18650 Batteries 🔋 

Thank you so much for sharing....recently purchased a high powered flashlight without battery. I couldn't find a battery within the U.S... watching your video helped greatly since I had an old laptop battery on hand and now my flashlight is working...the again!

Making use of the ru-vid.comUgkxcJ22tnHH9l1vjdIdEIG27iOG55P7LXI8 reconditioning plan, I just saved 2 auto batteries from being completely junked. The guides were very simple to follow. I wish I would have found this years ago! You may use the guide to recondition any battery type

This is awesome, I'm glad I didn't throw that old laptop battery away as it's working perfectly for my new ThorFire torch!

This is the best video on opening a laptop battery. Thanks.

Fantastic Video. Just pulled apart a broken Sony laptop battery case I had doing nothing. Wow, the batteries are noticeably heavier than the "Ultrafire" batteries I'm currently using. Now I've got six high quality batteries...YAHOO!!!! Many Thanks :)

Very good video for those of us who are trying to understand how the 18650 cells work, nice job, keep up i will support you for sure!!!

Dude you are freaking awesome!!! Thank you so much for posting this video, after I watched it I remember I had 2 laptop batteries I opened them up and found 9 18650's! Now I have a total of 15 18650s. lol Thanks again!

Can’t thank you enough for confirming what I wanted to hear which is that 18650’s are about the best. I have no ‘dead’ laptops from which I can recover batteries, but the 18650 seems few and far between in the UK unless they are called something else here. I would always prefer to use 18605, probably single and at most double cell with protection, and use a well know brand, not minding to pay what some may seem ‘over the odds’ because the battery used in as you mention the top end LED’s

Okay, thanks! Good points with the safety mechanisms which I shouldn't rely on too much ;)

Thanks very much, very informative & straightforward & good to see them work at the end.

Awesome, cracked open a XPS gen 2 Laptop battery and got 9 out of them all work perfectly :)

Thanks for the idea. Just got 8 x 18650 (Samsung 2200ma) from an old HP laptop I just wanted to throw away. They seems to be ok. Just charging them. Thanks again.

Haha I was about to order some batteries and just found this video. I disassembled a laptop battery before and decided to keep the cells, they looked pretty useful for later. Turns out, they're indeed 18650 batteries. I can't figure out the mAh (I threw away the enclosure) but they're Panasonics. Going to test them out soon :)

Thank you for posting this, I learned somethings I didn't even know I wanted to know. LOL

A simpler option is to use USB power supplies which come in 2 cell and 4 cell options which can be bought for under a tenner. These will have a 5v/ 1 or 2A regulated circuit which can easily drive a direct drive LED. The pack is also the charger and protection circuit. Just google USB 18650 Power pack and you will find sellers or look on ebay.

@neilus yes using a digital 18650 charger and subject to the precautions I advise regarding fire risk. They will come up to 4.2v fairly quickly (2 hours), but they take a few cycles to sustain it.

Excellent video! Thank you for sharing.

Some very useful info in this vid, thanks for posting it.

I just toredown a Dell battery I bought on e bay for $3. I has Samsung ICR cells (navy blue) all 6 were good! These "used" 18650's smoke all the "new" ultra fire batteries I have. They are in a small sun zy-t13 & ultra fire c8 xml t6

Very helpful. Thank you. Too bad you have to distroy the cell sheeving for your labtop battery. I was actually hoping to fix mom's labtop battery. I have extra protect AW 18650 battery unused and wanted to stick it in. Now's it's back to the drawing board.

Thank-you! Very interesting and informative, I was actually looking for something else but once I started watching your video I became interested and watched all of it, good job! -jmw

I using big wire cutter to cut the housing.This will be more easier and safer. But remember to ware glove those housing quite sharp. :)

18650 lithiums are fucking amazing! $2 a pop from eBay and I could buy a bunch and connect it in parallel allowing me to power up any heated clothing for 24 hours!

You should have a serial/model number stamped on the side e.g. NCR18650, NCR18650A or B or CGR18650 you can then google it to find toe amp hours. the older CGRs are about 2.1Ah at 1-2A the newer NCR are 2.9Ah or above typically

@morominaolenmina There are very few cells on the market that are 3Ah at high amp load. Most of the 3Ah cells are rated 3Ah at something like 300mA. When you run them in XM-L flash light running at say 1-2.5A they will drop down to anything from 1.8Ah to 2.4Ah. Laptop cells are normally better quality - those snot green ones I have harvested in the video are 2.7+Ah at 1.8A so better than any 3000mAh cell that you will see advertised in HK.

@neilus No Definitely not. Its normally just one pair that causes the whole pack to fail. Sometimes nothing more complex than a faulty circuit. Open them check the voltage, charge them and see if they will sustain a charge.

Do not leave charging over night, charge in a fireproof environment (e.g. a tin box), don't discharge them completely as it damages the cells. Unlikely it could damage the light, more likely that it goes pop during charging. Its very low risk in single cell lights - but I have to mention it ;)

"Faulty" packs are often junked when just 1 or 2 cells fail, or the thermisters go. That leaves 4-6 good cells. The packs themselves go cheap on ebay. There is no disputing the "true" 2.4Ah claim, but it is often measured at 300mA which is useless for this application. At 1-2A they will be down to 1.8Ah or less. Lots of published tests show this.

I have heard rumours that a lot of the cheap Chinese cells are just old laptop cells with new shrink wraps and top plates. Samsung are good cells and to get them for 50c each is amazing.

Hi, And not too good at the handy-work necessary for redesigning torches to fit USB plugs, just too shaky. That, the USB’s, was my second alternative though. I find it so easy to use my laptop and plug my phone into the usb and to do the same with a cable for a torch would be no problems. Take care, and thank you. mrbluenun

Check the voltage of each cell its possible that they are below the min voltage. If they have less than 3v then they may not charge. You could try charging them in parallel with a good cell using a couple of wires. Just to get them up to min voltage and then charge them normally. TBH though if the voltage is really low they are probably not going to be up to much.

IME they are mostly glued and not designed to open. If you are very careful you may be able to do this, but things like the thermisters are almost impossible to remove without damage, which will cause a charge fault on the laptop. When I first started this, I was trying to keep the charging circuits too (to may 8 way chargers). Its very hard.

@Matt Cascini, sorry couldn't reply to your comment as it has a link and is flagged as spam, but that light is stupid money. You can get one much better for less than half price (google 501b XM-L2 lightmalls) for example. No you wont be able to run standard AAA or AA you need an 18650 cell. Also you probably don't want a 1 mode light either, try a 5 mode or a 3 mode.

I would expect at least a few of them to be good. I've pulled good cells from junked packs where its only 2 cells that are bad.

when the battery is ‘flat’ there is ONLY one battery that CAN be the flat one! But I would also be interested and have never searched or seen any rechargeable 18650 (charged up) to carry charged batteries if the rechargeable torch I get runs flat or gets low when I am out, so your advice on that would be very helpful, as I have battery boxes but to fit c and d batteries only. Take care and forgive my wordy comments. mrbluenun

Anything that runs AAs is compromised, they simply cannot handle the AMPS of the higher end LEDs, there are plenty of lights that will run 18650 or AAA using an insert tube/battery mount. I buy all my torches from china, direct, google 501b XM-L2 and you will find plenty. Ideally you want one that is multi-mode and driven at no more than 2 - 2.4A.

@neilus Sounds like a fairly old pack.. Here are the sums again. 14.8 / 3.7v = 4 Serial 8 cells / 4 (serial) = 2 Parallel 3400 / 2 parallel = 1700Ah Not great if your mAH number is correct.

Thanks i will try

thank you

Thanks for this really interesting vid. You say once removed from the PC battery pack these batteries with not be protected. So either how do you get them protected, or how careful do you deed to be when using them to stop the expensive light getting damaged?

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to explain things so clearly. I wasn't so fortunate to have anyone give me a laptop battery, but I did just buy a used Lenovo battery from a guy for $10. I do have a question for you though. Considering that the batteries that have been 'recovered' from the laptop pack are unprotected, what are the risks involved when it comes to charging them? As well, I was planning on charging these batteries using a Nitecore Intellicharger i2, and was wondering if you're familiar with this model, and if so, would it be a safe bet to use? Thanks!,

my pleasure

Yes you can get good cells out there from good reputable sellers, but you also get good cells in quality laptops and they normally work out cheaper. Plus there are as many fake 18650s out there as there are chinarellos on ebay ;-) at least computer manufacturers are likely to source genuine cells.

Just for clarification 3.75 is not fully charged. 3.7 volts on these batteries is the nominal voltage and 4.2 is fully charged. You had it right in the chart but said it wrong on the video.

nice one, cheers mate :) gotta confess im a complete novice with electrics, i got 8 out of my pack (2x4) which said it was 14.8V / 3400mAH but cant for the life of me figure out the amp hour per cell, which ill need to know when it comes to charging...wont i?? any advice much appreciated dood...!

Just a polite reminder not to post comments with links to sites selling stuff. If your comment contains a link it will probably get deleted. Questions and ideas are totally fine

Hi motorbiking, Thanks so much for your advice. You sound like you are English, do you live in the UK and can you recommend a couple of batteries that are easily available which are 18650 or AA? I want to get a Torch which is rechargeable but maybe can take recharged batteries so I can replace the torch batteries if I am camping. It seems the Americans have their own market and do not worry about other countries and what happens to torches or batteries. And the 18650 are harder to get here.

The ideal thing would be for someone, you? . . . to design a Torch around the whole computer battery pack, that way they will be protected?

google : "USB 10 in 1Mobile Phone Power Supply Charger 18650 Battery Charger" or "XTAR WP2 "

why work quickly, this is not good with lithium batteries? break them into single strings. at 6:43 you did not cut the tab bewteen both strings! doing that lowers the risk, because now you can't short them as easy. now disconnect the BMS, then the other pole, just be patient :D And Don't twist them. as this makes the tabs to touch each other. use an insulated broad screwdriver and wrap the head in gaffa tape. so the plastic insulation of the cells stays ok. oh power tools use them too ;)

great video I noticed on ebay that there are different 18650 batteries show 4000 ah with 3.7 volt would this last longer i.e. 2x UltraFire 3.7V 4000MAH 18650 Protected, if the torch has 3.7v 3000mah

can you safely assume that if the battery pack was kaput that all the batteries will be completely useless/dead?? cheers!

Check Budgetlights forum, TaoBao sells fake wraps to convert old faulty batteries to "new" Ultrafires 18650. Easy home business, isn't it?

especially the very modern need the comparatively more powerful 18605 as in Lion . . . Plus whatever the second part of that word is for rechargeable Lions??? My memory in my own brain is terrible sorry, this is embarrassing but I must live with it. I have not used any other batteries other than the AA, AAA type and the large C and D cells which H have many new cells not even opened. But I am looking for a rechargeable torch with probably one 18650 for the size advantages and so I know that

i have an old acer laptop but my battery was not good..without charger was able to to be open only for few minutes..now i need this kind of batteries..if i make this sergery the 18650 batteries will work on flashlight or they have died and they are useless?

What charger would you recommend for the 18650 batteries once they have been taken out of the laptop encasing?

Now I know what to do with my cooked laptop. Thanks.

So I have practically zero knowledge on 18650 l ion or what the heck ever batteries.. my question im about to buy the fenix tk75 2900 lumen flashlight it requires 4 18650 batts.. what is a good reputable 18650 and for that matter what is the best?

Stupid question, but if I take them out of the laptop battery pack and put them into their new "home" (Fenix PD35), is there an internal safety mechanism that this thing won't go "boom" in my pocket?

They are unprotected cells, no thermal protection, no short protection no over discharge protection. However, protected cells can still go boom as water etc, can get round the protection circuit. These cells are most at risk when being charged. Much safer in my opinion to use a high qaulity unprotected cell from a reliable source than some cheap fake protected cell from ebay.

cheers mate...hacked open another one ("Sony Fukushima STG" !!!) which come out at 2160 mAH so i guess these are better...could i charge these to 4.2V like you do? thanks again :)

DX dot com has true 2400 mah 18650s for $9.38 per pair. They're highly rated by the users and they're rated as "staff picks". Buy 3+ and they're down to $8.20. Makes no sense to hack an expensive laptop battery.

A big thank you to everyone who watched this video 100,000+ views. Amazing, thank you all so much.

answer please!! are those REALLY 3000mah?? i meand ultrafire, and are those better for example trustfire flame 2400mah?? thanx!:D

Looks good, nice video but how do you charge the batterie

ok so how do i get laptop batteries for free

Did this with my daughters old lap top can you recharge to completely flat cells as I want to put them in a DIY power bank box

I did this today, got 6 18650's, but none of them would charge. Are they all dead?

Yeah what laptop battery has the 18650B's?

No sorry haven't found any with these in.

How do you recharge this batts???

plenty on ebay - try to get the genuine parts rather than those manufactured as replacements.

Do you know what brand or the voltage of the red battery in the beginning of the video. I found those ones in my laptop battery pack 😃

what is your opinion on the bright eyes AAA battery holder replacement holder- rechargeable flashlight batteries with usb head and they are 18650 3.7v??

Hey bro I did this with a dell laptop pack and got 6 beautiful samsungs I was wondering how you got the sharp nubs/soder/tabs of the terminals?

u r doing well, but guess u d like to be around 3600mAh or even better ! Have u aver thought that battery company wants u to exchange the laptop battery for like within a year ? Have u ever bought a brand new laptop and charge the battery ... outside ?

not fair, they have months of practice by then

Its been more than 2 years, my laptop cannot detect the battery. A red cross. Running it directly on power cord. Vaio, didnt find a replacement. I think may be one of the cells is damaged...? Wonder what to do, extract good cells and enjoy doing experiments like these? Or try to find the gone cell and replace? How shall I find the bad cell among them?

So the Higher the MaH the brighter the flashlight? my PD 35 flashlight doesn't seen bright i am using a lithium 2600 MaH. or is it the volts that cause the brightness??

for crissake wear gloves next time! It was like watching a horror movie!

Hi if I take these out of my laptop will I still be able to use the laptop when plugged into the mains ?

so 2 Duracell 123 Batteries (which fit perfectly btw) wont work?

Correction: that should be 1700mAh

Why not just buy from going gear or illumination gear and get Panasonic 3400mah cell! A lot better than ruining a laptop battery

Would this work in a vape?

I wont buy any more flame/fire whatever cells any more. My "3000 mah" UF li-ion struggle to do 1800-2100mah on a 200mah discharge. As expected their raitings are a joke.

are these rechargeable?

Yes plenty of quality cells in Asia, but so many fakes. Google 18650 test and you will find plenty of cells claiming 3Ah, 3.5Ah or 4Ah - that cannot pull more than 2.1Ah at 1A+ discharge. A 4Ah cell tested at a 350mA discharge is useless in this application. What we need is cells that can hold their mAh at 2A if possible.

Any good source? to buy from i had about 12+ 18650 batteries Die on me from charging from a 4.5V 900mA 18650 charger

Chinese 4 year olds can do this blind folded in under a minute :)

One can get them for about 10 for 13USD from aliexpress and I have been using some similar for the past year recharging after each 1hr ride using flash mode. I suspect that they are similarly recycled but according to one review, they have typically only a few hundred MAh. www.ebay.com/gds/18650-Battery-Buying-Guide-test-on-all-from-eBay-below-3-/10000000178020340/g.html 2600 would be really good. All I can see going cheap at auction are 2200 mAh but that still would work out to 1100 which is better than most in that test. I just got a free one from my company's budgeting office (where people ditch their laptop PCs). Now all I need is a chisel. It says it is 4400mAh or 2200 per 18650. Even if they are only half that, it will be better than ebay. I managed to get them out without even a Chisel, just with two screwdrivers via the air vent. This did damage the plastic on some but not so much and by the way, I sometimes use batteries without any cover. They feel heavier than the cheap 10 in a pack ones that I had been using. I never knew that running to the point of dimming damaged the battery. Thanks! From what you say about charging them up to 4.1 volts it sounds like there is no downside to keeping them topped up. Thank you! (I moaned on a video like this ages ago about the fact there was no explanation to go in the other direction, refilling a laptop batter pack with new 16850s. I am sorry if I moaned in the comments on this video.)

hi guys i wan to usk with batery laptop s best 4 this ?? to bu on ebay

Laptop batteries are NOT HIGH POWER 18650 batteries Most are only 4-6 Max AMP Drain They are for LOW Drain Devices NOT HIGH POWER Drain IF you use Laptop 18650 in a High AMP Drain device they can EXPLODE !!

that's only True with Fresh NEW laptop batteries Most Old Laptop batteries the Mah is Much lower because of age the last DELL Laptop battery i toke apart had CGR18650D all tested 4v but when tested for capacity 2 where only 140Mah 2 at 400--450Mah 1 at 917Mah & 1 at 987 Mah None where to spec at 2350Mah ! So just testing Voltage don't mean the Mah is still at Factory Spec ! NOT One Old laptop Battery i have opened the cells where any where close to the Factory Rated Mah as when NEW But all showed correct Voltage So just testing Voltage Don't tell you anything about the Mah Health of the Battery .

im getting this flashlight: shop.monsterflashlight.com/product/mf-tactical-r5-350-1-cree-led-tactical-flashlight-1-mode/ Can i just use like duracell batteries? If not can someone help me find good batteries for it?