Laptop Battery Refurbishing?

[ThatPlace928]

+ 1 This ^^

I'd be doing it for my own laptops first and still have other things to consider before I try anything at all. I'd never practice on a customer, mainly because I want to be sure of what I'm doing first. My shop is fully insured, along with everything in it. I'd cry, if it happened here but would feel way worse if it happened to a customer. :'(

 

[Computer Bloke]

Only if you've got enough liability insurance to pay out when their house burns down and people die.

Whether it's provably your fault or not.

 

[ThatPlace928]

Whether it's provably your fault or not.

That goes without saying

 

[trevm999]

I'd say to try to figure out what tools you need to make sure you can get them well connected together and insulated.

I did this for a dyson stick vacuum once, but I wasn't properly prepared and the cell I replaced didn't have a secure connection.

You could also get cases for them to turn them into USB chargers, but the cases for some cells types are cheaper than others.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I'd say to try to figure out what tools you need to make sure you can get them well connected together and insulated.

I did this for a dyson stick vacuum once, but I wasn't properly prepared and the cell I replaced didn't have a secure connection.

You could also get cases for them to turn them into USB chargers, but the cases for some cells types are cheaper than others.

I appreciate the advice. Out of curiosity, what happened to the vacuum?

 

[trevm999]

I appreciate the advice. Out of curiosity, what happened to the vacuum?

Used it until it got too frustrating and I bought a new battery instead of try to fix it up better

 

[ThatPlace928]

Used it until it got too frustrating and I bought a new battery instead of try to fix it up better

I'm glad you didn't say it caught fire... lol

 

[Computer Bloke]

That goes without saying

Apparently not. It's possible that you don't have a visceral feeling for how dangerous modern battery technology can be and why it can be a bad idea to tinker with it.

May I make a suggestion for an interesting experiment? Take a single cell and spot-weld a short length of fairly thick wire to each end. Make sure there's a bit of charge on the cell - it doesn't need to be fully charged. Now take this contraption outside, away from anything flammable, and connect the two wires together.

Then run away, very quickly.

Wasn't that fun?

The followup experiment is to wait until it's caught fire and then try to put it out by throwing water on it. I don't recommend doing this, but YouTube has videos of people who have.

 

[GTP]

but YouTube has videos of people who have

I've seen these videos. So funny but also frightening.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I've seen these videos. So funny but also frightening.

They certainly can be and it's one of the biggest considerations of mine, when thinking about trying it. Of all the elements, fire is the one I'm most afraid of.

 

[ThatPlace928]

Apparently not. It's possible that you don't have a visceral feeling for how dangerous modern battery technology can be and why it can be a bad idea to tinker with it.

May I make a suggestion for an interesting experiment? Take a single cell and spot-weld a short length of fairly thick wire to each end. Make sure there's a bit of charge on the cell - it doesn't need to be fully charged. Now take this contraption outside, away from anything flammable, and connect the two wires together.

Then run away, very quickly.

Wasn't that fun?

The followup experiment is to wait until it's caught fire and then try to put it out by throwing water on it. I don't recommend doing this, but YouTube has videos of people who have.

You're assuming I'm just going to jump in with both feet without thinking of the consequences. You've ignored the reason for my post completely. I'm not looking to be mocked or ridiculed. If I wanted that, I could have posted my question on Facebook, where people are quick to assume. And judge.

 

[Diggs]

I harvested dozens of laptop battery packs (100s of cells) when I built my first e-bike battery from them. Tested capacities, sorted and repackaged into a 70 cell pack (5px14s 52 volt) for the bike. Most laptop packs had one or two cells that failed while the rest remained good. You will need to test and sort cells by capacity so the BMS isn't always trying to balance the odd cell which can be a problem for heat/fire. If you go this route you'll need some flush cut snippers to cut off the old connecting strips. Be sure your soldering skills are up to date (clean, flux, tin, solder) or you have a spot welder for battery cells (they are not all created equal).

I have never used laptop cells again as the pack failed after the first year with electrolyte leakage (see below) from mismatched and failed cells. (The brown residue is flux that I forgot to clean off. The clear gel is the electrolyte.) I have made several packs since but always use matched cells that are the same (most recently Tesla Model S cells).

I have quite a bit of experience in cells/packs/BMSs and I would never repair one for a customer. The risk is too great for the meager rewards.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I harvested dozens of laptop battery packs (100s of cells) when I built my first e-bike battery from them. Tested capacities, sorted and repackaged into a 70 cell pack (5px14s 52 volt) for the bike. Most laptop packs had one or two cells that failed while the rest remained good. You will need to test and sort cells by capacity so the BMS isn't always trying to balance the odd cell which can be a problem for heat/fire. If you go this route you'll need some flush cut snippers to cut off the old connecting strips. Be sure your soldering skills are up to date (clean, flux, tin, solder) or you have a spot welder for battery cells (they are not all created equal).

I have never used laptop cells again as the pack failed after the first year with electrolyte leakage (see below) from mismatched and failed cells. (The brown residue is flux that I forgot to clean off. The clear gel is the electrolyte.) I have made several packs since but always use matched cells that are the same (most recently Tesla Model S cells).

I have quite a bit of experience in cells/packs/BMSs and I would never repair one for a customer. The risk is too great for the meager rewards.

View attachment 14743

Thank you very much for that. All things considered, I will probably not move forward. Advice from someone who does [or has done] this is what I was looking for and is very much appreciated.

 

[14049752]

One thing I've had some (mixed) success with is open up the battery, and clip-lead the bad cell to a charger. Seems to have the best success with batteries that went dead from sitting, and for some reason the battery can't charge a cell or two. But once they're charged they'll keep working just fine.

I had a DJI Inspire 1 drone that I did this with. Those batteries and chargers were TERRIBLE for cell balancing. I bought several "bad" batteries for pennies on the dollar off of ebay and refurbished them. Swapped some cells between units, charge cycled others to get the cells all to match. Turned out to be way more trouble than it was worth, even though the batteries at the time were $300+. Still, it was fun that my coworkers thought I was some kind of mad scientist with all the dc power supplies + alligator clips I had set up.

It'd be hard to convince me that refurbing laptop batteries, of any type, would be worth the time / trouble. Any laptop battery that you can no longer find is probably for a dinosaur of a machine

 

[ThatPlace928]

Still, it was fun that my coworkers thought I was some kind of mad scientist with all the dc power supplies + alligator clips I had set up.

I can picture that and it made me chuckle. My ex-husband used to tinker with electronics and he always had some kind of contraption set up. Some worked briefly, some not at all...... but he enjoyed the tinkering and that's what mattered most.

 

[britechguy]

but he enjoyed the tinkering and that's what mattered most.

And it's often how you learn the best, too.

I've undertaken many a journey for the purpose of knowledge acquisition only.

 

[ThatPlace928]

And it's often how you learn the best, too.

I've undertaken many a journey for the purpose of knowledge acquisition only.

Exactly! And that's part of the reason for my post. I love to tinker, always have. Fixed my own cars, when I was younger. Now, I find my challenges in computers and there's quite literally nothing I don't want to know.

 

[britechguy]

And that's part of the reason for my post.

I got that, very early on. It wasn't immediately apparent, but you clarified quickly enough. And I understand, entirely, your being peeved at being raked over the coals long after what your intention was had become obvious.

Lots of us do things not for any other purpose than finding out if we can. And, if those things involve an element of possible danger, we want to learn what we can to avoid it BEFORE we start tinkering. Reasonable precautions, and all that.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I got that, very early on. It wasn't immediately apparent, but you clarified quickly enough. And I understand, entirely, your being peeved at being raked over the coals long after what your intention was had become obvious.

Lots of us do things not for any other purpose than finding out if we can. And, if those things involve an element of possible danger, we want to learn what we can to avoid it BEFORE we start tinkering. Reasonable precautions, and all that.

Thank you. I appreciate that very much.

 

[Computer Bloke]

You've ignored the reason for my post completely. I'm not looking to be mocked or ridiculed.

It certainly wasn't my intention to mock or ridicule you, and if I've done that then I apologise.

It simply never occurred to me that anyone with experience of working with lithium-ion batteries could seriously think that rebuilding battery packs for a customer to save a few days' inconvenience might be a reasonable thing to do, so I suggested a simple and relatively safe way for you to get the necessary minimum level of experience quickly. Fires and explosions are great teaching aids.

As you've probably noticed by now Technibble is an unusual community with a higher than average proportion of people who like to tinker with things and occasionally set fire to them, and perhaps because of this it has a somewhat robust approach to problem solving. We don't always stick to the problem as stated, sometimes we take a look at the bigger picture, and while we're generally supportive we're not always gentle and nurturing about it. That's as it should be. We're not Facebook.

I love to tinker, always have. Fixed my own cars, when I was younger. Now, I find my challenges in computers and there's quite literally nothing I don't want to know.

You sound as if you'll fit in nicely.