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DIY 5*18650 5v/2A Powerbank (White) US $4.04 (AU $5.25) Delivered @ AliExpress

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5 * 18650 DIY powerbank

I was given a bunch of laptop batteries a year ago. what to do? powerwall? or DIY powerbanks?

so I bought a few of these. also a 8*18650 one. I like these ones as they have the % meter. I bought some basic 3^18650 "xiaomi" aluminium DIY packs- they are great- jus can't tell how much juice is left.

still have 50 or so 18650 cells that I've capacity tested with a LiitoKala Lii-500. had a bunch of 3,000mAh cells. so my powerbanks are decent.

laptop batteries usually have one cell that craps out and that renders it useless. the remaining cells are usually fine. so this is a great way to reuse the remaining cells in a productive way.

also a great way to get cheap powerbanks.

there are other colours that cost a few cents more.

This seller sells them even cheaper ~US$3.05 but they don't have the seller status to post as the main deal. I'd go for these ones.

enjoy.

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closed Comments

  • So you cracked open laptop batteries and transferred them into these shells? Are the batteries like AA size?

    • +1

      Are the batteries like AA size?

      5x18650

    • +1

      They’re quite a bit bigger than AA size, with slightly higher voltages and much higher capacities.

    • No. They're 18x65mm. Hence 18650.

    • They are also Lithium batteries so if you get unprotected ones be careful you don't overcharge them!

  • +8

    I'd be super careful, the device doesn't state anything about protection (thermal, over charge, etc).
    18650's are very dangerous unless they have internal protection as well as protection on the battery caddy as well.

    This device is a disaster waiting to happen.

    • Can see these things taking down a plane

      • Possibly.

        Specially if one dont know what they are doing.

      • Why? Can you throw them really high?

    • +1

      Yes, caution needs to be taken, especially with old batteries, with have varying degree of capacity and life left in them.

    • +2

      I'll be watching out for "man killed in battery explosion at home" in the next few days. This is seriously the dumbest shit. Laptop batteries are unprotected and I can guarantee there's not a single protection in this kit.

  • More of like DIY Bl*ster

  • Is 97.4% positive feedback considered "good" for AliExpress?

    • Yes. OzBargain have a feedback requirement for posting on AliExpress. If it's too low and not enough feedback then you can't post.

  • Not sure why, but Australian customs have block/returned to Aliexpress two items like this. On the second attempt I even asked them to print "Does not contain batteries".

    Go figure.

    • +2

      Probably because they're basically giving you the final part needed to make a very powerful bomb. Seriously, this shit could bring down a plane.

      • +1

        If I already have the 18650's then I already have the dangerous part.

        • +1

          You have 18650s sitting alone in a drawer doing nothing. You put them in this and you're likely to get it through customs and onto a plane if you wanted to.

  • my laptop batteries are spot welded to a bar together. Can't easily disassemble

    • Pliers….

      • I've tried using pliers and the force required to pull it off starts damaging the battery housing or , with twisting and turning, leaves a sizeable chunk of metal on either end.

        I might get like 1 battery clean off from a block of 8

        • grab the strip and roll it back over itself above the "weld"

    • hmmm, normally there is a metal strip or wire. I can't see how they could spot weld with the batteries hard up against each other.

      • You're right I meant metal strip. Was looking for that word.

  • Agree that this is a good way to get a fairly decent portable battery pack if you have some spare 18650 batteries (it's amazing how many things use these by the way - I scored a stack of great quality LG cells out of a couple of battery powered vacuum cleaners that were being tossed out). I would not consider taking the ones I have on a plane though partly because there is a risk, if small, that I might have damaged a cell when pulling it out of a laptop battery pack (the cells are frequently glued together, so pulling them apart can rip the protective coating etc) which could lead to issues if you're not careful. The biggie for me though is the 10k or 20k battery packs from the likes of Xiaomi are smaller, lighter, and more powerful so frequently better when travelling.

    As a side note, one case I got had printed on the back 30,000mAh. I have eight 2100mAh cells in it so it's actually 16,800mAh but if I tried taking that on a plane it would be confiscated. I could argue the point, but it would eventually end up in the bin along with the nail scissors. My smaller "Tomo" cases assume each cell is 3,000mAh so my two cell M2 unit is rated at 6,000mAh and my four cell M4 is rated at 12,000mAh

    • there is a risk, if small, that I might have damaged a cell

      Or the fact that laptop batteries are unprotected 18650s already in a well-used state and are being put into an unprotected case with several other unprotected 18650s that are also in a well-worn condition. This thing is a mini bomb waiting to go off.

  • I would not be cheap with something as dangerous as 18650 cells, rather buy this with protection for each individual cell
    https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/TOMO-M4-DIY-Smart-Power-Bank-Case-…

  • +1

    I wouldn’t buy this item. Pictures on the internet of similar models exploding. My recommendation is to pay for a trusted charger that works like a power bank.

    Here’s a model 6 bay charger and supports power bank. I don’t have it so I don’t know how good it is.
    https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20Efest%20LUC%…

    For a list of all the other chargers that support power bank
    See here (in the extras column look for Power Bank)

    https://lygte-info.dk/info/roundCellChargerIndex%20UK.html

    • Thanks, great info.

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