I have been looking at some videos in YouTube regarding Lithium cells safety, and of course I read all the topics inside the forum about the risks of using them.
I use some 26650 batteries, all of them are protected. I have also some others 18650´s, protected and non protected, but I try to avoid the non-protected. I any case I never over-charge or over-discharge them, and I try to avoid hi currents.
I always store the batteries inside my flashlights, to avoid any kind of short circuits, or damage to them. I am really careful taking care of them, non of them have scratches or any other issues.
I am not friend of moding the flashlights, all my flashlights are budgetflashlights, but stock. So they should be “safer”.
I use to charge them an old Nitecore i2 charger, which seams to be fine to charge all types of LiIon cells, but I am waiting for a new MC3000 in the next days, which should allow me set up more security controls.
My questions are:
Do you use a safety bag during the charge? What kind / model of security bags would you recommend me?
Where do you store your batteries, when you are not using them?
For storage, I use the little boxes that either come with batteries or are cheap to buy. I store charged and discharged separately. It’d be nice to have all green boxes for charged and red for discharged, if you’re buying new boxes anyway, but I have a mix of types. Any sort of case that prevents them from shorting or getting damaged should be fine.
A few examples: https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10012520/2116001-ultrafire-plastic-battery-storage-case-box-for
I’ve never heard of a “safety bag” for charging - what would the purpose be? I wouldn’t want any sort of air-tight bag, as it seems like that would tend to overheat while in use.
I don’t use any kind of bag or other safety device while charging. I charge my cells in my Nitecore I4 charger, usually unattended and sometimes overnight, in my basement. I store the cells which are not in use in a big cardboard box, also in the basement. I have some pieces of hard foam in the box with notches cut in them to hold the cells in place, but other than that, they are loose. Almost all of those cells are laptop pulls. Some of them were below 2V when I pulled them. A couple of them won’t hold a decent charge at all and need to be recycled. If anything, those are probably the dangerous ones. They are in the box with the others. I also have a couple no-name cells from eBay in the same box.
I have another little box containing cells of various sizes (other than 18650) that were all bought new. Each of those is also inside its own box, except a couple of 14250’s which sit loose and a 10180 which is in a little baggie. So, ironically, the newer (presumably less risky) cells are better protected than the others from shorts or whatever. But, I don’t believe in luck, either good or bad.
I’m not paranoid about Li-Ion safety. I just try not to be too abusive. When charging, if there is any doubt, I’ll watch the cell(s) and check frequently for overheating. While using cells in flashlights, I try not to run them down too far or too fast. If I do find that a cell is warm after running it in a flashlight, then I won’t charge it right away, and I also won’t leave it unattended until it is cooled down to room temperature. I don’t have any cells “stored” in flashlights. The only flashlights that have cells in them are the ones I use at least occasionally. I have last-mode memory on all my flashlights (or at least the ones with cells kept inside), and I leave it set at the lowest mode when not in use.
Andyman, the bag is to contain venting/fire/whatever in case a cell has a problem. It’s not just any bag, it is one designed for the purpose of containing charging lithium cells.
interesting idea a bag like that
i have the habit of only charging when behind the pc with the charger 20 cm from my right hand and I feel the temp of the cells regularly
IF I ever want to charge cells on a lit BBQ I will surely use the proper safety bag
Till then, the combo good cells, good charger and feeling the temp should suffice (I check internal resistance and only charge at 500)
It might be how and what we charge that causes all the issues. One eliminate the what. I only use Panasonic protected for almost everything, two NCR18650GA and four Samsung unprotected for all my 18650’s. I only use quality chargers. All other size batteries can be a bit of a trail and error. Which leaves you the forum and HKJ to review on what’s go whats trash. I’ve never had a battery issue. My chargers are in the spare bedroom in a metal military ammo can when charging. The outlet is a quick trip bathroom outlet. If Mountain Electronics doesn’t sell it you probably don’t want it.
Similar here.I spend enough time online to charge while I am sitting her Cells are felt for heat and charger display monitored frequently. Cells stored in desk drawer which has nothing else in it. I will do something better one of these days but I will never charge in abstencia.
The problem with these fiberglass lipo bags is that people are always tempted by the lower cost bags. You can not just buy a cheap one. Only more expensive quality brands which have independent video tests online. And you need to be sure the seller is reliable to avoid a counterfeit brand on the bag (I haven’t seen counterfeits but I haven’t looked into it. Wouldn’t risk it). So instead I just tell people to use a good metal box like an ammo can.
Are there any independent video tests of the hobbyking lipo bags?
Hobbyking generally has quality products, I havent burnt one up but I put 6s 5000 batteries in it and you are ALWAYS supposed to be present during charging. It will allow you to put it outside at the least. I also get a laugh out of you thinking the 20-40 dollar chargers are quality enough that no issues will happen, I have a 200 dollar charger and that one is pretty good but you still need to be there when charging.
Ive seen lipos go up in flames do to abuse and ive made them go on fire on purpose. Id guess an 18650 isnt going to do much as far as fire unless its next to a highly flammable object.
Ammo cans may work but you want a vent, when the lipos go up they release alot of hot gas suddenly and the can may explode.
Oh yea, I often forget to mention a metal box can not be sealed. Needs a way to vent. Like the lid held with a wire and bungee cord. I’ve seen videos of sealed metal boxes bursting since they can’t vent, though that was with large lipo packs.
My intention here is not create any kind of doubts, risk sensation, fears, or Li-Ion safety paranoia. Facts are facts.
We all know what can happen if we don´t follow safety rules with Li-Ion batteries. There are a lot of posts about it.
One image says more than 1000 words, and I think a video says even more.
You all can do what you want, up to you. My intention is to buy one of these safety bags if you recommend them to me. I preffer to spend some € more in safety, than facing the possibility of a fire at home, I love my home and family, and accidents can always happen. It is very difficult, I know, but they can happen.
I have seen videos, like the one I posted, that compare different quality safety bags.
I only wanted to know, if you have experience with those safety bags, and which one would you recommend.
I am starting to like the other idea, the ammo cans. They are also cheap.
I get the point
And if there can a link be posted to a chine shop that sells good stuff it would make it easy and a more complete topic.
My main concern is the gasses, and while charging the bag must have a cord running into it making it possible to have gasses escape right?
And I would not be able to see the display nor feel the cells while charging, so how much safer are these bags over our normal practices?
I mean we do not put our cells on BBQ and most issues I have seen about is
Using bad cells
Using bad charger
Having a cell loose in pocket with metal objects
Shorting cells
Use unmatched cells in series
Charging cells that have discharged too much
Are there reports of quality cells in a decent charger that are treated normal and still cause problems?
Speaking of shorting cells, I did something REALLY STOOPID last night. :–5
I have a flashlight that I modified and changed the driver. Well, because of the way I changed it, the length inside the battery tube is a little shorter than before. I have a cheap no-name 14500 that I’ve been using, and the bottom plate of the cell got pushed in a little. I wanted to see how much shortage I had there, so I measured the cell with a digital caliper. (The bottom edge of the cell is covered by the plastic wrap, so it was no problem) Then I measured a cheap alkaline AA that had come with the light, and it was shorter. (Still no problem, I guess because of low energy in the cheap cell) I hadn’t realized yet what I was doing, but I was about to find out. I tried to measure a new, fully charged Efest purple. I saw sparks! There was no visible damage done, but the cell was warm on the two ends. That’s when I realized what I’d done, and how close I came to meeting Jesus. I put a little electrical tape on one side of the caliper, re-zeroed it, and measured the Efest. Turns out, the Efest fits the flashlight without any crushing.
