How To Salvage Batteries For Projects 

When I salvage 18650 cells (from faulty electric bike batteries), I always make sure I run them through a discharge testing device (this is a very useful thing!). If they closely match (85-90% match) their capacity rating at 1C and 2C discharge rate, then they are kept. Any that fail this test are taken to my local battery recycling centre. Usually I find around 60-70% of the cells inside a faulty e bike battery are good to continue using. Power tool lithium batteries don't tend to yield good results. I get around 30-50% good cells from these. Most likely because power tools draw more bursts of high current which stresses the cells. 18650s are very useful for a wide range of builds. For me, I have made mobile phone charging power banks, batteries for our LED Tron costumes (we can often be clearly seen at Glastonbury festival as a duo) and currently for a large power wall in our camper van.

Cells that are at voltages all the way down to 1V can be successfully revived by trickle charging them with small currents like for example 100mA for several hours. I have revived several cells in that way. Some of them have a reduced capacity but are perfectly usable otherwise. Cells that are at 0.00V are totally dead and I had no success reviving those. But if there is some voltage, they can be slowly brought back above 3V.

Another pro tip: Salvage electric mobility scooters, I got 35 high quality Panasonics from one.

Actually the 18650 cells can discharge all the way down to 2.5v before they take any damage, but below that you gotta be careful with them. So a 2.6v cell is actually perfectly usable, and probably as healthy as a cell you find at 3.3v, although you can't judge by the voltage alone

TIPS : If you're planning to reuse it as a power tool battery and you don't have a spot welder, just leave the old nickel strip on the battery so you can solder it correctly and securely.

Thx this was really useful

Thanks for the vid. Do you need to take the metal plates off, the ones that you cut with the plyers. If so, how?

Thank you

Great video

clicked that shit so fast

British Accent Gets a broken nose if speaking it in US America. American Accent in America.

lol nice google search