I has a Panasonic NCR18650B flat-top unprotected inside a Convoy S5 from Simon at Ali-ex.
I recently just opened the Convoy S5 and discovered that the positive flat-top end of the battery which is hollow like most others, has caved in. Pictures below.
Victim on the left, culprit (beheaded) on the right.
A close up of the grevious bodily harm.
I know that most Convoy branded flashlights have trouble fitting a protected button top battery, but surely the Panasonics are that much larger than normal?
All I need to know is, is this too much damage to be usable?
Am I at risk of shorting anything out?
I also encounter some of NCR18650A inside those Ruinovo power bank when I swapping out batteries, the positive side dented in the installation process.
At first I was thinking to use those small, angled tip soldering tools to try pry it upward, but was aware of shorting out something inside, so ended I solder on some strip then pull sparingly upward to
try lift it back up, but it will not be as strong as it would :weary:
It’s only superficial, don’t worry about it. I’ve got dozens of dented cells. Generally, the tops are pretty flimsy. I find that those tail springs with the brass cap exert too much pressure on the cell. They don’t retract fully and cause restriction. A lot of time, I just remove it. If it has one of those really long tubular springs underneath I replace it or cut it down.
Like I said, it’s mostly superficial and doesn’t affect the cell itself.
i posted a thread about this a while back, its annoying but the only problem from it is if it won’t charge anymore because the positive terminal of the charger doesn’t stick out enough
I was actually surprised there is enough space for the denting to happen, i assumed they would maximize efficiency by making the innards as big as possible to hold the most power
If it were the bottom I’d say that I absolutely would not. if I could raise the top a little without shorting (to ensure no pressure builds up inside), I’d probably charge it very carefully and use it.
I share the experience, I have a few Panasonic 2900s with such dent but never encounter any problem. I don’t see how it can be dangerous, other than maybe you need some jiggling to get it to charge at times.
Ah this makes sense. My XinTD has dented some of my sanyo 2600’s once in a while, I guess I’ll remove the brass spring cover then. (Edit: Brass Plunger on the XinTD adds length so this is a nogo for now. I’ll solder it on later).
I had it soldered on on my S2 though and had no problems so it’s likely the fact that the little plastic retaining rings keep the springs from absorbing impact and thus denting the softer tops.
I actually received a pair of AW 16340s from a used light I purchased that had the bottoms severely dented in (at least 1/8” in the center.) None the wiser I’ve been using those cells for years.
Somewhere I’ve seen construction drawings that suggest the inner core is more likely bonded to the bottom than the top (which may have room for venting).
Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don’t. With pulls so readily available, I’m willing to toss a few …
But we take our chances and if you get lucky then you may be OK - I’d just be careful with ’em.
good luck, with –40 windchill (F and C) just a few days ago, a new charger for lower amperage, and extra monitoring, its not gonna happen, especially since most all our batteries will end up like this if left in lights
sucks for you, but even in those conditions there are ways if you want … portable and outside shelters and heaters do exist … some people do it inside in an unused fireplace with potential venting blocked and directed up … lots of ways for anyone with a positive outlook …
I just have just dented lgD1 on the bottom.
I had in a light in which the spring mod failed because the silicone wire sucked in solder and was stiff……
Is there any info how dangerous this is? Has anyone got problems with a dented cell?
I have found some caper forums on the net which use them just like normal…and they hold them in front of their faces…
This is/was a new cell, less than 10 cycles so I won’t toss this.
