old 18650 LiPo cells free-ish

[www.recumbents.com]

I have about 24 old 18650 LiPo cells that came out of old IBM laptop battery packs destined for the dumpster. Voltages range from 2V to close to zero. I'm not sure if these are worth resuscitation or not, but I'll send them, plus an IBM bag to whoever wants them for cost of shipping, let's say $10.

Img_0554.jpg (63.91 KiB) Viewed 798 times

Here are some of them... PM me if you want them.

-Warren.

[amberwolf]

If those are LiCo cells (probably), and they've dropped that low in voltage, I would only recommend them for fireworks display testing. It's not unheard of for them to flame out during charging after they have been discharged that far.

If they are something else, like LiFePO4, they maybe salvageable, but I don't think I've seen any laptop packs with LiFePO4 cylindricals in them yet.

You might want to save the thermal breakers/etc off of them for future protection of packs/devices.

[www.recumbents.com]

They are labeled FFIPT2 then 074119, 073853, etc.

[sangesf]

If those are LiCo cells (probably), and they've dropped that low in voltage, I would only recommend them for fireworks display testing. It's not unheard of for them to flame out during charging after they have been discharged that far.

If they are something else, like LiFePO4, they maybe salvageable, but I don't think I've seen any laptop packs with LiFePO4 cylindricals in them yet.

You might want to save the thermal breakers/etc off of them for future protection of packs/devices.

But it's not 4th of July yet..

[SamTexas]

I have about 24 old 18650 LiPo cells that came out of old IBM laptop battery packs destined for the dumpster. Voltages range from 2V to close to zero. I'm not sure if these are worth resuscitation or not,
-Warren.

They are LiCo (Lithium Cobalt) cells, 2Ah. I have recycled hundreds of them. Contrary to old wives' tales, they do NOT flame when being charged. The truly defective ones will get really warm (not burning hot) and will never reach and hold full charge voltage (4.20V). If the voltage is around 2.0V, they have a better than 50% chance of being usable with up to 80% of the original capacity. Cells with 1.0V or below voltage have probably a 20% chance recovery so they might not be worth the effort.

Once fully charged (and being able to hold full charge voltage), the cells capacity needs to be measured. I discarded cells that have less than 70% of the original capacity (1.4 out of 2.0Ah). Even at 70% capacity, they still have higher energy density than brand new LiFePO4 cells.

Out of your 24 cells at least 6 can be successfully revived and usable. A good way and economical way for someone who wants to learn/explore laptop LiCo cells instead of listening to old wives' tales.

[spinningmagnets]

Theres a lot of choices of LED flashlight that accept either 3 of the AAA size batteries in a plastic adapter, or a single 3.7V battery in the 18650 size. I was only curious about these because I have a pile of cordless drill batteries made from 5 of the 18650s in each pack. I have a handful left over after using the best of the pile to make a pack ( not finished yet!).

Whether I use these flashlights as headlights for the bike or just for work/home...remains to be seen. I haven't gotten one yet for testing, just thought I'd pass the info along. There are dozens of choices like this example ad from EBAY:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/500-lumens-CREE-Q5-LED-Zoomable-Flashlight-Torch-light-1x18650-Charger-/280796276319?pt=AU_Sport_Camping_Hiking_Lamps_Torches&hash=item4160c3265f

[SamTexas]

... because I have a pile of cordless drill batteries made from 5 of the 18650s in each pack. I have a handful left over after using the best of the pile to make a pack ( not finished yet!).

spinningmagnets, in case you don't already knew: The 18650s in power tools batteries are normally not LiCo. They are LiMn (Lithium Manganese). They have a higher discharge rate than LiCo (up to 4C continuous vs 1C) but their capacity is very low, around 1.4Ah new (vs up to 3.0Ah for LiCo). I have played with 18650 LiMn cells too but in the end decided not to use them because of their low energy density.

[spuzzete]

I am interested if still available.

I am sending you a PM.