Buying 18650 or any other 3.3v battry - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: sairfan1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 07:09:47 pm
content: Hi, I'm looking for buying battries for my small projects, i browsed ebay and aliexpress there are lots of sellers selling such battries, i want to know if any of you had good experience with some brand please share. Please share your thoughts for any other solution for 3.3v up to 2500mA battries if you have been used in your projects and found good.I will be using in some simple projects like ESP8266 etc.Thanks

author: kjr18
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 08:40:44 am
content: You can try Liitokala branded batteries, they are ok for that price. Some shops sell high capacity Panasonic cells, if you look enough you can get some for about 5$ a piece. Avoid ridiculous capacities larger as 3500mAh, as everytime these are of much smaller capacity. People buy these, because they are cheap, reviews full of praises, because they are too lazy to check. Also avoid cheapest cells as they are sometimes pulled out of used battery packs.

author: sstepane
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 08:50:52 am
content: Hi,If You're looking for high drain batteries - SONY VTC5, VTC6, LG HG2, HE4, Samsung 25R, 30Q.If You're looking for more capacity at up to 5A loads look for Panasonic, Sanyo.Would not recommend any other brand.I'd rather buy locally since aliexpress might offer repacked/fake cells as well as there might be some issues with shipping them via air.As far as I can see - there are 18650 known manufacturers with good quality - Sony, LG, Samsung and Panasonic, 21700 - one or two unnamed chinese producers with decent quality, 26650 - same as for 21700, but no known reliable or good chinese manufacturers of 18650 - only repacked brands mentioned above. Well, they will likely work with up to 5A loads...

author: FotatoPotato
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 06:21:12 pm
content: I agree with sstepane. Buy the name brand cels from samsung, panasonic, sony etc. You can get individual cells on ebay for $2 - $4 per cell. Just make sure they are legit and not fakes.

author: MacMeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 06:34:53 pm
content: Quote from: sairfan1 on March 29, 2018, 07:09:47 pmEverything you would want to research regarding these types of batteries can be found here:https://www.facebook.com/batterymooch/posts/1802731556683089:0I don’t use FB, but the “Battery Mooch”, can be found all over the net. He buys and tests batteries, mostly for users and interest in the e-cigarette world, and has recently started doing some YouTube videos. His tests are very comprehensive. If you don’t have a lot of time to research, he has charts with recommended batteries. He has a lot of information regarding FAKES, and as you can see by the previous posts, buying ORIGINAL name brands from reputable vendors, is the best way to avoid fakes and rewrapped over speced junk. He also has some quality vendors listed.

author: MacMeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 06:42:47 pm
content: Quote from: FotatoPotato on April 02, 2018, 06:21:12 pmBuying anything on EBay has unfortunately become a crap shoot, especially with batteries. I assume the profit on selling in quantity, has made this a ripe market for clones and fakes and rewraps. And under the right situations, believing you bought a 40 amp 18650 (no 40amp exist), when it’s 5-10 amps, because it was rewrapped, with bogus overinflated amp listings, can be dangerous. Be careful, you don’t always get what you pay for anymore. Batteries are not something I personally try to save a few bucks on.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 06:43:15 pm
content: Quality will be hit and miss when you buy from sites like eBay and you'll get loads of fakes.Go to distributors like Digikey, Mouser, Newark and get batteries from there... though the shipping would probably be expensive.Alternatively, consider buying laptop battery packs for various laptops and break them up to extract the batteries. For example :LINK6 or 8 batteries in a pack, from 24$ .. 4$ a battery... though the cheapest have batteries of various quality levels.

author: soubitos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 09:28:34 pm
content: 18650 are not 3.3v but 3.7 nominal (4.2 floating)

author: sairfan1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 09:39:06 pm
content: Is there some special type of batteries for very cold environment like here we have -30C in winter and if we have installed some battry operated outdoor device it goes very quick.

author: reboots
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 10:16:05 pm
content: I've had consistent good luck with Tenergy products from All-Battery.com, which I think is Tenergy's US manufacturing outlet. I consider Tenergy to be a reliable "economy" brand for li-ion/li-poly, and All-Battery.com staff have always been quick to answer my technical questions.http://www.all-battery.com/Quote from: sairfan1 on April 02, 2018, 09:39:06 pmYou could experiment with LiFePO4 batteries--they're typically rated to -20C. You could also try active heating for the battery. There may be a useful compromise between reduced capacity and increased longevity.

author: sairfan1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 10:18:25 pm
content: Sorry i did not understand what do you mean byQuotethanks

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 11:24:59 pm
content: Quote from: sairfan1 on April 02, 2018, 09:39:06 pmLiSOCl2(lithium thionyl chloride) is known for outstanding cold-temperature performance, but these cells are not rechargeable, and not for very high-drain applications. They also require care when changing as short-circuits can cause explosions.

author: reboots
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 11:34:21 pm
content: Quote from: sairfan1 on April 02, 2018, 10:18:25 pmSorry, I mean a small electric heater powered by the battery to keep it in a safe temperature range. Only good for limited operating time, of course.

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 12:51:55 am
content: Avoid any battery with "Fire" in its brand name. The (Chinese) manufacturer is trying to tell you something.

author: Audioguru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 12:56:48 am
content: Here is what you get when you buy a Chinese 18650 battery from ebay, Ali or Amazon, it is mostly full of flour but has a tiny real battery inside it:

author: The Electrician
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 07:18:34 am
content: Quote from: sairfan1 on April 02, 2018, 09:39:06 pmEnergizer Lithium cells are rated to -40C:http://data.energizer.com/pdfs/l91.pdf

author: sstepane
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 08:08:22 am
content: Quote from: KE5FX on April 03, 2018, 12:51:55 amNot entirely true. For example, TrustFire IMR 21700 14.8 Wh 40A battery is of decent quality and performs well on a par with SANYO 20700 20A cells.However, that might be for a limited time, while they will not source some lower quality 21700 cells (might be not in production yet).

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 12:13:10 pm
content: Quote from: sairfan1 on March 29, 2018, 07:09:47 pmHello there,There are several things about 18650 cells (and other Li-ion types)that dont come into play with NiMH for example.First there is safety.Shorting out these calls can lead to fire and possibly explosion. The fires are intense too, nut just little red cinders that smoke a little. If you have an Li-ion fire you have a serious fire at hand.Most problems occur during charging, so have a good charger.Also, there are protected and unprotected types. The protected types can turn themselves off if a bad situation happens like a short or over current.Next there are the specs.Each 18650 and the like have some important specifications. Once of these specs tells us how much current we can draw from it. If it is protected, the protection circuit may shut down if we try to exceed the current, but if unprotected it will not shut down and so it can over heat and possibly cause fire. So the MAX CURRENT spec is an important one, as that tells us what we can use this cell for. If it is a project that only draws 100ma, almost any 18650 out there can handle that, but if it draws 5 amps or more then you really need to check the specs carefully. You want a cell that can handle the current you need to draw from it. Highest drain current spec i know of at present is 30 amps unprotected, but you have to also pay more for these kind of cells usually.A good example where you need high drain cells is in a high powered LED flashlight. Some of these lights can draw 20 amps easy from the batteries.Next there is the size. Some are a little longer than others, especially the protected ones because they have circuitry inside that has to be wired in series with one or two terminals on the battery cell. That makes them a little longer. So check the length too to make sure it fits in your target application.Next there is also the covering type, which can be good or very good. This covers the body of the cell but not the terminals.Next but important is the terminal type, BUTTON or FLAT.This is at the positive terminal. The BUTTON top sticks up a little more than the FLAT type but sometimes you need that because some battery holders need the button in order to touch the contact properly.Some flashlights need the BUTTON top while some can put up with the FLAT type.So to recap just a little:1. Specs: have to have the right rating for the job.2. Button or Flat top, depending on application.3. Protected or unprotected: if you think you might mishandle, get protected only.4. Length: make sure it fits.5. Get a good charger. If you design one, dont over currrent and make sure the voltage is 4.200 max 4.250.Hardly worth mentioning, there are also 4.35v cells out there now and these require a charger that can go that high.

author: Audioguru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2018, 01:44:59 pm
content: The Energizer Lithium AA cell shown a few posts back is not rechargeable and is not 3V to 4.2V.