I have found the safest way to store unknown batteries and prevent them burning the house down, is to put them all in a small cardboard box and ask a friend to look after them. 🙂
Small batteries, like these, that I have managed to salvage, I just store in a small glass jar (jam) with the lid lightly screwed on. Any exposed terminals or attached wires, I just insulate with a tab of making tape. I do not keep any that show any signs of damage or bulging to the foil envelope. Been okay so far.
I never keep any cells that show any signs of damage, even slight damage to the cell pack skin. Too risky. I captan tape the exposed ends to ensure there will no shorts and I store them in a sealed metal container after i have partially discharged them, lower hazard if the cells are not fully charged. I ensure that i charge them only when i am at home, awake and nearby.
Now you just have to think of creative projects to do with the salvaged cells 😀 , The little mic/pressure like switches can apparently charge the cells too as well as preventing them over discharge, Thinking of using one to power a rp2040 project 🙂.
I store mine in those plastic compartment boxes which then goes into a metal biscuit tin. I make powerbanks out of some of the ones I find (iGet brand). They've got a 1500mAh battery, so I replace the "juice" bit with another battery in parallel to get 3000mAh. There's enough room to fit one of those generic USB charge/boost modules, I use the end cap from the second unit, cut holes in it to mount the module. So a 3000mAh powerbank in a nice form factor basically for $1 and some time. That Viper Buffalo one at 24:10 would be a good candidate, you'd need to 3D print something to hold the USB charge module though.
I used to have a bunch of metal film cans with screw on tops. Those would be great for such cells with the sparky bits taped up. The way you’re doing it, one cell going toasty could set them all off.
@@markfergerson2145 The odds of a battery spontaneously combusting just sitting there are lower than NASA dropping one from the ISS thru my roof. But my dude, you do you.
I had a bunch of dime cells for a project and ended up storing each in an individual sandwich bag to prevent shorting. Can reuse the bags later for other things once the project is done
I have some cells from the smaller fast electric model boats, I store them in a small metal box which is stored with the model boat in a old metal toolbox.
Good question. My storage "system" isn't verygood. Just store cylindrical cells in a plastic tote like logs so the ends don't touch. For those with wires or terminal points, I do cover the Hot terminals with electrical tape. I don't keep any that way below rated capacity. I used to reset the "circuit breaker" on 18650s that had tripped, but decider that wasn''t a good idea, just in case the cell had been cooked too much.
The only ones I found until now that were salvagable were 18650s, found one on the ground and removed two from a (non-working) gardening scissors device. Right now I store them in my 18650-charger since I have no other means of storage - the 18650s I bought came in plastic casings. The one I found on the ground says "INR-18650-P28A" and I have no idea what that stands for, the two from the gardening thingy are marked 3.6V 1300mAh. Have to check them, but they all were chargeable and held some charge, so they're not dead (the gardening scissor ones were not faulty, the charger was, which was no wonder since there was no balancing at all - they were just coupled in series). Have to check the charge with my charge-tester-device (which is not as impressive as yours - no fan or cooling ribs, for starters - but works). All the flat ones (foil or whatever) were spicey pillows and disposed of because of that, I don't need them to explode in one of my drawers. Those rechargeable stinking devices are either not a thing here in Norway, or people are better at keeping and recharging them. I don't know, I don't even smoke, and vaping is (in my opinion) really just smoking with a different stink.
Plastic battery containers for storage, else put kapton tape on the contacts. Store at 50% charge (nominal voltage, usually 3.7V for most). Check them monthly. Any suspect cells I would keep in a fireproof charge bag, available most places eg _lipo guard_ for less than $7.
I have salvaged too many actually. I usually solder on a battery protection mini pcb like comes on new ones and wrap them like they look when new and add jst plugs to the battery protection boards like new ones do. I just store them in standard parts boxes stacked on their side like bread. which reminds me, i should check how they are doing. I charged mine to full capacity but after leaning you should really not charge them over 80% for storage, I did not bother with discharging them some. I check on them from time to time or year to year they seem to be holding a chrage buts its been awhile.
Hah, I've got the JLabs earbuds to go with that charger. It's the cheapest ones you can get at an airport when you realize while traveling you forgot yours.
I listened to the video through the same buds. Got them at Walmart for ~US$20.00 because I’m cheap. They have given good service for over two years, I run them occasionally until they turn themselves off, then charge them overnight every night. The audio quality is surprisingly good for the price though you kind of have to press them into your ears to get decent bass. Granted I’m 71 and my ears aren’t what they used to be, so I’m not going to spend more than twenty bucks…
@@pileofstuff At least four hours of listening time, and the buds will charge fully at least twice from the battery in the case. Note that they don’t have the cylindrical extension that iPods have which contain a battery. The cell inside the Jpop earbuds must be really tiny, but I’m not ready to do a teardown on mine to find out just how tiny.
That was pretty fun. Considering how much work it is to get lithium for those batteries, it's a shame to see how many of them get thrown away with nearly 100% of their life left.
In my experience, if there is a cap on the bottom, you should try to remove the battery from the bottom. Only if it's a unibody design with only the top removable part you should pull it out from the top.
Wow it's scavenger hunt time! Nothing like that found around here after a snowmelt, though. (Ceramic tipped screwdrivers and tweezers are quite handy in these surgeries, by the way) (Dip the wire ends in either nail polish, or candle wax)
i usually deal with any loose wires straight away. Cutting one at a time. Bagging them straight after. Damaged batteries straight into salt water or dont even touch until its rained on them. I see fires regularly on the roads around here. Ammo boxes seem to be way forward for storage and away from the house. Dont give them any oxygen. I use them for 1s drones. They dont seem to have much output ampage. Anyone had any experience with Paralleling them?
I put 2 1500mAh ones in parallel to make little powerbanks (using the shell). They work fine. I do capacity match them, but I've never bother testing them for amps. (As an aside I once found a 8P pack of 18650s. In a solar-powered real estate sign, of all things. Very odd.)
The USB-C charging feature does not mean it was designed not to be disposable. These devices provide no easy way to refill the atomiser tank or to swap out the heater coil after it gets coated in carbonised residue. The recharging PCB just allows manufacturers to cheap out on the lithium battery capacity. Those low capacity batteries would have been recharged multiple times (often between extreme voltage levels 3V to 4.2V at high currents) by the user in order to vaporise all the liquid in the tank, so probably won't be in the best condition.
Yep, can confirm. Just as disposable, but more annoying for the user & anyone wanting free batteries. You'd think the cost of adding charging would be more than a bigger battery, but apparently not. (Bonus greenwashing as well, I suppose.)
⚠️ Do NOT wipe off vape batteries with alcohol like he does in 03:00, the printed text on them will dissolve. If you need to clean them leave the text out of the alcohol treatment.
@pileofstuff You should do a follow-up video on what to do with all these batteries. My fav is to replace the button batteries on digital callipers that are always flat when you need it most. You just need the 1.5V step down PCB pulled from a USB rechargeable AAA battery and a JB Welded microswitch to turn it off when not in use.
Did you throw away the pressure sensing capsules which those vaporising devices usually have for sensing inhalation? Those contain a capacitive touch sensing chip capable of switching surprisingly high currents - enough to drive a small solenoid, relay or DC motor. I've also been collecting those sensing capsules in addition to the batteries.
@@pileofstuff In the devices I've harvested from the street, the pressure sensing capsule is usually on the opposite end to where the atomiser tank is located, so typically is less contaminated than the lithium battery. Just slice the top off to expose the chip and dip the whole thing in isopropanol. With the conductive membrane removed, it will now function as a touch sensor.
what I do is if it is a 18650 I keep them in a plastique box and if they are cells like what you got today I keep each in there own pill jar's that you get medication in and the charging boards from I keep too to reuse them as charge only boards
Scotch Tape my Friend. I've got boxes of these because I wanted to use the sense mechanisms for a Midi flute instrument. Over the years I've acquired many of these devices and like using them to make DIY vape instruments for friends. Give them new life instead of the damn landfill. I fear one day we will learn the impacts of lithium based product being leached into our soil across America and the whole world for that matter. Be safe friend. If not Scotch Caption tape works too but not just anyone has that laying around. Scotch can't go wrong with scotch. 😂 🍷
@@IkaKomura same here. Those cans are really just a pressure sensitive mosfets. The mind would have you believe they are analog. They can be used as a trigger though.
My ex-laptop cells are either in Cell Banks that came MT or Dead, or in plastic cases designed for storage. They are all under my bed --- I really should get a metal tin to put them in. Got a Tin --- now on top of the Wardrobe.
For salvage I'm even more cautious than Clive, I have upgraded to an explosive containment biscuit tin, the lid is a useful addition. I decided to implement this after scraping off the remains of a charred silicone soldering mat from my desk. One day my study will stop smelling burnt.
Very interesting💪 may I ask what r3 was replaced with and what was your target termination voltage🙏 You mentioned a 603 which I figure is that smd size?
I believe it was an 8.2K resistor. Which should have brought it down to about 150mA or thereabouts. The datasheet for the TP4056 has a chart showing the current for various resistor values. Yes 0603 is the physical size of the surface mount resistor.
i tape of the ends to prevent shorting, but honestly if i tested them as good, i just put them in a small bin. :O i have smoke alarms nearby :P pls follow up with your acquired knowledge on storing cells safely :D
@@pileofstuff - Oh... I couldn't read it, so I just went with what you said in the voiceover. All cool, and it's very unlikely for it to be LiFePO4 inside those kinds of devices
I’ve seen vapes and power banks with those numeric charge level displays. Remarkable amount of tech packed in for that functionality. Must be a good use for that, shame to throw it away.
@@pileofstuff Hackaday just put up an article about reverse engineering one. They found a ARM Cortex M0, 1 MB of flash, and a 80×160 colour display. Sigh. I found a "fancy" one that had 2 beefy 18650's, only a mono display though.
You said, "Its Tomorrow". Where's the FREE BEER !? We Aussies take Beer very seriously. You can't just say Tomorrow all willy nilly like, there's rules. Just ask Brent and Hank down at Corner Gas.! 😆 As to Battery Storage. DON'T use Cardboard or any Hygroscopic material. There is actually NO safe storage solutions for li batteries. I use semi-rigid semi-transparent cheap plastic containers. Temperature around 18 degC.
@pileofstuff Oh yeah, the breakfast beer. The Army have got that sorted. You just don't go to bed.😆 I had an uncle, he went a droving at 16, lived most of his life in the saddle. Every xmas he'd show up granny's place on horseback with his cattle dogs. He would roll out of his cot each morning, open a bottle of beer, see to the horses and dogs, wash up, and arrive at the breakfast table, empty bottle. Cup of tea with breakfast. Anyhoo. Got yourself a nice haul there from your wanderings.
Since it is a chemical reaction and also since you pulled them out of the snow.. maybe it's okay to store them really really cold :) .. Do you think it was worth it ? .. I mean beside the staggeringly selfless community service pulling that poisonous junk, that mindless people just throw away, out off the nature !!
I have found the safest way to store unknown batteries and prevent them burning the house down, is to put them all in a small cardboard box and ask a friend to look after them. 🙂
One day I came home from a long days work to find the whole corner of my shed, burns down like Maui. I blamed you. 😂
@@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3 Maybe this is why I don't have many friends?😆
I like your thinking
Big Clive's explosion containment pie dish.
I use a plastic parts organizer with adjustable slots, so each cell is in its own compartment.
Hi ya Kent, I wrap the leads or terminals in masking tape and toss them in a drawer with all sorts of wire and parts, never had a problem
Small batteries, like these, that I have managed to salvage, I just store in a small glass jar (jam) with the lid lightly screwed on. Any exposed terminals or attached wires, I just insulate with a tab of making tape. I do not keep any that show any signs of damage or bulging to the foil envelope. Been okay so far.
I never keep any cells that show any signs of damage, even slight damage to the cell pack skin. Too risky. I captan tape the exposed ends to ensure there will no shorts and I store them in a sealed metal container after i have partially discharged them, lower hazard if the cells are not fully charged. I ensure that i charge them only when i am at home, awake and nearby.
Now you just have to think of creative projects to do with the salvaged cells 😀 , The little mic/pressure like switches can apparently charge the cells too as well as preventing them over discharge, Thinking of using one to power a rp2040 project 🙂.
I use the cells from these vapes to power small rc planes I fly. They work great!
I store mine in those plastic compartment boxes which then goes into a metal biscuit tin.
I make powerbanks out of some of the ones I find (iGet brand). They've got a 1500mAh battery, so I replace the "juice" bit with another battery in parallel to get 3000mAh. There's enough room to fit one of those generic USB charge/boost modules, I use the end cap from the second unit, cut holes in it to mount the module.
So a 3000mAh powerbank in a nice form factor basically for $1 and some time. That Viper Buffalo one at 24:10 would be a good candidate, you'd need to 3D print something to hold the USB charge module though.
I used to have a bunch of metal film cans with screw on tops. Those would be great for such cells with the sparky bits taped up. The way you’re doing it, one cell going toasty could set them all off.
@@markfergerson2145 The odds of a battery spontaneously combusting just sitting there are lower than NASA dropping one from the ISS thru my roof. But my dude, you do you.
Those are becoming very rare these days.
I had a bunch of dime cells for a project and ended up storing each in an individual sandwich bag to prevent shorting. Can reuse the bags later for other things once the project is done
I have some cells from the smaller fast electric model boats, I store them in a small metal box which is stored with the model boat in a old metal toolbox.
Good question. My storage "system" isn't verygood. Just store cylindrical cells in a plastic tote like logs so the ends don't touch. For those with wires or terminal points, I do cover the Hot terminals with electrical tape. I don't keep any that way below rated capacity. I used to reset the "circuit breaker" on 18650s that had tripped, but decider that wasn''t a good idea, just in case the cell had been cooked too much.
The only ones I found until now that were salvagable were 18650s, found one on the ground and removed two from a (non-working) gardening scissors device. Right now I store them in my 18650-charger since I have no other means of storage - the 18650s I bought came in plastic casings. The one I found on the ground says "INR-18650-P28A" and I have no idea what that stands for, the two from the gardening thingy are marked 3.6V 1300mAh. Have to check them, but they all were chargeable and held some charge, so they're not dead (the gardening scissor ones were not faulty, the charger was, which was no wonder since there was no balancing at all - they were just coupled in series). Have to check the charge with my charge-tester-device (which is not as impressive as yours - no fan or cooling ribs, for starters - but works). All the flat ones (foil or whatever) were spicey pillows and disposed of because of that, I don't need them to explode in one of my drawers.
Those rechargeable stinking devices are either not a thing here in Norway, or people are better at keeping and recharging them. I don't know, I don't even smoke, and vaping is (in my opinion) really just smoking with a different stink.
Would like to see how you built the cell discharge/recharge circuit.
Plastic battery containers for storage, else put kapton tape on the contacts. Store at 50% charge (nominal voltage, usually 3.7V for most). Check them monthly. Any suspect cells I would keep in a fireproof charge bag, available most places eg _lipo guard_ for less than $7.
i store my batteries in one of those metal ammo boxes they sell at Princess Auto
I have salvaged too many actually. I usually solder on a battery protection mini pcb like comes on new ones and wrap them like they look when new and add jst plugs to the battery protection boards like new ones do. I just store them in standard parts boxes stacked on their side like bread. which reminds me, i should check how they are doing. I charged mine to full capacity but after leaning you should really not charge them over 80% for storage, I did not bother with discharging them some. I check on them from time to time or year to year they seem to be holding a chrage buts its been awhile.
Hah, I've got the JLabs earbuds to go with that charger. It's the cheapest ones you can get at an airport when you realize while traveling you forgot yours.
I listened to the video through the same buds. Got them at Walmart for ~US$20.00 because I’m cheap.
They have given good service for over two years, I run them occasionally until they turn themselves off, then charge them overnight every night. The audio quality is surprisingly good for the price though you kind of have to press them into your ears to get decent bass. Granted I’m 71 and my ears aren’t what they used to be, so I’m not going to spend more than twenty bucks…
How much listen time do you get out of that tiny battery?
@@pileofstuff At least four hours of listening time, and the buds will charge fully at least twice from the battery in the case. Note that they don’t have the cylindrical extension that iPods have which contain a battery. The cell inside the Jpop earbuds must be really tiny, but I’m not ready to do a teardown on mine to find out just how tiny.
Great find.
Street lithium is grrrreat! We do something positive by both removing these from the enviromment AND put them to good use
That was pretty fun. Considering how much work it is to get lithium for those batteries, it's a shame to see how many of them get thrown away with nearly 100% of their life left.
It's brutal man. I agree.
There's actually not much lithium in them compared to coins cells etc. Still, they are plague on society.
In my experience, if there is a cap on the bottom, you should try to remove the battery from the bottom. Only if it's a unibody design with only the top removable part you should pull it out from the top.
Love me some salvaged parts!
I store my LIPOs in a gutted metal microwave oven case behind me in the basement.
Wow it's scavenger hunt time! Nothing like that found around here after a snowmelt, though.
(Ceramic tipped screwdrivers and tweezers are quite handy in these surgeries, by the way)
(Dip the wire ends in either nail polish, or candle wax)
i usually deal with any loose wires straight away. Cutting one at a time. Bagging them straight after. Damaged batteries straight into salt water or dont even touch until its rained on them. I see fires regularly on the roads around here. Ammo boxes seem to be way forward for storage and away from the house. Dont give them any oxygen. I use them for 1s drones. They dont seem to have much output ampage. Anyone had any experience with Paralleling them?
I put 2 1500mAh ones in parallel to make little powerbanks (using the shell). They work fine. I do capacity match them, but I've never bother testing them for amps.
(As an aside I once found a 8P pack of 18650s. In a solar-powered real estate sign, of all things. Very odd.)
I store mine in plastic battery boxes inside of a used metal ammunition box from princess auto.
I am so happy those were not free doggy bags I see at our parks
The USB-C charging feature does not mean it was designed not to be disposable. These devices provide no easy way to refill the atomiser tank or to swap out the heater coil after it gets coated in carbonised residue. The recharging PCB just allows manufacturers to cheap out on the lithium battery capacity. Those low capacity batteries would have been recharged multiple times (often between extreme voltage levels 3V to 4.2V at high currents) by the user in order to vaporise all the liquid in the tank, so probably won't be in the best condition.
Yep, can confirm. Just as disposable, but more annoying for the user & anyone wanting free batteries. You'd think the cost of adding charging would be more than a bigger battery, but apparently not. (Bonus greenwashing as well, I suppose.)
I seen 3d models for storage but myself I stick them in a bag and inside a metal tin
⚠️ Do NOT wipe off vape batteries with alcohol like he does in 03:00, the printed text on them will dissolve. If you need to clean them leave the text out of the alcohol treatment.
For storage, I charge to a maximum of 70%. Storing at 100% will cause them to degrade faster.
True, but given how much money I have invested in these, it's not my highest concern for this particular collection of cells...
I keep mine in a plastic container on the window sill and make sure my house insurance is paid.
@pileofstuff You should do a follow-up video on what to do with all these batteries. My fav is to replace the button batteries on digital callipers that are always flat when you need it most. You just need the 1.5V step down PCB pulled from a USB rechargeable AAA battery and a JB Welded microswitch to turn it off when not in use.
Here's one of the things I have done with them: ua-cam.com/video/jbpkwZ9BNZs/v-deo.html
Did you throw away the pressure sensing capsules which those vaporising devices usually have for sensing inhalation? Those contain a capacitive touch sensing chip capable of switching surprisingly high currents - enough to drive a small solenoid, relay or DC motor. I've also been collecting those sensing capsules in addition to the batteries.
Nah, they're too much of an unknown. Plus, they're impossible to clean the stinky stuff off them.
@@pileofstuff In the devices I've harvested from the street, the pressure sensing capsule is usually on the opposite end to where the atomiser tank is located, so typically is less contaminated than the lithium battery. Just slice the top off to expose the chip and dip the whole thing in isopropanol. With the conductive membrane removed, it will now function as a touch sensor.
what I do is if it is a 18650 I keep them in a plastique box and if they are cells like what you got today I keep each in there own pill jar's that you get medication in and the charging boards from I keep too to reuse them as charge only boards
Scotch Tape my Friend. I've got boxes of these because I wanted to use the sense mechanisms for a Midi flute instrument. Over the years I've acquired many of these devices and like using them to make DIY vape instruments for friends. Give them new life instead of the damn landfill. I fear one day we will learn the impacts of lithium based product being leached into our soil across America and the whole world for that matter.
Be safe friend. If not Scotch Caption tape works too but not just anyone has that laying around. Scotch can't go wrong with scotch. 😂 🍷
Did you get the sensor working for your Flute project? I've only gotten it to to pass a digital high. No Analog values or anything like that.
@@IkaKomura same here. Those cans are really just a pressure sensitive mosfets. The mind would have you believe they are analog. They can be used as a trigger though.
My ex-laptop cells are either in Cell Banks that came MT or Dead, or in plastic cases designed for storage.
They are all under my bed --- I really should get a metal tin to put them in.
Got a Tin --- now on top of the Wardrobe.
For salvage I'm even more cautious than Clive, I have upgraded to an explosive containment biscuit tin, the lid is a useful addition. I decided to implement this after scraping off the remains of a charred silicone soldering mat from my desk. One day my study will stop smelling burnt.
I can't buy enough Christmas Popcorn Tins for such experiments. Especially around July they become hard to find. 😂
@@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3 I'm well supplied, Ikea ginger thins come in nice airtight tins.
Very interesting💪 may I ask what r3 was replaced with and what was your target termination voltage🙏
You mentioned a 603 which I figure is that smd size?
I believe it was an 8.2K resistor. Which should have brought it down to about 150mA or thereabouts. The datasheet for the TP4056 has a chart showing the current for various resistor values.
Yes 0603 is the physical size of the surface mount resistor.
you best have your explosion containment pie dish at the ready
i tape of the ends to prevent shorting, but honestly if i tested them as good, i just put them in a small bin. :O i have smoke alarms nearby :P pls follow up with your acquired knowledge on storing cells safely :D
3:06 Did you notice that that cell was LiFePO4 3.3v??
That's a 7 not a 3
@@pileofstuff - Oh... I couldn't read it, so I just went with what you said in the voiceover. All cool, and it's very unlikely for it to be LiFePO4 inside those kinds of devices
I just put some electrical tape across the terminals and put them in my plastic drawers with the others, keeping them away from physical damage.
I’ve seen vapes and power banks with those numeric charge level displays. Remarkable amount of tech packed in for that functionality. Must be a good use for that, shame to throw it away.
Unfortunately far too much of that stuff is proprietary and undocumented.
@@pileofstuff Hackaday just put up an article about reverse engineering one. They found a ARM Cortex M0, 1 MB of flash, and a 80×160 colour display. Sigh. I found a "fancy" one that had 2 beefy 18650's, only a mono display though.
I wonder how many of them come with a finale front ear?
Maybe you can get the heating element from those and use for your steam locomotive to make real Steam
It would take too much cleaning effort to get the stank off them.
You said, "Its Tomorrow". Where's the FREE BEER !?
We Aussies take Beer very seriously. You can't just say Tomorrow all willy nilly like, there's rules. Just ask Brent and Hank down at Corner Gas.! 😆
As to Battery Storage. DON'T use Cardboard or any Hygroscopic material.
There is actually NO safe storage solutions for li batteries.
I use semi-rigid semi-transparent cheap plastic containers.
Temperature around 18 degC.
I draw the line at breakfast time beer...
unless it's the weekend.
@pileofstuff
Oh yeah, the breakfast beer. The Army have got that sorted. You just don't go to bed.😆
I had an uncle, he went a droving at 16, lived most of his life in the saddle. Every xmas he'd show up granny's place on horseback with his cattle dogs. He would roll out of his cot each morning, open a bottle of beer, see to the horses and dogs, wash up, and arrive at the breakfast table, empty bottle. Cup of tea with breakfast.
Anyhoo. Got yourself a nice haul there from your wanderings.
My town has so many wondering crackheads that pick up everything that has any value whatsoever.
You can' only find garbage where I live.
I wonder what they’re wondering.
@@mikebond6328 where to find more meth....
Some of those horrible devices have recharging circuits, but no way of putting more nick-o-teen juice in. Go figure
Use an explosive pie dish😀?
An explosive pie dish sounds like a CIA assassination device,. I think you mean an explosion containment pie dish, the containment part is important.
Since it is a chemical reaction and also since you pulled them out of the snow.. maybe it's okay to store them really really cold :) .. Do you think it was worth it ? .. I mean beside the staggeringly selfless community service pulling that poisonous junk, that mindless people just throw away, out off the nature !!
Make a bluetooth speaker out of the discarded earphone
I hear that Ukraine is a large source of Lithium.
Sorry I can't give any advice as to battery storage.
Are those Doggy Poop Bags ?😂
Absolutely!
tape over terminals, half charged, cardboard box on shelf