SawMaster did the cell cause the car fire or vice versa? Hate to hear that your car burned up!
It’s been awfully hot here in SC, I thought I was going to spontaneously combust while doing yardwork today.
The car was the fire, not the cell. In thinking it all over I’m sure the console acted to insulate the light somewhat as the plastic would have had to burn away from the light (ablation) to expose its aluminum body directly to the full heat of the fire. There was also a full BIC butane lighter in there which vented rather than exploding, and IIRC that was about 1 minute after the interior began burning. I found that unusual having seen the results of lighters being tossed into fires where they have always exploded. Thus I believe the temperature rise in the console was slower than where there was direct exposure to the flames. It was still hot there from about 1 minute on though, well above the temps any car would see from anything less than a fire which I feel indicates that it is safe to have a LiIon light stored in your car. The biggest loss was that it also burned a small part of a Bermuda grass yard which cost $375 to have new sod put in to repair it. Without insurance that is out-of-pocket. The shell of the car was scrapped netting $180 for the salvagers who I gave the remains to. Could have been a whole lot worse. Pic is from after getting the car towed home. The only remaining plastic was at the very back, everything forward including aluminum was melted and gone
(can’t figure out how to post pic so follow link HERE[user]=145398863&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
Phil
go to the source, right-click and choose to copy the image location/URL
click the little “sunset” icon above the Comment box here
paste
put something in the size box like “50”
preview
adjust the number for “width” in the raw html you see in the editing window during preview, e.g. !{width:30% …
optionally go back to where you got the picture and copy the URL from the web navigation box at top of web page
I especially liked the Photobucket offer to make you up “Happy Holiday” cards featuring your chosen image.
I laughed pretty good at that! 
Seconded
UPDATE PHOTO!
- >> an explanation is in the OP on this experiment of the successfull in-flashlight venting of a 18650…
Most standard Li-Ion cells we tested during this experiment, (by shorting, over charging, shocking even with 120 volts, etc) seemed to go into an “open-circuit” state before they reached the point of venting, (as if they have a fusible-link internally to prevent over-currents or shorts from causing thermal-runaway.
The 25R types on the other hand are designed to sustain extremely high current loads & short-term outputs, meaning they may not have that internal fuse or design (or a much stronger one at that) thus allowing the cell to reach a critical temperature during an accidental full on short, then causing them to go into thermal-runaway sooner or easier than standard low current cells as that short is sustained in the 25R cells throughout the full-short.
Hahaha that light looks so sad.
Good experiments!
Love the smoke drifting in your direction. :confounded: I
It appears your little work bench has had quite a few sacrifices on it. 
Good luck DBSAR, please mind your safety first :+1:
UPDATES, First video of the venting online!
( more info is posted on the test at the bottom of the OP.) You may want to turn up your volume at 5:56 for the vent burst.
- at 2:08 minutes into the video the flashlight goes out.
- at 4:42 minutes into the video the rubber switch boot fails (its a side-clicky switch type Flashlight) venting some smoke from the light…
- at 5:56 minutes into the video the 18650 cell goes into full thermal runaway & vents with explosive force blowing out the switch, lens, LED board, and driver.
Very nice! At least had you been holding it the extreme heat from the body would have you put it down or toss it. If that didn’t make you drop it the smoke from the tail would have been warning enough to toss it pronto. It’s kind of good to see that it didn’t explode without any warning. With no warning and going off in the hand it would be a nightmare.
That was one of the things we were wanting to learn is what “warnings” woudl take place before a flashlight body would rupture as it did in the video. It is very likely the body would get very hot & release heat pressure through the weakest likely place of a light, (the rubber switch boot) before the catastrophic failure occurred when the cell finally went into full thermal runaway and vented, then rupturing the light as it did in the video at the end, (causing injury to your hand)
Out next tests will be done on a aluminum light with a tail-switch to see the results of that style of light when the cell vents inside.
Cool! Any footage from the closer camera we see in this video?
Also, I can’t tell what the setup is here, how did you cause it to go poof?
Any pics of the light afterwards?
a photo of the light after the venting damage is posted in the OP) I will be posting the video from the closer camera too as i get them uploaded soon.
Whoa, that was an honest-to-god pipe bomb 
It felt searing hot from the other side of the screen.
I’m amazed that the LED board shown in the aftermath photo was only blackened instead of totally melted or incinerated.
Now… What about a stronger light, like a Convoy S?
You might need a shrapnel shield for safety
Waste of a good light :cry:
While the 5mm LED board survived, the driverboard behind it was literally just traces of ashes left. the side switch was vaporized as all that remained from that was two melted metal tabs.