Good Morning All;
First Time Poster - Long Time Lurker - I want to say Thank You to all for the wealth of information provided on too many subjects to list!
I scored 2 old laptops from my Sister in Law today.
Both contained [8] SAMSUNG ICR18650-20 SDI 282.
The Disappointing part - All [16] cells had a voltage of 0.005 to 0.025 volts.
Correct me if I am wrong - but from what I have learned here - these cells would be dangerous to charge - and are only good for the Recycled Bin?
Thank You.
You could try using xtar charger for under voltage battery
That's about what I would expect with used packs. Go to Ebay and find some new-old-stock packs for $15-20. Old but unused = good, any age and used = usually fail.
These cells should not be charged at all. It would be dangerous. It’s not a good idea to advise a brand new BLF member to charge low voltage cells. Danstorm’s cells are at 0.0v (0.005-0.025v). You can’t get any worse.
See HKJ’s thread: How far can LiIon be discharged?
Depending on the source of information and the particular chemistry of the cell you can see some lower recommendations.
But of course, at 0.0v for Danstorm’s cells, everything says Do Not Charge.
my bad :person_facepalming:
If that is for a pack containing 6 cells then at $20 that would be $3.33 per cell.
You can get brand new Panasonic 3500 mah NCR 18650B”s for under $4 delivered what is the point ?
New, quality cell, with much higher capacity than a laptop pull cell & none of the hassle of breaking the pack open & retrieving the cells.
I used to reclaim cells from laptop packs but new cells are so cheap now I don”t see the point ?
There are no counterfeit cells in Dell/HP/Toshiba/etc. packs and they can be had from domestic sellers, no overseas shipping.You will not find those cells mentioned at those prices from a US seller.
Who said anything about US sellers ?
Here is a link to the cells for $3.37 delivered http://www.gearbest.com/batteries/pp_189823.html
Are you saying that these cells are counterfeit ?
Many members have bought them, myself included, & all have reported back as them being genuine cells.
Agreed that there are no counterfeit cells in real genuine laptop packs but when you harvest the cells what do you get ?
If it is a brand new unused pack you will probably get 2,200 or if you are lucky 2,600 mah cells that you will have to break the pack apart to get at then strip the cells out & be careful not to cause a short.
If it is a used genuine pack then you really don”t know what you are getting as the OP has found out.
Plus there are plenty of counterfeit packs out there not just counterfeit cells.
The best capacity I have seen from my used laptop pulls has been 2,600 mah cells that show around 2,100-2,200 mah.
The Panasonic”s I linked to test at around their claimed 3,500 mah capacity.
$3 for a laptop pull of unknown history or $3 for a brand new legit cell, I know where my money is going.
Who said anything about US sellers? I did. Those cells you're happy to buy for cheap from China could change to fakes tomorrow. Or may have already changed since your last order. You go right ahead and buy what you like and I'll do the same.
What”s with the animosity ?
All I have done is pointed out that you can buy genuine cells for the same price as a laptop pack & not have the hassle of having to harvest the cells & potentially be disappointed with the results as the OP has experienced.
Comfy said “new old stock” laptop packs. Which means factory sealed never used (still at storage voltage).
Yes I know what he said & you will still have to break the pack apart, carefully remove the cells to end up with 2,200 or 2,600 mah cells that cost the same as buying higher capacity genuine cells without any of the hassle.
Here is a link to a very well respected US seller who has good quality 18650”s for under $5 Wholesale Li-ion Batteries | Liion Wholesale – Tagged "18650" – Liion Wholesale Batteries
Oh & I have bought a new old stock factory sealed genuine real 100% authentic Toshiba pack only to find when I broke it open that it was counterfeit.
As I said there are counterfeit laptop battery packs out there as well as counterfeit cells.
The cells I linked to have been bought by many members & all have checked out genuine.
If they did prove to be fake then paypal will refund the cost anyway.
All I am trying to say, without being argumentative or confrontational is that 18650 prices have come down so much & specs have improved so much that I personally cannot see any reason for laptop pulls nowadays unless you actually enjoy the disassembling of the packs.
A few years ago, yes cells were much dearer & laptop pulls were a much cheaper way of obtaining cells but not now IMHO.
I'm not buying bare cells from anywhere overseas from any vendor. Just not. Too much hassle with shipping delays and restrictions and fakes. The odds of you changing my mind on this is less than zero.
I am not trying to change your mind & I really do not understand why you have such a bee in your bonnet ?
The OP had a disappointing outcome with his first laptop pulls.
You suggested that he buy a $20 laptop pack.
I suggested that with the price of new legit cells so low nowadays that he could just buy new cells for the same price.
You said that overseas bought cells could be fake & that he wouldn”t find cheap legit cells in the US.
I gave a link to a well respected US seller that has cells for under $5 a piece.
I really do not see the problem with anything that I have posted ?
Anyway I am not here to argue & if somehow something that I have posted has upset you I apologise.
I was only trying to help the OP with a cost effective way of obtaining cells & save him any future hassle & maybe disappointment with harvesting cells from laptop packs.
I can only say again that I am sorry if I have in some way offended you
It’s because there is a lot of believing going on, and people get unsettled/upset/angry when their beliefs are challenged. Since we can’t physically harm each other on the Internet, “animosity” is all they have left, besides repeating their beliefs in the hope that if they just say it enough, & maybe sway a few doubters to adopt their beliefs, maybe they’ll become True.
A pertinent example is how “NOS” packs are treated. It starts with the reasonable assumption that “the Big Boys” — Dell, HP, etc. — have the market power to guarantee the Very Best the manufacturers have to offer, but then some people seem to only see the “New” in “New Old Stock”, and forget all about the self-discharge characteristics of LiIon as they skip past the word “Old”. Tying that with the belief that “brands” and labels somehow guarantee authenticity, leads some people to pay more than “scrap” rates for old, unwanted stock. A big win for the warehouseman and the counterfeiter, but not-so-much for us.
True, but that’s not the point of “laptop pulls”, at least not at first. If you’re going to buy batteries, by all means only spend your money on something you feel is worth the price to you. I feel sorry for people who pay money for used or counterfeit cells no matter what the package they’re delivered in.
Recycling “dead” laptop packs is about not simply throwing away 18650s just because the circuitry in the pack has failed. We invest our capital — labor, knowledge, skills and tools — to extend the lifespan of useful technology. “Bring out yer dead!” Buying packs, “NOS” or fresh production, is an off-shoot of that practice, but it’s still buying batteries.
And you still have to invest all that capital I mentioned, after you pay for the privilege.
We all like to feel self-important, but pack pullers need to understand we’re logically equivalent to the people who go to the landfill in hopes of finding still-edible food that’s been thrown away. If it works, we get a full belly (charge-discharge lifecycle), but the practice can kill us if we work in ignorance or belief.
OTOH, sometimes packs fail because the 18650s have died. That’s the risk pack-pullers accept, along with the risks everyone accepts when they adopt this power source in the first place. And that seems to be the unfortunate case for the OP.
Oh, well, it only cost you time and maybe a wee drop of blood. Better luck next time!
An unused, but old, cell in a laptop pack is as it left the cell manufacturer. They are not charged when the pack is built. So, the cells are in a very very low energy state. Even if stored improperly, too hot or too cold, there's very little that can happen inside the cell because it's mostly an inert lump of stuff up until the moment it gets connected to something for its first charge. That's when the clock starts ticking and has nothing much to do with the date the cells/pack were built. It's not anything to do with 'belief' in 'brand names' or any other moronic strawman claptrap. It's about facts of what's inside an old but unused pack.
if i needed 18650 cells tomorrow: I would…
1) search for the best price on “NOS laptop battery”, i have harvested two or three times, always been impressed with the results, by the way. You have to DILIGENTLY search for the lowest cost NOS battery packs, then it gets ridiculously cheap per cell. Your FIRST laptop pull takes a little while? after that, it takes minutes. too easy.
2) since i am in the states? I would go to MTN ELECTRONICS. He has a good selection of batteries. Decent prices, and, a reputation NO ebay seller or overseas vendor could EVER match.
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if i needed a size other than 18650? well… its pretty much just #2 option, lol…
Imho the op just got in a bit of practice opening packs.
These were losers but if the feedstock is free……
My “bee in my bonnet” in this thread would be that ANYONE who suggests a newbie with no experience with these potential incendiary grenades should try and charge 0v cells is irresponsible bordering on criminal.
Recycle this bunch and better luck on the next.
And welcome to blf!