Fenix 18650 dead

[radddogg]

I have been keeping my spare lamp and Fenix 18650 battery in a little tupperware box and it appears that throwing my bag down right passages isn't healthy for tupperware boxes. It's cracked and let water in and now my spare battery is dead. I expect the charging circuit is water damaged. Does it just need disposing of or is there a way to revive it? If not, are there cheaper alternative replacements with the built in charge controller, and ideally higher capacity?

 

[royfellows]

The management circuit is in the form of a round PCB mounted at the bottom of the battery. It gets its positive feed by means of a thin metal strip running down the cell inside the outer wrapper and insulated from the cell body which is all negative polarity. Its possible to remove all this and if necessary insulate the body by winding it with PVC tape. It could then be used in a torch. Provided the charger is a dedicated one it will not overcharge, and a simple torch will go very dim before over discharge. There is a risk in removing the aformentioned thin strip without shorting it on the battery body and causing you a nasty burn.

Its your decision.

There is a good recommended UK supplier of Li Ion cells at https://www.fogstar.co.uk/

Bearing in mind the cost, check out the aboves prices, it may well not be worth the trouble of attempting to save the one you have.

 

[Benfool]

I generally use these websites for 18650s, both are good:

Nu Battery - The UK’s Best 18650 Battery Retailer

All Lithium ion batteries 18650, 21700 and 26650 sizes. Flat Top, Button Top, Tab's. UK stock, Fast Shipping!

www.nubattery.co.uk

UK's Best 18650 21700 18500 18350 14500 16340 3.7V Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries

Buy UK Best 18650 3.7V Battery 26650 21700 16650 14500 18350 18500 16340 10440 Lithium Rechargebale Batteries & Chargers. Free shipping for all orders over £45. Next Day delivery available.

www.ecoluxshopdirect.co.uk

Stick to brands like Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and Sanyo for the cells. The Feneix cells are most likely are rebranded cells from one of these brands anyway. To be used in a light you're not worried about high drain (like you would be for either a vape or powertool), so go for the highest capacity you can (something like 3500mAh).

Be a bit careful about the size of the cell - protected 18650s are slightly larger (obviously) than none protected cells and some wont fit properly in Fenix lights. I seem to remember the protected NCR18650B cells (Panasonic) fit, but don't quote me on it!

Be careful with trying to fix 18650s unless you know what you're doing - there is a high probability of fucking up and them shorting, which is generally bad.

Hope that helps!

B

 

[wormster]

They're so cheap and available that it's really not worth the hassle, I would also put Moli-M and Moly-C cells on the approved list, out of the brands listed above the office consensus is for Sony or Samsung cells, Panasonic and Sanyo have not faired as well in our tests!! Stay away from anything with FIRE in the name!!!!

 

[tim.rose2]

I know very little about batteries or electronics but I've only had good experiences purchasing from AllBatteries (https://www.allbatteries.co.uk/). Everything on their site seems to be reputable & good quality. Very handy site to find batteries for obsolete tools.

 

[radddogg]

Thanks for the replies. I'll order a new one and leave this one for a few weeks to see if it fully dries out and stops shorting before recycling it.

 

[Pitlamp]

If this is your emergency back up, you'll want it to be reliable.
For what a replacement costs, is it really worth tinkering?

By the way, doesn't John Biffin (of Rude Nora etc) sell screw topped plastic tubes which are designed to fit one of those 18650 cells in? Might be worth investing in one to put inside your Tupperware, for next time you destroy the latter.

 

[royfellows]

Stay away from anything with FIRE in the name!!!!

They do have some history of living up to their name.LOL

 

[darren]

If this is your emergency back up, you'll want it to be reliable.
For what a replacement costs, is it really worth tinkering?

By the way, doesn't John Biffin (of Rude Nora etc) sell screw topped plastic tubes which are designed to fit one of those 18650 cells in? Might be worth investing in one to put inside your Tupperware, for next time you destroy the latter.

I think Starless River has a couple of storage tubes in stock