DIY: How to revive a dead 18650 (or any) Li-ion battery cell

Check out my newest 18650 salvage video: • Revive dead 18650 batt...
Today I will show you how to revive a dead 18650 Li-ion cell that's being refused by the chargers. This method will work with any Li-ion battery, not just the 18650 cells. Here's my follow-up video: • Follow up video: Will ... if you wonder how much current (Amps) goes through the wire.
Note: this is not a permanent way to charge an 18650 cell. The point of this method is just to bring up the voltage of the dead cell to a point that is enough for a real 18650 charger to accept it and charge it properly. When a Li-ion battery does not have high enough voltage, the charger would not charge it. I think the reason is safety because if the voltage is too low, it might take a risk of charging a NiMH or NiCad cell which are only 1.2 volts each. And if you put a NiMH or NiCad cell (at 1.2 Volts) in a Li-ion charger that charges up to 4.2 volts, all hell will break loose.
Also: don't overdischarge a Li-ion cells down to below 3V especially below the threshold recognized by the charger. Otherwise, it will not live long. The "Goldilocks" zone for a long and healthy Li-ion cell life is between 30% and 90% charge. Too much charge or discharge would be bad for the cell.

[@vuaeco]

I have made a detailed video on this. There's a lot more information on this new video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6avlZxqpLlqrqs

[@familyguyandothergreatanim2371]

Electric scooter 🛵 🛵 and

[@srbijapodlupom9907]

Excellent video content! Forgive me for butting in, I would love your opinion. Have you ever tried - Lammywalness Trendy Trade Guide (erm, check it on google should be there)? It is an awesome one off product for learning how to recondition batteries at home without the hard work. Ive heard some decent things about it and my best friend Jordan after many years got excellent success with it.

[@jmsr8640]

There are several suggestions for getting a good result never attempt to do this until you are sure what you are doing - the acid can burn your skin check the voltage first - there may be a dead cell which would waste your time. Check the battery fluid. attempt to fully charge the battery. (I discovered about these and more from Jons Mender Guide site )

[@achristian7015]

Once the battery is fully charged, next find out what the capacity of that battery is.

[@fuji8654]

@@familyguyandothergreatanim2371 z xxx

[@ugaugauga488]

The lesson of the clip for me is: the use of the little magnets!

[@David-bc4rh]

I am converted

[@dondominic7404]

Me too.

[@gerhang3361]

Using magnets actually work or no? Lol

[@beograd07]

@@gerhang3361 not on my meter. tips are made of 316 ss material

[@sookmaideek]

magnetz it making cell fixed then litum batte light now voltage ok

[@Landrew0]

This is the simplest method that most videos describe, but I prefer a safer method. This way can make the battery heat up and explode. I use a bench power supply where I can dial in the voltage and the current. I limit the current to about 50 milliamps, and then I gradually raise the voltage to the point where it starts to take current. Sometimes this can be as high as 30 volts. Once it starts to charge, I reduce the voltage to about 4V, and I turn up the current to about 100 mA, and let it charge for a few minutes. At this point I transfer it to a proper charger, because it monitors temperature and controls the current, shutting off when the charging is complete. It's particularly useful for older cameras which have dead batteries which no longer take a charge, and the new battery is either very expensive or hard to find.

[@M0DB0Y]

I've been doing it this way for some dead skateboard batteries. But I also recommend trying to blow up them batteries ;)

[@nameismetatoo4591]

Those without a bench power supply can just use a partially-discharged battery to revive the deep-discharged one. The lower potential between the two will naturally limit the current and will produce less heat.

[@roberhatube2366]

@@M0DB0Y why ? What is gained. ? What is lost ? or poisoned?

[@threeworlds]

How can you tell if it's taking charge? I have a dead 12v lithium. Thanks

[@Landrew0]

@@threeworlds My bench power supply has adjustable voltage and current, and displays both with 3-digit accuracy. I set the limit to less than 50 mA to start, and there's never a problem.

[@yolociberpapeleria6134]

For Anyone out there, I used this method with a dead AA NiMH rechargeable battery, and it worked as described.

[@deish7814]

This battery is a Li-ion. It's a different beast. I wouldn't recommend this to be honest, it would be more successful on a NiMH battery and if it isn't it a worse case result would be less explosive.

[@douglaspotter4612]

Very helpful thank you. I didn't gave any good 18650's so I used 2 AA Alkaline batteries in series and connected them to the dead 18650 in the same way you showed. Worked surprisingly effectively and only took a few seconds to bring the 18650 up to a chargeable voltage.

[@Issac4tech]

Real bcuz i don't want to my battery explode 🙄

[@uhmgawa6533]

2x AA cells in parallel with a deal li ion cell. Make sure all connections are solid and then take a walk around the block. Goal: determine the response time of the local fire department.

[@douglaspotter4612]

@@uhmgawa6533 Or just connect it for a few seconds and don't leave it's sight and it's perfectly safe

[@cristianjrojas]

the charger will not charge the battery because if the voltage is below 2.8v the battery became unsafe, good that you are teaching people how to overpass the safety feature

[@matt889]

Great video, something else you can do to revive the cells is to set your RC charger to NiMh mode which does not have Low Voltage protection and set it at 0.1 amps, this will trickle charge the battery to get it above 3.0V and then you can switch it to LiPo mode :)

[@uploadJ]

I do this trick at 0.1 amps using a bench power supply ... using NiMh mode is a great idea too ...

[@bobengelhardt856]

Using magnets to hold the leads is very clever!

[@johanponin1360]

I see this more and more. Started using it too, I hate screw or solder .. magnet are amazing

[@Johann52005]

I advise you to check the resistance of your magnets with a multimeter, some have a coating with high resistance so they heat up

[@Mechmaniac77]

Magnets are amazing except on copper terminals :(

[@johnw1385]

bro... get a stronger magnet... think super conducting... still wont hold it but what you are aiming for is a fall rate so low, resistance wont approach infinity in your life time :D never mind the impracticality of such a bat pack, or the substation connected to it

[@johnw1385]

just build a spot welder

[@I.____.....__...__]

I've seen this method mentioned in other places, but I particularly appreciate the description explaining the _reason._ 👍 Far too many people just "give a man a fish" instead of teaching. 🤦

[@loki8845]

I'm so glad i stumbled on this! Didn't know you it was a voltage drainage issue, I left my batteries plugged in my gimbal once discharging so I messed up 2 batteries. I didn't know it was a voltage drainage issue with these types of batteries. I didn't have the right tools like a volt meter but fortunately 2 18650 batteries where charging so I charged one. The working 18650 connected to the dead battery through simple soldering wire i had laying around..When i saw the spark i thought it probably fried it..I got paranoid so i only did it for like 10 seconds or less. Just like jump starting a car it instead the battery came back to at least 1 volt and the charger no longer displayed an error and begun charging the dead battery! this works wonders! You saved me having to spend 20 something dollars on new batteries and having to wait for shipping and cancel a video shoot! Thank you!

[@Sombre____]

Same i let the battery sit for a couple of month on the desk. Last time i checked, the battery was good. And now, there is just 0.100V inside. Don't understand.

[@RiverBrat68]

I am terrible when it comes to anything electrical but I bought the cables & alligator clips shown above, followed the directions to the letter and boom! My left-for-dead 18650's are charging in a wall charger ... something they refused to do for 2 weeks! THANK YOU!!!

[@djancak]

are they still working

[@GhettoRanger01]

I just did this and it worked great. I folded a strip of aluminum foil until it was about 1/4" and then tore it in half, I stood the 2 batteries beside each other on one of the foil strips, I laid the other across the top terminals and counted to 20, I put the battery in the charger and it worked! Thanks for the tip!!!

[@vuaeco]

Excellent idea! :D

[@robertstonestreet6079]

I tried. It worked. I had 3 expensive and near new 18650 batteries. All VERY flat from a big flashlight. All now charged. I tried 2 different chargers. Thank you.

[@ArtyMars]

I love your accent / voice it is so soothing to listen to in a tutorial like this

[@Anonymous-it5jw]

If the day ever comes when your home doesn't have reliable power from the grid, which in view of the large wildfires on the west coast of the USA this summer and the large storms currently affecting that area, may be sooner than you think, you will be looking for any way to re-use any battery pack you have, and you will probably want to explore the advantages and disadvantages of this method before you really need those batteries to work. Most battery packs are made of single cells wired together, and the failure of one cell can cause the pack to not recharge or not recharge to full rated capacity. Once you decide to do it, replacing a single bad cell is achievable for the average person. Butane soldering irons are readily available, and the ability to solder doesn't depend on having 120 volt grid power available.

[@PrIsMaTiSmX]

A lot of the RC chargers have a power supply or 'smart charge' mode that will allow you to put any current you want through the leads. Super useful.

[@ormocchestandlungclinic3043]

u just need a high current charger to shock what is inside the battery. And after that u can charge it back to a normal charger. just like ur making a jumper from ur car to a dead battery. thank u sir u refresh my memory. keep going & God bless!

[@tooltime9260]

Not recommended. These explode and they cannot be put out. "Shocking" other chemical types is less dangerous, but with lithium, REAL CARE needs to take place. There's no second chance if these explode. You cannot put them out.

[@fisktomte]

you are the boss! i had one 18650 that had only 0.18v charge and its now back at 3.7v and working again thanks alot

[@bingosunnoon9341]

BS

[@melgibson6331]

Your videos are gold...literally...watched your drone vid which gave me the guts to try what i had wondered would work...take my old ecig batteries and replace the weak lipo in it....works great using certain brands of batteries and waaay cheaper and safer than expensive over priced lipos.

[@Static1701]

Thank you, saved 4 batteries that had been in a flashlight that was left on. My Opus charger would not charge them before I tried this.

[@zcsays8382]

you damaged ur cells in the process. leading to a shorter life span

[@m8trxproductions417]

Thanks had a brand new item with inbuilt battery, accidentally left on and ran flat over a couple of weeks. Would not light up the LED panel or charge. Pulled the battery out, kick started as explained in this video, put the battery back in and it is now charging as normal. Don't know yet if I have done permanent damage, but looking good so far. Was a life saver because we could not get another 3.7V the same size as the one built into the item.

[@mediatour8898]

That's exactly how I did it and with a very similar charger. It doesn't work long if the battery is too dead but depending on what you need the battery for that's not a big deal. For batteries between 1.5-2.5v they can usually come back to almost perfect health. The older and longer the battery was discharging, the less likely they are to come back to normal.

[@BigSteve_Gaming187]

I had purchased a new battery after realizing the aftermarket deck I put in my VW Wagon was draining it but was time anyways 2 replace. So it killed the new one. My 20+ year old charger had an issue with power cable eventually fraying so I picked up a new digital smart charger (EverStart Maxx 50A,15A,3A trickle). Hooked it up and pressed recalibrate and nothing. I was confused, passed, and gutted. But then I took a step back and thought to myself alright, so I got to work. I replaced the power cable in the old school direct current charger. Tested it and made sure there where no issues. Threw it on the dead battery for a small period of time and once I got it to a quarter to half way of it being charged I tried the digital and it started charging and doing its job. So yes this is a very, very helpful way to get more life out of batteries like these that are believed to be dead. I have a 10 year old 18650 battery from an old original vape pen which broke in my Tactical flashlight and still to this day I use it almost daily taking the dog out. Lasts as long as it did back then and same current too as every 6months I throw the 18650 that came with the flashlight in and double check so I know how it's doing and to re-topoff the stored one to keep it freshly charged while stored.

[@bryce281]

Worked for me, thank you so much, some of the comments about corroding insides of the batteries have me worried, I will keep a close eye on them, besides that, my charger wouldn't charge them, now it does! A++

[@typingcat]

The US power strip looks like 6 shocked faces in a row.

[@indigocharlie7218]

Love the magnet idea 😉, that alone is a thumbs up 👍

[@paulmbylbie6065]

Using the magnet for contact for charging ...... BRILLIANT....somehow I missed that one all these years......ty sir

[@miraclo3]

what you can also do is use a Turnigy or imax b6 charger to raise the voltage to get them to charge. all you have to do it swap it to NiMH mode and charge it for a couple seconds until the voltage on the 18560 is 2.25-3v and then you can swap it back to lithium mode and continue charging like normal. it will work for any lithium cells.

[@Sombre____]

Don't work with a 406 DUO charger.

[@twokool4skool129]

Great tips. The magnet trick to conveniently attach leads is also clever. I didn't have a charged lipo battery, but this also works if you have a variable power supply. I just set mine to 3.2V and connected it in parallel to my battery for 30 seconds, and the battery was ready to charge!

[@Hoggdoc1946]

However the batteries “recovered” in this way will never hold a charge long under load. Over discharging an Li-Ion battery permanently damaging the cell.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Good point, glad someone pointed it out. Some further remarks: 1) It's not a good idea to use another cell to do this, as you'll be depleting it quite fast, and you can't control the (dis)charge rate. Best use a bench power supply, or an AC/DC adapter of the correct voltage, with a low current rate. 2) "It's already at 3V". No, the other battery has drained to 3V. Just because you touch the tips of the battery under charge doesn't change the fact that what you're measuring is the voltage of a parallel circuit. Hence, you measure the voltage of the other cell, not the one you're touching. Due to the high current at which it discharges into the other one, it experiences a voltage sag, which is why you're measuring 3V instead of 4V. If you want to know the voltage of the battery that's being salvaged, disconnect the other cell and measure in isolation. That said, there's nothing wrong with the general principle. With the caveat, as you pointed out, that those revived cells will never be quite the same again.

[@bingosunnoon9341]

@@EvenTheDogAgrees Not to mention the cells that have reversed polarity.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@bingosunnoon9341 you don't get reverse polarity by connecting cells in parallel. Reverse polarity is what happens when unevenly charged cells are being discharged in series. The stronger cells will push current through the circuit, including the weakly charged cells, and force them to discharge so far that eventually the charge on those cells flips polarity.

[@bingosunnoon9341]

@@EvenTheDogAgrees That's not true at all. The cell nearest the B- terminal always reverses first, regardless of connection scheme.

[@jacobleeson4763]

Using another cell to charge it will destroy them both. The battery providing the power will discharge at like 40 amps and will charge the other battery at like 40 amps. You are essentially short circuiting one and charging the other way too fast. Batteries have almost no internal resistance. So they can suck back a near unlimited amount of amperage. The amperage they are charged at and discharged at should always be controlled.

[@tristanambross5968]

I cannot believe it works😂 I had an awt 18650 that's been dead for a while, did this whole process in literally 30 seconds and the battery charges! You sir, are a legend.😎😎

[@gooney2846]

can i ask what you used for the connections? or will I have to just go get those clamps/new batteries.

[@tristanambross5968]

@@gooney2846 I literally used vape tweezers and a paper clip, held the batteries in place, and connected them up, was way too easy. Ratchet setup but it worked

[@garychandler4296]

Thanking you for this trick! But, I did my a face palm when you used the magnets on the clips! I love magnets but never thought of that. An age-old problem solved!

[@furonwarrior]

Not a good idea. These magnets are coated with nickel and is not a good conductor compared to copper leads when charging at high amp rates.

[@jsteinfeld14]

@@furonwarrior unless you use it to keep them in place but still have full contact between the lead and the battery. How he had it wasn't the best, but it is a smart idea

[@TheClay11b]

This worked well! Thank you! I will say I held the multimeter on the old battery after disconnecting from the new one and the voltage was not holding- but is expected from a battery that was left dead for so long.

[@61066clocks]

The magnet to hold the leads made the vid..thx..the battery revival was old knowledge

[@KingGrim87]

I have watched this video two times now. I have saved around $120 with your technique! Thank you

[@Eric2300jeep]

For those curious as to why this cell discharged so low and why doing this is risky, here's some quick info: That 18650 cell is a "protected" cell. See the little extra ridge towards the positive side of the battery just before the button top? That's a small circuit board that contains the "protection" circuitry. Something has failed in that circuit, allowing the battery to continue draining past the safe point. By applying voltage directly to the battery like he did here, you're forcing it in through the protection circuit. Sometimes the protection circuit will continue working per normal after this and sometimes it won't. Depends on what happened that cause it to fail, being either a hiccup or something physically damaged. Typically, if the battery pack or device that you're installing this battery into has overheating protection on its own, you'll be ok. But if that device or battery pack doesn't already have that safety measure, you risk the battery blowing up. Be careful when doing this! I've also revived "bad" cells in this manor & those batteries are still working well after years of use. Fortunately, I haven't had one explode yet. Be mindful that if your device gets really warm after doing a revival such as this, that the battery might blow & I would highly advise against using it any further!

[@ohjajohh]

I'm a complete noob when it comes to 18650 batteries, but I have 1 for a flashlight. Is it dangerous if I will not use/charge it for a year? It's a protected Keeppower one

[@Zequintiny]

Both protected and unprotected cells have that grooved ring near the positive terminal. The easiest way to tell the difference is by looking for a strip that runs up one side of protected cells, or by measuring it. Unprotected cells are 65mm long, while protected ones are at least 68mm long. None of the ones in the video appear to have the strip. They appear to be Sony US18650G series cells, and are most likely from an old laptop battery, which would mean they are unprotected.

[@N8SANZ]

Cool trick, man. Just a tip: if you put electricity thought a magnet, with time, this one will be demagnetized. And the magnets also add resistance to the circuit, so it's better if you don't use magnets while charging your batteries. Peace, bro. 👍

[@JoseHerrera-mk7cv]

That's the point only 30secs?

[@dougveit]

Oh my goodness! I followed your instructions and it WORKED like a charm!!! I have a 14650 Li-Ion inside of a plastic case and protector circuit (known as the LIP-8) for an old Sony Mini Disc. I had purchased that battery as an extra backup and failed to actually charge or use it back in the day. The battery was so dead it would not recognize. You got me going my friend - thank you!!!!

[@jayyanez2259]

After watching this, I used an old 5v 1amp charger lying around, cut the end, and attached them (one to +/-) on the 18650 battery and plugged it in. After about 15minutes, pulled it off, and...the battery WORKED! Charged as usual! Thanks!

[@robertacton1271]

Using magnets instead of soldering for a short term connection. -Great idea!!

[@danz9268]

At first I was skeptical but deeeeym, this works like a charm! Keep in mind though you need to follow what the guy said to charge it for no more than 30secs cuz in my case the battery got warm 20secs mark and I immediately removed it.

[@ahmadebrahimi4862]

it may show you a good voltage, but i dont think it could work as a regular battery, it wont give you enough current, and will drop voltage so fast.

[@kuldeepsinhzala6471]

Ahmad Ebrahimi will it work as new battery cell if this process is done with dead cell ?

[@TheCustomFHD]

@@kuldeepsinhzala6471 no, it last only like 5 - 10% than the original power

[@stringsattached67]

Not true I revived a point & shoot camera battery that I had let get too low and it has worked fine for over a year now ' all depends .

[@MrJockito]

When they show less than 2.5v or get warm when charging , i give them to the recycling center.

[@charlesshampine9012]

I figured this out myself, too. The electrically conducting magnet trick is the cat's meow. Thank you! Good stuff.

[@beaveronabike]

love the magnet trick - never seen that one before! Thanks!

[@Murc_roadster]

For anyone wondering . Yes it works

[@CH-py8zv]

This is what's called bump charging, i have done this before to my cell's and it does work as long as the cell has not reached it's end life cycle.

[@n30a]

Thanks man it works! I had a dead AA very new battery only used it 3 times. Wouldn't charge, when I measure no voltage. I actually used a 9v to give it a jump for only 5 seconds. Then measured 0.8v and now its charging.

[@Laggin6]

Thank you so much! I have an 18650 battery that won't charge so was trying to figure out how to zap it without ruining it. Your video is awesome and the tip about using magnets is brilliant! Now I can fix several different things I have that won't charge.

[@solarsolari6705]

But does it holds charge??

[@marioantonio2096]

An excellent job. You saved me 4 batteries of 6000 mAh. Thanks a lot.

[@yaimem]

they are not 6000 mah anymore. (they probably never were, companies lie a lot about 18650 capacity)

[@PH03N1X0M3G4]

Much love! This totally worked for me. Was at 0.15V, placed in parallel for ~10 sec to 1.8V, which was enough for my charger. Good looking out!

[@itsmatka8384]

Thanks a lot. Funny cuz the charger and voltage scenario down to the charger indicator lights and color of cell...Got my dead cell up in under 30 seconds!

[@isaacbugalho]

Worked on a 18650!! Only needed 3 seconds and they became really HOT. Be carefull!! Thanks!!!

[@tristanambross5968]

Same dude! Did it now in the same amount of time, works great!

[@SuperBrainAK]

The reason why charging at unlimited current is a bad idea is that when a lithium cell is discharged too low there is nothing formed on the plates, charging at a low current (sub 100mA) will reform the chemistry on the plates if you charge too fast it will cause uneven forming of the plates and WILL cause dendrites which are shorts inside the cell, that do not happen right away and if it is put in a pack it will short out and cause a major chain reaction

[@vuaeco]

This is not charging at "unlimited current". It entirely depends on the cell you use to charge the dead cell. In this case the LG cell puts out 2C or 3 Amps max. And it's also and old cell so it would be even less than that. I have never seen any Li-ion charger that puts out less than 100mA. Let's say if you do have one, how long would it takes to charge a 3350mAh cell? Let me do the math: 3350/100=33.5 hours! Yeah, that's over 33 hours to charge a Li-ion cell which I have never seen. Most charger would only take less than 4 hours. Lots of charger would take less than an hour. Some even take half an hour. That means they charge the cell at over 3 Amps on a regular basis. I'm not saying that's good for the cell but unfortunately there are lots of chargers out there that can charge a Li-ion cell in less than an hour especially cordless power tool battery chargers. Take a good look at all cordless power tool chargers: Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Kobalt, Bosch... all of them have fast chargers. In this method I'm using, I'm only charging it at 3 Amps for 30 seconds. That's even less than a typical charger that does it all day everyday. Sure dendrites are formed in Li-ion cells but that's a typical life cycle of a Li-ion battery. It's like human growing old, having white hairs and wrinkles, developing cancer. That's part of growing old. Not all dendrites are bad, however. Only ones that are big and hard enough to pierce through the cell layers and short out the circuits. Most dendrites are harmless and part of the life cycle of a typical Li-ion battery.

[@SuperBrainAK]

Yea but tell me the current that it charged at. Oh you don’t know for sure because you didn’t limit it. When reviving a dead cell you only charge at a low current until it is at a normal voltage again. Then you can charge it in your ultra fire linear parallel charger

[@vuaeco]

SuperBrainAK Yes, I know for sure what the charging current is. It's much less than 3 Amps. Here's the follow up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHfQk3pufNWGaqM

[@OregonDARRYL]

The tool manufacturers want you to buy more batteries, so fast charging makes the customer happy and destroys batteries making the corporate jerks happy.... it's a win - "win".

[@jaxativejax662]

One weird tip...I guess you're in the right place since youtube.com has no shortage of scams but the link you supplied is a classic marketing scam.

[@Scupplin]

I'm sure it's been covered, but on the Turnigy you want to set it to charge NIMH for a short amount of time then as Liion.

[@mastertek383]

I came back here to hear you say cells again. If I could thumb it up again I would.

[@MrRomanstefan]

Legend, just resuscitated an expensive battery pack. Suspected this battery may have been heavily discharged and left flat. All the cells tested (in small bunches) were ~1.2v (not consistent with cell failure). Carefully adding a little charge by jumping a full 18650 in a holder onto the multimeter probes worked great (maybe building a more permanent rig with a push to close switch may be handy if you do lots of this). De how this battery goes now the charger and controller were happy to charge it.

[@THEMADPROFdj]

@1:53 YOU DIDN'T DISconnect the parallel wires BEFORE testing the lame battery. So you were getting the sum of the whole circuit. Not the actual reading of the lame battery alone. Though this method does work, i would've liked to have seen the actual voltage of the lame battery solo at each test point.

[@growleym504]

When this works, it works, and it usually will. When it burns, it burns, and it is a very hot and nasty fire. If you add some current limiting and monitoring, you can make the process pretty safe.

[@kiwijonowilson]

You should really have some amount of resistance (like a 3V light bulb) in series between the two batteries to limit charge currently (even though it will take longer), as you likely over currenting the battery for a time with possible damage. Even more so if you try to charge a smaller capacity battery from a bigger charged cell, when it could potentially even cause a fire or battery rupture (in the smaller cell). I have an electronics engineering background and having seen lithium battery fires, I recommend treating lithium batteries with great care!

[@prabhats860]

yes, these safeties must be told in such videos, ppl just look as this type of videos and jump into experiments without knowing harmful side of it. some times these batteries burst out like a bomb and cause serious injuries.

[@carstrucks9641]

Why didn't it burn huh?

[@carstrucks9641]

What amps and voltage is dangerous?

[@5UPRAH]

Uncle Roger shows us how to revive dead cells.

[@botno370]

😂😂

[@TRICKYBYRD]

I think the magnet s on the alligator clips was the coolest and most handy thing I've seen all day. Did you just glue small magnets to them or are they actually magnetic?

[@troublefollows9986]

He put tiny magnets on battery

[@TRICKYBYRD]

@@troublefollows9986 might have just put batteries on the magnets

[@Adrian-qc7ky]

I used this technique today to revive a 2.5AH Ryobi 18V ONE+ Battery with great success.

[@XwpisONOMA]

You are on the correct path to solving the problem. A LiPo battery that reads a very low voltage to the point a charger will not accept it for charging is due to developing a high internal resistance because of a chemical reaction that occurred when it was either discharged too low and/or at a rate higher than safe. This can be fixed by applying a voltage higher than the nominal 4.2 Vmax ( and up to about double that) of what a LiPo should be charged to, and by keeping the current as low as possible (~ at 1/10C of what it is rated) so the chemical imbalance is reversed, internal resistance goes back to a normal low level, thus the battery becomes more ..."accepting" to an incoming charge. As an example connect any ...misbehaving LiPo to a wall wart with about 9 - 12 Volts and a current of as low as possible (ie 100 - 300 mA) and monitor the battery voltage level: It will start to rise slowly. The key is to let it rise very SLOWLY , like ~ 0.1 volts per minute. The slower the better, it depends on your patience just keep an eye on the battery temperature, but if you use a low current it will not warm up, guaranteed. Let the battery reach a little over 4.2 volts (not higher than 4.3 V is recommended) and disconnect it from the wall wart while observing your multimeter display. If the battery settles anywhere above 4 V it is still usable (the higher the better) although it is probably no longer as efficient like when being new. If the voltage is slowing dropping most likely it will go all the way back to an unusable level so at least you know the battery has lived its useful life and recycle it properly. Nice video, I hope I was also of some help too!

[@senffabrik4903]

Thank you for showing this. I just had a pair of good cells, but unloaded to dead due not use. I made an assumption, that it would work if I put Elektrons in it until the voltage is reached. You proofed me right. Ok ok, few years ago. Doesnt matter. Thank you

[@richardnanis]

In most cases its not worth reanimating cells that are discharged far too low (lets say below 1,5 V). You can bring their voltage up, but they won't hold it for very long. Mostly the capacity is gone (90% of it) and they wont work well afterwards. And you take the risk of creating an internal shorts (by dentrits) which can cause severe fires! In some cases you can repair cells that are still above 1,5 V and below 2,5.

[@SmiTTyy-sh8nc]

John Wuethrich, that was some funny shit !!!!!

[@SmiTTyy-sh8nc]

Yeah, were not trying to shock Frankenstein back to life here....dang, grow a pair or just ask the neighbor to connect this wire 4 me and count to 20...

[@williamservice8145]

Loo

[@thachnnguyen]

There are many ways to "wake up" those cells, the principal being to apply a large enough voltage to them for a brief period of time. That Turnigy charger of yours will do just fine. It looks like it uses the same firmware as the original SkyRC, so just change the battery type to NiMh, max charge current to, say 1 or 2A, and charge it up to about 3V (takes couple of minutes). Then switch over to Li-ion. One advantage is that for weak cells, you can observe that the voltage keeps dropping (i.e., almost impossible to bring them up to 3V). Also it will refuse to charge real dead cells (internally shorted). Three things you should have mentioned playing with these: 1. dead/weak cells can get real hot, so if a cell gets hot during charge, throw it away; 2. perhaps they're really not good -- after charging them up, wait for a few days to see if they can hold the charge. If not, it's time for them to go; 3. don't ever put them in parallel with good cells.

[@thesickening0169]

I'm kinda new to all this stuff, so please excuse my ignorance. Why do you say don't ever do this with two good cells? What would happen?

[@cactusstudiossouth]

Yes but, once charged how long do those dead cells last compared to a good battery?

[@harveysmidlap]

I took 2 pieces of twisted tin foil and held it across the ends and counted slowly to 15 and it worked. Thanks!!!

[@ExSkyCyclePilot]

Have to wonder how long that cell is going to work after doing this. Something tells me you wouldn't get too many more uses out of it.

[@someguy2741]

It wont work at all. When he put the voltmeter on it you could see the voltage diving. There is an internal short in the battery it will be down to zero volts maybe in an hour.

[@dreadog6425]

It was already dead, so whats your point. You get a couple extra charges for free.

[@someguy2741]

@@dreadog6425 it really just depends on why the cell is so low. If it is at 0v its done, you can do this and charge it and it will be back to 0v faster than you can use it... maybe an hour later or a day later. If the battery has any sort of charge when you try to save it you are going to be able to use it a lot more times... although you need to find out how it got pulled down below the cutoff voltage. Often this happens in packs where another cell is 0v and has a short and drags others down. Find the 0v one and replace it... pack is fixed. Dinking around with the 0v is a waste of time. But for testing you can charge it, measure voltage,then let it sit for a day. Check the voltage again. His method for charging isnt very smart... there could be a very good reason the battery is at 0v. Putting a good battery across the terminals of a bad one is dumb. If that battery has a short circuit... and his does because it gets hot... you are hoping the battery can safely dissipate all the energy you are putting into it. If you put a wire across the terminals of a good quality fully charged unprotected cell it would go very bad very quickly... like the wire glows instantly... it is absolutely nothing like an alkaline AA battery. Interesting thing i saw on bigclivedotcom youtube, he did research on the overdischarge causing damage issue. Sounds like it might be not so bad. Its based on the very first li-ion batteries and they have come a long ways in manufacture since then.

[@nicomeier8098]

@@dreadog6425 At the risk of the cell short circuiting causing a violent fire. Yeah go ahead, get those last few charges of of it............

[@frankw8876]

@Chris Richards Talk and more talk, $50 scam, worst rating on Amazon.com

[@batterynerd8779]

Hey. Idk about that. In my experience it‘s better for the battery to charge at a very small current like 100 mA until it hits 3V. Anything above that can destroy it.

[@JahanZeb1976]

This technique you did with a good discharged only battery. If you try it with a bad quality dead battery, it never ever will bring that back to life. Best regards,

[@vuaeco]

True, absolutely. You cannot revive an extinct dinosaur but you can awaken a sleeping dragon.

[@kale5567]

This will only works for alive discharged battery

[@tyronenelson9124]

Yep once its dead, its dead!

[@vuaeco]

Gary Harper: A cold bucket of water will work.

[@johanponin1360]

I have a bunch of samsung cells from a sony laptop, 0.8V and 0.5V, are they dead or reviveable ? also, if they're dead, if I try charging at very low current, what are the risks of them blowing up?

[@markknight2768]

🤟 Worked great for restoring my HS510 drone battery! Was about to tear the battery apart but I just did the jumper wire trick for a few seconds from one of the other HS510 drone batteries and it came back to life and is now charging on the Holy Stone charger. Thx for the great vid!

[@maislume981]

Not usual for me to leave coments. But you rock dude! You have fixed my battery! Thank you so so so much for the good help! You are the best! Thanks heaps!!!!!

[@cryptonitor9855]

Wow magnet as pole connector is brilliant! That can be a way to make a DIY large cell really easily! You can use ferromagnetic material that you just de-magnetize after

[@mac1mike]

that's brilliant. I usually just shock them with 12v from car battery. But this is a lot safer. lol

[@unnamed-k4q]

😂😂

[@EiLSeL_OcetOs]

😅🤣😂

[@qarngazzelqarntube2834]

My friend with the best accent ever ! So happy to stumble upon you again. As always great stuff thanks

[@rodsofgod6863]

Dude there is a lot of amps been delivered to the "dead" battery if done this way, that's why it gets warm. Why not try a DC variable power supply?

[@vuaeco]

No there isn't a lot of amps delivered to the dead battery. The grey LG cell I used in the video has a discharge rate of 2C max which is 3 Amps max. Plus, you only charge it for 20-30 seconds so it aint' no big deal. All WORKING Li-ion cells get warm when they are being charged up. Try charging a completely dead Li-ion cell and it stays cold as cash (this is also one way to figure out whether or not your li-ion cell can be revived- so if your cell stays cold when you do the parallel charge like what I showed in the video, it's time to throw it in the trash as it's really dead). You can use a DC variable power supply but how many people have that in their homes?

[@rodsofgod6863]

When you are charging Li ion batteries they are not supposed to heat up!

[@vuaeco]

Negative. Have you ever charged any Li-ion batteries before? Watch my next video and I'll prove it to you in that video. Here's the follow up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHfQk3pufNWGaqM

[@OregonDARRYL]

santiago.. I agree, a small DC power supply that plugs into the wall is best for this... We all have 5 or 6 volt, or 9 volt DC supplies laying around.... just connect for a few seconds... should do the trick...

[@ariafpv]

Darryl Edington With the charger that he got in the video, you can go to the battery type: digital power And then set it to 3.7v at 0.1a

[@pygmytube]

I tried your method on NI-MH batteries and it worked. Thank you very much for sharing this!

[@sysghost]

Be vary though. Cells that have been revived like this might overheat and maybe catch fire later down the road. I did this with dead cells I had lying around, and two out of 20 cells started to overheat after around 10-15 charge cycles later. One even exploded. There is a reason to why chargers don't allow recharging of deeply discharged cells. It's simply too risky.

[@rashidamin2959]

You can make your own current varying charger, using voltage regulator such as lm714 etc.

[@jabez571]

Bypassing safety protocols can get you injured or killed. The engineers don't design them just for the heII of it.

[@JoseHerrera-mk7cv]

Life is a risk

[@guitarman_3693]

lol..... saftey protocals..... do they work ? we need them on the important stuff ie; the air ,food, water we put into our body , all saw blades should have saftey rubber applied , everyone should wear metrorite proof hard hats , im not even sure what to say about auto's & traffic, labels should be applied to couches, fridges, TV & devices warning of obesity , procrastination, tremendously useless degrees of self percieved wisdom & knowledge, anything that a murderous heart or mind that could use to kill someone should be gathered & ejected into space, starting with the first murder weapon , we will send all rocks on earth into space. we need to have warnings to inform everyone , that the omittance of morality, humility, kindness, integerity, respectfullness, thoughtfullness, thankfulness, diligence, patience, honor, blamelessness, and mostly Love, will bring humankind to a tragic and horrific end. now let's get these saftey protocals into place !!!! lol. just kidding... you left it wide open & i hadda rib on ya.. dont get mad, i apoligize, but there are so many things that just dont work with warnings & rules.

[@jabez571]

@@guitarman_3693 lmao....because mostly it is assumed that we have common sense which isn't so common anymore.

[@moviebod]

Very good. I have done this with lead acid car batteries in the past.

[@clixium]

No matter how you revive them they are good as dead, they won't hold charge for long

[@DBPR01]

Strangely I have an electric bike that I have built a battery out of 18650 cells that originally tested "dead". I got them to take a charge using the parallel battery method. This e-bike will run for about 4 hours continuously on a charge; using these reconditioned cells. It's been going like this for about 4 months now.

[@clixium]

@@DBPR01 some cells have protection inside , an ic chip that will cut the power if the cell voltage is too low. It may show zero volts when actually is not. Whatever the case, just check temperature when charging and discharging, some cells can be hotter than others.

[@cho7official55]

@@clixium Both of your lasts comments are useful, I believe some applications can perfectly be made with "dead" batteries with no risk at all, such as a stupid ring device or so.

[@paddywall]

Cannot believe this worked. No fancy equipment here either. Just a standard battery and tinfoil instead of wire. Thanks!

[@Command37]

I've enjoyed your accent while watching your various battery videos.

[@johnconnor6725]

I've fixed a few by just tapping them for a second or two with 12 V DC. But only just tap it do not use clips or you will mess it up.

[@robbyv.526]

No shit the magnet is both a lightbulb moment and palm to forehead in that order. Thank You for enlightening and keeping me humble friend. Hope you are having a good day.

[@victorb22622]

Generally in battery pack cells are parellal to increase the capacity of power bank , if one of the cells are dead which is in parellal ,it would itself be revived as you shown here seperately.if it is the case in general ,then no cell would get dead which is in parallel.its happened because it transfer the charge from one cell to another ,but dead cell has no capacity to hold that charge so ,it will drain in no time.

[@firboulala3701]

Mine sparks when combined in parallel. Also no voltage increases immediately. Checked the dead battery resistance, it has few ohms. Is it end chapted?

[@hugodeandres1497]

Most likely yes

[@TwitchFast]

You can do this with your turnigy charger as well, just set it to NiMH and keep an eye on the voltage, since all you're really doing is bringing the voltage back up, the best part is chargers like your turnigy will let you trickle a small amount of charge to give it the best chance of revival without too much heat.

[@rahulpathania78]

That's true.. NiMH uses more of volts than rest other settings, hence, it's just like connecting any other cell in parallel as shown. But again, change the settings from NiMH to Li-ion immediately else the battery would get too hot. Depending on how old and warn off the battery is, it may not hold the charge for longer if used against a load.

[@glennkrieger]

It's been my experience that a recharged dead battery cell, by any method I've seen, produces a battery that may have the voltage reading, but the amps are cut dramatically. Which, in turn, makes them run out of charge when used very quickly. The only success I've had is replacing the sulfuric acid in a lead acid battery with magnesium sulfate, which you can buy to take a relaxing hot bath. The car battery lasted for about six months. So, even this is has its limits.

[@captainprototype187]

I think you might be right in my limited experience in tryiing somethng like ths. I have seen the voltage decrease a bit every second when doing somethng like this

[@efahrenholz]

I call these "revived" batteries faux cells. They appear to take the charge, like a miracle, and quickly die after removing the supply. I believe the reason these failed batteries, despite being chemically inert now, accept a charge is more for capacitive reasons. There is no chemical reaction taking place inside the cell. The electrons are statically sticking to the conductors, like a capacitor, and depending on the surface area you end up with a super capacitor. It loses charge very quickly and behaves like a big electrolytic cap.

[@carstrucks9641]

Hell no don't open batteries

[@TS-qd2uj]

Thanks for a very clear description of the process as well as the 30 second max charge warning.

[@ralphbellstedt456]

Cool trick with the magnets, I will definitely remember that! Would be cool if you can check the capacity of a cell brought back to life like that and maybe try it with an old dead cell as well. BTW, what accent is that? Sounds cool.

[@axelcramer3964]

I have a couple friends who are Vietnamese and their accents remind me of his. I also like that accent!

[@mr89firebird]

@@axelcramer3964 I was definitely thinking Southeast Asia

[@tomcruise7095]

He is from the Philippines bro

[@Gustoph420]

Three replies about the accent. Zero about battery capacity. I’m also interested to know what the stats are on one of these “resurrected” cell, especially when compared to a new or even “like new” cell! I also like the accent. Very cool 😎

[@Deadwindshadow]

I recommend using a resistor in series with the alligator clips to avoid massive current surge into the dead cell :)

[@rustyh1686]

Just woke up my 25r's, we will see if they hold charge. Thanks man👍 There was no way I was sticking something under positive to reset cid button 😢

[@anthonyhadsell2673]

did they hold charge?

[@rustyh1686]

@@anthonyhadsell2673 sure did bro, still going

[@ABritInNY]

Really? I find that very hard to believe. Not if the cell's CID has been tripped it won't. It physically cannot! The CID is a current interrupt device making a physical separation of the circuit like a fuse. This is just a "wake up" method for very low voltage cells. However even with all that said, this is a VERY BAD idea and stupid on oh so many levels. That 1.7m people watched this recommendation is the only positive about it, certainly there should be a bunch of warnings attached to the video. It's impossible to list all the reasons in a YT comment BUT just "off the bat," paralleling 2 cells of very diff voltage levels is dumb and dangerous due to possible excessive equalization current. Just from your example of a 25R cell, if that one was the charged cell, it could easily dump over 50a instantly (25r can pulse discharge more than that too,) to the low cell, with unpredictable results on both low cells and any thin AWG wires connecting them. Fire can erupt wyite quickly in that circumstance. Yes, crap low discharge rate laptop cells are less of a danger for this, but there are so many other factors. Aside from all that, the "woken" cell may suffer from dendritic growths and may self discharge to LV quite quickly, making the entire operation essentially irrelevant. Considering how cheap these cells are I can't believe people are wasting their time, and inviting a potentially dangerous situation in their homes, but they "your life, your house/mortgage," if people are renting though, I wouldn't let the landlord see the video or comment ;p

[@rustyh1686]

@@ABritInNY I didnt say CID was tripped at all. Just low voltage that my charger wouldnt charge. I used a full charged bat and jumped it in 20 second increments while holding in my hand to keep an eye on heat. Anyway your question was really? My answer is yes, I dont talk shit. As far as the rest of your comment, I only got to about the 3rd line before becoming to bored to continue🤷‍♂️, but I appreciate your effort, thanks. I have no doubt you are very smart😁

[@ABritInNY]

@@rustyh1686 Understood, but then I'm not sure why you'd say in your comment"...to reset the CID button." I mean why mention reset if not tripped? That was kinda the part I was commenting on.

[@tracym427]

You can also switch your computer charger to Nicd charge mode and select 3 cells(3.6v) and maybe like 2amp and let it charge for 30sec or a min(monitor the heat) and it will bring up the voltage enough. Then you can switch over to normal charge mode.

[@philoutollet173]

but after charge, battery will NOT give a lot of power and be descharged in a few minuts !!!

[@tekvax01]

you might get lucky, and bring the cell back from the dead, after several charge and discharge cycles, but the battery will rarely ever get back to a full charge and discharge envelope. I also would NEVER charge these dead cells indoors, and always keeping them in a burn bag!

[@robmc3338]

Discharging to 0.5v (say in a single cell torch that's been left on) does not do the cell any good but probably will not kill it. Batterys with multiple cells will typically when taken down to very low voltage often ends up pulling one cell below 0v and that does kill the cell..... Also aparently to recover a over discharged cell charging at 0.1C during recovery is best not this 10+C method shown here.... (IMHO, Results will vary etc...)

[@Robertsack100]

Oh you have a good power sentry distributor with overvoltage protection! Keep it safe! There are only a few manufacturers are so very good components in it. A good thing!

[@garrettg5130]

This method will most likely cause additional degradation to the battery. For really dead cells you should perform a process called "pre-charging" which charges the battery at a very low current. Here's a video by EEvblog that explains it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2fQfJdrlJKUmM0

[@hereseasytrickbringsanybat7674]

Thank you for making a video on how to revive / rejuvenate a battery that is dead or no longer active.

[@15secofFame]

Just be careful as the cell can get hot with the rush charge! Charge it up to what it stops charging at and do a discharge test at the cells rated discharge rate for an accurate mAh reading. I typically discharge at .3 A. I rarely have good cells that were very low in voltage or they don't last long.