Reusing 510 Batts in a new mod

[blaufisch]

Hello there! Hoping the plumb the wisdom and gain some insights here before I proceed to make something dumb or injure myself

Here's the story:
I have two surplus but working 510 auto batteries that (as expected) suck (i have since moved on to better equipment)
I have disassembled both of them cleanly and now have:
- 2 x 510 battery connectors
- 2x 510 0.66 Wh (180mAh) batteries
- 1x electronics (i fried one in an accidental short during disassembly, scary. The batt and myself are both fine, but the electronics are gone in one of them)

SO. I have it in my head to wire the two batteries in parallel and make a mod out of it which would effectively make a 360mAh battery.

I have the following (possibly foolish) questions:

1) Is it safe to reuse these rather cheap looking soft batteries safely in parallel?
2) Would charging be any different apart from taking twice as long?
3) Is the protection circuit built into the 510's electronics disc (i.e. the board that has the LED on it not in the battery pack itself)?
4) Has anyone else done this and encountered anything else I may have forgotten?

Many thanks advice and stories most welcome!

 

[slimest]

1) It's possible if you cleanly understand how they work and have special knoledge.
2) You can charge them in parallel (see 1)
3) Yes, but you have to use another circuit if you use these batteries (only cells) in parallel
4) I think, no. Because this design has no sense. Better buy a new small LiPo batteries and use them. They cost nothing.
For example: HobbyKing RC Plane, Car, Heli, Boat and MultiRotor Hobby Store

In any case any experiments with Li batteries mean that you are experienced enough. If not, don't risk to burn your eyes etc.
P.S. Nobody in a forum will not teach you. You have to read the info by yourself, and this takes a lot of time.

 

[blaufisch]

Thanks slimest. Yes I admit the project does not make much sense, merely my wish to not waste working parts and learn something into the bargain. I quite often strip old electronics for parts and make new things out of them. If this proves to be too much of a pain to do, i will simply dispose of them and get safer batteries.

Yes i do not expect anyone here to teach me, and have done a lot of reading in parallel with this project. To get experience one has to start somewhere. I have experience in both electronics and chemistry. Yes I also always take the utmost in safety precautions. I have been trained in that at least Still have both eyes and all fingers.

your answer for #3 is probably the deal-breaker. I'm not going to trust a pre-made item from China meant to protect one cell to protect two cells. I will have to thoroughly research and develop a protection circuit for overcharge, undercharge cut-off, over-current and thermal cut off as well.

that will be my next step.

 

[blaufisch]

since my first post I have done some experimentation with the electronics round board and found that everything: LED, airflow sensor, and protection circuit are all housed on one small round board mounted into what looks like the housing for an electret microphone.

Further research reveals that over and undercharge protection *should* work fine (so long as the cells remain balanced), but the current limiter with two batteries in parallel will most likely fail under load requiring a new protection circuit designed for two cells (double the current).

 

[slimest]

My answer 3) does not mean that a board made in China is bad for two cells in parallel. These things are reliable enough if used properly. This just about the board capabilities.

 

[blaufisch]

I understood that yes. My meaning was that it would be easier and more reliable to design a new protection circuit where I can control its parameters and tolerances rather than reverse engineer and modify the existing one.

 

[blaufisch]

On your advice, and after further reading, i think i will shelve these cells and build something else with a pre-protected trustfire or the like. Though good to keep for experimenting with making my own battery packs, I will stick to commercially made packs for my mods for now.

 

[brewsterfrank]

i have made a mod that used the single batts that i took out of an ego (which are just bigger than what you have) and used the ego charger in the mod so it charged correctly. i used this mod for around three months until the battery finally just got to weak. i have also used them in parallel in a VV mod just i just charged them in a standard li-ion charger, though i do not suggest this as it can be dangerous. i was just broke and could not afford good batteries, and had the egos. hope i helped.

 

[BryanM]

I have two surplus but working 510 auto batteries that (as expected) suck (i have since moved on to better equipment)
I have disassembled both of them cleanly and now have:
- 2 x 510 battery connectors
- 2x 510 0.66 Wh (180mAh) batteries
- 1x electronics (i fried one in an accidental short during disassembly, scary. The batt and myself are both fine, but the electronics are gone in one of them)

Month old thread... I know.. Sorry.

Somewhat on topic.. How did you tear down these batteries?

Edit: Just found a few other posts about it... NM