Mmmkay, got these cells nearly 12 days ago in the mail from AliExpress seller AM battery Store. Did some initial testing on up to 4.2V energy output which came out good but with weird measured voltages against HKJ's discharge graphs, likely due to cells probably being standard ≈2.6Ah 4.2V units.
Pictures and a little clip I shot just after my madness went away:
Unusual top profile in my opinion.
Has anyone seen these 4x wide lobe flat tops on a Samsung cell? Not me.
Bulged wraps. Factory OEM wraps never look this way.
Just before putting 'em together inside a laptop pack I proceeded with a full balanced charge (4.35V) and let them rest for an hour. When I came back, their voltage had nearly collapsed! I connected them again to my charging setup to try to discern what the @#$% was going on, and after a very short while:
Mmm yes, I could improve my pronunciation but guess that's what happens when you can only speak english with yourself LoL! :-D
Definitively counterfeit, doesn't it?
Cheers :-((
P.S.: this is not meant to be prejudicial against AM battery Store. I have got good cells from them before this, which is likely caused by some rogue provider. I hope the best for everyone but it's dispute time.
Can you see any writing through the wrap on the actual can part of the battery?
Like in the pic here, zoom in and you can read the numbers under the wrap.
I’m with ya, they look fake to me. Looks like a pretty good copy though, the wrap is almost perfect just maybe a little sloppier than a factory wrap. Caps appear from your pics to be to big and as RobertB said 3 post cap.
Thanks for pointing out the date code stuff, RobertB.
Got some numbers for you, moderator007: 9L17D1823R9, 9L17D1822R9, 9L17D1821R8… These are underwrap longitudinal orientation codes, and even the last one's characters had oddly shaped, stretched out characters. They don't look like the eBay cells in this regard.
The positive pole of a Samsung cell will always be 3 whatever for as long as the brand decides to stick to it. I am pretty sure that if the flat tops of genuine Samsung 30B cells were manufactured with that precise four wide lobe shape its performance would not be noticeably different (and pretty sure the counterfeiters would be pleased if Samsung were to cooperate with them this way LoL!). What matters here is this single fact: low discharge rate of 30Bs up to 4.2V is 2.5Ah, which is a common figure of lower grade cells. Key difference is their high voltage and ability to cycle up to 4.35V without issue. In fact, thank God these cells have died this way.
My initial testing got me a bit puzzled because the delivered energy was close despite I already knew my measured input voltage didn't make sense. This was due to those cells having slightly more capacity, very much like this, for example:
Just an example, of course (the LGs are 4-lobed cells, by the way).
Not related to OP’s question, but would like to ask about Samsung date code check in the batterybro website.
I got INR18650-35E and INR18650-30Q.
Checking the date code of the 35Es I got (ordered them Nov 2017, but just got them last month Jan 2018), all the 35E in that order are G25 (Feb 2016) while only 1 is GA5 (Oct 2016).
Looks like these are already in stock for over 2 years.
My 30Qs don’t have those codes below the SDI. Does it mean anything?
d_t_a, the Battery Bro Date Code Lookup Tool is just a sort of reverse engineered hack. And if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll find this: “The Panasonic-Sanyo GA, and the Samsung 30Q are both not currently functioning with this tool.”
Cheers :-)
P.S.: quite nice because I am to receive a 6-pack of Samsung 25R cells and they're for a drill.
Seller is either crooked or being mislead by a crooked supplier. Hope for the highest and best resolution in this regard, which of course is the money back in my account and the seller to reconsider its business policy and partnership.
At least until I can change my DNA and spring forth a thousand Avalokiteśvara style sorry for the discomfort. :-D
Mickey Mouse thermometer that's right. My new Bside/Zotek ZT102 was telling me the room temperature without attached probe so I asked him for confirmation (and they agreed on).
So much for the false slogan “We got your back” customer protection nonsense by AliExpress. From what I can gather, AliExpress tend to favor the sellers more than the buyers.
All my cases was packages that wouldn’t arrive. In the ones with tracking that was easy - I could show the item was never sent.
In untracked it was even easier - I said the order was not here, I confirmed that I checked with my local post office and that was it - no evidence needed, I got my money back.
way LoL!). What matters here is this single fact: low discharge rate of 30Bs up to 4.2V is 2.5Ah, which is a common figure of lower grade cells. Key difference is their high voltage and ability to cycle up to 4.35V without issue. In fact, thank God these cells have died this way.
confirmation (and they agreed on).