Overcharged a pair of 18650 batteries

I think that was the first charger I got with my first light, from Ebay. No idea what kind it is.

Cavalier? Well maybe, I don't worry about Li-On batteries unless they are in use as multiples. I'm surprised the protection in the battery itself did not kick in and stop the overcharge, but maybe because it was plugged in for so long it kept starting the cycle again. Go figure.

You guys think I should try putting the one that registered 5.27v into a light with a direct drive?

LOL, maybe I'll light up the house at the end of the block-or maybe it will light up my house when it goes Ker-Boom? What to you think?

And what do you guess happened to the battery that registers 2.27v and less? Cooked it?

You know, honestly, I'm not totally sure when it was that I plugged those batteries in. Could have been a week ago, not 4 days.

Also, I corrected my OP. These were Ultrafire 3000mAh batteries, red, not Trustfire.

UF3000 are not that great , out of the two I got one died , just plain refused to charge , the other is still going .

Well , 5.27v , now that should boost performance real nice , if you have a light that can handle it ..

I accidentally charge my Samsung 30A to 4.45v instead of 4.35v , no overheating , no voltage sag , in fact it held 4.45 for a week , and then I thought , to heck with it , and I ran it in my SST-50 , I was a little amazed at what a boost 0.1volt gives , another 200 OTF from memory ..

I really think it comes down to individual cell quality , some can - most wont !

You killed one , and the other ? , I know what I would do , but that's me !

I assume that charger charges each side independently of the other. Interesting result. I have a friend who I gave a 18650 light to as a gift. I got him a charger but I am afraid he will leave the batteries in it for days. I lent him a brand new cordless hedger. He left it on charge for a week and cooked the battery. Didn't replace it either and had the gumption to ask me if he could borrow it again. When I told him it was @$#$&% he seemed surprised I hadn't replaced the battery.. Hmm who needs friends like that. But I am afraid he will burn his house down.

old4570- What charger you using to get the Samsungs too 4.35V?

Could i have this problem with the tr003pA4 I ordered?

If so or if i want to be really safe, how much time should i set the timer for empty xtar 2600's?

2600mah/500mah = 5 hours?

I decided to dispose of the two batteries, in fact I put them in a gallon plastic container which I the put in an empty trashcan, just to make sure that if they go off in the 100 degree heat there is nothing flammable around.

It would be interesting to test them in a light, but my concern is that a flashlight is a tightly sealed area, and if the battery vents I don't want to create a pipe bomb...

If it vents in my trash can, not a huge deal. And I have the trashcan sitting inside a big metal wheelbarrow, just in case a battery torches through the side of the plastic.

Isn't there a proper way to dispose of or recycle batteries?

Yes, I'm just trying to keep it in a safe place until I can do that.

Not easy to dispose of, even though Calif is one of the few states that mandates proper disposal of ALL household batteries.

Also, I wanted to let the one that is reading 5.27v 'settle down' for a couple days before I transport that bugger in my car.

In the U.S.: Alltel, Batteries Plus, BellSouth Cellular, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, Circuit City, Home Depot, RadioShack, Remington, Sears and Orchard Supply, Target, Wal-Mart and Wireless Zone. And in Canada: Astral Photo Images, Authorized Motorola Dealers, Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Black's Photography, Canadian Tire, Future Shop, Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge and Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Telus and Zellers.

Any place that sells batteries like a radio shack , battery plus or a real cellular store

Boaz, you think they will take back batteries of a type that they do not even sell, i.e. Li-on?

there is an e-waste recycling center about a block from where I work, once the batteries calm down I'll bring them both there.

I have to admit, I contemplated dropping the 5.27v one in a big plastic cup filled with water, just to see how it would act when it shorted itself out...

I modified a Soshine SC-S2 , one channel now has adjustable voltage range [ termination ] , only problem is its not stable , has to be re-calibrated every time I use it or it will under charge or overcharge .. Details are over at the other forum ,

I don't think they will short themselves out in water since they are low voltage but it might be worth a try

You may want to call before you bring them anywhere. I tried taking my recycle batteries to Walmart once and they looked at me like I was crazy, tried taking them to Ace hardware and they said only if they where in packs. However all the target stores I have been to have big bins in the front of the store for recycling, that's where I go now.

If you are going to try to short them with water, remember pure h20 is more of an insulator than a conductor. Drop a tablespoon of salt in first, then the battery!

BTW Home Depot takes LiCo cells, at least in canada. They even provide plastic bags to prevent shorting out.

Put them on E-bay ....sell them as higher voltage batteries than AW's .. Better yet put them up for sale on CPF,real batteries for real men ..

- the water wouldn't do a thing . the splash would be the most interesting part

NEWSFLASH!

I just got 10 batteries form Rev Jim, tested a couple and got...5.15v?????

Noticed the "Batt" warning light was on the DMM, put a new 9v battery in it, tested again and got 3.85v. Hmmmmm

Went and retrieved the 3000mAh batteries out of the plastic container the were in and tested again. One still read WAY low, 2v, but the other was right at 4.2v.

So sorry, but have to write this thread off as user error, actually two errors (1) leaving batteries in the charger for a week, and (2) Not being smart enough to realize my V-Ohm meter needed a new battery and was giving me poor readings. Sorry about the excitement of having an 18650 charged to 5v+ , you experienced guys must have sensed something was very wrong with that readout.

I feel pretty stupid, I suppose I should delete this whole thread, but I will leave it up so that when you think you're an idiot, you can always read it and realize you're still not that dumb.

So I'm tossing the undercharged battery, and keeping the 4.2v one. It's going into the V-Shark that only pulls 1.2A

Thanks for letting us know! A lot of people would have just let it slide swept it under the rug.

I have to say almost the same thing has happened to me. Only mine was low voltage readings on my multi-meter.... Yep low batteries will do it every time!

> my V-Ohm meter needed a new battery and was giving me poor readings.

You can go back and edit the original post. Itā€™d save new readers from starting into this one, not quite finishing it, and getting the wrong idea.

Itā€™s like motor oil. If you want to sell it, you have to take it back when itā€™s used up.

The dying dmm sucked 1.3v from the cell :smiley:

Anybody else feel paranoid everynow and then?!!?

I thought about building a little sheetmetal box just to eer on the safe sideā€¦ā€¦abnormal?

I think everybody is that dumb once in a while. Fortunately, you only have to be a genius once to qualify. I read that in one of my favorite books. Darwin award winners skirt the other edge once too often. I suppose you could win the Nobel prize one week and a Darwin Award the next.