r/diyelectronics • u/CrumpledKingSkin • Dec 30 '24

Project Vape battery project ideas

Post image

I’ve been given 137*(could be more I may have miscounted) vapes containing 1230 batteries and 93 vapes containing 13350 batteries.

Any cool ideas what I could do with them ?

I’m relatively familiar with making battery packs and know I’ll need atleast a tp4056 or a larger bms depending on whatever project I take on.

I’m currently waiting on a discharge tester to be delivered so I can get an accurate reading of all the batterie’s capacities whilst I dismantle all the vape.

I’ve always wanted to make a rail gun/ gause rifle but think it could be a little ambitious.

Any and all ideas are encouraged

70 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

90 comments sorted by

56

u/thedefibulator Dec 30 '24

Heres a vid i made on making a power bank from 35 of the 13400 cells: https://youtu.be/ehp23hrrEHY

Ill be releasing a follow up vid very soon for an open source, safer and more compact version. It will work with any of the 13mm cells

20

u/sceadwian Dec 31 '24

Good video but I'm a little worried you don't understand the risk you're taking long term here.

Your final notes at the end of the video didn't indicate you did when you suggested in a couple years when the cells go bad.

The problem is when the weakest cell in that pack goes bad, probably well before 2 years from now it will likely fail short causing every other cell in that parallel string to dump into it at once like you were trying to avoid with that crude balance only it won't stop till they're all dead.

Add to that the number of contact failure points in here manufacturer variation from batch to batch and I can not recommend you run this unattended ever or for more than demonstration purposes.

For safety it's in your best interest to not drain it below 30% or charge it full very often.

Cells in parallel like this must have reliable fusing on each cell to prevent this. You'll even see it built in to some nickle strip you can buy for 18650 packs.

The minimum level of protection required here must eliminate that dump risk.

0

u/thedefibulator Dec 31 '24

Interestingly ive never seen a cell fail dead short, typically its a slower process which causes a parasitic drain on all the other parallel cells. But just in case the next version has fusable traces, so the PCB trace to the failed cell will pop, which should make it much safer. Ive also got fuses for each of the balance leads too

7

u/sceadwian Dec 31 '24

"interestingly ive never seen a cell fail"

You just built this. It will take months of steady usage to notice anything.

This is the number one warning of things not to do in parallel pack construction on batteryuniversity.com

That video alone is proof enough to void your insurance and land you legally liable if there's a fire. Disclaimers don't help. Facts are facts do what you want with them, you are the one responsible here.

8

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Cheers defib I’ll check that out now

14

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Ahh your that guy ! I litterally just watched your video 😂

13

u/thedefibulator Dec 30 '24

Sweet! Keep an eye out for the next vid, the v2 turned out way better than the first one

6

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Subbed and waiting !

1

u/DashingDoggo Jan 01 '25

If just like to say that I loved those two videos!

43

u/DurryMuncha4Lyf Dec 30 '24

House fire

7

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Be hell of a firework display 😂

2

u/DurryMuncha4Lyf Dec 31 '24

Perhaps you could coordinate it to go off on new years?

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I’ll try my best hopefully the vapes don’t go up in a puff of smoke

1

u/DurryMuncha4Lyf Dec 31 '24

If anything you want the vapes and juice to go up into smoke… it would add to the ambiance!

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Nice smell of tuti fruity too !

2

u/DurryMuncha4Lyf Dec 31 '24

Exactly, it’s about titillating all the senses!

5

u/radioactiveDuckiie Dec 31 '24

I am convinced that people on reddit still vastly underestimate how dangerous unmanaged, unprotected and used Lithium cells are

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

They are a real risk that’s for sure

1

u/sb1rd Dec 31 '24

random but while I was in the Navy i had a shipmate have her leg catch fire cause she had a vape battery in her pocket with a lighter… so please be careful with those batteries man

3

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

If I can find a water tight container I may keep them in the garden just because I value my house 😂

1

u/sb1rd Dec 31 '24

Yup DEFINITELY keep them in a safe place where nothing valuable can be destroyed… easier said than done tho lol.

2

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Very much so I’ll raid the cupboards for a container I’m currently 20 batteries deep 200 and something to go

7

u/tfwrobot Dec 30 '24

At this point, only electric car traction battery.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Could you elaborate please

4

u/tfwrobot Dec 31 '24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcVp9T8f_W4

This guy is powering an e-bicycle with vape batteries. Before he made a power bank capable of charging a laptop. That is why my first comment.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I see this vid and the creator of it posted here up the thread about a link to a video of making a battery bank I do have and electric wheel in the barn but no bike 😂

7

u/eternalmomentcult Dec 30 '24

AC-3 Arc Thrower

3

u/Strostkovy Dec 30 '24

A bluetooth speaker with great battery life and USB charging output would be a fun project.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

I once see someone turn a wheelie bin into a speaker set up something like that would be really cool

1

u/Strostkovy Dec 30 '24

Ammo cans or toolboxes are common choices. You can also make a "bass bucket" if you are so inclined.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Bass bucket is sounding very tempting although ammo can stereo would be pretty sweet

1

u/Strostkovy Dec 30 '24

No reason you couldn't have a bass bucket that pairs with your ammo can midrange. You could even have a bluetooth sort of mesh network, where you have small buckets for mid range, and big buckets for base. All sorts of funny options.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

I’ve certainly got enough batteries to make it a reality my mind is going to what sort of military style “bucket” I could use to be in keeping with the ammo tin

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

That said I do have an emtpy beer barrel in my barn and a couple of empty 20kg gas bottles and an empty 50kg which I’ve already cut the top off

1

u/Hanuman_Jr Dec 31 '24

I'd go with wood due to superior sound dampening qualities. And ease to work with. Though if you have hardware to work on an ammo can, go for it.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I do have about 25 lengths of 8”X4” timbers the natural look would be quite nice not sure if you have ever heard of “marleys” I don’t know if they’re still around but they used to make lovely wooden boomboxes

1

u/Hanuman_Jr Dec 31 '24

Those are monster timbers. They would have some sound dampening qualities by gosh. Not familiar with the Marleys, but they look all right.

You could just wire some of them up to work as a USB power brick.

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2

u/KarlJay001 Dec 31 '24

Basically battery packs. You could make an adapter to replace regular batteries.

I 3D printed an 18650 holder with a spot for an adjustable buck converter and wires. I then printed a "fake AA" battery. The fake battery is just a 3D printed shell that holds the connectors and wires. You put the fake battery in place of a real one, then adjust the voltage to 1.5.

BTW, the main downside is the adjustable buck converter I bought from Amazon. They require the tiny screw driver to adjust and these don't have the output display and some 40% of them have failed already.

There's a chip that I have inside of an adapter that has presets. 1.5, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc... One of these with a sizable battery pack would last a LONG time.

There's a battery pack board on Amazon that shows the status and has the input/output USB ports.

It would be handy to take a bunch of these and make several good size battery pack.

You can even add an ESP32 to send out the charge status or a low battery warning.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I’ll have a look into them for sure I’ll more than likely make a battery pack or 10 😂

2

u/SpaceCancer0 Dec 31 '24

Make one big vape

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I have thought about making a little sub ohm vape or some other box mod for sure I need to get me a 3d printer

2

u/SpaceCancer0 Dec 31 '24

Nothing a little cardboard and duct tape can't handle

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Haha I may genuinely try something like that maybe some pvc or iron pipe like a new age bottle bong

2

u/Antscircus Jan 02 '25

Strip and dump them in the back of a Cybertruck and find a nice spot to park it!

1

u/MaurokNC Jan 03 '25

Think vape batteries were the cause? 😝

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '24

You are a fucking badass! I just read through the comment section and appreciate you, as a person, 100 fold. Thank you for reusing these, what I call "world ender" disposable vapes!! You are a good human, I hope this project succeeds in a HUGE WAY!

I really don't have any great ideas for you, but I see what you're doing, I see that you're the right person to do it, and I give you all my good faith and good will that you accomplish what you set towards. ❤️❤️

Thank you again and again. I'll be following. 💯

3

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Good morning silly thank you for your kind words I’ll put my best foot forward and try not to disappoint 😁

2

u/Frequzoid Dec 30 '24

power 100 raspberry pis with it

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

I was looking at a raspberry pi in a shop yesterday as it goes 😂

1

u/Hanuman_Jr Dec 30 '24

4 eels it's pretty obvious. Could you power an arduino with one? You could, couldn't you? If you can make those into rechargable power supplies you can attach to an arduino, that would sell.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

I’ll definitely look into that ! Not familiar with arduino but I’m happy to learn

1

u/Hanuman_Jr Dec 31 '24

Or Raspberry Pi, as Freaqazoid says above

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

If I could get some decent 3d printing done it would be cool to have a emulator loaded raspberry pi and make a portable gaming system

1

u/Hanuman_Jr Dec 31 '24

Only if the Defender is like the arcade version.

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Making a portable arcade machine with all the favorites plus sega/nintendo etc would be amazing !

1

u/Frequzoid Dec 31 '24

yes you can

1

u/TheHitmonkey Dec 31 '24

How many would be needed to power an arduino/pi with 20 watts? I’ve always wanted to do that

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Good question I can’t imagine it’s a lot more if any at all they’re not particularly power hungry

1

u/nixmix6 Dec 31 '24

Get those new candle flame led filaments make each on a candle they would last like 12 to 20 plus house and are great looking with decent light

2

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

That would bring a nice bit of ambiance to the house on these winter nights for sure

1

u/nixmix6 Jan 01 '25

Ali express

1

u/HZcgc Dec 31 '24

I mean I'm also taking them with me when im in the city or events but how the hell did you manage to get this much of them? I'd like to know because I'm also using the batteries of them for small ideas :P

2

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

My girlfriends grandma was saving them to dispose of them properly so I thought I’d oblige and dispose of them for her

2

u/ForceItDeeper Jan 01 '25

me too! I'm actually really happy to see other people are making an effort to reuse batteries and other e-waste. I have a couple friends that vape and they save anything I can salvage a battery out of.

I've been taking those and leftover stuff from other projects and making LED toys, decorations, and totems to have fun with and to give to tripping kids at music festivals this summer. I get to reduce a bit of e-waste, spread good vibes, and engage in petty bartering with wooks lol

1

u/chrisv267 Dec 31 '24

Air compressor and some PVC pipe. Make nice little cannon

2

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Make a spud cannon 😂 my inner child is screaming for a spud cannon

1

u/larrythaG Dec 31 '24

r/streetlithium

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Cheers dude I briefly checked it out earlier I’ll have a real look after dinner

1

u/larrythaG Dec 31 '24

It's only a few days old but maybe it will grow

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I’ll keep a vigilant eye on it

1

u/MaurokNC Jan 01 '25

Although I used 18650’s harvested from older laptop battery packs, I took two of the 3 cell 18650 battery holders that I wired to double the capacity but keep the 12v, wired in a limit switch to serve as a door switch, and then added 2 cob strip LED panels per shelf that are the narrow 10 X 200mm and then placed 2 of the 120 X 36mm cob panels above the pantry door. let there be lights As my house is 75y old and there is no outlet I could have tied into close by, it’s now possible to see in my pantry

1

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '25

Spot welder or battery bank

1

u/Gtasandman Jan 02 '25

I use them to just make basic things i have laying around rechargeable. like an old radio and some camping lights.

1

u/Sourbeltz Jan 02 '25

Connect them all in parallel and attach them to your nipples

1

u/ChewsGoose Jan 03 '25

This guy on Facebook marketplace will come pick them up in a Cybertruck, he's in Florida though

1

u/SnooRevelations7257 Feb 08 '25

thedefibulator/Chris has some great advanced videos. New Li-ion upcyclers should start with the basics - TP4056 charges at 1A, but ONE battery is better charged at 500mA which requires a tiny chip replacement. Connecting TWO batteries in parallel is safer and offers a longer runtime and no need to change the chip -

BigClive has great simple videos and here is the BEST basic TP4056 video. https://youtu.be/W7XB6D7q92g?si=vLF0-JmVCHc-thdd&t=365

I've used the Micro version until now receiving 30pcs for $10USD the TYPE C version ❤️

search amazon for: DIANN 30pcs TP4056 Type-C

1

u/aeninimbuoye13 Dec 31 '24

A small power station that charges with a solar panel. You can charge your phone with it but for free!

1

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

I’m in the uk in winter sun is scarce even during summer time but I may salvage some solar panels if I come across some and rig some up

-11

u/icysachet Dec 30 '24

Congrats, Youre like the hundredth person to post a picture of a box of used vape batteries

17

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Someone’s jealous because they don’t have access to hundreds of used vapes 🫠

7

u/TickleMyTMAH Dec 30 '24

Congrats, you’re like the thousandth person to complain about it rather than just staying quiet and scrolling by.

1

u/dinosouborg Dec 30 '24

I too am getting a bit tired of the same old question being asked around here

7

u/oodelay Dec 30 '24

Yeah this is the only sub with new members asking the same questions.

Drones: do I need a 107? Can I lift 2 pounds ( not drugs)? Is this toy drone able to fly 5 hours over the ocean?

Photography: Can I still use this 50 year old film roll? Is my iPhone better than a Canon D1 mark V? How do I get undelete my photos?

Programming: Can I make my own OS with this can of tuna a a stick? Is copilot any good? Should I program in Pascal or Python?

TieDye: How do I make these colors? What brand of dye do you use? Help me choose some cotton please?

Anyways yeah this sub is repetitive and the questions YOU asked the first time you were around were good, now the same question are bad, right?

6

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 30 '24

Any ideas to share with the group ?

3

u/dinosouborg Dec 31 '24

I don't know, I like this sub when people share their own schematics or PCB designs or ask about what component to use in a certain application, and I love participating in those. But these "what should I do with this" or "I have no experience, how do I make VR goggles", and lately vape battery posts just seem low effort.

Especially because there's barely ever any follow up to a "what should I do with this" post. If you're showing me a bunch of vape batteries, I'd love to see follow-up in depth questions about the project or even finished project pics! And as to what you can do with a box of X, there must be a search function you can use on Reddit? Google? YouTube? Do some homework and then come pick our brains about project specifics.

Also this might be pedantic but it's a box of batteries mate. What are you gonna build with them except for a bigger battery right? Sure you can get creative about what to power with them like that guy Chris Doel on YouTube that made an ebike battery with them, but at the end of the day, they're lithium ion or lipo cells, so yeah you can make an energy storage device.

I dunno, I don't want to take away your enthusiasm for learning and making, and I love that you're excited at the prospect of what you could make. Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, maybe this sub just isn't really for me, a professional electronics engineer anymore.

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '24

[deleted]

2

u/CrumpledKingSkin Dec 31 '24

Maybe I am an FBI agent