Friday, January 24, 2020

Cheap 18650 Battery Tester: Review



Works nice. The power plug receptor seems a bit fragile, but it is a nicely designed unit. Especially nice is that you can set the discharge cut off level, and measure the mAh available. Great for getting good figures if you have a power pack of the same cells for your e-Vehicle - (you test one and assume the similarity for the full pack of cells). If you have smart chargers for your pack you can set the high and low voltages. Tests take several hours.

I am just getting started salvaging 18650's from laptop and cordless tools and this device taught me a lot. Cute buttons and the LED lights and Display made understanding the analysing process clear.

What makes this inexpensive (as in cheap) analyzer especially nice is the 4 standoffs, one at each corner, (<-- see pic) that give it legs which give the backside legroom so the board is not laying on the table or workbench surface - or a solid way of mounting it.

If every product had as much quality and design thoughtfulness - dollar for dollar - the world would be a better place. Check out my video above and links below.

Review 18650 Li-ion Lithium Lead-acid Battery Capacity Meter Discharge Tester Analyzer.

A good overview of the same product by someone experienced in electronics and mentioned in my video is by EHobbyMan:

WARNING: Take extra care not to short out these or any other electrically charged batteries. There are many videos offering great safety rules and tips. This is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqhXKsJgNqQ

I have been collecting old battery packs from cordless drills, etc, taking them apart and salvaging the good cells (the 18650's). In handling these salvaged or even new cells - be safe and follow the safety tips in the link above.
In general you can tell if a battery is in good salvageable condition if it has a voltage above 2.5 Volts, but battery types vary. By first charging (the good ones charge to about 4.2 Volts), then running a test that discharges the batter to 3.0 Volts you can measure the working capacity of each cell you use, expressed in this video in milliamp Hours or abbreviated as "mAh".
Sort those same or nearly same capacity in mAh's into different groups for your ebike or other e-vehicle. Again, this is explained in the safety link above. Use the less capacity cells individually or in small packs for things like flashlights where dependability is not as critical. And for the damaged or poorly performing or non-performing (dead) cells, recycle at your local battery or hardware store.
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Product links below are monetized affiliate links through VigLink - now SOVRN//Commerce
Check out VigLink: viglink.com/?vgref=408410

18650 Li-ion Lithium Lead-acid Battery Capacity Meter Discharge Tester Analyzer.
https://bit.ly/2RqDIcP
The plastic end caps are VRUZEND battery kit V1.6 for up to 52 18650 cells:
https://bit.ly/2GrS9Xv
Other products I use and enjoy are:
Juiced eBikes:
https://bit.ly/2tQFU3U

Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Cordless Reciprocating Saw:
https://bit.ly/2tai0k3

Diablo Nail-Embedded Wood and Metal Cutting Bi-Metal Reciprocating Saw Blade Set (6-Piece):
https://bit.ly/2QStbXw

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