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Scavenging rechargeable lithium cells from the roadside

bigclivedotcom2 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
263K views · tutorial · evergreen · Uploaded 2022-01-17

Big Clive shows how to pick up discarded disposable vape devices from the roadside and extract the rechargeable lithium cells inside. He explains why these devices contain the same circuitry as rechargeable ones and how to reuse the cells.

Used as the explanation behind the free-lithium-cell scavenging idea in threads about vapes and battery reuse.

Renewables, batteries & storageEmbedded systems & DIY electronicsEnvironment, agriculture & food systems

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3 comments from Hacker News

@greatartiste2022 · in “Picking up free lithium cells off the street and making them safe for use”

These things are now everywhere , not just litter but an environmental horror story and a fire risk as well. Previously I had seen them & wondered what they were then this Big Clive video explained all .. [VIDEO] I must admit the ones with 1500 mah batteries are very useful.

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@spicyjpeg2023 · in “Energizer, Walmart are sued for conspiring to raise battery prices”

Unfortunately, with the current trend of cheap electronics switching away from standard batteries and towards custom-sized, permanently soldered-in lithium cells (sometimes without the ability to recharge them - why this is still legal is beyond me [1]), you won't be able to keep doing that for long. On the flip side, a lithium cell salvaged from such a device is going to be a lot more useful than a single-use coin cell if you can solder. There are readily available modules that will take any of these batteries and provide a charging port and an output with overcurrent and undervoltage protection, ready to be wired into anything capable of running on 3.7V [2]. [1] [VIDEO] [LINK] [2] [LINK]

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@Crosseye_Jack2024 · in “Disposable vapes to be banned in England and Wales”

[VIDEO] <--- BigClive scavenging cells from vapes. (Basically where I got the idea from) The cells are generally just "push fit", maybe with some kapton tape or foam to give them a snug fit. As for taking the vapes apart, A pair of pliers and some brute force is typically all that is needed to get them apart. Cell shape is either cylindrical or rectangular, depends on the vapes shape really. You get the knack of remembering/guessing what the shape will be just by looking at the vape.

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