Hi folks,
18650.UK just launched their own brand line of protected cells so I fancied checking them out, much cheap option compared to say keeppower for feeding hungry LT1s! I am in no way connected to 18650.UK, I bought these for my own use. £5.99 each, but don’t forget the BLF10 10% discount.
The battery is a Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mah 18650 sized cell fitted with a protection circuit board and button top. Overall length is 70.1mm and diameter 18.8 where the metal strip is.
The outer wrap is clear so you can see the cell and all parts which is nice.
My only comment on the construction is that the button top is not under an insulation washer or the wrap and could fall off if the welds fail. I tested the welds and could not pull the button top off with pliers.
Stripping the battery down reveals the + strip which is welded under the button top and runs down to the PCB at the - end. What is really nice to see is kapton tape on both sides of the strip fully insulating it from both the cell wall, and the torch body in the event the outer wrap got damaged (Keeppower for comparison only use tape under the strip and its loose under the outer wrap). The wrap seems pretty tough, had quite a job ripping it off.
The PCB sits in a plastic cradle which insulates it from the cell. There is a metal plate soldered to the back of the PCB which is nice. It appears to have two mosfets and a DW01 generic protection chip. I would guess it’s good for about 5A with the two mosfets.
Overall seems well made, voltage when supplied was 3.5V which is a little low. According to the date stamp on the cell it was made 14th August 2017 which is a while ago. Sanyo actually stamp the information into the cell wrap so its hard to see compared to other manufacturers which print it on the wrap.
Going to do LG MJ1 in other thread.
Pictures:
