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Scavenging rechargeable lithium cells from the roadside

bigclivedotcom · 263K views · 2022-01-17 · 15:30

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Overview

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.

On Hacker News

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

Recommended by 2 HN people across 2 months · HN mentions 2022–2024

Topics

Renewables, batteries & storageEmbedded systems & DIY electronicsEnvironment, agriculture & food systems
Search by tags
lithium-ionvapesbattery reuseelectronicsrecycling

What people said

Crosseye_Jack · 2024-10 · Recommendation

[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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greatartiste · 2022-07 · Recommendation

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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spicyjpeg · 2023-04 · Reference

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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Sources

Video by bigclivedotcom, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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