18650 Battery caught on fire

[ericdjobs]

Wow! They are smok Tech batteries, yes. smok Tech is the manufacturer of the e-power.


I've been using AW IMR 14500s in my 14650 E-Power (Made a spacer)

They perform much MUCH better than the stock 14650 (smok Tech)... I haven't had any problems yet but the performance is out of this world with aw imrs

 

[DC2]

I suggest getting a Liposack...
LipoSack.com

 

[Thank You]

No joke. I'm glad it flared up as soon as I put it on. If it had happened later it could have been much worse. I admit, I was a bit paranoid when I put the other battery on the charger for the night. I sat there and stared at it for 5 minutes just waiting for it to burn. haha

lol i'd still be staring at it.

 

[pkj]

I just watched a youtube video this morning about counterfeit batteries. One of the e-cig suppliers discovered they were counterfeit and pulled them from his inventory. I am not saying your batts are counterfeit. But it is something to be aware of. It gave me something to think about.

I'm not much of a youtube person, but that that was an interesting and informative video.

Paula

 

[ericdjobs]

I just watched a youtube video this morning about counterfeit batteries. One of the e-cig suppliers discovered they were counterfeit and pulled them from his inventory. I am not saying your batts are counterfeit. But it is something to be aware of. It gave me something to think about.

I'm not much of a youtube person, but that that was an interesting and informative video.

Paula

‪Beware of Fake Mod Batteries!!!!‬‏ - YouTube <-- this video?
Holy crap, that's freaking crazy... just like he says... a LOT of people are running these in a SERIES and they are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BATTERIES DISGUISED AS TRUSTFIRE FLAMES!!!

I guess I'm going to have to check my trustfire flames from clouds of vapor now...

 

[fray]

I am surprised it has gotten this far into the conversation and no asked if it was a protected battery

So do the SMOK rebranded batteries have circuit protection?

 

[pkj]

Yes, that is the video. I am not much of a youtube person because most people bob up and down, move around, can't hold their head, body or hands still. This guy does a decent job of presenting youtube videos and has a very pleasant voice. I stumbled on him one day quite awhile ago when I was looking for something. I subscribe to his listings now.

And...Yes - it is a frightening thing to think about. I don't know why we thought all protected batteries were on the up & up. Many products are counterfeit. From what the man in the video says, it is easy to counterfeit them and unless you know what you are looking for, you might not even know it.

I got a couple trustfires and I am questioning them. They certainly are not performing the way I think they should. I have decided that AW IMR's are the best producing battery for me and that is what I'm going to stick with from now on.

ttyl,
Paula

‪Beware of Fake Mod Batteries!!!!‬‏ - YouTube <-- this video?
Holy crap, that's freaking crazy... just like he says... a LOT of people are running these in a SERIES and they are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BATTERIES DISGUISED AS TRUSTFIRE FLAMES!!!

I guess I'm going to have to check my trustfire flames from clouds of vapor now...

 

[gemini2281]

I assume they are protected. The vendor I ordered from did not specify on their site if they were or not. I just figured that knowing the safety issues that no vendor would include unprotected batteries in a kit.

I am surprised it has gotten this far into the conversation and no asked if it was a protected battery

So do the SMOK rebranded batteries have circuit protection?

 

[K24A3]

You can tell if it is protected by looking for a ridge on the NEGATIVE side of the battery.

Below you can see the ridge around the battery, which is the gap between the battery and protection circuit.

 

[wrigleyvillain]

wow imagine charging it while you're out your house.

Yeah. Exactly. Don't do this. Not a common occurrence but can happen and this surely isn't the first thread. Similar reported with an eGo batt a couple months ago iirc . This not really news but the potential danger doesn't seem to be nearly as widely known as it should be. Do not leave unattended.

 

[gemini2281]

Hope this works, it's the first time I've tried to attach a pic from my phone.

Here is a pic of my battery. There is a slight ridge.

You can tell if it is protected by looking for a ridge on the positive side of the battery.

In the image below, left of the "IMR" printing you can see the ridge around the battery, which is the gap between the battery and protection circuit.

 

[pkj]

That ridge, that we look at to determine if it is a protected battery is what was counterfeit, as disclosed in that video. It seems someone (guessing they were distribution or manufacturing level) soldered on an additional piece to make it look like it was protected. At least, that is what I am understanding from that video.

It was an interesting video. I wonder how many of our e-cig suppliers are aware that this has happened. Since watching that video this morning, I have come across another person who discovered this same thing. Odd, isn't it?

Paula

 

[zoiDman]

I'm not sure if I would be 100% sure that it was a counterfeit. Batteries can just fail.

I'm not a battery expert but from what I understand, even a Protected battery can melt down.

 

[gemini2281]

I forgot to mention, on a brighter note the vendor I bought the kit from sent me a new battery this morning. I'm still gonna order some AWs but these will get me through until then.

 

[Olef]

You can tell if it is protected by looking for a ridge on the positive side of the battery.

In the image below, left of the "IMR" printing you can see the ridge around the battery, which is the gap between the battery and protection circuit.

I'm sorry but that is completely wrong. The AW IMR cell is NOT protected.

A protected cell has the extra ridge on the NEGATIVE end, and a thin metal strip running from positive to negative can be seen and felt under the shrinkwrap.

Please guys, I have read so many things in these two threads currently running on battery safety that are misguided or incorrect you are scaring me

(edit - IMR cells are unprotected because they are a different chemistry to normal lithium ion and don't require the protection because they are less dangerous if they go bad)

 

[zoiDman]

Like I said, I'm not a battery expert.

But when I got my Provari, I was told to buy AW IMR's because they are supposed to have a lower internal resistance than other batteries. I was told this by like a dozen people.

So if you decide to get some AW batteries, you do some reading on the AW IMR's.

They don't seem that much more expensive that other batteries of the same size.

 

[ancient puffer]

I'm sorry but that is completely wrong. The AW IMR cell is NOT protected.

A protected cell has the extra ridge on the NEGATIVE end, and a thin metal strip running from positive to negative can be seen and felt under the shrinkwrap....
(edit - IMR cells are unprotected because they are a different chemistry to normal lithium ion and don't require the protection because they are less dangerous if they go bad)

Correct about the IMR's not being protected and why. I don't believe, however, that all protected batteries have the circuit board on the negative end. I have protected batteries with it on the + end.

The safest thing to do is to buy a quality battery (like AW) from a reputable dealer. It's no guarantee, but short of becoming an electrical engineer, it's probably the safest way to go. It's also a good idea to make sure that any PV you use has a method of venting the hot gases in the event of a malfunction. This is usually done in a tube mod by drilling holes in the end away from your face. I'm well known for being overly cautious with these things, I always check for overcharge with a meter when I take them off the charger, and I "test fire" the PV away from my face when I fire up a fresh battery.

 

[K24A3]

You are right, sorry I meant the negative side, not positive.

 

[zoiDman]

You are right, sorry I meant the negative side, not positive.

Off Topic: Congradulations on the Big 1,000 K24A3

 

[fray]

AW IMR high drains are not protected because they are LiMN batteries. They are considered "safe chemistry" and not apt to burning up like li-ions. They only way I know to definitively tell if it is protected is by removing the outer plastic sleeve and look for a small circuit board on the positive side of the battery and a strip of metal running to the negative side from the circuit board. OP if you do this i would do so at your own risk. I am mot sure of what could come of removing the outer sleeve on this particular battery.

Protected batteries CAN fail, but I would think it would be very unlikely that the circuit protection would fail at the same time the charger's overcharge protection failed. (unless it is a cheapo charger with no overcharge protection)


Changed post. I was thinking about the 4.8v nihm. IMRs are lithium manganese.