While you still have hands…
Extend one of them straight up, bend that arm at the elbow…
And give yourself a well-deserved Pat On The Back!
That’s what I think, anyway.
(Burned his desk, did he? Has to show off on his first light! Hmmmf!)
Nicely done!
Winning the negative lottery is no cause for celebration anyways, you probably never will, and you’ll get another ticket later whenever you want. It sounds like its actually more probable you’ll set your house on fire with it than they will blow your hand off! 
Well, I think they are probably a better decision than the Ultrafires at least.
Hello!
I’ve gone and done it again, got my hands on 4 18650’s from a battery that was doomed to be scrapped.
One of them is at 1.349v, others at 0.298, 0.024, and 0.007
I’m guessing only the first one if worth trying to resurrect. As said before in this thread, if i just drop off and don’t post any more… presume that i’ve been blown up or have lost one or more limbs :bigsmile:
If they are used cells just scrap them all. Not worth the risk. Shouldn't reuse used cells discharged below about 2.5v.
-Garry
“Doomed to be scrapped” or (more often) “lying in the trash can” is where I live.
That means I bin recycle a lot of 18650s, IRL.
I’d not waste the time thinking about those 4.
Oh-well. Next pack?
I’ll give that first one a go, the usual 7 day charge test. To hell with your warnings! Who really needs limbs anyway 
Anyway, i need to build up my selection of cells, will just put this on the back burner when using them.
The pack that i got these four out of also had 5 i think it was, flat rectangular li-po looking cells, any uses for those?
I’ll probably be getting the chance to get a few packs soon, any particular brands to look for, or any to stay well clear from? Dell, lenovo, hp, apple…?
… be sure to let us know how that works out for you.
Re: happy hunting grounds, it looks like Dell is working pretty well for you so far. Do you happen to know for which model your first pack was? One more of those & you could camp for months!
Surely i’m not the first nut to decide to try and salvage cells at all cost from dead laptop packs?… hah oh well
Yeah, dell does seem pretty good so far for this. Will probably try stick to them if possible.
The pack that i got the first 9 out of was a dell slice battery, not the usual kind of laptop battery. I’ve never seen one in the wild and think they’re pretty uncommon anyway.
I think someone had a bit too much fun with the hot glue in this one!
And here, I thought you were keeping up with your homework!
You do understand, I trust, that most of us here don’t say “here’s what I believe”. Most of us say “here’s what happened when I tried it”. IMNERHO, that’s the “secret megapower” of BLF.
“First” would be the first to revive a dead (“doomed”) 18650. Not even the “first” to pay for one, although I doubt many would put out $50 to $90 for a 9-pack. Sorry…
OTOH, you could also be the first to suffer personal injury over this… You’re welcome to that!!
But it’s all Good!! You’ve got the power, and the knowledge to get more. Welcome to the nut house, you’re among friends! Get busy!
Dim
I’m trying to keep up! There’s just so darned much to get through!
I’ve not given that single cell from the last pack a go at charging yet, but i have managed to get another haul… A 12 (12!!!) pack of cells from a toshiba battery. They’re all at 3.80v exactly, and judging from what i can find that’s their optimal charge, not the usual 4.2v?
They’re Sony US18650GR’s, and judging from this review, i’ve gotten myself another set of pretty decent cells again! Love it
Edit: The original dell slice battery that i got. I bought it in the mindset of using it as it was intended, for my laptop. Wouldn’t even think of buying laptop batteries just to rip cells out of. Also got it for only $25, so not much of a loss there, certainly not in the $50 to $90 range
3.8v is their optimal storage voltage. They still charge to 4.20v. Sounds like a good pack.
-Garry
Sounds like you got a “good” unused laptop pack, now you can toss your questionable junk cells and have fun without rolling the negative lottery dice so often.
Ah that’s super stuff, thanks. I don’t suppose you found a datasheet for it when finding that out? I can’t seem to find anything of the sorts.
Also would anyone recommend a decent charger for 18650s, with this little ultrafire thing only doing 2 at a time, and i have limited time available to let the cells charge. It takes a looong time to get through a bulk of cells with it.
I’ve been looking at the nitecore i4, what’s the general feeling about it? If not that one, any recommendations on a charger, preferably one that can take four cells at a time.
Thanks!
Yeeeah but more cells is always better, in my mind at least Anyway, i’m pretty happy with the original lot of cells now, think they’re safe enough for my use. They’ve all passed an 8 day charge test. Higher mAh anyway
The i4 is SLOW to charge 4 cells. Look at the new EFest LUC V4 (think I got that right). See it at Mtn Electronics http://www.mtnelectronics.com/opencart/index.php?route=product/product&path=79&product_id=232
That's BLF user RMM's store.
The 3.8v storage voltage I just picked up from reading BLF. I'm sure it's in a data sheet somewhere.
-Garry
That’s the spirit! Grab all you can, while you can, is my advice. Before you know it, either this trick will become so widely known we’ll be fighting with our neighbor’s dog over the next pack to die, or the high priests of hate and order will regulate them out of our hands.
(PS: I like your new Avatar. Is that a Golden Lion Tamarin, facing down the winds of Hurricane Catarina?)
Needs more!
I think i can stop cracking open battery packs… at least for now
With only the one torch to actually use all these in, well and a usb charger thingy, i think i’m good for now hah
-It’s a great picture isn’t it; a wild doge of the saharan plains, facing into the oncoming storm
Well, if that’s the result of one flashlight purchase, don’t ever start a flashlight collection, or you will have to dedicate a “battery room”.
Your picture, I’m glad to hear it wasn’t a lion pictured weathering an explosion of one of your sub one volt used batteries.
I am already thinking and looking for another light… Uhoh I’ve definitely got the bug :o my multimeter arrived today too, pretty happy with it, loads more functions than I’m used to.
As for the picture… You never know, it could be
Much danger, so scare, very explode
Awwww. That makes me sad.
If you’re not committed to the 2x18650 form factor, there are some awesome single-cell torches out there too. To paraphrase the .22 vs. .44 bit, an Ultrafire 501b in your pocket will burn a lot more batteries than the multi-cell monster hanging in your truck.
So, would that make him a “doge Challenger”??