back to life but only for a couple minutes don't let them get hot

[@mohammadwassef2707]

What would you use it for in general.

[@bob15479]

Mohammad Wassef ebike, powerwall...

[@Skysam60]

Is it possible to charge them without your "special" charger ?

[@radellaf]

XTAR makes a lot of high quality but cheap chargers. The MC1 is cheap, the VC2 fun (capacity display), and the most expensive do 4 at a time.

[@owenwootton7807]

I charge my 3.7v 18650 batteries with a 3.7v charger and they take a full day to charge why is this? (they are brand new)

[@sushilkumarsah4207]

Please give the link of battery

[@Piterworkshop]

very good video Thank you

[@dannyf4995]

Very impressive video. Thanks.

[@kenyamagami6669]

mine has barely any volts what do I do? its like 0.1-0.02V

[@ratishpatil4582]

try charging it n then the testing

[@Jvha761]

Can you use these on a flashlight?

[@mistersteve6705]

the mate, now I got 12 batteries more 😁...just saved 120 pounds. you made my day 🖒