Teaching Tech | Beginner’s guide to building safe 18650 batteries @TeachingTech | Uploaded 2 years ago | Updated 2 days ago
Re-upload: This is a re-release addressing early feedback from the original video, in which I referred to all of the lithium batteries as Lipo, even when 18650s are most commonly Li-ion in chemistry. Pictured in the video and linked in the description was a website about the differences between various lithium batteries, but clearly me constantly using the term Lipo was confusing and misleading. Therefore, I present this minor edited version to correct the problem. My apologies for the original error and I hope this tweaked version can be the informative video I originally set out to make.
Last year I discovered the world of custom 18650 battery building. You take li-ion cells, new or recycled, and build a battery to your exact project specifications. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there and many potential safety hazards. In this video I compile many weeks of research into an introductory guide for building batteries safely.
Please pay close attention to the safety warnings and tips in this video. Always consult a professional, not just onlines videos and forums, before building a custom battery. This video is solely intended to get you up to speed before you check your plans with a professional.
In a future video, I will be building a high voltage, high current custom battery to power a small EV.
0:00 Introduction
0:51 What are 18650s?
Tesla 18650 battery: evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=463
2:04 Voltage, current and capacity: series vs parallel
Lithium battery FAQ: batterypowertips.com/difference-between-lithium-ion-lithium-polymer-batteries-faq
4:39 Example battery calculations
Battery calculator: power-calculation.com/battery-storage-calculator.php
7:28 How to shop for 18650s
How to spot fake VTC cells by Mooch: youtube.com/watch?v=zfEp353cT1M
Tech Around You in Aus (recommended by my personal experience): techaroundyou.com
Second Life Storage cell database: secondlifestorage.com/index.php?pages/cell-database
10:15 Testing and managing 2nd hand 18650s
Opus charger: amzn.to/3EOQ43S
Repackr website: repackr.com
11:09 Building battery frame
Modular cell holders on Amazon: amzn.to/31u6rFs
Example cell holder on Thingiverse: thingiverse.com/thing:1452396
11:44 Nickel joining strips
How to identify pure vs coated Nickel strips: youtube.com/watch?v=wlf47SZoNSQ
Matador’s nickel strip rating chart: endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98849
12:54 Spot welding the cells together
K-Weld spot welder: https://www.keenlab.de/index.php/product/kweld-complete-kit/
14:41 Solder/spot weld less option: VRUZEND
VRUZEND weldless 18650 kit: vruzend.com/product/vruzend-battery-kit-v2-0
15:08 Balance leads, terminals and charging
Rosin flux paste: amzn.to/3FYuLhJ
Fish paper: amzn.to/3mTsVXO
Kapton tape: amzn.to/31s8Znx
17:31 Finished 3D printer battery
17:51 BMS - Battery management systems
Daly BMS website: dalyelec.en.made-in-china.com
18:41 Conclusion
Previous portable MPMD video: youtu.be/Cv5pEcBI5Hw
Endless-sphere forums: endless-sphere.com/forums
Reddit 18650 sub: reddit.com/r/18650masterrace
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Get Quality Resins from 3D Printers Online. 5% off storewide for Teaching Tech subscribers [Code: tech5]
https://3dprintersonline.com.au/
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/teachingtech
Re-upload: This is a re-release addressing early feedback from the original video, in which I referred to all of the lithium batteries as Lipo, even when 18650s are most commonly Li-ion in chemistry. Pictured in the video and linked in the description was a website about the differences between various lithium batteries, but clearly me constantly using the term Lipo was confusing and misleading. Therefore, I present this minor edited version to correct the problem. My apologies for the original error and I hope this tweaked version can be the informative video I originally set out to make.
Last year I discovered the world of custom 18650 battery building. You take li-ion cells, new or recycled, and build a battery to your exact project specifications. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there and many potential safety hazards. In this video I compile many weeks of research into an introductory guide for building batteries safely.
Please pay close attention to the safety warnings and tips in this video. Always consult a professional, not just onlines videos and forums, before building a custom battery. This video is solely intended to get you up to speed before you check your plans with a professional.
In a future video, I will be building a high voltage, high current custom battery to power a small EV.
0:00 Introduction
0:51 What are 18650s?
Tesla 18650 battery: evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=463
2:04 Voltage, current and capacity: series vs parallel
Lithium battery FAQ: batterypowertips.com/difference-between-lithium-ion-lithium-polymer-batteries-faq
4:39 Example battery calculations
Battery calculator: power-calculation.com/battery-storage-calculator.php
7:28 How to shop for 18650s
How to spot fake VTC cells by Mooch: youtube.com/watch?v=zfEp353cT1M
Tech Around You in Aus (recommended by my personal experience): techaroundyou.com
Second Life Storage cell database: secondlifestorage.com/index.php?pages/cell-database
10:15 Testing and managing 2nd hand 18650s
Opus charger: amzn.to/3EOQ43S
Repackr website: repackr.com
11:09 Building battery frame
Modular cell holders on Amazon: amzn.to/31u6rFs
Example cell holder on Thingiverse: thingiverse.com/thing:1452396
11:44 Nickel joining strips
How to identify pure vs coated Nickel strips: youtube.com/watch?v=wlf47SZoNSQ
Matador’s nickel strip rating chart: endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98849
12:54 Spot welding the cells together
K-Weld spot welder: https://www.keenlab.de/index.php/product/kweld-complete-kit/
14:41 Solder/spot weld less option: VRUZEND
VRUZEND weldless 18650 kit: vruzend.com/product/vruzend-battery-kit-v2-0
15:08 Balance leads, terminals and charging
Rosin flux paste: amzn.to/3FYuLhJ
Fish paper: amzn.to/3mTsVXO
Kapton tape: amzn.to/31s8Znx
17:31 Finished 3D printer battery
17:51 BMS - Battery management systems
Daly BMS website: dalyelec.en.made-in-china.com
18:41 Conclusion
Previous portable MPMD video: youtu.be/Cv5pEcBI5Hw
Endless-sphere forums: endless-sphere.com/forums
Reddit 18650 sub: reddit.com/r/18650masterrace
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Get Quality Resins from 3D Printers Online. 5% off storewide for Teaching Tech subscribers [Code: tech5]
https://3dprintersonline.com.au/
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/teachingtech
