If anyone is in the UK and has collected lots of used vapes (preferably the larger ones), please let me know. It seems that I'll need a crazy amount to make the power wall
Hi man, I've brainstormed doing similar things myself and since I was a student at the time my idea was to contact local colleges and ask to put a vape disposal bin somewhere on campus. I never did this as I'm not sure the legality or regulation and was more concerned about my studies but perhaps you could look into it a bit if you'd like to continue these projects, great job btw!
Hey bud. Happy to talk to you on Instagram, I have quite a few vapes saved up that I'm willing to send to you. Better than putting them in the bin as I know you'll be able to put them to good use!
I'm in university right now for manufacturing engineering and after seeing your first video I started having people give me their dead vaped. I now have a bunch coming in and am trying to start making recycling on campus for them for projects like what you're doing. Thank you so much for the inspiration, and good job beating me to the vape powered bike haha
@@andikappradana more importantly. The availability of Lithium ion batteries that could be better spent on high end defense technology or consumer goods instead of being thrown out by useless nicotine junkies
I think your video worked. UK government has decided to stop the selling of disposable vapes. Your videos are really great.
19 днів тому+592
Everything is excellently done except for one very important thing, which is the insulation between the lower and upper block. In the middle there should be vitroplast, or some plastic film. The reason for this is because due to the vibrations on the bicycle, the battery is under vibrations and over time, due to friction, the plastic layer of the thermal tape would break through and cause a short circuit. I say this from experience after many years of using a DIY bicycle battery.
The algorithm should really show this to everybody. I like your approach to the variable diameter of the cells, and i fully support these types of projects. I can't believe that selling disposable vapes has been legal for so many years, and nothing's done with it.
It is best the algorithm stays the way it is .. people are gonna get hurt or worse. This is not good practice actually dangerous . Also nothing clever about using discarded batteries. They are just batteries.
@@IANHANDS Calling these discarded batteries just seems disingenuous, these batteries were likely used for 1(!) charge cycle out of a rated 300. Yes, using old batteries can be dangerous, but so can working with any batteries if you do not know what you are doing. "They are just batteries" Yes, they are batteries which use up a small amount of the FINITE resources on this planet to create, why should they be used to less than 1% of their manufactured use case
man its like you want kids to be healty and dont want them playing with bombs and mini explosives i think they should be legal just cuz its a easy way to get li ion bateries
Uni engineering student here, after your first vid I got a bunch of friends and we went all over our city picking dead vapes up and recycling them for their batteries.
@@sonickrnd I've seen these few and far between and some shops (unfortunately, I do vape). The downside is, they're branded for one specific brand or size of vape. Other than that, it's a normal garbage bin. A rechargeable and refillable vape is the way to go if you do participate in the horrible habit.
The most impressive part of the video is how clear everything is explained, even without technical knowledge I understood everything and could maybe even recreate with all the tools. Great video thanks for this
I built a vape powered e bike back in summer 2023. 14s27p pack of 400mah vape cells and a 1.5kw motor. The thing is absurdly powerful and if you don't max it's speed, has over 30km of range. Did have to rebuild the pack once and swap out damaged cells on 2 of the 14 groups recently due to self discharge issues but otherwise it's been shockingly fine. Have over 400km on the bike at this point.
With the 13s motor overdriven to 14s voltages, when full it pulls over 1.8kw and can reach over 60 km/h. From my experience with that particular brand of cell i used ("Salt" brand vapes), the pack could safely deliver 3kw for sure, and certainly more for a smaller amount of time. And anyway, the BMS monitors the temperature.
I went with salvaged cells 98 or 14s7p 18650s I bought for about $1 each, 1500W ebike kit, in total about $500 2.5-3yrs ago, the bike has about 40-50km range, max speed 65kmh with full batt even after all these time. So far no bad cells or overheating, I guess I could go another couple of years with no issue. Plan is to switch frame to double shock, add another serie and push it to 70+kmh next year
I’ve built a few packs myself and my only pointers are 1.) use fish paper between the cell banks alongside the teflon tape! It’s good for this stuff because it won’t break down if there’s a little bit of rubbing. 2.) it’s worth mentioning that soldering lithium batteries should be avoided at all cost as they lose capacity when you dump heat into them like that. However, it would’ve been extremely hard for you to spot weld this design so I get why you did it. 3.) don’t let your bms wires cross if possible. This one is because the wires will short out if they get smushed and the copper pushes through the pvc jackets on the outside of the balance leads. Once again, almost impossible with this design but worth mentioning for anyone who wants to get into pack building. Overall great work though!
Throwing rechargeable lithium batteries away after one use is absolute lunacy and wasteful. I will be looking out for them for my projects. Great video 👍
It's a great eye-opener about the eco disaster that disposable vapes represent, but having seen the work involved I don't feel so bad about dropping £250 on a 20ah direct from a reputable manufacturer. A labour of love for sure.
many people actually recharge the vapes. In australia, a lot of friends that i know are aware that there is still juice left in the device, so theyll rip them open a recharge them using some stripped wires. you can get about 3-4 recharges out of them.
Love how the mans said it wasn't a guide but did the due diligence to give warnings. also whacky those have aluminium cases. That makes em worth the pickup even for folks that don't have the skills for batter alteration.
I am not an engineer so I would never attempt something like this, but I have been using vape batteries for smaller projects like rc cars, and clocks thanks to you. It is crazy how good these batteries actually are.
This video randomly appeared in my feed, but I'm so thankful it did. Not only is it informative, it's addressing a proper issue we've got both in the UK and globally. Your innovation and attention to details is top notch! Can't wait for the next one!
Electrical engineering student here. I always get on my buddy's case about throwing out his vapes (one of which had a full OLED screen on it!); I think I'll send him this video. Congratulations on being featured on today's TechLinked!
Damn I wish there was a way to recycle mine. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve used them for about a year before I recently got a more permanent solution. I’ve got a big gallon bag full of them and I won’t throw them away because it could set the garbage truck on fire if one is ruptured by the compactor or something. Really don’t know what to do with them and dont like having them in my apartment.
@@Cinci746 I dont know where you live, but in the UK companies that sell lithium ion batteries are required to fund places to recycle them. Do a bit of googling for where your local center is, there might be a WEEE, waste electronic and electrical equipment recycling near you. Personally, we have a couple bins for them that get regularly collected at my university laundromats. I havent recycled any vapes yet, so im not certain if they would require you to take the battery out and just give them that, or if theyll take the whole thing. good luck
Most battery items are recycleable. Now just like your worry with throwning them in the bin it could light the truck on fire. With things like these your supposed to go to your local recycling center and give it to them like that. @@Cinci746
I'm studying electrical engineering and these kind of videos remind me why it's such a fun field to study. It's amazing that you can find essentialy free energy on the streets and recycle it into something useful, while also cleaning the environment! Keep up the great work!!
Wow, I am truly amazed! What you’re doing with old e-cigarettes is just incredible. The fact that you're taking parts that others often throw in the trash or leave lying around in nature, which is so harmful to the environment, and turning them into something useful and sustainable is truly impressive. Building an e-bike battery out of these parts shows just how much talent and knowledge you have. But imagine if you could actually build an entire home storage system from multiple old e-cigarettes-that would be revolutionary! I would be so excited if you made a video about that process. Even if it turns into a multi-part series, I’d follow every second of it. Not only would it take your channel to a whole new level, but it would also be a huge step forward for the environment and an inspiration for everyone who cares about sustainability. Your channel already has so many subscribers with only five videos, and that clearly shows what an incredible talent you are and how much people value your work. Huge, huge respect from me, and I really hope you tackle this project and let us all be a part of it. Keep it up-I can’t wait to see all your upcoming projects!
Chris I can't believe this is only your second video. It look so good, competently shot, well edited and cleverly written. Your videos are as good (if not better) as some other makers I also follow who have dozens of published vids and years of experience. That's very solid work mate, keep it going, you got something here !
This is really true and I didnt even think about this at all. Not only is the content difficult to do and extremely interesting as well as socially relevant, but the videography is also excellent and really well put together. Such a gem of a channel.
It makes me so proud of my country when I see intelligent and talented capable young men being creative and straight up gangsta! This was amazing too watch, keep up the work Chris 💪
Yes! Thank you for being someone to say it!!! I am very happy to see someone talking about this and making an extremely informative and fun video doing so.
@@Brainman_2331 It's the same for any lithium battery - But with the small capacity and limited output current, you're still better with 18650+ (at worst) or a LiFEPO4 (1000+ charge cycles).
@@Brainman_2331 You don't really want something in your house that you're using beyond the rated number of charge cycles. It's not just about the capacity of the cell after that many cycles, but the safety too. 300 cycles is what the manufacturer will guarantee the safety of the cell up to, after than safety cannot be guaranteed during charge and discharge, especially at the maximum rated current.
Excellent work. Very valuable project. One of my pie in the sky ideas for public policies is that the cost of every retail product should include the cost of recycling it at the end. This would incentivise manufacturers to use materials which are easier to recycle, over harder to recycle materials like plastic, and it would also reduce the amount of disposable items.
I used to work in the industry & vaped for 8 years.. 1. Vaping is the best aid for quitting smoking, highest success rate. 2. regulating the industries like any other to be more environmental conscious is what we need. 3. IF YOU DON'T SMOKE DON'T VAPE. but like no one listens. Great job on the battery bank.
Yea I agree I dont see the appeal ive tried both nicotine pouches and vaping and never liked either. Just don't see the appeal. Plus the flavors are horrendous even on the supposedly "good tasting" ones. Tastes like a worse tasting flavored tylenol like what you took for fever when you were a kid.
@jah-of1eb what? First that's published research by multiple government funded health research groups... But sure YOU KNOW MORE THAN THEM ALL. Second... And the more important one.... You don't know how many ppl I would see on a daily basis looking to quit smoking. Ppl over the age of 25 exist my guy, ppl still smoke.. Why are you so ready to demonstrate how little you know about any given topic.
The first half of this video had me on the edge of my seat. As a man that went to school for electrical engineering I am always a bit worried when I see anybody attempting to make their own battery packs on UA-cam. You seem to know what you are doing though. I've never been a fan of charging to similar voltages as a means of battery pairing, as it means that the full charge for that group will only be as strong as it's weakest link.... but when you are working with recycled vape batteries you really can't be picky. Great video. Cheers!
bro I barely understand anything about batteries but you explained and animated so well that this video thought me better than like any battery related video I've ever watched. keep this up you'll get million subs in no time
I tore apart a couple vapes and found depending on the brand they come with standard 18650 cells. I was thinking they could make a really good bike battery if I collected enough. Amazing that someone actually did it.
Ok i WANT to do a simple project with a vape. Just a little power bank with 1 vape to test the concept You know what ? This morning on my commute to work i found a vape on the ground and i picked it up cause i thought of your first video about vapes You are making a difference thank you for that ❤
@mryoshii i don't mind i just want to have fun The vape i found this morning is huge and has a usb c port so i guess it's a bit more powerful than the little disposable vapes ?
@@papyrusskeleton2331 I'm guessing that would have been some sort of recharge circuit built-in. You're in luck! This is essentially the BMS, for a single cell. Check inside the vape if there are any other wires going to electronic parts (such as a heater or coil), these would be your output/power wires. Edit: You mentioned it was huge; this will not change the voltage, but *might* mean you have more storage in that cell (more mAh). Don't be blindsighted by the fact that companies are not sided from using cheaper parts (which means it might just be "huge" because it's made in a "lazy" / non-efficient sense) Keep me updated! (Maybe get together on a social platform?)
@notanoption1793 first of all thank you very much for your insightful comment Secondly, you were right !!! I opened it up a few minutes ago and it was indeed unecessarely bulky. The battery looks about the size of a single cell used in the video above There is a circuit board for recharging it which will make things so much easier :) And i found the coil so now i know where my output shall be I'm very much beginner level so i would love to talk with you about it on another platform maybe discord so i can ask if i need help would you mind ? And of course i would keep you updated and show you the final result 😁
I've got about 30+ dead vapes in a box to tally how much money I've been spending per year. All this time I've been throwing away disposable vapes, when they can be reused/repurposed. Great work!
It just feels really cool that these batteries are put to use because otherwise they would be just laying on the ground. And thing is they have a lot of value and basically no one picks them up! Thanks for the video, got to know a lot about batteries:)
You would need a Class D fire extinguisher in order for it to be effective for a lithium fire. So in front of or behind the batteries doesn't really matter
I am a high school student, you videos inspired me to start going round the street picking up dead vapes,my plan is to build both an electric bike and a go kart ,fullly made of vapes .. i just need support thats all😊😊
Dude I was just telling my brother about your first video and what you did with disposable vape batteries, about 2 hours ago and here you go uploading another banger! Loving these videos so much! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent mate! I build off grid pv systems using old school lead acid batteries recovered from forklift trucks, and I love watching and learning about these little but mighty lith cells. 🙂🙂🙂👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Disposables should 100% use the return policy like glass bottles do in mainland europe - pay like 15 quid extra, get that 15 quid back when you return it at a vape shop. Vape shops then sell it to recyclers that will reimburse the shops.
@@tommylu28 does deposit on beer bottles encourage alcoholism? If anything it would discourage using disposables (as their entry price would be higher by including the deposit) or it would encourage people returning the ones that they find on streets (or not tossing them in the first place). Where I live you have like 15p deposit on beer bottles. And guess what? You do not see beer bottles tossed around in nature as a result. You see cans and plastic bottles as they have no deposit on them. But rarely beer bottles. Same with cases for beer bottles - deposit of like 4 pounds on it here. And you do not see them anywhere in the wild. People will return them as they do have return value and they have vested interest in returning it when going to the shops. And even if someone does toss them out, someone else will pick it up and return. When I was sailing in Croatia I learned that they have deposit on plastic bottles. And guess what - homeless were cleaning out the marinas of whatever had deposit on it and asking crews if they have any as they would return them and get some cash that way rather than just asking for change.
Who are you, wtf. That is some stunning video work on top of all the amazing stuff that happened in it and you seem to be working mostly alone. That's absolutely incredible. I can't even say you will go far since you already seem to be there. God speed
The best way to reduce garbage is the most obvious one: Don't throw away what's Not garbage. Its good for savings, its good for the environment and its a good apocalypse survival plan. The market is really missing a full course on how to safely recycle electronics at home
You should honestly consider this as a business venture, this would be a crazy beneficial business for both you and the environment. imagine, pay a person just $1 per disposable vape then take the battery from that vape and reuse them or recycle them to make more battery banks, e bike batteries or even just re sell them
Hello mate, good stuff! I'm doing the same kind of thing, except making battery packs and powerbank here in Ukraine. One thing I would suggest that I always do is using some pliers, pull off the bottom of the vape, pull the battery out just before pulling out the cancer juice pod, then cut all the wires connecting the battery with some scissors and then rip off any other wires - this avoids me being exposed to said cancer juice sponge. Great work dude and thank you for your videos! Your last video on the battery pack was part of my brainwave to make powerbanks and portable chargers for the guys on the front here in Ukraine! (Oh, and be sure to ware a mask as well when disassembling them, a lot of the time the vapours from the sponge leak into the batteries making them sticky, horrible, and a mini vape fume emitters when desoldering the wires!)
love this love this love this. smashing idea, and a great way to recycle lithium instead of letting the big recycling companies take this stuff so they can make more wasteful technology in China which will have an insanely small shelf life by a consumer. Please keep doing this and use disposable vape batteries to make a kitchen appliance next, like a blender or an air fryer!!!!!!
I used to collect disposable vapes that had 18650 and similar cells. This was common about 3 years ago now it's the type you've show, and 18650 seem quite rare. In 2012 I modified my E bike to run on DeWalt batteries as i had an unlimited supply (on loan) I used between 2 and 4. Ride to site, swap out, etc etc. Add 4 for ride home.
Aside from the video quality itself, you also really improved your designs’ function and universality. Plus the sponsor is really fitting because despite 3D printers being more common these days, being able to get CNC parts and have custom boards made isn’t as easy! Also love the drone shots and timelapse, good fuckin work dude
I love this so much! projects like this show how badly this kind of waste products are. and you didn't talk bad about anything but the main problem we should all agree on. please, pretty please go crazy with this! I'd love to see a collab-challenge: how many miles can you go on an ebike with the vape-batterys you gathered in one day?
Can you please show a more in depth tutorial? I kind of get it up to one part. Why didn’t you solder horizontal copper pieces to the first one and last one? I don’t want to get it wrong and end up blowing up myself.
Brilliant videos. Ive built an e bike and always thought about using vape batteries since I find them all over, but I clearly don't have the electronics skills or soldering skills you have. Thanks for showing this great project. Learned a lot. Simplest use for the batteries would be to power small electronics...maybe phone banks?
Walk around any city in the UK right now... or even the countryside, I've found these at the side of roads... people throw them out their car windows I guess :/ I only really notice them at night though and only the ones that are damaged, the blue light in some of them stays on and I notice them.
Couple of years ago I also got my hands on couple of these just to check what's inside. Got a bit surprised when I found that they use rechargeable battery in it. I like to mod my devices to be rechargeable instead of using AA batteries. I used to use 18650 that I have loads lying around from similarly disposed devices, but those cells from vapes are even more convenient to use. Thank you for for showing everyone how to reuse the good stuff instead of wasting. Massively wasting lithium and other resources like this will eventually affect their global market prices. And that will effect all the products that uses them.
This could be game changing for those of us who use power wheelchairs or power assist devices for our manual wheelchairs. Companies are getting away with charging £4000 for a powered add on… Imagine if there was a way to tap into open source engineering via genius like yourself! Disabled people all around the UK would have their world opened up massively, waste would be managed so much better than it currently is and all round folk would be winning!
I must start by saying that this is by far the best thing I've seen disposables be recycled for, but what i can't help but think about the quality of the cells themselves. each properly manufactured-for-purpose 18650, 18350 and 21700 cell have a "CDR" rating, but these disposable batteries are a wholesale batteries that are made for extremely cheap and the Continuous Discharge Rating of them is usually pretty crap. when the CDR is exceeded things can get very "spicy". would there possibly be a way of doing this even safer, say running them at a lower discharge rate, but with more cells? because if we can find a reliable and even safer way of doing this, there are many ways for these batteries to be recycled by us nerds and we could build all sorts of stuff with them! once again, love what your doing man 👍
Great video Chris. I've used a couple to power a torch but this is on another level. Powerbanks are an obvious choice and anything that requires batteries.
Mate you are smasing it! Two videos uploaded to this channel and both have been really well produce, engaging and informative. Honestly if you keep going with this quality and beyond this channel is going to be pretty big, I'm getting DIY Perks vibes. Well done sir.
That's truly inspiring. I wish programs like these existed already. could build batteries to hold electricity for solar collectors, cars and much more.
Я так же раздобыл много одноразовых вейпов и собрал из них повербанк на 10000 Mah с быстрой зарядкой, работает отлично) Меня всегда огорчало как миллионы практически новых литий ионных аккумуляторов выкидываются после всего одного двух циклов.
As others have said, thanks for beating me to making an ebike and releasing valuable information I was wondering about! I currently have been making some fun small torches and speakers, I even mucked around with the little breath sensor (unsure of the actual component name) and ran it as reverse as a switch for a small car work light you can turn on with your breath 😄 Subscribed
Great idea. I've just been using them as powerbanks. I diyed an ebike with a Bafange mid-drive motor over 6 yrs ago and done over 3000 miles. The original battery is still going strong. Maybe 50miles-70miles depending on temperature for a 888wH battery. I think they are samsung cells rated at 1000 charge cycles.
The idea of repurposing vape batteries is incredibly cool! It would be cool if you could hook up a solar panel to it and store the electricity to, say, power your PC!
Did this back with discarded laptop batteries when they were the standard- make sure you charge and discharge each cell individually to test em cuz the bms won’t detect one that’ll overvolt The one that will over volt will set a “chain of events”
- 11:52 , The jankiness of using such thin wirings for the battery cells / groups and BMS compared to the charging input and status readout is hilariously disproportionate . 😂
Vape powered scooter would be fun too. Some smaller projects like radio, power bank, flashlights also cool. You can even add more juice to Bluetooth speakers with this thing.
Thank you so much for this video I’m in the process of starting a 3d printing business and learning ardruino and I only wanted to use vape batteries and this answered all of my questions don’t worry im a qualified professional just haven’t done much work with batteries
I am a solar and home storage enthusiast from Australia and would love to see the home running from discarded vape batteries. I watched an UA-camr who melts aluminum down into ingots...perhaps you could power a melting furnace to melt the aluminum housing with the batteries that previously were contained within.
Absolutely been loving these videos. Looking forward to the completed kit being available! Any chance you could do a project reusing the batteries from disposable vapes to create a rechargeable 12v battery pack? Something similar to a car battery (with positive and negative points to attach further applications to)
If anyone is in the UK and has collected lots of used vapes (preferably the larger ones), please let me know. It seems that I'll need a crazy amount to make the power wall
Hi man, I've brainstormed doing similar things myself and since I was a student at the time my idea was to contact local colleges and ask to put a vape disposal bin somewhere on campus. I never did this as I'm not sure the legality or regulation and was more concerned about my studies but perhaps you could look into it a bit if you'd like to continue these projects, great job btw!
CAN U PLEASE SEND ME THE E BIKE
I wouldn't mind if u made one for my bike
message ends at 6:03
no thanks needed
Hey bud. Happy to talk to you on Instagram, I have quite a few vapes saved up that I'm willing to send to you. Better than putting them in the bin as I know you'll be able to put them to good use!
I'm in university right now for manufacturing engineering and after seeing your first video I started having people give me their dead vaped. I now have a bunch coming in and am trying to start making recycling on campus for them for projects like what you're doing. Thank you so much for the inspiration, and good job beating me to the vape powered bike haha
Incredible work! We need more people like you
This is awesome. Well done
Same I'm doing this for my design engineering A level
@@Chris_doel You will both be named in any lawsuit that almost certainly will occur.
Brilliant idea. Make a super light weight electric go kart bud. And go so a fully recycled power source speed / 0-60 record.
It's truly innovative that they are putting rechargeable Li-ion batteries in a disposable vape product.
Why is that then??
@IANHANDS sarcasm.
@@IANHANDS well, disposable and rechargeable is a contradiction. It's a waste of batteries! You know battery mining is damaging environment
@@IANHANDS He explained it in the earlier video. It's because of their higher voltage=>high temperature to vape. At least that is how I remember it.
@@andikappradana more importantly. The availability of Lithium ion batteries that could be better spent on high end defense technology or consumer goods instead of being thrown out by useless nicotine junkies
vape powered car next?
yessssss
nissan leaf
Oh geez that would be a tough one, but I'll see what I can do!
@@Chris_doeltop bloke 💪👌
@@Chris_doelyesss thanks
I think your video worked. UK government has decided to stop the selling of disposable vapes.
Your videos are really great.
Everything is excellently done except for one very important thing, which is the insulation between the lower and upper block. In the middle there should be vitroplast, or some plastic film. The reason for this is because due to the vibrations on the bicycle, the battery is under vibrations and over time, due to friction, the plastic layer of the thermal tape would break through and cause a short circuit.
I say this from experience after many years of using a DIY bicycle battery.
Couldn't agree more, I'll be stripping it apart again soon, and I'll put plenty more insulation between the two halves
@@Chris_doel you should pin this comment for anyone who wants to make one of these
I was thinking why didnt he have a 3d printed spacer
@@clee40 Ideally anyone thinking of making one of these has already thought of that or they have no business building something like this.
@@lostunsungherosome grumpy guy you are
The algorithm should really show this to everybody. I like your approach to the variable diameter of the cells, and i fully support these types of projects. I can't believe that selling disposable vapes has been legal for so many years, and nothing's done with it.
It is best the algorithm stays the way it is .. people are gonna get hurt or worse. This is not good practice actually dangerous . Also nothing clever about using discarded batteries. They are just batteries.
@@IANHANDS Calling these discarded batteries just seems disingenuous, these batteries were likely used for 1(!) charge cycle out of a rated 300. Yes, using old batteries can be dangerous, but so can working with any batteries if you do not know what you are doing. "They are just batteries" Yes, they are batteries which use up a small amount of the FINITE resources on this planet to create, why should they be used to less than 1% of their manufactured use case
man its like you want kids to be healty and dont want them playing with bombs and mini explosives i think they should be legal just cuz its a easy way to get li ion bateries
Uni engineering student here, after your first vid I got a bunch of friends and we went all over our city picking dead vapes up and recycling them for their batteries.
Love that!
yea we need alot of ratty vape scavengers so we can keep the environment safer
@@jinz0junkies been doing it since they dropped 😂
@@jinz0 Or maybe marked disposals at shops.
@@sonickrnd I've seen these few and far between and some shops (unfortunately, I do vape). The downside is, they're branded for one specific brand or size of vape. Other than that, it's a normal garbage bin. A rechargeable and refillable vape is the way to go if you do participate in the horrible habit.
The most impressive part of the video is how clear everything is explained, even without technical knowledge I understood everything and could maybe even recreate with all the tools. Great video thanks for this
Thank you so much! I'm really glad I'm able to teach others something new
Same thing I was thinking. I would like to build an electric go kart or bike someday
Be careful with connecting the dozen+ wires of the BMS though. We don't wanna make a bomb
So you made a 13s10p battery with an approx capacity of 720Wh from one use e-cigarettes. Brilliant. Great job and great video.
I built a vape powered e bike back in summer 2023. 14s27p pack of 400mah vape cells and a 1.5kw motor. The thing is absurdly powerful and if you don't max it's speed, has over 30km of range. Did have to rebuild the pack once and swap out damaged cells on 2 of the 14 groups recently due to self discharge issues but otherwise it's been shockingly fine. Have over 400km on the bike at this point.
With the 13s motor overdriven to 14s voltages, when full it pulls over 1.8kw and can reach over 60 km/h. From my experience with that particular brand of cell i used ("Salt" brand vapes), the pack could safely deliver 3kw for sure, and certainly more for a smaller amount of time. And anyway, the BMS monitors the temperature.
Damnnnn thats awesome! Send me a pic of it on insta (chrisdoelcreates) i'd love to see it!
I went with salvaged cells 98 or 14s7p 18650s I bought for about $1 each, 1500W ebike kit, in total about $500 2.5-3yrs ago, the bike has about 40-50km range, max speed 65kmh with full batt even after all these time. So far no bad cells or overheating, I guess I could go another couple of years with no issue. Plan is to switch frame to double shock, add another serie and push it to 70+kmh next year
I’ve built a few packs myself and my only pointers are
1.) use fish paper between the cell banks alongside the teflon tape! It’s good for this stuff because it won’t break down if there’s a little bit of rubbing.
2.) it’s worth mentioning that soldering lithium batteries should be avoided at all cost as they lose capacity when you dump heat into them like that. However, it would’ve been extremely hard for you to spot weld this design so I get why you did it.
3.) don’t let your bms wires cross if possible. This one is because the wires will short out if they get smushed and the copper pushes through the pvc jackets on the outside of the balance leads. Once again, almost impossible with this design but worth mentioning for anyone who wants to get into pack building. Overall great work though!
Throwing rechargeable lithium batteries away after one use is absolute lunacy and wasteful. I will be looking out for them for my projects. Great video 👍
It's a great eye-opener about the eco disaster that disposable vapes represent, but having seen the work involved I don't feel so bad about dropping £250 on a 20ah direct from a reputable manufacturer. A labour of love for sure.
@TheeMuseumofjunk Totally agree, for small projects it's great.
Governments keep banning disposable vapes for all the wrong reasons, citing health concerns instead of environmental ones.
many people actually recharge the vapes. In australia, a lot of friends that i know are aware that there is still juice left in the device, so theyll rip them open a recharge them using some stripped wires. you can get about 3-4 recharges out of them.
Love how the mans said it wasn't a guide but did the due diligence to give warnings. also whacky those have aluminium cases. That makes em worth the pickup even for folks that don't have the skills for batter alteration.
I am not an engineer so I would never attempt something like this, but I have been using vape batteries for smaller projects like rc cars, and clocks thanks to you. It is crazy how good these batteries actually are.
You don't need to be an engineer to wire a few batteries together. I believe that you could do it
@480_Detailing true but they are a big fire hazard if done wrong
@@480_Detailingit’s easy to use a single cell, but if you have to build a pack, it get’s complicated! Like really complicated in practice.
The temperature sensor would be better going somewhere in the middle of the pack, rather than right on the outside
This video randomly appeared in my feed, but I'm so thankful it did.
Not only is it informative, it's addressing a proper issue we've got both in the UK and globally.
Your innovation and attention to details is top notch! Can't wait for the next one!
I watched the first video a month ago, I forgot about him, then this masterpiece popped up on my fyp.
Same here! :)
Fax
Same
I was wondering what this random video was doing in my subscriptions 😆
EVERYONE
Fyp… oh god tiktokification is real
Electrical engineering student here. I always get on my buddy's case about throwing out his vapes (one of which had a full OLED screen on it!); I think I'll send him this video. Congratulations on being featured on today's TechLinked!
Damn I wish there was a way to recycle mine. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve used them for about a year before I recently got a more permanent solution. I’ve got a big gallon bag full of them and I won’t throw them away because it could set the garbage truck on fire if one is ruptured by the compactor or something. Really don’t know what to do with them and dont like having them in my apartment.
@@Cinci746 check your local recycling depos, where I live they take anything from glass bottles to electronics and batteries.
@@Cinci746 Get in contact with Chris, he might have an email in his description..
@@Cinci746 I dont know where you live, but in the UK companies that sell lithium ion batteries are required to fund places to recycle them. Do a bit of googling for where your local center is, there might be a WEEE, waste electronic and electrical equipment recycling near you. Personally, we have a couple bins for them that get regularly collected at my university laundromats. I havent recycled any vapes yet, so im not certain if they would require you to take the battery out and just give them that, or if theyll take the whole thing. good luck
Most battery items are recycleable. Now just like your worry with throwning them in the bin it could light the truck on fire. With things like these your supposed to go to your local recycling center and give it to them like that. @@Cinci746
I'm studying electrical engineering and these kind of videos remind me why it's such a fun field to study. It's amazing that you can find essentialy free energy on the streets and recycle it into something useful, while also cleaning the environment! Keep up the great work!!
Wow, I am truly amazed! What you’re doing with old e-cigarettes is just incredible. The fact that you're taking parts that others often throw in the trash or leave lying around in nature, which is so harmful to the environment, and turning them into something useful and sustainable is truly impressive. Building an e-bike battery out of these parts shows just how much talent and knowledge you have. But imagine if you could actually build an entire home storage system from multiple old e-cigarettes-that would be revolutionary! I would be so excited if you made a video about that process. Even if it turns into a multi-part series, I’d follow every second of it. Not only would it take your channel to a whole new level, but it would also be a huge step forward for the environment and an inspiration for everyone who cares about sustainability. Your channel already has so many subscribers with only five videos, and that clearly shows what an incredible talent you are and how much people value your work. Huge, huge respect from me, and I really hope you tackle this project and let us all be a part of it. Keep it up-I can’t wait to see all your upcoming projects!
Nothing clever just lithium cells.
Chris I can't believe this is only your second video. It look so good, competently shot, well edited and cleverly written.
Your videos are as good (if not better) as some other makers I also follow who have dozens of published vids and years of experience.
That's very solid work mate, keep it going, you got something here !
Thank you so much! Hearing this feedback really makes it all worth it :)
@@Chris_doel youtubers like you are the reason why I still use UA-cam! Keep up the content man!
I would pay a room for u guys!
And would love to join 🙂🙂🙂
This is really true and I didnt even think about this at all. Not only is the content difficult to do and extremely interesting as well as socially relevant, but the videography is also excellent and really well put together. Such a gem of a channel.
It makes me so proud of my country when I see intelligent and talented capable young men being creative and straight up gangsta! This was amazing too watch, keep up the work Chris 💪
Wow, only the second video.. With this kind of quality content this channel will be at 1M in no time
Yesss. UA-cam need more creators like this.
Yes! Thank you for being someone to say it!!! I am very happy to see someone talking about this and making an extremely informative and fun video doing so.
2 videos in and this is already your new job
I admire your work of clearing these dangerous batteries from going into landfill. Keep up the incredible work and keep inspiring others!
A UPS/Power wall would be great to see mapped out and built. Thanks for the informative and entertaining vid.
Since the cells only have a lifetime of 300 charge cycles, It's really not worth your time, TBH.
@@MrWisski Thats what they rae rated for, but they probably can charge many times more.
@@Brainman_2331 It's the same for any lithium battery - But with the small capacity and limited output current, you're still better with 18650+ (at worst) or a LiFEPO4 (1000+ charge cycles).
@@Brainman_2331 You don't really want something in your house that you're using beyond the rated number of charge cycles. It's not just about the capacity of the cell after that many cycles, but the safety too.
300 cycles is what the manufacturer will guarantee the safety of the cell up to, after than safety cannot be guaranteed during charge and discharge, especially at the maximum rated current.
not worth it to deploy a ups or power wall just buy LiFePo4 batteries with high cycle count and high discharge rate
As an engineer myself, thank you for raising awareness on the e-waste and demonstrating how easily these can be repurposed.
Excellent work. Very valuable project. One of my pie in the sky ideas for public policies is that the cost of every retail product should include the cost of recycling it at the end. This would incentivise manufacturers to use materials which are easier to recycle, over harder to recycle materials like plastic, and it would also reduce the amount of disposable items.
Thanks for raising awareness of how much vapes are being wasted every year😊 you earned yourself a sub🎉
I used to work in the industry & vaped for 8 years.. 1. Vaping is the best aid for quitting smoking, highest success rate.
2. regulating the industries like any other to be more environmental conscious is what we need.
3. IF YOU DON'T SMOKE DON'T VAPE. but like no one listens.
Great job on the battery bank.
Yea I agree I dont see the appeal ive tried both nicotine pouches and vaping and never liked either. Just don't see the appeal. Plus the flavors are horrendous even on the supposedly "good tasting" ones. Tastes like a worse tasting flavored tylenol like what you took for fever when you were a kid.
@jah-of1eb what? First that's published research by multiple government funded health research groups... But sure YOU KNOW MORE THAN THEM ALL.
Second... And the more important one.... You don't know how many ppl I would see on a daily basis looking to quit smoking. Ppl over the age of 25 exist my guy, ppl still smoke.. Why are you so ready to demonstrate how little you know about any given topic.
The first half of this video had me on the edge of my seat. As a man that went to school for electrical engineering I am always a bit worried when I see anybody attempting to make their own battery packs on UA-cam. You seem to know what you are doing though. I've never been a fan of charging to similar voltages as a means of battery pairing, as it means that the full charge for that group will only be as strong as it's weakest link.... but when you are working with recycled vape batteries you really can't be picky. Great video. Cheers!
bro I barely understand anything about batteries but you explained and animated so well that this video thought me better than like any battery related video I've ever watched. keep this up you'll get million subs in no time
I tore apart a couple vapes and found depending on the brand they come with standard 18650 cells. I was thinking they could make a really good bike battery if I collected enough. Amazing that someone actually did it.
Ok i WANT to do a simple project with a vape.
Just a little power bank with 1 vape to test the concept
You know what ? This morning on my commute to work i found a vape on the ground and i picked it up cause i thought of your first video about vapes
You are making a difference thank you for that ❤
don't think it even have enough power to charge phone
@mryoshii i don't mind i just want to have fun
The vape i found this morning is huge and has a usb c port so i guess it's a bit more powerful than the little disposable vapes ?
@@papyrusskeleton2331 I'm guessing that would have been some sort of recharge circuit built-in. You're in luck! This is essentially the BMS, for a single cell.
Check inside the vape if there are any other wires going to electronic parts (such as a heater or coil), these would be your output/power wires.
Edit: You mentioned it was huge; this will not change the voltage, but *might* mean you have more storage in that cell (more mAh). Don't be blindsighted by the fact that companies are not sided from using cheaper parts (which means it might just be "huge" because it's made in a "lazy" / non-efficient sense)
Keep me updated! (Maybe get together on a social platform?)
@notanoption1793 first of all thank you very much for your insightful comment
Secondly, you were right !!!
I opened it up a few minutes ago and it was indeed unecessarely bulky.
The battery looks about the size of a single cell used in the video above
There is a circuit board for recharging it which will make things so much easier :)
And i found the coil so now i know where my output shall be
I'm very much beginner level so i would love to talk with you about it on another platform maybe discord so i can ask if i need help would you mind ?
And of course i would keep you updated and show you the final result 😁
@@notanoption1793 still here ?
I've got about 30+ dead vapes in a box to tally how much money I've been spending per year. All this time I've been throwing away disposable vapes, when they can be reused/repurposed. Great work!
He is a back with a Banger. W video and good job mate
It just feels really cool that these batteries are put to use because otherwise they would be just laying on the ground. And thing is they have a lot of value and basically no one picks them up! Thanks for the video, got to know a lot about batteries:)
8:00 it is smart to have a fire extinguisher but maybe it should be behind you so you don't have to reach over the burning batteries to grab it.
ur out of luck with a traditional fire extinguisher when it comes to electrical fires tho.
@@Pierredorado300 electrical? no its fine, the problem is the batteries themselves, you cant extinguish them that easily
@ so batteries are not electrical anymore, okay. Goofy :’)
But then it wouldn't have been in view and people would be saying that he should have had a fire extinguisher on hand.
You would need a Class D fire extinguisher in order for it to be effective for a lithium fire. So in front of or behind the batteries doesn't really matter
I am a high school student, you videos inspired me to start going round the street picking up dead vapes,my plan is to build both an electric bike and a go kart ,fullly made of vapes .. i just need support thats all😊😊
Dude I was just telling my brother about your first video and what you did with disposable vape batteries, about 2 hours ago and here you go uploading another banger! Loving these videos so much! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! Thank you for this project. People should be ashamed of throwing so much ressources into the wild.
Glad to see the street lithium is being recycled and used in projects, thank you
Excellent mate! I build off grid pv systems using old school lead acid batteries recovered from forklift trucks, and I love watching and learning about these little but mighty lith cells. 🙂🙂🙂👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Disposables should 100% use the return policy like glass bottles do in mainland europe - pay like 15 quid extra, get that 15 quid back when you return it at a vape shop. Vape shops then sell it to recyclers that will reimburse the shops.
But this will encourage vaping
@@tommylu28how? don’t you pay £15 more to get £15 back
@@tommylu28 does deposit on beer bottles encourage alcoholism? If anything it would discourage using disposables (as their entry price would be higher by including the deposit) or it would encourage people returning the ones that they find on streets (or not tossing them in the first place).
Where I live you have like 15p deposit on beer bottles. And guess what? You do not see beer bottles tossed around in nature as a result. You see cans and plastic bottles as they have no deposit on them. But rarely beer bottles. Same with cases for beer bottles - deposit of like 4 pounds on it here. And you do not see them anywhere in the wild. People will return them as they do have return value and they have vested interest in returning it when going to the shops. And even if someone does toss them out, someone else will pick it up and return.
When I was sailing in Croatia I learned that they have deposit on plastic bottles. And guess what - homeless were cleaning out the marinas of whatever had deposit on it and asking crews if they have any as they would return them and get some cash that way rather than just asking for change.
@@tommylu28incorrect
@@VanBourner Even plastic bottles and cans have deposits now in Mainland EU!
Who are you, wtf. That is some stunning video work on top of all the amazing stuff that happened in it and you seem to be working mostly alone. That's absolutely incredible. I can't even say you will go far since you already seem to be there. God speed
First video was a banger, this one's amazing, I can't wait to see what you cook up next!
Impressive. This is definitely giving the batteries new life instead of wasting them in trash cans harming the environment.
I hate vapes and vaping, and you do so much work. They are such a big problem, and you are the most underrated youtuber on this platform
Your like a younger photonicinduction 🤙🏽 two great videos, look forward to what comes next.
The best way to reduce garbage is the most obvious one: Don't throw away what's Not garbage. Its good for savings, its good for the environment and its a good apocalypse survival plan.
The market is really missing a full course on how to safely recycle electronics at home
You should honestly consider this as a business venture, this would be a crazy beneficial business for both you and the environment. imagine, pay a person just $1 per disposable vape then take the battery from that vape and reuse them or recycle them to make more battery banks, e bike batteries or even just re sell them
4:57 When you're preparing to make energy cells at your bench to have more ammo for the dangers of the wasteland.
Hello mate, good stuff! I'm doing the same kind of thing, except making battery packs and powerbank here in Ukraine.
One thing I would suggest that I always do is using some pliers, pull off the bottom of the vape, pull the battery out just before pulling out the cancer juice pod, then cut all the wires connecting the battery with some scissors and then rip off any other wires - this avoids me being exposed to said cancer juice sponge.
Great work dude and thank you for your videos! Your last video on the battery pack was part of my brainwave to make powerbanks and portable chargers for the guys on the front here in Ukraine!
(Oh, and be sure to ware a mask as well when disassembling them, a lot of the time the vapours from the sponge leak into the batteries making them sticky, horrible, and a mini vape fume emitters when desoldering the wires!)
love this love this love this. smashing idea, and a great way to recycle lithium instead of letting the big recycling companies take this stuff so they can make more wasteful technology in China which will have an insanely small shelf life by a consumer. Please keep doing this and use disposable vape batteries to make a kitchen appliance next, like a blender or an air fryer!!!!!!
Thanks! I'm planning building a power wall from these vape cells, so hopefully we will be able to power pretty much anything!
You do know that these mostly don't get recycled at all right?
this is something i thought of doing a few years ago but never did, super cool to see it successfully done!
But can you turn an e-bike into a giant disposable vape?
Amazing build!
I hope that someday the industry will understand the waste that these vapes are producing. Really baffles me.
POV: the sequel we never knew we needed
I used to collect disposable vapes that had 18650 and similar cells. This was common about 3 years ago now it's the type you've show, and 18650 seem quite rare. In 2012 I modified my E bike to run on DeWalt batteries as i had an unlimited supply (on loan) I used between 2 and 4. Ride to site, swap out, etc etc. Add 4 for ride home.
18650 are extremely expensive compared to these smaller ones. 18650 are used in everything from laptops to tool batteries to flashlights
Good job, Chris!
Thanks :)
Aside from the video quality itself, you also really improved your designs’ function and universality. Plus the sponsor is really fitting because despite 3D printers being more common these days, being able to get CNC parts and have custom boards made isn’t as easy! Also love the drone shots and timelapse, good fuckin work dude
Non rechareable, THROWAWAY Lion anything. How is that not outlawed?!
I love this so much! projects like this show how badly this kind of waste products are.
and you didn't talk bad about anything but the main problem we should all agree on.
please, pretty please go crazy with this!
I'd love to see a collab-challenge: how many miles can you go on an ebike with the vape-batterys you gathered in one day?
Can you please show a more in depth tutorial?
I kind of get it up to one part. Why didn’t you solder horizontal copper pieces to the first one and last one? I don’t want to get it wrong and end up blowing up myself.
Yes please tell us
I also need to know please!
Same Here
SAME
If you don't get it don't do it untill you get it . Stay safe 👍
Brilliant videos. Ive built an e bike and always thought about using vape batteries since I find them all over, but I clearly don't have the electronics skills or soldering skills you have. Thanks for showing this great project. Learned a lot. Simplest use for the batteries would be to power small electronics...maybe phone banks?
Can you describe how to obtain so much disposable vape batteries?
Just hang around festivals, bars, raves, etc
Walk around any city in the UK right now... or even the countryside, I've found these at the side of roads... people throw them out their car windows I guess :/
I only really notice them at night though and only the ones that are damaged, the blue light in some of them stays on and I notice them.
Walk the streets and pick them off the floor
Maybe a DIY ups next? I find this series pretty interesting, thank you, and keep it up!
How do you get your hands on so many used vapes 😮!?
i need to know to 😭😭😭😭 i wanna build one to
@bayusa8961 I looked at other comments and he said mainly festivals
Couple of years ago I also got my hands on couple of these just to check what's inside. Got a bit surprised when I found that they use rechargeable battery in it.
I like to mod my devices to be rechargeable instead of using AA batteries. I used to use 18650 that I have loads lying around from similarly disposed devices, but those cells from vapes are even more convenient to use.
Thank you for for showing everyone how to reuse the good stuff instead of wasting.
Massively wasting lithium and other resources like this will eventually affect their global market prices. And that will effect all the products that uses them.
If lithiums don't something else will. Don't worry about it fella
Immediately defaulting to banning something sounds like the British way of solving any problem
Thank you for making a 100% safe battery, unlike some other videos.
my friends laughed at me when i told them i wanted to do this , thannnk u for bringing it to life.
I think UA-cam boosted it to people because of how well edited it was. No waste of viewers time
This could be game changing for those of us who use power wheelchairs or power assist devices for our manual wheelchairs. Companies are getting away with charging £4000 for a powered add on… Imagine if there was a way to tap into open source engineering via genius like yourself! Disabled people all around the UK would have their world opened up massively, waste would be managed so much better than it currently is and all round folk would be winning!
This is without a shadow of a doubt, my most favourite kind of recycling. Good god that was satisfying.
I appreciate you did this without a bunch of lectures about the supposed evils of vaping.
I must start by saying that this is by far the best thing I've seen disposables be recycled for, but what i can't help but think about the quality of the cells themselves. each properly manufactured-for-purpose 18650, 18350 and 21700 cell have a "CDR" rating, but these disposable batteries are a wholesale batteries that are made for extremely cheap and the Continuous Discharge Rating of them is usually pretty crap. when the CDR is exceeded things can get very "spicy". would there possibly be a way of doing this even safer, say running them at a lower discharge rate, but with more cells? because if we can find a reliable and even safer way of doing this, there are many ways for these batteries to be recycled by us nerds and we could build all sorts of stuff with them! once again, love what your doing man 👍
Great video Chris. I've used a couple to power a torch but this is on another level. Powerbanks are an obvious choice and anything that requires batteries.
Mate you are smasing it! Two videos uploaded to this channel and both have been really well produce, engaging and informative. Honestly if you keep going with this quality and beyond this channel is going to be pretty big, I'm getting DIY Perks vibes. Well done sir.
That's truly inspiring. I wish programs like these existed already. could build batteries to hold electricity for solar collectors, cars and much more.
Я так же раздобыл много одноразовых вейпов и собрал из них повербанк на 10000 Mah с быстрой зарядкой, работает отлично)
Меня всегда огорчало как миллионы практически новых литий ионных аккумуляторов выкидываются после всего одного двух циклов.
Honestly such an amazing display of resourcefulness!
epic dude !! did the maths on 1 of them and it is bloody ridiculous to heave 600 puffs on a full capacity... well done
As others have said, thanks for beating me to making an ebike and releasing valuable information I was wondering about!
I currently have been making some fun small torches and speakers, I even mucked around with the little breath sensor (unsure of the actual component name) and ran it as reverse as a switch for a small car work light you can turn on with your breath 😄
Subscribed
This man Is single handedly saving the uk 🙏🏿
Great idea. I've just been using them as powerbanks. I diyed an ebike with a Bafange mid-drive motor over 6 yrs ago and done over 3000 miles. The original battery is still going strong. Maybe 50miles-70miles depending on temperature for a 888wH battery. I think they are samsung cells rated at 1000 charge cycles.
Yes so glad you are pushing on with this project! There's a lot of potential here for sure.
The idea of repurposing vape batteries is incredibly cool! It would be cool if you could hook up a solar panel to it and store the electricity to, say, power your PC!
Did this back with discarded laptop batteries when they were the standard- make sure you charge and discharge each cell individually to test em cuz the bms won’t detect one that’ll overvolt
The one that will over volt will set a “chain of events”
As someone who’s quitting vaping as we speak, this made me laugh like a madman 😂
- 11:52 , The jankiness of using such thin wirings for the battery cells / groups and BMS compared to the charging input and status readout is hilariously disproportionate . 😂
Oh man, I saw your first video a few months ago and was honestly hoping you would do this! Please keep making content!
Vape powered scooter would be fun too. Some smaller projects like radio, power bank, flashlights also cool. You can even add more juice to Bluetooth speakers with this thing.
Thank you so much for this video I’m in the process of starting a 3d printing business and learning ardruino and I only wanted to use vape batteries and this answered all of my questions don’t worry im a qualified professional just haven’t done much work with batteries
I am a solar and home storage enthusiast from Australia and would love to see the home running from discarded vape batteries. I watched an UA-camr who melts aluminum down into ingots...perhaps you could power a melting furnace to melt the aluminum housing with the batteries that previously were contained within.
Absolutely been loving these videos. Looking forward to the completed kit being available!
Any chance you could do a project reusing the batteries from disposable vapes to create a rechargeable 12v battery pack? Something similar to a car battery (with positive and negative points to attach further applications to)
I don't care what the outcome just want to say thanks for picking up the evapes.
I'm sure your shop smells wonderful after these vape projects
You're out here doing God's work. Spreading a message in the most entertaining way. Keep going.