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Scavenging rechargeable lithium cells from the roadside
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- Опубликовано: 16 янв 2022
- While I'm not a huge fan of using lithium cells a single time and then discarding them, I'm fine with a free source of rechargeable cells lying on the ground.
These popular disposable inhaler devices are based around the same circuitry as the fully rechargeable ones, simply because it's the cheapest way to make them.
I guess some people just want a quick easy fix and these Chinese made devices cater to that market.
If you're willing to finger things that people have had in their mouth (Like coffee shop cups and pub glasses) then popping these devices open usually reveals a very useful rechargeable cell with a rating of between 250mAh to 600mAh. Perfect for replacing spent or faulty cells in many devices, noting that the salvaged cells don't have the usual protection PCB for overcharge, discharge and current protection. As long as the device they are used in has charge control on the PCB to limit the charge to 4.2V, then it should be fine. You could also stick a cell to one of the many TP4056 charge controller PCBs if you want the full works.
All the cells I've tested have been fully rechargeable, but always proceed with caution when testing this, and never use damaged cells. Also make sure you wear disposable gloves if handling the fluid cartridges in these devices as they are aimed at hard-core smoke inhalers and have a high percentage of knicker-tin.
If you want to go the full hog and reuse a complete device then the geek-bar one was the nicest and most reusable design for the technically inclined.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of RUclips's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators
The waste here is almost criminal. We have finite lithium and it gets used for this nonsense. Disposable/one-use items should have to be renewable and biodegradable.
That said, love you Clive.
Totally agree. China keeps producing this crap, and the rest of the world keeps buying it. There needs to be some sort of regulation on this to make it mandatory to recycle.
Wish the batteries were removable at least so people could take them to some kind of battery recycling facility for I don't know maybe a discount on their next fog machine device
I think the waste is actually criminal, technically. At least where I live, Lithium batteries are supposed to be disposed of in a certain manner.
what, like cigarettes? 😀
@@hoedenbesteller You can't blame the Chinese for manufacturing stuff asked of them by western companies and trends... on the other hand, with some of BigClive's skills a lot can be achieved, i personally would 3d print the liquid store and make it refillable, at least temporarily...
The fact that these even exist as disposable products is beyond infuriating.
Nahh free li ion battery
I have been using these devices for years. Imagine how much I could have money I could have made from the batteries
When you can literally discard the batteries and raw metals and still make a product that competes with big tobacco, you know they have absolutely killer margins quite literally.
In the U.K. 80% of the price of normal cigarettes goes to the Government. I'm not sure if the Government still makes a profit after paying for treatment for all the diseases caused.
@@MrDuncl Even if the money needs to go out it's still big money number goes up!
Also bear in mind that a lot of these products are done via big-tobacco. I think one of the big companies said they were going to phase out burning tobacco products completely and replace them with the mini cigarette looking elements that has a filter and a small foil tube that is heated in a hand-held power-pack.
@@MrDuncl The product cost $15 dollers without the government stamp until the government started wanting their payment they went up to $40+ Canadian
@@MrDuncl smokers and fatties have actually shown to be profitable for society, but not because of the extra taxes. It's instead because they die early. So they have basically their whole work life, and even though it may be a bit more costly you cut a decade or two at the end, and that's the point were people starts to get really costly.
In my day a bread toaster was a fairly expensive item you shopped for before buying. If it broke you repaired it. These days, in the US, most of them are sealed shut with no fasteners and no replacement parts available. I dislike a " throw away society" . Your channel always gives me new ideas for repurposing. This was a great example.
I grew up in a world where 'disposable' had already started happening and had its hooks in people. I was raised with 'If it breaks, you fix it' and yet most of the time it simply wasn't possible because things were: physically sealed and cannot be disassembled without destruction of the product. Or replacement parts were more expensive than re-purchasing a whole new product. Or finally simply you couldn't repair it, the product was designed so that when it broke, it broke, now you HAVE to buy a new one.
I think the light bulb may be the best example of this, especially modern LED bulbs. They could last insane amount of time, but their circuits are poorly designed and the heat generated deteriorates the 'bulbs'.
My dishwasher gave up a while ago. But a new one at 400 euro's like any 'sane' person would do? or open it up, do some digging and replace a 4 euro capacitor?
(I did the latter, but was tempted to put a 20 ct capacitor with comparable specs in it).
I saw 3 of these on one walk to the end of my road.
Suggestion for clickbait title "I built an electric car out of discarded e-cigs"
You indeed can build an RC car with these, and save the click baitey title 😆
I use the small cells on tiny RC helicopters and nano quadcopters. Two of the 500mah ones in parallel run my flybarless micro heli.
"free power" is also a valid (and true) clickbait title.
Tbf I would definitely click on that video
except that according to youtube, these are the things that must not be named...
It’s a wonderful world for us that can take things to bits and salvage parts or entire devices from what the average person calls trash… just acquired a carpet cleaner from someone throwing it away, it was lithium battery powered and had one dead cell. I have since built a proper battery dwarfing the originals size.
A battery powered carpet cleaner? People these days are just afraid of cords jfc
Yeah, same with most power tools, people will straight up toss or give them away if the battery dies because an OEM battery costs $60+ vs the $10 it costs you to build one.
@@vgamesx1 - Not just that, but you have to use the _right_ batteries. For a lot of those items, you need high discharge 18650's (or similar), and the ones sold regularly are often extended discharge, like you'd use for a laptop. I had to hunt for the right one to use to replace in my _one_ battery Ryobi cordless screwdriver.
@GeneSun yes people will even throw away their Dyson batteries with really good cells in. It’s crazy what people will chuck out and buy again new.
I got a cordless Bosch hoover with a good battery but the motor had broken. I haven’t gotten around to taking out the 18650s yet but I will use them at some point. Better than going to waste.
In my building complex, we have waste sorting bins, also one for batteries. So whenever there is a laptop battery in there or other rechargeable consumer electronics, I take it apart and save the cells. Often these cells have more than half of their life left, so a free source of 18560 cells. The cells in the featured video are excellent for small drones, which otherwise would be impossible to get replacement cells for without paying much too much.
Keep in mind that drones often require high current cells.
Lucky fellow| Around here, we only have these waste bins at shopping malls and security will be all over you, if you try to pick something from there - apparently it's a good business to "recycle" tech waste and they don't want people interfering with it.
Lidl is great the exits usually have big barrels full of used batteries and having tested many i would say 25% of the batteries are ok and still 1.5v on full load testing peeps just throw away everything without testing them individually pp9's not so!
@@garrygemmell5676 do they mind/take notice if you sort through them?!?
Smart!
I've found so many of them just laying around on the street. I've gathered 20+ Lithium Polymer 850mah cells. I had more, but I used those in some projects.
These cells are actually pretty high quality since they are designed to energize a coil which draws a lot of current.
I've started scavenging them lately, as a veteran could you point me in the direction of the best way to charge these cells?
@@rnbmeister See Bigclive's other videos, using a TP4056 board: ruclips.net/video/M88e1r8nvYk/видео.html
@@elgorrion52 don't forget to use one with discharge protection for safety
Incredible to think that these are considered single use. The aluminium and the lithium cells are such valuable resources which are just thrown away. Greta won't be happy
They should call one the Greta-Bar.
It's frustrating that it is cheaper to dig lithium out of the ground than to recycle it.
It's a re-Greta-ble state of affairs
@@zh84 not for long
Most greens, maybe even Greta too, work for oil companies. They create panic and confusion, but the resulting policies are not solving anything, just redirecting tax money to the same entities that are responsible.
Not only is it atrocious that these are being sold as disposable, they would be trivial to redesign to be refillable and rechargeable. But I guess they want to court the customers who just want to buy a replacement rather than deal with the "hassle" of recharge and reload process.
Unfortunately from the seller and producer's point of view if they sold them as rechargeable and refillable with the nicotine glycol, the numbers sold would soon diminish to an unsustainable level. What they want is the user to throw away and buy a replacement, with seller and producer making money every time.
With so many people who don't consider their impact on the world they will continue to buy disposable items (whatever it is) rather than buy a reusable one. And unfortunately even reusable items seam to have a built in life before failing to work and your average person will bin and replace!
@@paulamos8970 Meanwhile back in the real world you can actually buy refillable versions of these devices. One of the brands shown, SMOK make a ton of different devices and a trivial google search would have shown you that if you could have been bothered to do a tiny bit of research....better to just have a epic moan about nonsense though right?
It's the price of a packet of cigarettes that drives the viability of these devices. The equivelent of one of these in real cigarettes is £13.60 while these cost £4.
@@backgammonbacon
Right - but these aren't re-usable are they? In fact, they are specifically designed and marketed to NOT be re-used - despite containing lithium batteries.
I mean, it's totally ok if a company wants to abuse child labour - because customers have a choice to buy shoes not made by child slaves... right?
@@paulamos8970 All they have to do is mark up the refill liquid the same as companies do for shaving razors with replaceable heads
@@backgammonbacon He wasn't moaning about nonsense though, he was moaning (and rightfully so) about how wasteful these products are. The fact that you can buy a different style and refill it doesn't change how terrible these disposable ones are.
Oh wow, they are like the batteries you use in small toy drones. It is outrageous that these are sold as single use items when they are potentially rechargeable & re-fillable. Shocked at the Aluminium casing as well. Nice video Clive. Thanks for sharing, 👍.
Better they use recyclable aluminum than damn plastic.
I have several RC drones and planes that would use those batterys.
@@scottfirman - I have lots of batteries but no drones. I keep loosing them.
@@firesurfer - yea, but that Aluminium was just tossed on the street, whereas it should be recycled.
To be fair a reasonable number of said drones in that price range are single (digit) use anyway.
I don't know which I dislike more, the idea that perfectly good rechargeable lithium cells are "disposable" or the fact that a manufacturer used an aluminum housing on a "disposable" vape just to make it feel better in the hands.
is there really any more aluminum in one of these than there is in a soda can though?
I live with someone who throws his empties in the trash even though my aluminum bucket is next to the trash. There is no winning. Waste will never end.
@@spiderpickle3255 Aluminium cans are actually very light, very little material. I wouldn't be surprised if that chunk has more metal in it. Still, a waste either way. Aluminium is one of the most easily and effectively recycled materials.
You ever drink from an aluminum can?
@@spiderpickle3255 ya that is true, and we throw away aluminum foil to.
LOL @ fucktube deleting my comment that included the weight of standard empty cans
EDIT: three times!!
apparently these weights are against the rules to publicaly post
> knicker tin
Nice save dude. I think they bought it.
Something to also consider is the potential for garbage fires if the device is disposed of when it still has a charge. Honestly, I'm surprised they're able to sell them without a proper means of recycling/disposal. Maybe something like a bottle deposit would encourage their return once depleted.
a lot of B&M vape stores will take them for disposal, you just have to hope they are actually doing it properly.
@@Krayzpete you reckon tbe nicotine addiction industry (aggressively targeting children again after being banned from it) will act ethically and environmentally? Yeah, I would bet it ends up in the regular bin.
I was just thinking about this. I bet if you offered a cash back for used vapes, even just $1 or so would get people to bring them back. Could a business be made out of recycling these?
I still can’t get my head around the fact that in 2022 when people are obsessed with disposable plastic and reusing everything that somehow something, the very purpose of which is to be reused and refilled, has been made disposable but still using technology that itself is designed for recharge and reuse. Wtf!?
and wouldn't people pay 10 pounds more if the thing was rechargable?
Then again there are rechargeable ones, but the single use things still have a place. Maybe people who vape have figured out that you can get a 1s lipo charger for a pound, or maybe they just don't care. I hope for the former but suspect the latter
the rechargeable cells are significantly cheaper than the non-rechargeable as well as the due to the fact that disposable lithium batteries are the primary source of crystal methamphetamine in the world they should be illegal
They could at the very least make the base reusable and allow people to buy the liquid/coil as a disposable unit.
maybe, those are not the same people. maybe some people are obsessed with reusing everything (i'm a bit like that), because others use stupid shit like this. which pisses me off.
Rechargeable batteries are cheaper than non-rechargeable ones. But yeah it's wasteful. The good part of it is when people realize they can collect this "trash" and profit from it.
I’m a teen and I got into vaping for a little bit and I actually did exactly what you’re doing now and used my arduino as a charger using the 3.3v and grnd line to recharge them. I eventually quit and I haven’t vaped in about a year.
How do you know when to stop charging?
@@spicesmuggler2452 Use a tp4056 module, preferably with discharge protection. It will charge at a constant current and stop charging once the cell reaches the full voltage. I would not recommend charging it with constant dc 3.3v.
Keep going!
3.3v is quite low for a lithiun cell, virtually empty.
Would love to see more about reusing, testing, connecting, charging these little batteries
Buy a simple TP4056 board or equivalent and use as any other LiPo battery. The TP4056 boards have protection snd charging all on one board. If the voltage is 2.9V+ treat them as almost brand new and charge them up without worries. Although if you plan to store them for later, charge them up to the nominal 3.7V. If the voltage is lower then watch the battery as its charging, you never knew. Look up some tests to see if they hold a charge and so on. I have some that work fine after and some thst don't. Depends on how long it has been left discharged.
Would love to see the e-liquid module's volume (and its body, if present) used to house a Joule Thief. Can it be done?
Devon Crawford had a fun video or two on this
@@michaelthibault7930 why would one do that though... U can't fit decent alkaline cell inside anyway, and you have 3.7V cell inside already.
Note that not all tp4056 boards have the full protection circuitry (the dw01a and dual mosfet), but some do, they're pretty easy to spot because of the two extra little 6 pin chips.
Kept hearing Tiny Tim (1960's) tripping thru my brain singing "Tip Toe thru the Tulips" as you struggled to NOT say those words. 😄 Great video and OMG those aluminum housings let alone the 500ma batteries - I agree how wasteful.
At least the aluminium is recyclable more easily than the plastic
Probably equivalent waste as from a beer can.
Thanks for the memory of Tiny Tim on Rowan & Martins Laff-In 😆
Why is that? Some RUclips thing that it's better not to say it?
@@dismayer666 de-monetized potentially
@@dismayer666 youtube's advertisers get nervous if they think their ads might get places beside something controversial. RUclips's solution is to not allow ads on videos that might scare the advertisers and make them close their wallets.
When is the point in time where we - as a society - start challenging our suppliers a bit more? It is disgusting to see such things produced for single use only. Such throwaway stuff should cost much more, in my opinion.
As individuals we do not have the influence. However, this is where local and central governments can use regulations and taxes to incentivise behaviour. In part through making sure disposal costs are borne by the manufacturers and importers. So if they’re still cost effective after accounting for their environmental harm, then sure. Otherwise industry will adapt to game the new rules. Incentivising the behaviour we do want is much simpler and more effective than being prescriptive with hard written lists.
@@ZaphodHarkonnen We DO have ways to influence decisions, just by making a purchase or not.
When china sit up and listen. Until then, welcome to the end of the world x
@@peter.stimpel Yes, but most people will go with whatever is more convenient, they're all about saving the world up until it causes them even the slightest inconvenience.
@@peter.stimpel Yeah but his point is quite valid, look at the most popular devices on earth like iPhones, granted it has other merits such as iOS but because they go out of their way to restrict repairs and make changes to the OS I certainly would not buy one myself, yet plenty of people will, considering it's still the single best-selling device, sure voting with your wallet is good, but it ultimately doesn't matter in the slightest unless you create a strong movement.
For all the talk there has been lately about lithium mining and its environmental impact, the use of these disposable lithium cells seems rather egregious. I'm actually surprised that this is the more profitable solution.
What you are saying is the very reason they use rechargeable lithium cells, that is because rechargeable cells use less lithium than a single use lithium battery.
You're talking the big tobacco companies who now own the majority of the e cigarette/vape industry (despite the self delusions of the addicted hoards thinking they are sticking it to big tobacco)
I've asked Naomi Wu on Twitter, and apparently Chinese government forbid selling of these in 2019, in all provinces. No ban on manufacturing, regrettably
Chinese started selling little microusb boards with small alligator clamps online, marketing it to smokers to recharge these.
Selling things is always more profitable when you don't have to account for the disposal and environmental cost (by making it "someobne else's problem".)
"unpriced externalities"
You're awesome Clive! I'm a reverse engineer enthusiast too...Anything I find in my dumpster dive, is always broken down...I love gears, electric motors, electrical cords, transformers on a board, capacitors, etc, etc..You know! Its a glorious child- like enthusiasm...I always thought I was alone...I enjoy watching you, as I do my own reverse teardowns...I rent a $100 USD a month storage, just to access it's gated dumpsters! I find everything, and anything....I just jump in, and open boxes, and bags, etc...I use aseptic techniques, and with no flu, cov, or any injection for 30+ years; I have a super strong immunity...I don't even get colds, or allergies...I live very well! I dumpster dive for the rush! Its like going through someone's life...Sad endings for many! Stay healthy my friend!
It's nice that the manufacturer makes them them in neon colours, that makes them so much easier to spot at a distance
Haha, yep, I do that! They're also useful for head torches, to replace the 3 x AAA nightmare. You can connect them in parallel (making them self balancing, you can even mix different capacity cells this way) and put a protection circuit over the bunch. Using small cells lets you fit them into whatever space you have available. I then add a poundland powerbank USB charging circuit, with the big USB port unsoldered to make it flatter, and you have a USB rechargeable li-ion head torch :-)
That is impressive. Good to know about the 3 aaa.👍🤔
@@assassinlexx1993 ? 3x1,5V is 4,5V but usually discharge below 3V on lipo bags does give you fire and bang if charged again
You need protection or on recharge your headlamps catches fire if deep charged enough
What a great idea. My grandson has a lot of toys that need AAA batteries, could save a small fortune
@@kitecattestecke2303 he adds a small usb battery bank circuit to give 5v and handle battery charge and discharge cutoff voltages.
@@kitecattestecke2303 4.5v doesn't matter, no cell is going to sit that high for very long, as for discharging, annoloki already stated he has protection + the power bank has it's own cut-off too, but if you need something then TP4056 boards with protection cost like 50 cents, also that's wrong, sure it isn't recommended to go below 3v and it isn't great for life span, but it is safe to go as low as 2.75v and even if you do go lower, as long as you bring it back up very slowly (say 20-100ma or less than 0.1C) you're still unlikely to get a fire, (but not impossible to be clear) usually if it fails short while discharging it would cause it get a little warm, but soon fizzle out and discharge itself to 1v or lower.
It's great to see a video on this. Being a morning walker at the local park I've started a collection of these and discovered the same thing , usable Li cells. Yes I've always tried to pick up with gloves or maybe a spare tissue I have and then disassembly comes later. I have used some of the small battery management boards on the cells to make them useful for small project builds. A great source for free Li cells. I suspect the aluminum cases are used to keep everything contained if the cell decides to go Nova on the user.
Only to focus the torch flame, whilst in pocket...
I collect these "dead" disposables from coworkers. The cells I typically get (in the US) are 280mAh, 550mAh, 1000mAh, and 1500mAh. I've been collecting for about 2 years now. They are great to replace 2 or 3 AA or AAA alkaline in flashlights or remote controls.
So many reusable ones I don't understand why anybody would use these kind.
its probably extremely overpriced too. Cool that the batteries can be salvaged.
But most are going straight to landfills. Its just mega wasteful. Is this in states who banned the better devices?
@@p_mimejunior7174 its just cause addicts gonna do addict things, which don't include being to bright with their money
@@virtualtools_3021 It's better than cigarettes though, but most of the people I know who vape use modular units that are reusable and can modded for more power. So the old batteries are put in the recycling bin, and not the whole unit.
Good video Big Clive, managed to get around the stupid RUclips restrictions on curtain items while allowing other content that is potentially dangerous/deadly. As if anyone watching a video about the take down of an item is necessarily interested in the product itself!
I wondered why he was being so coy.
It's mostly the advertisers forcing youtube's hand regarding things they find harmful, dangerous or controversial.
And being an 18650 based vaper for a decade, it took me a good two minutes to realize what the hell he was taking apart. 😀
@@jimg5669 I find it reassuring that you were a little confused too because I've never used these things and I've never seen them discarded. The things I usually have to be careful not to step on around here are the little silver coloured nitrous oxide canisters that are discarded in ridiculous quantities. Unfortunately there are no useful electronic parts inside them.
@@johnm2012 a lot of bakers/whipped cream afficianados in your neighborhood?
I kid. 😀
I have a friend who uses disposable ones, and his contain 1100mAh 18350s!
As soon as I saw an older video of yours where you mentioned that these always have rechargeable batteries, I asked him to hang on to his old ones instead of throwing them out.
The ones I've opened contain 1500mAh lately.
I found one with a 550mAh cell. It had already been run over, so disassembly of what was left was extremely easy. Edit: it looks remarkably like the second one you opened.
Interesting to see inside something I didn’t really know existed. I did also find myself chanting “pie dish! pie dish! pie dish!” When you were opening the black one 😂 Thanks for the investigations Mr Big Clive 👍
Cool! I just picked up a couple of those e-cigs from the street as I was curious what electronics were inside. Now, thanks to Clive, I know.
Amazing that a sentient species would spread these disposable electronic devices all over their planet. And one is actually aluminum. Totally nuts!
As usual, great video Clive. But this one deserves a special thank you. You have single-handedly saved countless thousands of these cells from the ever increasing pile of our gluttonous human excrement. As I walked out of my house after watching your video I saw one! Run over by cars unfortunately but at least I now know what they are - when I've seen them before I had thought they might have *ahem* little vibrating motors inside them and therefore not something I'd want to handle. But I got another one today - 550mah. Excellent!! Keep up the good work mate.
Oh boy, so I'm not the only one doing this! I found a good purpose for these cells, but there is a bit of backstory to this (warning, this could get long ;) ).
A buddy of mine and I are really into FPV drones and we're constantly on the search for new parts and ideas on how to optimize our copters, change their weigt to increase the flight time and such. My buddy also works in a vape shop and we're both avid vapers. We both saw the vape market getting literally flooded by new disposables and pod systems spawning on a daily basis - And this concerned us from a vaping enthusiast and also from an ecological standpoint but since there was such a high demand at the shop he's working at, they sadly had to give in and also start to sell disposables. Even more sad - the ones they sell are actually... Good. Except from being one time use only, they actually are good vape pens.
We both decided on taking them apart to have a look inside and found cilyndrical Li-Ion cells - Pretty much the same ones as shown in the green pen at @4:15 . And at the very moment we saw those cells, it dawned on both of us, that we just need to take a closer look at them. We both instantly thought of using those cells for our drones - but we first need to benchmark them since we obviously don't have any datasheet available. They sure are not meant for high discharge currents but still - I want to know, what these cells are capable of.
So - I bought one of those chunky electric load battery testers with a display, volt and ammeter (the ones which also display the discharged mAh) and started to test those cells while also monitoring the temperature with a (somewhat) calibrated multimeter with a temperature probe. The one we got are perfectly capable of delivering stable 1A of current without even getting warm. The imprint of the particular cell we were using says they have a nominal capacity of aroung 650mAh, I can somewhat confirm this, my meter was showing around 600mAh after discharging them with 1A from 4.2V to 3.2V. I'm still testing so I can't tell for sure if they can handle high current peaks or not but I once simulated current peaks up to 6A which they were somewhat capable of handling, without dropping the voltage too much. I am aware that this is still fairly risky and I will not use those cells for any higher discharge currents for now until I got more data about their performance, but I've built a 1S2P parallel pack which I successfuly used with my tinywhoop, which is a small palm sized copter for indoor use. They run on 1 or 2S (so 3.7 - 7.4V) and don't draw a lot of current, around 4-5A as a baseline and maybe 10A when I do a punch out.
Until now, those cells work perfectly fine for those small copters. Their capacity to weight ratio as well as their small footprint make them the perfect candidate for our needs. The aforementioned pack got luke warm after flying, the voltage did not drop too much - about the same as the little 1S Li-Po pouch batteries, which are designed for those tinywhoops. I'll continue to benchmark them before I will use them for any higher loads.
We also dismantled a different disposable, which uses a similar pouch style battery, which is shown @3:10 - This one is now installed in wireless headphones, which had a faulty battery. We kept the internal battery management circuit and just replaced the batteries - It works like a charm! My buddy asked some customers to return the vape pens, once depleted. He's keeping and dismantling them to harvest the cells and properly dispose/recycle the components like the plastics, the aluminum tube and the little electronic circuit. We got around 20 to 25 of the same cells, for now. More and more customers return their old pens.
Let's see, for what we can use them in the future... :)
Interesting test results.
Damn... Free cells everyday...
The 4:12 ones are found discarded just about everywhere here (US) . Have collected about 40 in the past 6 months. Just so happens there are several different ID and OD to the different varieties and brands and they fit nicely within each other. Also an Estes model rocket engine fits nicely into the .73 ID inch variety. Coupled with the nichrome coil that acts as the heater and the two part thermal insulator that is also part of these assemblies and all that is needed is a 3d printed nosecone and maybe some stabilization tailfins. Many also have a clear plastic tube which fits around the tubular battery as an insulator. Also a small vacuum operated switch behind the inhalation plastic mouth piece and a tiny led at the other end. This info for educational use only.
Thank You! Finally someone made an in-depth video about these "disposable" Vapes, and their useful Li cells inside! For so long I have wondered how the button-less ones are able to activate via airflow, I feel like that sort of switch/sensor?(whatever) could be useful somehow in a creative enough application. As someone who has used those before, however; I just can't bring myself to throw them out!
He discusses and shows this in some of his other videos on the topic. There's an airflow/pressure sensor and control circuit in a package that looks like a little electret microphone capsule.
This video deserves more comment. I think it is great that you show how such resource-rich disposable items can be salvaged and put to further use, once you safely kill off the probable pathogens. I would love to hear more details about those little pressure sensor switches. I haven't seen or heard of them before. I could see repurposing them in some future maker projects of mine...
You can also get a ton of these in the electronics recycle bins in electronic stores... I scavenged a bunch of high quality cells from things like rechargeable mice, keyboards, headphones... that got physically broken but their cells were barely used (most of them hold full rated capacity, no issues whatsoever).
Clive, your videos past and present continue be a source of fascinating information and entertainment for me, as my asthma and pulmonary sarcoid wreaks havoc on my health. I can't thank you enough. 🙂👍
Just seeing stuff like this taken apart gives me the dopamine I look for in these kind of videos. I really want to play with such devices, but I can't justify the cost as a non user.
Yup, i do love a bit of scavenging!
I find the recycling buckets in supermarkets are great for rechargeable cells. Reuse is, after all, the best recycling!
I've had to wean myself off of scavenging hoovers! People just leave them out for the bin men. It's always just some basic maintenance needed yet they go out & buy a brand new hoover!
The last one was a glorious purple upright vax that had been fitted with a fuse rated too low for the current draw so that it blew every time it was used. They'd left it out by the bins.
I fitted the right fuse and bingo! My fourth hoover!
I now have hoovers for life!
Looks like I have new "component sources" to keep my eyes open for! Thanks Clive, always informative and always entertaining!
I’ve been doing this for the last 2 years
I’m glad you’re making this mainstream
I’ve gotten batteries as high as 800 mah
I have also done this. I used my first cell to power an LED string to be used for a table decoration.
I've been collecting these on my daily constitutional around the estate since before Christmas and so far I've found a dozen. All but one had at least 3.4v and all charged and held their charge well. soldering half a dozen in parallel with a suitable usb module makes great little powerbanks and one I fitted into a 3d printed C cell case to supercharge a woolly de-pilling shaver that was otherwise useless. I love them. However I do have to suffer the eye rolling of my wife as I gleefully scamper into the middle of the road or a nearby hedge to retrieve my latest 'find'. The first one was a square section aluminium case that I printed an end cap that held an old powerbank pcb. The end result is indistinguishable from the ones you get from Poundland.
I now have a small collection of seven of these 3.7v Li cells that I've wombled from around the neighbourhood. I'm a wee bit unsure of what to do with any of them at this point because none have protection circuits, but while I'm collecting I'm watching and learning. Thanks for all you do Clive! :)
Never seen one of these discarded before, watched this video and a few days later spotted my first. Looking forward to scavenging the parts.
I have over 60 of these cells, collected over the past 6 months - there is usually enough charge remaining in the cell to light the led, i.e. over 3v. They have only had the original manufacturer's charge, so they can be considered as virgin cells, having never been recharged, so they potentially have a long life ahead of them! The pressure sensor may be operated by squeezing between thumb and forefinger. it is wise to disconnect, or cut the wires from the heater/liquid store from the cell before extracting the sensor from the base, which is sometimes glued. There are a few larger "MAX" versions which have a battery recharge function and a USB port. The sensor chip has five solder connections instead of the usual 3, for the usb connections. It is notable that there are no disposal instructions on any of the cases I have seen, since containing a live lithium cell, it is potentially spontaneously flammable if damaged by waste compacting equipment on trash carts, or in waste depots. I have seen "geekbar" castoffs with dog teeth marks cracking the case, which could prove potentially very unfortunate for Rover! Also the nicotine content is toxic for insects and many other forms of wildlife, and the glycerol/glycol content has a sweet taste, together with the caramel/fruit flavour/aroma, may be attractive to small children. In fact the sweetie-like characteristics in look and aroma are a giveaway clue to the market aimed at - teenagers, and immature adults, together with the highly addictive nature of nicotine, when these "disposable" devices are eventually restricted in the same way as other tobacco products are, or more likely banned, there will be little alternative other than to return to traditional tobacco use to satisfy the addiction.
"May be attractive to small children".. aah, more like "specifically designed to be attractive to get small children addicted for life". It's the big tobacco industry that now owns the majority of this market after hoovering up the small players.. and they know this technique works a treat.
I quit them months ago and had gone through the motions of taking them to bits and always wanted to use the lithium cell for something so I'm really glad you made a point of it, there rechargeable people hahaha
Finally someone made a video about this. I collected 2 decent size boxes of these. Always look for these in decent condition, take to bits on a spot and keep the cell.
this actually makes me sick, I can't believe companies are actually allowed to make this kind of devices
I live in the states and see these colorful things discarded everywhere on a daily basis. Looks like I found a new hobby!
in states with draconian Vape laws, and bans? I don't see why anybody would use these instead of reusable devices unless they had no other choice
@@p_mimejunior7174 you’d be surprised how many people are *morons* who would rather buy a $9.00 or even $15 vape pen from the gas station or kwikemart instead of going to a reputable shop and buying a refillable vape.
Clive using calipers as a punch tool = my spirit animal.
I measured wet snow with mine like 5 mins ago
The proper tool is generally the first one within arms reach.
"measured wet snow" to see what the temperature or humidity-level was, surely. You didn't use the calipers to measure any kind of distance because, that would be so .... normal.
@@DreadX10 No, only the depth. They were by the front door and the nearest tape was in my vehicle.
For as crazy as it is for them to be using aluminum I suppose it's possibly better than plastic in terms of recycling.
Have to admit, I was anticipating those pliers to slip and bite some flesh, happens all too often here.
Will be interesting to see what sort of internal resistance those cells have.
Given their intended application I'd imagine they're quite low resistance. Crazy that they're meant to just get thrown away
@@danandrei96 most of my technically inclined friends suppose these cells were rejected by QC in the factory: slightly lower capacity than required, or something. They could be even manufactured with less charging cycles in mind, to save expenses on materials. No idea what's the catch so far, so we *can* reuse them with caution, and recycle properly on their EOL.
If the trash goes to an MRF (materials recovery facility), the eddy current non-ferrous materials separator would pull out the aluminum body ones
I re-reread the old recycling regulation. In the EU, for all small electric appliances that contain a rechargeable battery and other electronic circuitry, the manufacturers must offer a recycling service by taking back an old device upon the sale of a new one.
If a buy an hair drier or an electri razor, or an hand drill, the reseller must take back the old device if asked.
Now, I don't know if the law has been carried over after Brexit, but I believe it did. The vapers who vape those single-use e-cigarettes, should return the old ones to the shop who sold them. Both the electrolyte present in the battery, and the nicotine left over in the atomiser are bad for the health, and should not be discarded in random places...
Great video, Clive. In the states where I live most of the vapes tossed to the roadside have cases made of aluminum. It is such a waste but it serves as a great source of scrap for various projects, not to mention the batteries. I have yet to encounter one made of plastic, so that was very interesting to see.
I made my wife a little flashlight from one of them aluminum ones i found. I also have one mounted to my reloading press as a light to see inside cases.
@@rwt8851 That's awesome. It's good to know that there's one less vape out there polluting the ground
@@rwt8851 The Al-bodied ones, when fitted with a proper charge-discharge protection board and a light (LED) would make a useful keyfob that fits neatly in a clenched fist.
Will there be an upcoming Big Clive video where he's designed a controller circuit for charge/discharge of these disposables, along with a handy 3d printed battery box to contain one or more of these cells.?
I wish he'd review the battery codes that talk about form factor as it relates to battery size. An 18650, for instance is 18mm across, 65mm long and the zero designates it as a cylinder.
As you were twisting and pulling the caps, I found myself twisting and pulling gestures along with you!
So, in a way, I helped!
Glad you made this video. I found 3 different smoking devices while picking up cans. One was run over. I saw the microphone and lipo poking out. I opened one of the two non squished ones and tested it, it had 3v. I put it on a rc charger and it charged up. So I did the other one. They are still charged 3 weeks later. huh. If I was to buy that battery online to use for something it would cost way more.
Nearly 2 miles of head down walking through town on negative MOT time to Halfords for a 7mm Allen socket, but not a single lithium cell to pick up. Perhaps there are other scavengers! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Clive my wife uses these and me being technical have had lots of them to bits to harvest the batteries and i discovered that the batteries go flat before they run out of vape juice i suspect due to the storage and shipping laws the cells are never fully charged but still a good source of cheap cells for fun projects PS: keep up the good work with the videos and live streams
I recently found one of those chunky squarish vape units. I picked it up thinking there might be a salvageable cell inside. Sure enough, there was what described itself as an 18650 inside. Only it wasn't in a can. Instead, it was foil wrapped. Not having a use for such a cell, I tore it apart. There were sparks, which was fun.
Funnily enough i nipped onto BCs channel to look for this very thing. I found an ELUX LEGEND 3500 PUFFS on the floor and intend to use it in a prop, so wanted to check recharging and refilling it was safe. Thankyou as always Mr Clive!
I pick these up all the time! In practice, results are hit or miss -- some cells are still in good shape, some have discharged to 0V and are worthless. But if you're walking around anyway, the only loss is disassembly time. As for construction, the round ones are most popular here in the NE US, and seem to mostly be steel. Flat ones tend to be very thin aluminium. I like to find things to use those pieces for as well. I'll usually pick them up with disinfectant wipes and wipe them down really good with alcohol when I get home. Most I can't find any specs on, and some have the capacity marked, so I just use them for low power MCUs and such
Cells discharged to 0v aren't necessarily worthless. BC has gone over this in an old video, Lithium cells are really only irrecoverable if they've been reverse charged, like what happens in battery packs when a weak cell goes flat before the others and gets reverse charged by the other cells. But if a cell was just normally drained to 0v, or its internal resistance did the same, you can usually bring them back to usable. Though I wouldn't put them in a pack with other cells, just use them by themselves in something like a solar light.
I've got tons of dead battery packs with weak cells like this and they work great in low drain applications. You can usually get a few hundred more cycles out of them before they're so weak they don't work anymore, when you can chuck them.
@@GGigabiteM yeah, they’re not always dead. I tend to have bad luck with 0V cells from these things - I think I’m finding them weeks or months after they were discarded in some cases - they refuse to hold any charge a lot. I’ve had much better luck with 0V cells from laptop battery packs and things like that, that weren’t living outside in the elements
@@GGigabiteM well, healthy cells can hold charge for years without losing lot of voltage. If cell has enough internal resistance to discharge to 0V all by its own leakage, it has grown a whisker and its faulty in dangerous way.
Undervoltage doesn't necessarily damage the cell, its just symptom of damage, that means, its only okay to use it if you know that something else had overdischarged the cell, if its still healthy can be checked by fully charging it.
it should be able to hold about 4.15V for extended periods of time.
Interesting information! Never saw these single use units sold around here - only the rechargeable ones - but I'll ask at the tobacco shop to confirm and maybe find out if they have customers for them. With a little conversation, maybe I can talk them to ask their customers to drop the old ones for me to collect - one can never have too many lithium cells :-)
Nice to see a source for a replacement cell for e.g. my BlueTooth bathroom speaker. At least with larger devices there is a chance to replace their cell (best with a thrown away one!). Problematic (I think) are tiny cells (e.g. in 'truly wireless' earbuds).
I AM IN A PARRELL UNIVERSE!!!! i did the EXACT same thing last year!!! i now have a stock pile of about 20 vape batteries picked up from the streets! this was like watching my past self ;)
I've been using reclaimed 18650 cells from laptop batteries to upgrade camping lights. Cut out the nicad housing, add a couple 18650's, a current-limiting resister and TP4056 to re-charge them. That gives a much better runtime and usb charging.
I still have lots of things lying around with lithium cells inside. Power banks. Laptop battery packs. Portable store-and-charge cases (e.g. for headphones). And so on. I'd be curious to see which of them still contain reusable lithium cells. It would be great to have a guide how to safely extract, test, evaluate, and recharge/reuse them.
❤️ these videos. After watching this, I picked up five Vapes after a party, recharged them, installed one into a flashlight the same night. The COB side light it was fine, but the forward firing focused LED seems to have burned out. I guess I should add a 10-ohm resistor on the front for version number 2. A week later at the music festival I picked up 14 Vapes just in front of one stage. Now I need to add them to fairy lights and switch out the 3xAAA batteries from, well... everything. Thanks for these inspiring videos.
I’m more so amazed that a manufacturer would use Lithium in a disposable device.
Wow, all the hoo-har about about single use packaging, yet these things exist. I guess they're alloy in case the cell gets damaged and burns in someone's pocket. The world of liability. Interesting vid, thanks BC.
The biggest issue I have with these ecigarettes is that they are sold as disposable items! This is a re-visit of our throw away culture at its worst and to make matters worse, many of the compounds used are not easily or safely disposed of.
I did buy a few of these in the past, yet, rather than toss them away after use, I did what you initially did and opened them up, then recharged the cells, washed out the wadding then added my own liquid...
Either that, or I found alternbative uses for the cells and recycled the rest (after washing it out)
As for your comment about the toss it on the road culture (dirty people there), I am sad to say I have seen the same, but I for one DON'T!
Once they can't be reused anymore, I dismantle and recycle the components cleanly and safely.
As for the vape solution in those things; they're a flavored propylene glycol/vegetable glycerine base that contains trace amounts of a nicotine base; absorbing too much of that can make you sick, so wear latex gloves!!!!
Last paragraph, absolutely. I have a friend that makes e juice. Nasty stuff, and the disposable ones are criminally wasteful.
@@marcellachine5718 Heh, I make it too, thats how I know what it is.
I also refuse to use propyloene glycol since I don't care for the idea of inhaling a liquid polymer.
I personally use a Vegetable glycerine base since its condensate is less harmful (thats LESS harmful, not harmless) as its pretty much inert.
The nicotine? We-ell, it is a poison and since I initially started vaping to quit smoking, I steadily reduced the nicotine content to near zero %
I will offer some friendly advice for those who are curious:
If you wish to quit smoking, I personally found this to be an effective way to quit smoking since, for me, Vaping was an effective way to go from 40+ cigarettes a day to zero in a week, then wean the nicotine strength to near zero% (and I do plan to cut it out completely)
Now, this is NOT meant to be a permanent alternative to smoking and I will quit vaping too in time since there may be cumulative issues over time (nowhere near as bad as smoking tobacco products, but it isn't 100% healthy)
For those who wish to take up smoking or vaping: DON'T!!!
Cigarretes and other tobacco products contain carcinogens and as all the packets warn; they can and do cause cancer.
Ecigarettes may not contain the carcinogens, but nicotine is an addictive poison and while vapers may not have as many issues as smokers, there could be cumulative issues over time.
@@GaisaSanktejo good lord I dont smoke the stuff. I gave up smoking normal cigarettes 4 years ago cold turkey, no patch, gum etc. Just used alot of trident and stride normal mint chewing gum. I only smoke weed, and only a bit.
@@marcellachine5718 Your previous post implied you didn't 😉
We do and use what works for us, and I hope you realise much of my commentary wasn't aimed at you so much as those who may be curious about them
Clive, you're probably the only RUclipsr I actually believe "sanitized" the vaper "thoroughly." 🤣👍️
After seeing you open that aluminum extrusion with a lithium cell inside it I don't want NOBODY telling me off for tossing a soda can along with the regular trash.
I mean, I would prefer it if we threw away metals that can be easily recycled indefinitely rather using plastic that gets mixed all together and half of it can't be recycled and part of the other half can't be used either for various reasons such as contamination.
The Aluminium case looks useful, as well as all the batteries. It might be worth putting a small plastic bag in your pocket just on the off chance of spotting one in the gutter. .
Or look for a nearby "dog waste" bag dispenser...
@@Sylvan_dB that would do too. 👍
I often scavenge the piezo igniters from "disposable" lighters. I have repaired mini-blowlamps with them and also used them for insect bite/sting pain relief devices. Not sure if the bite/sting theory is correct but for (almost, because I 3D printed a housing for them) zero cost...
The piezo shock supposedly interferes with the pain sensors on the skin sending signals to the rest of the nervous system
I find that applying a little heat works better, probably by denatring the venom proteins that generate the sting/bite pain. The flame from e. g. a cigarette lighter held a half inch from the sting/bite site for a second or two does the trick (enough to redden the skin a tiny bit but not enough to cause an actual burn). Absent that, briskly rubbing the site helps some (if it's a bee sting, make sure you pick the stinger out first).
@@markfergerson2145 a cup/mug/glass filled with a hot beverage of your choice also works quite well, just press it against the sting for a few seconds. And yes, the heat denaturates/destroys certain components of the venom that cause the itching.
One of the folks at work threw one of these in the bin today, they couldn’t understand why I was mad at them, ‘but it’s a disposable’, it still has a bloody battery in it!
I love this. I've been picking up goodies off the street since I was a wee one. Almost anyone but Clive would say "oh that's too gross/dangerous/pointless" but me and him, we know better!
There was an earlier video about the cells in these being rechargeable. On the last scouts ditch pickup/cleanup trip I hoarded all of these citing 'health concerns' for the scouts. I knew I was hoarding cells, after getting back to the workbench found out all of the recovered cells were non-rechargeable. Granted I'm in the US, and these items probably suffered on the side of the road for over a year - so perhaps they didn't want to revive/live again. :( It was worth the effort :)
I guess the target market isn't interested in fumbling around with refills (and recharges).
Yeah. The non-technical throw-away society.
I bought one of these out of curiosity a while back. It had 8mL of 5% knicker tean fluid! When I vape, I use 0.3%. It’s absolutely wild how potent these disposable ones are.
As far as bang for your buck goes compared to the analog choice of delivery, these absolutely win. It’s just sad that they’re so wasteful.
Like most folk here I can't believe these are made, sold and bought. Single use plastic is a problem and now we have single use lithium batteries. Are these people mad? Or just selfish?
And it makes me feel better to see Big Clive doing this as I've been picking them up for months. 👍🤓
Sadly it's due to government regulations in some areas, banning refillable units (for some reason). No idea why but hey when has the government made any sense lmao
Clive trying to avoid saying the name of the 'devices' is like people working in the theatre trade avoiding the name of Shakespeare's Scottish play. Utterly wonderful!
A lot of smoke shops have a recycling bin for disposable vaporizers like that! Might be worth checking out if you’re looking for cells :)
I beg to differ, the ONLY recyclable disposable device on the market is currently the QBAR by Riot Squad.
@@C_H_U_C_K_L_E okay but I’m just saying, some shops have a bin for customers to deposit their used devices for recycling. Not sure what they do with them or if some devices are more recyclable than others, but the bins exist and you could probably get the contents if you asked :)
I didn't know those things are throwaways. I will now keep my eyes open for those. Great video
That second one has the exact same design of cell as one I just salvaged from the street. Never seen that style before today. Neat!
Dude you're a scavenger like me. I find all sorts when I'm out and about at work. Can't resist picking stuff up, truth is most stuff in shops has been handled more than road-kill!
I've now picked up three of these vape going to make a re-chargeable power pack this weekend.
Interesting. In Germany I can not find such devices on the street, possibly we are to poor and can not afford such an extravagant lifestyle to threw way a LiIon-battery after one use.
A few people use these in work and I was curious as to what was in them so I took one apart, I was absolutely gobsmacked to find out what was in them. Such a massive waste of resources and they are aluminium. Good for me as I get batteries and some great parts for making models with! TFS, GB :)
I've been recycling these myself here in California. it is frustrating how these are wasted, but I will gladly pick them up and reuse them for other projects
"Knicker Teen" ??
Considering the cost of lithium batteries and the value of the aluminum housing these are really great for recovering.
My mom uses the pre-made kind (I make my own juice) and saves all the 'disposable' batteries for me to have fun with.
I now have a collection of a couple hundred of them and just might do a project by creating a 12VDC battery to see exactly how well they last while starting a car :)
I think "Knicker Teen" probably falls foul of a different category of RUclips censorship 😂
When you made some years ago a video about the disposable chargers I picked up a job lot of those on ebay and I still have some stashed away. It has been my go to source of small cells for conversion projects. For example those small pouch cells fit nicely where a 9V or 3 AAA batteries would go and in general are great for small devices where a 18650 would simply not fit.
The annoying part is to have to always remember to change the programming resistor on the TP4056 module but it's worth it.
It's incredible and sad how many of these get simply thrown away
Also of course another great source of lithium cells are laptop batteries
Same, I like making devices rechargeable where possible, I used to think laptop batteries were good and they still aren't an awful source, but it isn't uncommon for them to be moderately used or have sat around for several years and lost a fair amount of capacity.
Splitting this into two comments because youtube keeps deleting it...
A far better source are battery recyclers such as "battery clearing house", (being deleted for this???) not only do recyclers offer cells much cheaper between 30-70 cents per cell vs the $1-3 per cell you typically find out of laptop packs, they often test at least batch of a several 100 or so cells before offering them up for sale, so although by no means guaranteed, you're much more likely to get what you pay for, the main advantage to buying battery packs is free shipping, where you can just buy a pack for $15, whereas these guys are shipping things properly so additional fees and thus cannot offer shipping any cheaper than about $15, so yeah the downside is it's not a great value unless you're spending at least $100 or so on a case of cells or unless you're lucky enough to live near a warehouse then you can pick up your order locally.
@@vgamesx1 I like Battery Hookup, David Poz is one of their YT fans, and they often have some killer deals.
@@vgamesx1 - I tend to dismantle my own battery packs as I replace them in customer systems. I have a shoebox full of them, with their tested rating written on the side. They're becoming much rarer, as the manufacturers don't want people to replace the batteries, but rather replace the laptop.
I am in high school in the US, and I used to collect these from classmates who were addicted. Thankfully they have gone out of style now, very few people still vape.
Have they got over their addiction?
I hope they haven't gone back to real cigarettes.
Great idea for salvagery 😁. In future, when I'm strolling through town, I will have a doggy poo bag ready to receive such disposables and gait with my head lowered to focus on the pavement in front.
Very sad to see disposable items with lithium batteries but great that some use can be made of them.
It's really a shame that those devices are even allowed to be disposable. The battery should be sold separately and they could even use AAA rechargeable batteries in it that the consumer should remove before disposing of the item.
AAA batteries dont have the amperage to run the devices.
Found one outside my work yesterday after watching.your video a few days before. Opened it up to find a 1500ah cell.
These are probably the sort of things historians will look back on as weird and somewhat ridiculous artefacts of our era.
See far too many of these things dumped in the streets. Always wondered how difficult it is to recycle them. Should really be banned or made to be reusable at least. Was wondering whether to start taking pictures of every one I saw to make that point. Although now I am wondering whether to start collecting them to salvage and recycle.
Crazy, I just found a couple of these that had been run over in the street and salvaged and recharged the battery. Horrible products, horrible people who throw them out their car window... Haven't figured out what to use the batteries in yet.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein
You could add a small high voltage circuit (Like a Joule Thief with a lot of turns on the secondary winding), connect one hv terminal to the metal case, and the other to a little wire just within the mouthpiece, and drop your modified device back inside the open window of the horrible tosser who lobbed it in the first place. When they find it, and have an experimental puff... KAPOW!
Excellent video, Clive. I just found out one of my pair of 3D glasses had its li ion battery go out and these might fit. Good place to use the ozone producing light, too.
This is one of those little moments of genius that leaves people saying, "Why didn't *_I_* think of that?" Nice one.