These were all the same brand and usage however they were from a laptop battery. Here the figures are on capacity. 2213, 2218, 2206
As hobbyists with DMMs and light meters, for playing you could use unprotected cells….monitored usage.
For lighting up an area for 2-3hrs at a time, where you could be away…. pls use protected cells.
As simple as that.
I have my Sanyo UF18650, NCR18650, NCR18650A etc…. I really don’t use them other than for fun/tests, or for cell discharge tests.
My SR3800 driver failed and created a dead short during usage and was left there unattended….that’s a true story. Protected cells were in there and that’s 2 x 18650s.
you missed my point entirely…yes be precautious, always….your driver failed, but did it blow up on you?? that’s my point…they are dangerous, but not not as dangerous as we are led to believe…
The batteries definetly did not vent nor was there any smell. They were cells scavenged from a battery pack rated at 2400 mah.
Okay, that's cool. Thanks for the clarification.
And again, I think pounder's point is worth repeating . . . . all due caution and best practices handling lithium-ion batteries is gravely important. Very serious but when harvested cells like this do not explode suggets that under normal conditions, when handled properly LI chemistry is quite safe.
Did I just say "pounder's point?"
Foy
“pounders point”? Oh matron!
(this may not translate well across the pond, but any brit will know exactly where it comes from and will read it in exactly the right tone of voice….)
I agree though, before I “knew” about li-ion, the potential risks, the do’s and dont’s etc etc, I bought a spiderfire x-550 with cells/charger off eBay as a gun light, no instructions no nothing, to me they were just big AA no-cads……… Anyhow, its a two cell light, and was allowed to run flat in my gun bag (pre charge airrifle, bottle standing at 230 bar pressure) I had no idea of the potential risks, add to this the rather high pressure in the air reciever, a fire etc etc etc “poof” probably does not do it justice. Do you know what happened? Nothing, cheap eBay cells, run to nothing, 0v, and that’s it, they just won’t take a charge, I still have them, just checked and they are marked up icr 18650 2800mah in computer print, no branding or owt.
As said both this and scaru’s situation should be a recipe for extreme death, smoking holes in floors etc etc etc if urban/internet legend is to be believed but its just not happened. Perhaps it has happened before, but perhaps it was just a very unfortunate, isolated event and not the definite hazard we’re led to believe.
I’m not saying don’t exercise extreme caution, but perhaps just do it for your own piece of mind rather than having kittens if you realise you forgot to check in the middle of the night, get familiar with your cells in certain lights and just check them after usage you know likely will have them near safe discharge levels and don’t leave them running on high unattended for hours at a time depending on light spec, cell etc.
Was just reading the melt-down thread on CPF and it seems the lithium chemistry in a primary (non-rechargeable) battery like a CR123 is different than the chemistry in a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, ala 18650. Different and with a lot more potential for disaster.
Maybe it's because of our low numbers but I'm surprised issues like this have not come up more often on BLF. This may sound presumptuous but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes . . . . CPF is huge and attracts new users like flies. New users make mistakes and because of the huge numbers over there, the law of averages eventually catches up and, therefore, more posts about explosion events. We have fewer users and the newbies get up to speed much quicker via the lower BLF a$$hole index. Questions get answered nicely and askers feel less fear to ask - hence fewer mishaps. I think it's fairly evident then; we are smarter than them.
Lurking CPF's: dont get yer panties in a wad, I'm kidding.
Seriously, I don't think enough is being said on BLF about safety and CPF does an admirable job with it. We need a sticky about safety.
isthismiconorareyouguysjustdeafFoy
Most of my li-po knowledge came from rc magazines/forums. They have been doing li-po for longer, draw more current (50c upwards is not unusual) and had more failures ( cells letting go in planes etc) they use foil wrapped cells that are “unusual” compared to our familiar cells.
Fair enough cpf is doing more, but as a newbie I find the extent of obnoxious, elitism posts over there makes me skip any link google throws up, blf is much more newbie friendly. What I think is the best advice is
a, not easy to implement (lack of battery holders)
b, expensive - compared to an xtar, ultrafire, trustfire charger and dmm you’ll want anyway.
That advice is get a good hobby charger and learn how to use it. I have one but the magnet set up puts me off.
if I wanted to pack a (tail switch) light w/ batteries in it, I’d find a snug fitting cap (plastic pill bottle) for the tail cap.
I use the aluminum pill containers (DX, buyincoins) to hold 18650s when camping. If they’re a matched set I put them on the same split ring.
Anyway, I’m pretty disappointed in the TSA battery reg description.
They say that batteries should be in carry-on luggage, not checked luggage. Sure, that means they could fight the fire…but it could also expose passengers to toxic fumes. Worse…that makes what is essentially a pipe bomb readily accessible to a terrorist.
Even dumber, is their claim that li-ion batteries are not explosive.
Obviously they do not detonate (ie are not high explosive), but they deflagrate and are therefore a low explosive. I’d bet the burn rate is close to or higher than that of smokeless gunpowder.
So…the TSA would prefer that terrorists transport their zip gun/pipe bomb in the passenger hold.
Brilliant
Wow, that seems pretty dangerous…(If the media or someone hears this it could turn into a big story I think.)
You should really watch out for that seriously.
Thats why I just like AA, I dont even own any other lion batteries/lights, just eneloops in AA or AAA for all my batteries and light
Just fly with your AA light batteries empty, and buy some AA when you get there, you can buy those batteries anywhere for cheap.
Yes you did! That”s better then “pounder”s pud.” I”m crying here. It was not so funny when you said it, but when you asked yourself “if you said it!” deadpancomicfoy I coulda swore you said “I like” pounder”s point. Did you edit?LOL
Keith
Scaru,
These make great 18650 holders and they’re waterproof/crushproof.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Match-Holder/13848642
PLEASE USE THEM NEXT TIME YOU FLY. All of mankind thanks you………… 
I have those but in checked luggage it must be installed in the light.
I carry my lights/cells in my carry on bag with cells in those storage capsules and nothing in the light, but that’s just me………
lol you guys are having too much fun :bigsmile:
I’ll admit that I am actually too scared to fly with any of my 18650 cells, be it checked luggage or hand luggage. I just become too worried about what might happen to them.
I then think “well what can happen if I take them on as hand luggage?”… but then worry about being refused entry on the plane or having them taken off me. Silly, I know!
When I fly I only take with me NiMh powered lights.
sounds like the most reasonable thing to do.
for a Li-Ion powered torch, I think I’d fabricate nylon discs on both ends of the cell; PLUS replacing the tailcap switch by a completely inert dummy one. On top of that, I’d keep it on my belt all the time! If there was more than one light, I’d have them shipped by ground post; batteries sent seperately.
thank the good Lord for nothing else has happened in your case!
This thread again. :P I think what happened is they left it so it could easily be turned on and then it switched on later on. Personally I have gotten over this and have learned to only care lions in my carry on.
More than likely they removed the tape and clicked the light on to insure it actually worked. I work in an environment where security is of utmost importance. When it comes to electronics, if they don’t work, they are not allowed. Reasoning is that if an electronic device was gutter to conceal a bomb, it would more that likely no longer function. I remember taking a Polaroid camera on a plane when I was younger. They made me take a picture to insure it worked. Anyone remembering those things also remembers they were almost the size of a liar of bread.
I do the exact same thing except I add electrical tape on both ends of each battery.