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$1.50 Li-Ion 18650 Batteries — Parallax Forums

$1.50 Li-Ion 18650 Batteries

ercoerco Posts: 20,256
edited 2015-06-09 19:45 in General Discussion
18650's, two for $3. Cheapest I've seen. They're surely not the 3800mAh claimed, but at that price they're still a bargain if if they're only 1000 mAh: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160702387122

Edit: get false eyelashes for your wife from the same seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Pairs-Makeup-Long-False-Eye-Lashes-Eyelashes-Black-/360519865930 He's a "specialist" :):):)

Get your battery box and cheap charger too:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Battery-Storage-Case-Box-Holder-for-2-x-18650-Black-with-6-Wire-Leads-/271092335380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1e5cc314

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Universal-Battery-Charger-AA-AAA-18650-16340-CR123A-Smart-Charger-Hot-EA-/350684095412?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item51a666a3b4 charges many sizes

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Charger-for-18650-Rechargeable-Li-Ion-3-6-3-7-/280638594652?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item41575d1e5c charges 18650 only

Or if you prefer these ~$1.78 AA-sized 14500's (be careful not to use them to simply replace AAs in an existing product or you'll blow something up!) http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-New-High-Quality-GTL-3-7V-1200mAh-14500-Lithium-Battery-Blue-/271081455250?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item3f1db6be92

Comments

  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,566
    edited 2013-01-20 10:58
    Here is a claimed 3000mAh for $1 ..$0.99 Shipping

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/UltraFire-18650-3000mAh-3-7V-Red-Rechargeable-Li-ion-Battery-for-Flashlight-Toy-/360561968504?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item53f32b0578
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-01-20 12:31
    $1.99 each shipped? Pishaw. Mine's free ship! :)
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-01-20 13:20
    My biggest worry is that one of my grandkids, kids or even the wife would grab these and use them on something other than their intended use!!!! I may get some and just hide them! Which ones would be best for longest lasting in a device?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-01-20 14:08
    The 18650's are much bigger than AA size. No risk there.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-01-20 14:55
    erco wrote: »
    The 18650's are much bigger than AA size. No risk there.

    Yea, You don't know my family!!! If it does not fit they will force it!!!!!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-01-20 16:03
    The AA-sized 14500 batteries apparently caused one Chinese Ebay seller enough grief that long after he sent batteries, he took it upon himself to mail (free and unsolicited) AA-sized shunt batteries to all his customers. Basically a shorted connection between the two battery terminals, so if you run one real 14500 battery plus one shunt (in the place of 2 AA batteries) the voltage increase is marginal. There's a thread here somewhere. Somebody thought it was a scam since there was no explanation included with the shunts and they were obviously "bogus" batteries sent by some mysterious party. :)
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-01-20 16:48
    erco wrote: »
    18650's, two for $3. Cheapest I've seen. They're surely not the 3800mAh claimed, but at that price they're still a bargain if if they're only 1000 mAh: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160702387122

    erco, did you order any of these? If so (or if anyone else ordered some), I'm hoping you can let the rest of us know how they work. (I'm especially curious about the eyelashes.)
    erco wrote: »
    The AA-sized 14500 batteries apparently caused one Chinese Ebay seller enough grief that long after he sent batteries, he took it upon himself to mail (free and unsolicited) AA-sized shunt batteries to all his customers. Basically a shorted connection between the two battery terminals, so if you run one real 14500 battery plus one shunt (in the place of 2 AA batteries) the voltage increase is marginal. There's a thread here somewhere. Some people thought it was a conspiracy/scam since there was no explanation included with the shunts and they were obviously "bogus" batteries sent by some mysterious party. :)

    I was one of the confused ones (though I didn't think it was a scam). The shunts came in nice battery holders storage containers. I thought this (sending shunts) was above and beyond the needed customer support since the original ebay ad had a warning about these batteries having a higher voltage than normal AA cells. Pretty cool of the seller IMO.

    It was really odd to receive a package of what looked like batteries to find the positive and negative ends where shorted together. It was mysterious but in a good way.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-01-20 16:56
    Hey. I'm always the first guy in the pool, I ordered ten of these. Will advise. I have a bunch already, but my new bot will use 8-10 at a time so I'm stocking up for Expo. You coming?
  • CircuitsoftCircuitsoft Posts: 1,166
    edited 2013-01-20 18:08
    NWCCTV wrote: »
    Yea, You don't know my family!!! If it does not fit they will force it!!!!!
    18650s are nowhere near the size/shape of any alkaline I've ever seen. No way to force it.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-01-20 18:44
    erco wrote: »
    You coming?

    It's possible. I'm not sure yet.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-01-20 20:29
    Expo may only be one day officially, but I'm prepared to party for a few days on Ken's dime.... :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-02-10 23:13
    My batteries just arrived, but I haven't had a chance to test their capacity yet. They look & weigh & charged up the same as other inexpensive Chinese 18650s I own. At the rate I am building 24-30V bots for the now-cancelled Parallax Robot Expo :( I'm using up a lot of these cells.

    Even untested, I ordered 8 more tonight since the sale ends in a few hours. I know one thing for sure... they're not the 3800 mAh claimed. But at that price, I'm betting they're still a good value.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-02-11 19:16
    Just bought myself 5 sets and a charger. All under $19.00. What a deal. Thanks erco!
  • tritoniumtritonium Posts: 543
    edited 2013-02-12 05:11
    erco wrote: »
    Hey. I'm always the first guy in the pool, I ordered ten of these. Will advise. I have a bunch already, but my new bot will use 8-10 at a time so I'm stocking up for Expo. You coming?

    I wondered how you go about charging these guys up - does your robot return to base and self charge or do you remove the batteries and put in a special charger?
    The reason I ask is its my inderstanding they are tricky to charge - all sorts of precautions have to be taken and each cell must be 'equalised' or 'balanced' before charging to prevent overcharging and risk of explosion. This and the lack of a reliable charging circuit has steered me away from them in the past.

    Dave H
  • Matt GillilandMatt Gilliland Posts: 1,406
    edited 2013-02-12 08:48
    Hi Dave -
    The reason I ask is its my inderstanding they are tricky to charge - all sorts of precautions have to be taken and each cell must be 'equalised' or 'balanced' before charging to prevent overcharging and risk of explosion. This and the lack of a reliable charging circuit has steered me away from them in the past.
    Until now...:thumb:
    -MattG
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-02-12 08:55
    I just charge 'em in pairs in the mini chargers. Surely a pain to R&C&R 8 cells, but better safe than sorry. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Charger-for-18650-Rechargeable-Li-Ion-3-6-3-7-/280638594652 I have four chargers to speed up the process. And of course, another full set of batteries to swap out.

    A big multicell charger/dock is a project for another year. I have bigger (and smaller twin) fish to fry.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2015-06-05 18:57
    I know this is an old thread but figured why start a new one when I knew there was a thread about these batteries. Any how, has anyone created a solar charger for use with these batteries? The wife wants me to make some blinking LED's for an Oil Lamp replica she wants to put outside. I made a 555 timer circuit and just figured I would go a step further and make it so she does not have to replace the batteries.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-06 10:23
    IIRC, one of erco's deals a few months ago was a Li-ion charger module. It accepts a modest range of input voltages (4.5 to 5.5) and has a resistor-programmable charge current. It also turns off faithfully at 4.20V/cell. The nomenclature on my boards is TP4056. Goggling that will net you lots of links.

    A representative example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfrm6lbt8Pc

    A second module, a 1 A buck converter, could transform the output of your solar panel to the required input voltage of the charger. Many serviceable modules of this sort have been discussed here.

    This is a great one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-x-Mini-DC-to-DC-Converter-Step-Down-Module-Adjustable-Power-Supply-0-8-20V-12V-/141682454270?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20fceeaefe
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2015-06-08 17:01
    OK. So how many Watts of Solar panels would be required to charge 4 of these batteries in 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight?
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2015-06-09 19:45
    I highly reccomend reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Poorly-Made-China-Insiders-Production/dp/0470928077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433904486&sr=8-1&keywords=poorly+made+in+china

    To better understand existence of such batteries, and what dangers they may pose.
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