BLF Community Battery Pulls Overview Thread (Laptop packs and Tool Packs)

I bought a laptop bat pack that proved to be defective with my laptop so I harvested the cells. At first, they looked good… decent initial voltage, charged to 4.2V (w/XTAR SP-1) and capable of delivering 4+ amps with a DD Ultrafire C2-T6 but over a week, it looks like they self-discharged 0.04V. Please take a look at the pics to see if you’ve seen these cells before but the data table may help make the conclusion to ‘Discard or Keep’. Thank you for your experience/opinion!

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http://s1007.photobucket.com/user/broodmasterpb/embed/slideshow/FP%2018650%202000mAh%20150924

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You are very welcome, sir. Still pretty green here myself and hoping to learn more as I go forward.

Good luck with your pulls.

Mahalo!

Model: 2x Dell XX237

3S2P 11.1v 60Wh (5400mAh)

12x Samsung ICR18650-28A. All cells good :)

http://imgur.com/a/hXge5/embed

I made a very good friend at work the other day, the electronics disposal guy. He picks up old laptops and desktops/monitors/keyboards and disposes of them. I chatted a little bit and told him I was looking for laptop batteries, he said he would keep an eye out for some. Today was the first delivery: 3 Dell packs Type T54FJ, 60Wh, 11.1V. Tore one apart at lunch and found these NCR18650. Will see what voltages are when I get home.

UPDATE: All 6 cells in one pack tested at 3.96V, so hopefully these are still pretty healthy!

Tearing them apart is a bit addicting .I liken it to opening christmas presents.
just remember to always peel the labels first .

happy hunting

Opened my second-ever pack today.
From a ThinkPad X120e, pack is part number 42T4787 / 42T4786, labeled 10.8V, 5.2Ah, 57 Wh.
Cells are Sony US18650GR (review here ), spot-welded in a 3S2P arrangement. There’s a little bit of glue or sealant around the cells, but it didn’t stick them hard to the pack casing. The back and sides of the pack are stuck tight together (plastic-welded or glued?), but the front (near the contacts that plug into the computer) was easy enough to pry apart, starting at the spring-loaded tabs on each side.

Exact text on cell:

This pack was giving an error on the computer when it was under warranty, so Lenovo sent a new one. Haven’t tested or attempted charging any individual cells yet, but I’m hoping there’s only one or a couple that are bad. Current plan (after an initial voltage check) is to take my charger outside for the initial charge attempt. As I understand it, the first charge (after cells have been sitting a while) is riskiest, so if they survive that and hold a charge, I’ll put them into rotation with my lights.

Hope this is helpful,
Andy

Hey guys, great info. On this thread.
I have a favor to ask but im not sure if possible. I live in mexico and i’m just getting into the whole 18650 cell flashlights and diy projects but out here i cant get decent cells. Most pc repair shops will sell the packs at brand new prices and once you explain what’s inside it’s even worse.
I’ve been eyeballing a lenovo 9 cell pack on ebay for 16dlls but i was wondering if any of you would be willing to sell me 2 lenovo 6 or 9 cell packs for the same price, just wondering.

Hi, Ansarogu,
The trick to PC repair shops is not to ask for New. Their contribution to this method is to store “dead” packs for recycling. That’s where you come in. You’re there to make a Friend and help defray his storage and disposal costs. And to do a lot better job of recycling than the “official” methods!

I cannot imagine any retail establishment, in Mexico or Valhalla, that would cut their prices for any reason other than the usual Free-Market constraints. You could try this approach: “I don’t like Bob’s Computer Store, but they sell this same battery for $12.95” (pick a computer store across town & a number you want to pay) “Can you let it go for that, if I promise to become your newest best customer?”

The “dead” factory packs (not necessarily the “compatible” ones) still have the best batteries that were available from the best manufacturers at the time they were made. Usually they “die” because the circuitry fails somehow. Yes, you can expect some dead 18650s, but they tend to be the exception.

Hi, thanks for the tip. I’ll find some more repair shops, see if any have good deals on battery packs. One thing to keep in mind down here is that the recycling programs are non existent. And if they figure that a good quality cell (new of course) goes for 6~9 dlls, then the price for a used battery pack (in any condition) goes up to 20 or 30 dlls, assuming. 3~4 dlls per used cells, simply because of the number of cells you would get. It’s really bad hahaha.
But thanks!

Do they pull the 18650s out of the packs for you? Or clean the weld spots off? Or give each 18650 an initial charge & test? What charger do they use?

A bad pack is a bad pack. It only becomes a bunch of used 18650s if someone invests more labor capital in the conversion process. And then they’re used 18650s. Tell them to eat their bad packs, you’re going to “Bob’s Computer Repair” from now on.

If you don’t have other computer stores near you, how close are they? I’ve found that (after you determine they have bad packs) explaining how to extract the 18650s puts them in a more receptive frame of mind than starting with the ‘why’. This is also a good time to explain the care required to use, charge & maintain 18650s; and to mention some of the better “vent with flames” stories.

You might also find some of your neighbors with bad laptop batteries, who might appreciate you picking them up for “proper disposal”…

Lol yeah right, i doubt they even have knowledge to do such testing.
I just pulled the trigger on a Lenovo 9cell 94wh, 87ah (81ah minimum) battery pack from Ebay for 13dlls. Doing a bit of math throws out 2700mah for each cell on minimum, taking the “used” part into consideration im guessing 2300~2500mah for each cell. I hope. :-/
Would you consider the Xtar vc2 a decent charger to charge and get an estimate on the mah capacity?
Thanks!

I don’t use one, so I’ll leave you with the expert’s conclusion. His other charger reviews are here.

Pulled 6 cells of Panasonic CGR18650CG 2250mah from an ACER AS10D51 pack.

Edit: 4400mAh, 10.8V all were at 3.9V

Ansarogu,

I like the LiitoKala Engineer Lii-500 charger. when dealing with “old” cells it is really handy to have an internal resistance measurement that way you can minimize the time spent on a charger for (at that point an known substandard) cell.

I draw the line an 3x of the same cell new internal resistance measurement or if I have a lot of cells 2x to find the best of the used ones.

Much safer and faster then charging cells that clearly are not up tot he job any more.

Ah poop, i already bought the xtar vc2. That LiitoKala Engineer looks real nice. Maybe next time, thanks for the suggestion!

Unfortunately, all cells have about half of the capacity left :frowning:

They ranged from 1000 to 1450 mAh

I went to Home Depot today and pulled an 18V Ryobi ONE+ P104 battery pack for cordless drills from the recycling bin.
When I got home, I took it apart. It had 10 of SANYO UR18650SA 1.3Ah 10A (high drain) cells in it.
All cells are at about 3.25V, haven’t had a chance to test the capacity yet. Will report later.

Don’t fret… The vc2 is still a good charger. But keep in mind that it only tells you input capacity. IOW, it might show a higher capacity for cells that may have trouble taking a charge.

For the real analyer/chargers, there is the Liitokala Li-500, and the Opus 3100 v2.2 (aka 3400 v2.2). I have both now, and both are very good to have - and both will show the internal resistance. Also here, keep in mind that the IR readings, for both, may not be very accurate - however, they may at least give you a general idea of a cell’s health. They also both do 10440’s (AAA-size) - and I think will even do a bit smaller size as well, but I forget which. BOTH of these charger/analyzers will also work with NiMH batteries as well! Bonus! :slight_smile:

Another good Li-Ion charger would be the XTAR VP2… It can be set to work with 3.2v LiFePO4 batteries, and also 3.6, AND 3.8v Li-Ions. The Opus can do that too, but you would have to open it up to flip a switch - which is why I got the VP2. With the VP2, the switch is external and on the back. You can also specify the charging current, which is good for the little 10440’s - which you can’t do with the VC2’s set 500ma current. However, this one doesn’t seem to show the input mah (I just got it yesterday, and opened it up today). It will show exact (x.xx) voltage though.

hehe…. I’m growing quite a pile of GOOD Li-Ion chargers/analyzers lately! $) But the good thing is all of these chargers can be had for VERY cheap via all the various Chinese/Hong Kong sites. …. Which wasn’t the case when I got my Maha c-9000, and even the LaCrosse BC-900 many years ago which only do NiCd/NiMH.

As far as pulls go, I just recently tore apart a pack for an old, circa 2003, Dell laptop that wouldn’t work in it any more. Surprisingly, ALL the cells turned out to be fairly good - ~2200mah. They were ok with my vaping devices, but now are becoming relegated to flashlight duty. :slight_smile:

I did my first two laptop battery pulls, both from Toshiba laptops. the first, a fairly old XP-based laptop yielded 9 Sony 17670GA’s and the second, a somewhat newer Toshiba, yielded 6 Sony 18650’s. I didn’t record the labeling on them yet nor have I done any testing or charging since it was late. I suppose the 17670’s could be used in an 18650 flashlight especially with both head and tail springs. I’ll check their viability when I can spend some time on it.

It’s also possible the 17670s will fit in some 2*CR123-only lights like the Streamlight ProTac (e.g. only, not shilling) or the older CR123-based torches. I have a pair of very-beautiful old SS incan torches that are bored too small for 18650, but will take a 3v bulb (or LED if I decide to mod one). So do you mind telling what laptop had them in it?