Opening a capacitor-style lithium cell (don't try this)

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  • Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
  • Doing the dangerous things so you don't have to. I recommend against opening lithium cells, as they have some undesirable chemicals inside and any residual charge can be unleashed suddenly as heat, vapour and flames.
    This cell was removed from a new style of disposable stimulant inhaler that has clearly been re-engineered for machine assembly. As part of that streamlining they have removed a lot of the wiring by using a PCB with a lithium cell in a solderable capacitor style can. Note that it is still a lithium ion cell and not a supercapacitor.
    Despite being marked as 360mAh, the cell tested at around 280mAh input charge over a few cycles. If that is the initial factory-supplied capacity then this brand (elf) has near halved the usable life of the unit from the original 500mAh cells. That could explain why the main competitor (crystal) is so popular, since it still uses a 500mAh cell.
    As mentioned in the video, the cell was made safer for disassembly by fully discharging it to near zero volts. There's a common misconception that it's the lithium in these cells that makes them explode in flames when things go wrong. In reality it's the stored energy that is the biggest hazard. The small amount of lithium in these cells is diffused into the electrode materials.
    If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- www.bigclive.c...
    This also keeps the channel independent of UA-cam's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
    #ElectronicsCreators

КОМЕНТАРІ • 752

  • @iamdarkyoshi
    @iamdarkyoshi 11 місяців тому +779

    Now we need to see if the vent on top spews flames if overcharged.

    • @darrylkinslow5613
      @darrylkinslow5613 11 місяців тому +18

      The vent is for venting gasses when charging and discharging. The pressure when the things explode, is too much for the tiny vent holes. The whole battery swells, then the case bursts and a fireball ensues.

    • @thejll
      @thejll 11 місяців тому +33

      @@darrylkinslow5613yes, please!

    • @uiopuiop3472
      @uiopuiop3472 11 місяців тому +2

      i am becoming:the bigender thead

    • @chromatophore881
      @chromatophore881 11 місяців тому +4

      Yes! Fanny Flambeau mk. 2!

    • @frogz
      @frogz 11 місяців тому +2

      Please clive?? Overcharged lipo capacitor? I'm guessing this is the same exact tech as the pouch cells and not 18650s, I have not seen these in person in the USA yet

  • @sullivanrachael
    @sullivanrachael 11 місяців тому +155

    When Clive puts a ‘don’t DO this’ in the title - immediate click. Somehow the delicate soothing tones of Clive’s voice describing how he performs the ill-advised task makes my day much better! Very educational - done so we don’t have to. Thank you Clive

    • @markfergerson2145
      @markfergerson2145 11 місяців тому +7

      Clive has found fire hiding inside several types of battery which isn’t surprising. Personally I very much appreciate him showing us how to avoid letting it escape… unless we need some fire and don’t have a lighter…

  • @gregorythomas333
    @gregorythomas333 11 місяців тому +162

    I was fulling expecting a pouch-type cell in there...pleasantly surprised to see an actual rolled up type :)

    • @putteslaintxtbks5166
      @putteslaintxtbks5166 11 місяців тому +2

      Me also.

    • @rc-fannl7364
      @rc-fannl7364 11 місяців тому +3

      Yeah, that's more than I was expecting, especially considering the lower capacity compared to spec and earlier incarnations of these throw-away devices.

    • @haukeradtki3322
      @haukeradtki3322 11 місяців тому +1

      They seem to be barely sealed though?!

    • @darrylkinslow5613
      @darrylkinslow5613 11 місяців тому +3

      The stuff inside is the same as what's in the pouch style ones, just different packaging.

    • @MAGGOT_VOMIT
      @MAGGOT_VOMIT 11 місяців тому +4

      No matter if they're round or flat, they're all still using the "Jelly-Roll" construction.

  • @plaws0
    @plaws0 11 місяців тому +394

    Reminds me of being a kid and smashing D Cells to get the "black chalk" out of the middle so that we could draw on things. Given that this was at least 50 years ago, I assume they were all C-Zn cells. None of us died. Well, I mean none have died because of that specifically ...

    • @iamdarkyoshi
      @iamdarkyoshi 11 місяців тому +50

      I once did that to get the replacement motor brushes out of them.

    • @ConstantlyDamaged
      @ConstantlyDamaged 11 місяців тому +75

      "What doesn't kill you-has made a tactical error."
      That said, having sword fights with old fluorescent tubes was probably one of my stupider things done as a child. Well, that and putting peas of gelignite into a glass bottle and tossing them into a bonfire.
      Still alive, though.

    • @markiangooley
      @markiangooley 11 місяців тому +6

      Aluminium electrode would presumably react better with acid or lye than copper would…

    • @DUKE_of_RAMBLE
      @DUKE_of_RAMBLE 11 місяців тому

      Sword fights with fluorescent bulbs...
      ​@@ConstantlyDamaged

    • @samholdsworth420
      @samholdsworth420 11 місяців тому +37

      I like to bite open thermometers and drink the silver fluid

  • @calbrock6302
    @calbrock6302 11 місяців тому +72

    It’s crazy how a battery that can power so many things is just a well rolled up piece of foil and copper!!! Amazing

    • @wizrom3046
      @wizrom3046 11 місяців тому

      With many decades worth of chemical engineering coated onto the foil 🤔

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому +52

      Yeah, a LOT of time and work went into those foils, coatings, separators and electrolyte. It is bizarre that it is now such a throw away thing.

    • @MrDuncl
      @MrDuncl 11 місяців тому +8

      Just make sure the corners don't get folded over; An expensive mistake for Chevrolet.

    • @andra_syawwal
      @andra_syawwal 7 місяців тому +1

      ​@@MrDuncland Samsung

  • @thepagan5432
    @thepagan5432 11 місяців тому +21

    As an inquisitive engineer I've opened all types of lithium cells, but have stopped for about a year now. Now Clive is doing more, I'm happy to sit back and watch him, I have retired my cake tin of surprises. Good post Clive, thank you and please take care 👍

    • @Maxumized
      @Maxumized 11 місяців тому +4

      Don’t stop now Mr. Wisckers…get back on that work bench

  • @Zobbster
    @Zobbster 11 місяців тому +36

    I haven't got the guts to do something like this, so I'm living vicariously from the safety of my computer. Very interesting to see!

    • @--_DJ_--
      @--_DJ_-- 11 місяців тому +3

      I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Other than content, there isn't much reason to actually do this. Plus where would you even find a pie dish explosion containment device?

    • @--_DJ_--
      @--_DJ_-- 11 місяців тому

      @nightraven6303 If anyone will have one, they will.

  • @wimwiddershins
    @wimwiddershins 11 місяців тому +35

    I'm off to short a fully charged cell to compensate for the lack of burning in this video.

    • @nickwallette6201
      @nickwallette6201 11 місяців тому +1

      Well somebody has to! haha

    • @zyeborm
      @zyeborm 11 місяців тому +1

      Make sure you upload it to UA-cam tho with a kind of surprised kind of excited tone that's still not overly bothered kind of voice over.

    • @Nozinbonsai
      @Nozinbonsai 11 місяців тому +1

      I did it a while ago (proof of concept) could you please pick me up from the hospital. They say I'm going home now.

  • @rriflemann308
    @rriflemann308 11 місяців тому +50

    This new packaging makes sense, I wonder if a capacitor manufacturer wanted to break into the lithium battery market, considering the consumption rate for batteries on disposables must be through the roof.

    • @MartysRandomStuff
      @MartysRandomStuff 11 місяців тому +4

      That's what I was thinking, are they able to simply repurpose the equipment for making capacitors for making these cells? It's pretty much the same construction, just with different materials in the layers.

    • @MiGujack3
      @MiGujack3 11 місяців тому +11

      Disposable and lithium is something that should not be in the same sentence.

    • @diymaster1121
      @diymaster1121 11 місяців тому

      I saw these cells few years ago used in some micro rc cars.
      I dont remember where i saw them, but it was in a video where a guy was repairing some micro rc model cars.

    • @cigmorfil4101
      @cigmorfil4101 11 місяців тому +2

      ​@@MiGujack3
      Unless there's also a "not"?

    • @MiGujack3
      @MiGujack3 11 місяців тому

      @@cigmorfil4101 What do you mean? my mind is slipping it's clutch lately.

  • @rpdom
    @rpdom 11 місяців тому +53

    They really are repurposing capacitor casings and possibly the production lines too. Makes sense really, given the construction of the battery.
    I wonder what happens when it fails in a destructive fashion? I guess either the case will blow off, or the top will dome and split, letting out all the fire demons.

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому +6

      I guess capacitor cases are already designed to depressurise safely so that might be good enough for these small lithium cells as well

    • @ILoveTinfoilHats
      @ILoveTinfoilHats 11 місяців тому +5

      ​@@bosstowndynamics5488yeah except when lithium is exposed to air it gets *more* angry

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому

      @@ILoveTinfoilHats But lithium cells are already designed to depressurise similarly. Remember these things don't contain a chunk of lithium metal waiting to undergo all of the classic chemistry class alkali metal demos.

    • @zyeborm
      @zyeborm 11 місяців тому

      ​@@bosstowndynamics5488lithium polymer cells can and do emit quite the flame when abused. The chemistry creates it's own oxygen when it gets hot enough and the reaction becomes self sustaining.
      That's different to the normal lithium ion cells you see in round packages.

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому

      @@zyeborm Gah, comment mix-up with initial response (deleted and posted correct response).
      I'm well aware that lipoly cells are flammable. But these aren't lipos, they're NMC cells (aka "normal lithium ion" in your words), which are also potentially flammable but are generally packaged in such a way that they combust fairly slowly with specially designed pressure release break points and such. Notably, electrolytic caps *also* fail explosively, and as such the casings they use *also* have pressure releases in a similar vein to metal cased NMC cells. That's the point I was making, that these capacitor casings are presumably actually pretty decent substitutes since they have similar design requirements

  • @Bloke-in-Stoke
    @Bloke-in-Stoke 11 місяців тому +13

    Thanks Clive, lovely stuff as always and, after reading the comments, I feel right at home here. Many, many, many happy hours in the 70's with homemade black power until the local chemist figured out what we were doing and banned us from the shop. Not to be out manoeuvred, I continued my pyromaniac pursuits by simply sending Granny in for the 2lbs bags of Sulfur and Saltpeter. Never did quite get the mix right as there was often a plastic-like residue left after combustion, probably too much sulfur I guess. Made lovely rocket fuel but no good for bangers.
    Biggest mishap was allowing a friend to bend some glass rods using a spirit burner on the same chest freezer (Mum's) I was mixing on. Burned his lip while trying to blow on the hot glass and dropped it in the plastic mixing bowel. There must have been half a pound of the stuff that went up with more smoke than I have ever seen before or since. What fun... still got all 9 finger and 8 toes though so came through all that, and more, without any major trauma🤞
    FYI, the rockets were fused with salvaged cordite taken from a bunch of 1939/40 303 rounds found with a metal detector. When not compressed they used to give you a good 2 or 3 seconds to retire to a "safe" distance 🤣🤣🤣
    Cheers all, thanks for the memories 🍺

  • @richjamjam
    @richjamjam 11 місяців тому +4

    Watching that unraveled and seeing the two strips of each metal and seeing the solvent evaporate has explained completely how they work to me! Thank you!

  • @vhfgamer
    @vhfgamer 11 місяців тому +6

    It'd be interesting to see those sodium cells end up on the channel someday. Thanks for giving us a teardown on these odd capacitor style cells.

  • @thousandsunny3103
    @thousandsunny3103 11 місяців тому +105

    The FLUM brand ones I find most often here in San Francisco, CA are way generous with their battery capacity. They’re literally no bigger than the one in this video, but have a whopping 1000 mAh capacity, and I’ve tested and retested them to be pretty spot on. That’s great and all, but it kinda feels like and even more blatant slap to the face of people like us who can’t stand waste seeing these things carelessly discarded in the gutters all over the place. Now I have many more batteries than I have devices to power, but I’ll still pick up every one I see. SMH.

    • @darrylkinslow5613
      @darrylkinslow5613 11 місяців тому

      1,000 is not "whopping" when it comes to Lithium cells. You can buy 9,600Mah 18650 cells. That 1,000 Mah can't even charge a cellphone a quarter of the way. Half of it would be used to power the charging circuit and the rest would give you maybe 10% charge. But a cellphone battery is around 1,800 Mah.

    • @rust3152
      @rust3152 11 місяців тому +14

      @@darrylkinslow5613 well there are devices other than cell phones. some low power embedded computers can last for months off 1000 mah and having that in such a tiny package is very useful and usually not cheap

    • @bigmouthstrikesagain4056
      @bigmouthstrikesagain4056 11 місяців тому

      @thousandsunny make a power wall out of em... use charge protectors from old cell phone battery's the have died

    • @nubie1100
      @nubie1100 11 місяців тому +4

      I've been collecting the 1500mAh ones out of disposal vape here in the uk. I'm going to make a big powerbank

    • @CutoutClips
      @CutoutClips 11 місяців тому +14

      ⁠​⁠​⁠@@darrylkinslow5613 These capacitor style batteries are much smaller than 18650s. They're also generally put in disposable devices. Given that, it's pretty fair to call 1000mAh a whopping amount.
      Also your numbers are way off. The max capacity for an 18650 is about 3600mAh. Anything that claims to be much larger is most likely fake.
      As for charge circuitry using half the power of the battery if you tried to use it to charge a smartphone, that's also an overestimate. The switching regulator to boost the voltage from the battery to 5V (for USB) should be close to 90% efficient. Modern phones also use switching regulators to drop back down to the charging voltage, which should also be close to 90% efficient. The actual battery charging process is also very efficient with modern cells, so I'd expect maybe 25% losses or so.
      EDIT: well, thinking a little more, if you're trying to do fast charging at higher currents it might be more inefficient and closer to 50% losses as you were saying. But 5V + 500mA should be pretty efficient.

  • @thobu6576
    @thobu6576 11 місяців тому +3

    I love videos where you say DON'T DO THIS, then immediately do it.

  • @barrieshepherd7694
    @barrieshepherd7694 11 місяців тому +6

    I was waiting to see the sparkle of all the electrons falling out as you broke the charge barrier apart 😊

  • @dcallan812
    @dcallan812 11 місяців тому +64

    Things just keep getting smaller and smaller. Just a pity they are so disposable. Interesting dive inside 2x👍

    • @teambridgebsc691
      @teambridgebsc691 11 місяців тому +2

      Picking up vape rubbish on the street. Maybe good cause for regulation. Single use products banned unless with return refund.

    • @tookitogo
      @tookitogo 11 місяців тому +1

      @@teambridgebsc691And even the return refund is no guarantee the stuff won’t just end up in the trash anyway. :(

    • @mc911
      @mc911 11 місяців тому

      @@tookitogo Yes, but your conscience is clear!

  • @lukehahn4489
    @lukehahn4489 10 місяців тому

    You do a great service to us curious fools who no longer need to open up these things just to see whats inside.

  • @cyan_oxy6734
    @cyan_oxy6734 11 місяців тому +21

    I'd be quite apprehensive having on rubber gloves with things that could ignite on their own but you know what you're doing I guess.
    Having burned myself on a hotplate wearing gloves the meltiness really enhances the burn.

    • @ericfrazer4736
      @ericfrazer4736 11 місяців тому +2

      yuuup, that's I don't wear melty gloves when playing with burny or spinny (lathe/mill) things. glad it worked out for Mr Big this time :)

    • @tactileslut
      @tactileslut 11 місяців тому

      Would you prefer leather gardening gloves? I'd be worried about having them spontaneously catch fire after this sort of use.

    • @johnm2012
      @johnm2012 11 місяців тому

      Maybe a pair of pink Marigolds would fare better?

    • @AndrewFremantle
      @AndrewFremantle 11 місяців тому +5

      The purpose of the gloves is just to keep the fluids off his skin, I think.

    • @tactileslut
      @tactileslut 11 місяців тому +1

      @@ericfrazer4736Yeah. Never wear gloves or long sleeves with "spinny things." Better to catch a nasty cut than lose a finger.

  • @anon_y_mousse
    @anon_y_mousse 11 місяців тому +3

    It's amazing how the only thing that's really changed about the technology in many years is the chemicals they make it with, yet the actual physical structure is basically the same.

    • @zyeborm
      @zyeborm 11 місяців тому +1

      It'll be about the same for a very long time I think. About the only different type of battery in the last few hundred years since Volta is the liquid metal/molten salt batteries. They use different density metals and salts to make up the cell, heat the whole thing to red hot and let gravity sort it out. It's still about the same structure is just all liquid and red hot lol.
      Aluminium air batteries might count as different too but they aren't rechargeable so I don't know if they count

  • @AltimaNEO
    @AltimaNEO 11 місяців тому +2

    That's fascinating. It seems like basically nothing in there, yet it stores so much power.

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 11 місяців тому

      The black powders coating the electrodes are particularly spicy!

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому +1

      One is boring old graphite. The other may be Lithium cobalt oxide.

    • @deanosaur808
      @deanosaur808 11 місяців тому +1

      The same could be said of a fart. It's just gas but can hold so much power 😅😅😅

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 11 місяців тому +1

      @@deanosaur808 Especially the farts that make your sphincter feel like it's hot for minutes afterwards - sweet jeezus!

  • @ginbot86
    @ginbot86 11 місяців тому +6

    The copper foil covered in graphite is the anode, and remains the same for both traditional Li-ion and LiFePO4 (but some new variants add silicon monoxide to increase energy density).

  • @paulmcdonough9595
    @paulmcdonough9595 11 місяців тому +4

    Thank you Clive for doing the scary stuff so that we don’t have to. I am liking the new capacitor style packaging albeit looks to be slightly less efficient space wise.

  • @leybraith3561
    @leybraith3561 11 місяців тому +4

    ​Ahhh the memories ... investigating battery internals... and more.
    ...Half a dozen discarded car batteries in series and a couple of the carbon rods from those ancient massive carbon zinc phone batteries (Eveready No. 6), was rather spectacular (even in daylight) when an arc was drawn.
    Lotsa light, heat, smoke, superficial burns and singed things. And yes we had the equivalent of the E.C. pie dish for flaming bits and pieces.
    Heaven knows what the neighbors thought.
    Gave a bit of a tingle if hands wet and mishandled.
    Added dubious bonus was occasionally a freshly overcharged battery would be ignited by sparks and spray acid around. (Had to keep leads as short as possible, so car batteries, carbon rods and user all in close proximity)
    Clothing with numerous holes from sparks and acid raised parental eyebrows.
    Survived. (& Learnt a lot of practical things that added to a really useful career)

  • @the_rat_run
    @the_rat_run 11 місяців тому

    I knew you wouldn't be able to resist taking it apart, Clive!

  • @CarputingYT
    @CarputingYT 11 місяців тому +1

    Great video thanks Clive you teach us younger folks a lot you’re better than any school teacher I had

  • @areheptus6566
    @areheptus6566 11 місяців тому +16

    I am definitely opting for electronics engineering and big thanks goes to this guy

  • @billide1463
    @billide1463 11 місяців тому +2

    Pyrotechnics was expected; don't know yet if that disappointment is out weighed by the acquired knowledge. Have a rewarding day, love your content. senior from Canada

  • @allancopland1768
    @allancopland1768 11 місяців тому

    Expertly disassembled Clive. Good job.

  • @Angel_Bob_
    @Angel_Bob_ 11 місяців тому +2

    Exactly the dangerous shit I'm curious enough to want to do, so I'm glad experienced people do it on camera. Excellent work as always

  • @18robsmith
    @18robsmith 11 місяців тому

    Disappointed not to see smoke and flames.....
    But glad to see that you are still around to dismantle the next dubious battery type to cross your path.

  • @holzwurm_hd7029
    @holzwurm_hd7029 11 місяців тому +1

    happy 1M subs, Clive. Cant wait to see what youre going to do with the Play Button.

  • @oasntet
    @oasntet 11 місяців тому +9

    Oh, interesting, I was expecting there to be fully enclosed cell then crimped into the capacitor casing, not for the capacitor casing to be the outermost seal. How does the capacitor container compare to traditional outermost layers in terms of impact and puncture resistance? That'd be a factor in deciding whether to reclaim these for some projects.

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому +7

      The metal shell should be more rugged than the plastic film normally used, but I'm not sure how well it will contain the electrolyte.

    • @oasntet
      @oasntet 11 місяців тому +1

      @@bigclivedotcom Hmm, good point. Is the electrolyte in a battery significantly different than the electrolyte in a capacitor?

    • @T3sl4
      @T3sl4 11 місяців тому

      @@oasntet I'm not sure about standard aluminum electrolytics (something water based I think?), but ultracapacitors use the same stuff (alkyl carbonates, etc. plus dissolved salt). Which is where they get the comparable voltage rating from. (You can make an ionic double layer capacitor yourself, with salt water; of course it only handles about a volt before electrolysis takes over. Alkyl carbonates are used in batteries to withstand the high reduction potential of lithium and friends.) Ultracapacitors are just using the migration of ions towards the surface, of a very high surface-area material (activated carbon). Batteries and hybrid capacitors use some amount of chemical reaction, whether that's ionic absorption (lithium in/out of cobalt oxides and graphite), or full redox reactions (like oxidizing pure lithium metal). The rubber seal maybe doesn't last as long as a laminated/tape seal, but it's certainly a well understood method. :)

    • @MrPruske
      @MrPruske 11 місяців тому

      ​@@bigclivedotcomhopefully not well enough to bang

    • @deanosaur808
      @deanosaur808 11 місяців тому

      From my experience after collecting many vape batteries, I find that the pouch batteries are more resistant to crushing. The cross at the top splits open with minimal crushing 😅
      They are unlikely to get pierced inside the vapes. I've collected over 1000 disposables over the last 3 years, and found very few that that had burst open. Out of 30 of the new ones, around 30% had split at top 😅
      Bear in mind that most I find lately are roadkill 😂

  • @SasquatchMelee
    @SasquatchMelee 11 місяців тому +1

    That's a bummer, wanted to see flames and mayhem... Stay safe!

  • @RODALCO2007
    @RODALCO2007 11 місяців тому

    Great autopsy Clive, I was thinking the whole time that the cell may catch fire halfway through opening it up. Love your ECPD device, Explosion Containment Pie Dish. Priceless !

  • @jmonsted
    @jmonsted 11 місяців тому +7

    It's funny how Cobalt is only a problem when it's used in EV batteries and not when most of it gets used to remove sulfur from diesel.

    • @andygozzo72
      @andygozzo72 11 місяців тому +1

      when i was little i had a couple of chemistry sets and both had cobalt chloride in them, doubt if 'health and safety' would allow it now, or even any chemistry sets at all !

  • @geoffedwards189
    @geoffedwards189 11 місяців тому

    That's one way of demonstrating that this WAS in fact a cell, and not a capacitor as some of yesterday's commenters would have us believe. Never doubt the Clive!

  • @joeschmo622
    @joeschmo622 11 місяців тому +1

    Awwww, man, no sparking and flames like the other cell from a while back? 🔥🔥🔥
    *That's* what we tuned in for! 💀💀💀

  • @Pugjamin
    @Pugjamin 11 місяців тому +6

    Fun fact - the entirety of the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is constructed within a giant explosion containment pie dish!!
    Sub-facts:
    1.Fray Bentos were the first contractors on site.
    2. The previously contained pie was used to feed the population of Burnham-on-sea for 3 months.
    3. It took 3 years for the pie to cool to a suitable level before it could be served to previously mentioned population
    4. The lid has been reserved and will be installed as the lid of the reactor pressure vessel - complete with original labelling.
    5. Work is already under way for the Sizewell C pie.

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому +2

      If only Fukushima had had a pie tin.

    • @Pugjamin
      @Pugjamin 11 місяців тому +2

      @@bigclivedotcom wrapped in that seaweed paper they use on sushi, just doesn’t cut it!

  • @WasNotWas999
    @WasNotWas999 11 місяців тому +6

    No smoke, no flames, no heat, no explosion 💥 very disappointed Sir Clive 😊

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 11 місяців тому +1

      You think you're disappointed, just think how the explosion containment pie dish feels! It was its big chance to shine...... and then nothing

  • @nickwallette6201
    @nickwallette6201 11 місяців тому

    If this were filmed in front of a live studio audience, the Explosion Containment Pie Dish would've gotten 10 seconds of clapping and cheering on its entrance. Beloved character, that.

  • @steve64464
    @steve64464 11 місяців тому +2

    Interesting to see what's inside as i were not sure if they had inserted the tiniest lipo cell into a cap body or something. Probably good to attach to pcb's as a sort of backup power of some type ..

  • @fins59
    @fins59 11 місяців тому

    Danger Clive lives on the edge so we don't have to, what a champ, luv from 'Straya.

  • @802Garage
    @802Garage 11 місяців тому +1

    There's no doubt there are exploitative practices at many rare mineral mining operations around the world. If nothing else, underpaying workers is rampant. The less we have to rely on such practices, the better. Very cool teardown of a battery though!

  • @endymallorn
    @endymallorn 11 місяців тому +1

    Thank you for taking on dangerous tasks like this, it’s very enlightening.

  • @chatrkat
    @chatrkat 11 місяців тому +6

    Interesting to see that unique looking battery disassembled, and again at some personal risk. I will say it was much less exciting than the very first lithium ion cell you opened up. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😂

  • @holzwurm_hd7029
    @holzwurm_hd7029 11 місяців тому +1

    This is actually very interesting. This could be very usefull for some of my projects.
    If they fit i could just use some of these Cells to replace Caps, cut the traces and not have to worry about how to mount it. It makes things sooo much easier.

  • @GodmanchesterGoblin
    @GodmanchesterGoblin 11 місяців тому

    It's always pleasing to see the Explosion Containment Pie Dish - at least it wasn't actually needed in this instance. And there was no protection device in the cell so I hope that the manufacturers solder them well to the PCB without any intermittent shorts or solder whiskers.

    • @andygozzo72
      @andygozzo72 11 місяців тому +1

      no doubt soldered with lead free solder, so tin whiskers may cause an 'incident' in time, if it still had charge in it 😁

  • @sadlerbw9
    @sadlerbw9 11 місяців тому +7

    Honestly, my biggest issue with the whole thing is that they used the black bar to denote positive rather than negative. I have been thinking about it, and can’t see anything good or useful about switching the terminals just because it is not an actual capacitor.

    • @andygozzo72
      @andygozzo72 11 місяців тому +1

      some older (60s) electrolytic capacitors of that can type did mark the positive like in this cell, instead of the negative, but the bar also had + symbols,, the bar was sometimes red or even blue or green ,

    • @graemezimmer604
      @graemezimmer604 11 місяців тому

      I think the Black Bar was used to show the connection to the outer layer (eg case), so you can earth it to prevent capacitive coupling to the surroundings.

    • @andygozzo72
      @andygozzo72 11 місяців тому

      @@graemezimmer604 no, its usually 'negative', if also specified with a - ,not necessarily 'outer', and is not necessarily connected to case, it is almost always in axial capacitors, at least more recent ones, but not in radial types, the can is 'floating'

    • @gorak9000
      @gorak9000 11 місяців тому +3

      @@andygozzo72 No, look carefully at radial caps - one leg goes through a rubber insulator like normal, and the other leg is the whole can! But what they're talking about in retro caps is when they used to have wax paper outer casings - the can wasn't conductive, and it mattered which plate of the capacitor was the outer one to avoid capacitive coupling to signals in the circuit. That's a real thing!

    • @andygozzo72
      @andygozzo72 11 місяців тому

      @@gorak9000 none of the 'modern' radial caps i've come across have the negative directly connected to their can..both wires go through the rubber end and into the rolled up innards

  • @umbrellacorp.
    @umbrellacorp. 11 місяців тому +3

    The Lithium battery tempted you from the last video didn't it. 😂👍💯

  • @getyerspn
    @getyerspn 11 місяців тому +3

    First time I came across one of these capacitor shape lithium cells was in an led dog collar a few years back , strange choice of cell packaging.

  • @michaelkatgerman168
    @michaelkatgerman168 11 місяців тому

    Always nice to see your program.
    It seems as if the broken lamp has a problem with the E27 fitting.
    Greetings MiKa

  • @utubeuser1024
    @utubeuser1024 11 місяців тому +6

    Hi Clive - Interesting you mention Sodium Ion cells - I have heard they are a lot safer but their voltage range is much much wider than lithium cells - ranging from 4V at full charge down to about 1.6-1.8V when flat.

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому

      They're interesting. They do fail with a bit of a bang when shorted, but no significant flames.

    • @davidmcgill1000
      @davidmcgill1000 11 місяців тому

      Sounds like a decent replacement for solar power storage. Not so much for cars. Given a few years of development and adoption I'd expect them to be quite cheap to manufacture.

    • @user-td3yi1mq7p
      @user-td3yi1mq7p 11 місяців тому

      @@davidmcgill1000 That seems to be the primary target market at the moment, mostly because sodium ion cells are already a fair bit cheaper ans safer than lithium ion, while having a lower energy density/specific energy. Still BYD is already putting them in some cars, although they achieve a fair bit less range than even lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.
      From what I've read sodium-ion cells are already quite cheap to produce, because not only the raw materials are cheaper, but apparently much of the production lines for lithium-ion cells can easily be reconfigured for sodium-ion.

  • @simon-b
    @simon-b 11 місяців тому

    Woooah!! Just realised you hit 1M subs!! Congrats Clive!!!

  • @alfabethev2.074
    @alfabethev2.074 11 місяців тому

    Wow! The things you do for us viewers !
    When you said that you're going to do "further tests" on the cell , i at first thought that you intended to put the cell together again...🤪
    Now that would have been something else😁 Tnx for a good show👏🏻

  • @KeithOlson
    @KeithOlson 11 місяців тому +1

    Coming ready to be added to a PCB right from the factory is pretty awesome, in my book. (I would add a castelated edge, to make the battery easier to replace down the road.)

  • @crunchyfrog555
    @crunchyfrog555 11 місяців тому +8

    I';m also eagerly awaiting the forthcoming sodium-based cells. I thought at first it was wishful thinking, but as more data comes through it seems they're legit. So I seriously hope that the electrolyte isn't going to be something too dangerous or awful to manufacture.

  • @martin518441
    @martin518441 11 місяців тому

    I just noticed I have 2 pairs of the same italian flush cutters as you , what a great little tool

  • @EbikeRepairs
    @EbikeRepairs 11 місяців тому

    Great stuff" I wonder if they are putting them in capacitor casings to circumvent regulations about chucking away traditional lithium cells?

  • @tomwilliams8675
    @tomwilliams8675 11 місяців тому +3

    That was uneventful. I was half expecting some spontaneous burst into flames😁
    I think you should try to do this with a fully charged one next time and see how far you get before it erupts.
    It's for the ratings 😂🤣😊🤝🤝

  • @AMDRADEONRUBY
    @AMDRADEONRUBY 11 місяців тому +1

    I love these kind of Li ion battery thanks for opening one I always wanted to open one myself.

  • @rremington3983
    @rremington3983 11 місяців тому

    I’m always short of Christmas party activities….thanks Clive. Oh, you forgot to explain how to safely dispose of the ‘massive pile of rubbish’.

  • @amckinley
    @amckinley 11 місяців тому +1

    You know It's going to be fun when the explosion containment pie dish is on standby :D

  • @aamiddel8646
    @aamiddel8646 11 місяців тому +1

    Interesting. Do these 'cells' have a minimum voltage? To establish the capacity how far do you discharge them?

    • @jaro6985
      @jaro6985 11 місяців тому

      its all the same as a normal lithium ion cell, 2.8V minimum discharge voltage or so.

  • @ryelor123
    @ryelor123 11 місяців тому

    You should charge one up and short it out. does the metal case make it more contained or does it pop like a firecracker?

  • @twocvbloke
    @twocvbloke 11 місяців тому +1

    Is it wrong of me to have Mr. Photonicinduction's voice in my head going "I want flaaaaaaaaames!!!"?? :P

  • @adityawalimbe4800
    @adityawalimbe4800 11 місяців тому

    Given the five minute time stamp I was actually expecting to see the Explosion Containment Dish to be used! Magic Smoke!

  • @pby6825
    @pby6825 11 місяців тому +1

    Discovered one of these in a rechargeable shaver a while back, its 500mAh in a 1450 package, it has one 6 pin chip on the board, was expecting it to be a DW01, it's similar size but marked 67c927, charging circuitry may be in the charging cable, I was intrigued.

  • @Ale-bj7nd
    @Ale-bj7nd 11 місяців тому +1

    That's a well rolled up piece of fire!

  • @TheNinja117
    @TheNinja117 11 місяців тому

    Thank you for taking it apart, so I don't have to.
    Really pleasant voice btw. 👍🏻❤

  • @JoeBLOWFHB
    @JoeBLOWFHB 11 місяців тому +1

    4:58 Looks like that time I dropped my film camera in the Grand Canyon 😂

  • @TopEndSpoonie
    @TopEndSpoonie 11 місяців тому +4

    "Where's the kaboom, there's supposed to be a kaboom" said in my best Marvin the Martian voice.

  • @drunkenhobo8020
    @drunkenhobo8020 11 місяців тому +4

    I have found it very interesting how wee babies mining cobalt in the Congo has only become an issue since they started being used in EVs. When it was only used in phone/laptop batteries, or as a catalyst in oil refineries then that was fine!
    Still, it's nice to see the likes of the Daily Mail found their moral voice on the subject.

    • @harddiskwp
      @harddiskwp 11 місяців тому

      It actually used to be a concern even before that, I remember this being debated way over one and a half decades ago when one could still get cellphones that could accept triple-A batteries (I had one from Alcatel). Even Tesla wasn't *existing* back then.
      Another thing is that the demand for batteries for smart devices has been relatively constant over the last years, while the demand for EV batteries *exploded*, so the impact and scale of child labor has only gotten worse.

  • @FoxysGameNetwork
    @FoxysGameNetwork 11 місяців тому

    Hey Clive would you be interested in taking apart a cell phone battery? Like that flat square type ones?

  • @ejonesss
    @ejonesss 11 місяців тому +1

    1. the reason that the leads are connected near the end is probably how they get the capacitor battery hybrid or the first inch is usually faulty due to being crushed up in the middle.
    2. the separator is i think what gets punctured and causes shorts and fires.
    3. all rechargeable cells require break in (the first few cycles) to get full capacity.
    4. lithium does react with the air and water and starts fires if you ever take a chunk of lithium metal and throw it in water it will burst into flames eventually though very dangerous and should only be done in controlled conditions.

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому

      2. All bets are off on the event of disassembly because the separator won't necessarily stay aligned, or the roll could fold/flop over unpredictably, or you could short the terminals by accident
      3. As far as I'm aware this is actually for the battery management system to learn the battery capacity and charge profile of the specific cell. I could be wrong but I'm not aware of any beneficial chemical process in the cell itself, particularly for NMC, that makes break in necessary
      4. Pure lithium metal does, but lithium cells don't contain a lump of pure lithium metal, and generally the entire thing that makes lithium batteries fully discharged is the lithium being in a stable, low energy chemical state, so even dumping a stripped open cell in water *should* be safe if it was fully discharged. Emphasis on *should*, don't go testing this because you never know if it actually was fully discharged.

  • @inhocsigno9151
    @inhocsigno9151 11 місяців тому

    Very interesting. Glad you did it so I don't have to.

  • @allenrusselljr
    @allenrusselljr 11 місяців тому +1

    Very interesting, the lithium cell dressed up as a cap for Halloween.
    Thank you as always for risking yourself and your explosive containment pie pan.

  • @xr7coug
    @xr7coug 11 місяців тому

    Now we want to see you put it back together!

  • @marcogenovesi8570
    @marcogenovesi8570 11 місяців тому +11

    that's interesting, I was expecting more magic smoke but it seems this is not that dangerous. Could be an explanation for the low energy density, as the "safer" types of lithium chemistry cells have lower energy density. While the best and most dense aka lithium polymer is full of angry pixies and magic smoke

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому +5

      It's not lipo but the 3.7V nominal voltage implies it's some variant of NMC, and those are still on the angrier side. I think it's more that Clive took the precaution of completely discharging it - from what I've heard (and seen with my own old lithium batteries) even NMC cells are pretty inert if you can completely discharge them all the way to zero.

    • @nikolaihedler8883
      @nikolaihedler8883 11 місяців тому +1

      @@bosstowndynamics54883.7v nominal *is* standard Li-poly nominal voltage.

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому

      @@nikolaihedler8883 Well yeah, but most lipos don't have an electrolyte soaked jelly roll construction (plus, as far as I'm aware lipos still use NMC cell chemistry with the main difference being the electrolyte). The reason I mentioned the voltage though is because the original comment was speculating these are a safer lithium chemistry and liquid electrolyte NMC cells are pretty much as dangerous as lithium gets outside of lipos (the safer chemistries like LiFePO4 and lithium titanate have lower cell voltages)

  • @marcogenovesi8570
    @marcogenovesi8570 11 місяців тому +3

    Hm, I'm starting to think this is not a li-ion battery with a strange form factor but a "li-ion capacitor" or LIC. It's a relatively modern (2010-ish for commercial product) bit of a crossbreed between a lithium battery and a supercap, it should have higher charge/discharge speed than a battery (but lower than an actual cap that can dump everything in a snap) and higher capacity than a capacitor (but much lower than a battery).

    • @marcogenovesi8570
      @marcogenovesi8570 11 місяців тому

      ah yes it has low self-discharge, less than 5% per month. That's why it can make sense used as a battery, while caps are not suited for that

    • @bosstowndynamics5488
      @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому +3

      I thought the same thing at first but I actually think it is a lithium battery - LiCs have much smaller capacities than these things do, are generally measured in Farads rather than mAh, and operate at different nominal voltages

  • @rmc489
    @rmc489 11 місяців тому

    So which parts can you put in the recycling, you know, for the circular economy?

  • @mehashi
    @mehashi 11 місяців тому

    3:48 Watching you pull those last parts just triggered my tangled christmas lights PTSD XD The horrors!

  • @xTerminatorAndy
    @xTerminatorAndy 11 місяців тому

    Hey Clive, you don't say or show it but are you wearing eye protection, for accidental splash damage coming from the capacitor, or is that unlikely?

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому

      I always wear glasses. I tried contact lenses once and didn't like the lack of eye protection.

  • @Ncky
    @Ncky 11 місяців тому

    I like how his hands are shaking. Been there too :)
    Real question, was it rechargable?

  • @john-ic5pz
    @john-ic5pz 11 місяців тому

    fully discharged before opening it?
    ...COWARD! 🤣
    Love your work, Clive.

    • @bigclivedotcom
      @bigclivedotcom  11 місяців тому

      It was more about getting to see what was inside without it going boom prematurely.

  • @mysock351C
    @mysock351C 11 місяців тому

    I wonder how long it takes until it domes out? My first thought was that its nice that its perfectly sealed, but they do seem to outgas a bit over time.

  • @stefanmargraf7878
    @stefanmargraf7878 11 місяців тому +2

    How much Lithium metal does it contain?

  • @matthiasjagdm3949
    @matthiasjagdm3949 11 місяців тому +2

    Erm sorry for asking but what is pear drops??

    • @fredbloggs5902
      @fredbloggs5902 11 місяців тому

      Ethyl acetate is responsible for the characteristic flavour of pear drops.

  • @darthtrucker489
    @darthtrucker489 11 місяців тому

    Don't let the magic smoke out Clive!

  • @rayoflight62
    @rayoflight62 11 місяців тому

    With the use of the casing of an electrolytic capacitor, the cell can build up some internal pressure without expanding. On the other side of things, when there is too much pressure, it explodes like an electrolytic capacitor when the diodes of the Wien bridge become shorted...

  • @jsgsmile
    @jsgsmile 11 місяців тому +1

    So do you wear rubber gloves so that the melted rubber sticks to your skin and you get really bad burns when it starts to burn? This is hardcore!

  • @LegacyMicro
    @LegacyMicro 11 місяців тому

    Congrats! 1 Million Subs!!!

  • @ManWithBeard1990
    @ManWithBeard1990 11 місяців тому

    I'm torn on whether I like this form factor or not. On the one hand it seems real handy to design into a PCB, but I wonder how bad the impact is when it comes time to recycle the device it's in. For disposable devices it's borderline criminal to use the standard Li-ion cells. Would be better for the environment if it was a simple alkaline cell, although it would have to be quite a bit bigger.

  • @finger351
    @finger351 11 місяців тому

    Could it be in a capacitor body as a safety feature? It's harder to puncture than a rolled foil version.

  • @ruediix
    @ruediix 11 місяців тому

    The separator likely serves as a capacitor medium to allow better pulse draw from the battery.

  • @edwinlipton
    @edwinlipton 11 місяців тому

    😂😂😂! Explosion containment pie dish? You are one entertainment I cant miss for a break to the can!
    I'll change my shorts later😅

  • @Kingtrollface259
    @Kingtrollface259 11 місяців тому

    I have an abundance of used vape, is it possible to put them together and use them as a power bank ,also is the gold recoverable from them as I have over 100 of them

  • @Drjtherrien
    @Drjtherrien 11 місяців тому

    After the towel, owning an explosion containment pie dish is a must for everyone.

  • @r2db
    @r2db 11 місяців тому

    I am not quite as optimistic regarding sodium cells for a few reasons. Firstly, sodium has a significantly lower electrode potential (Li -3.04V vs. Na -2.71V). Secondly, sodium is very significantly heavier than lithium (22.99 g/ mol vs. 6.94 g/ mol) with both wanting to lose only one electron. In other words, you lose 11% of the voltage (unless you make up that difference with your choice of the other electrode) and suffer a 3.3-fold weight/ mass penalty on the group 1A electrode to have the same capacity in terms of coulombs discharged (or, to think of it the other way, a 70% penalty in battery capacity if electrode mass is kept constant). That would take a very - shall we say talented - marketer to sell someone on a battery with such a dramatic performance loss. We have been accustomed to batteries getting both higher in current delivery capacity and lighter at the same time, and the switch to sodium could not continue to obey that trend due to physics. That would mean that our portable electronic devices would have to either get bigger and heavier or lose processing power relative to current devices, as we have already accomplished the easiest methods to increase processing power and decrease mass (also decreasing power consumption in the process) at the same time. Now we need to get more creative with 3D geometry on the die and stacking of chiplets, with smaller and smaller generational gains in performance.
    Where I feel a sodium-based battery is going to have its biggest advantage is that the raw material is exceptionally plentiful and available throughout the planet, so we do not need to worry about an adversary or profiteering corporation gaining a monopoly on the raw material and artificially forcing the costs in their favor. Converting sodium chloride to metallic sodium is something a person with a background in high school chemistry could understand, and it seems reasonably unlikely that someone could make the process so much more efficient to gain patent-protected control of the supply, as the upper bounds of price would always be moderated by the traditional methods of producing metallic sodium. That could significantly limit the monetary value of a patent that improves efficiency, which might also be slowing research funding relative to other more seemingly lucrative areas.

  • @Clark-Mills
    @Clark-Mills 11 місяців тому

    "Do not try this..." Ok, you've got my interest now... :)