Repurposed vapes

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/11/disposable-vapes-from-a-music-festival-can-power-a-beefy-e-bike-20-miles/

Interesting source of power

I've got one of those old vape batteries in a tiny pocket torch I carry with me. The torch used to have a shabby type cheapo 14500 battery in it, very light weight and little capacity. It was soldered to the swicthing and re-charge board inside the torch and it stopped working the other day. The issue was the battery. It was totally dead and would not charge. I have no idea why it gave up like it did, because it was not neglected.

 

Anyway - while I was looking at it, and thinking about getting another 14500 battery, I remembered that I had picked up a broken up disposable vape in the street about a year ago. It looked as if someone had trodden on it and there was the perfectly sound little 500mAhr battery. I salvaged that bit and charged it at the time and put it in a plastic bag and left it for some future project.

 

Now it has one.

 

1500W rear hub, nice, hope he wasn't riding it on a main road....! ;)

That is exactly what we don't need at this moment with electrical safety bill going through parliament - dodgy batteries and dodgy e-bikes.

That is exactly what we don't need at this moment with electrical safety bill going through parliament - dodgy batteries and dodgy e-bikes.

I watched his video. He knew what he was doing. He got hold of the data sheet for the cells. All the cells were new, as they could only have been through one charge cycle at the most. |He had what looked like professional cell testing equipment and a proper 8-cell charger/ballancer that gave the individual cell data when charging. He made his own cell holder/separators and soldered the tags to copper busbar. Overall, I'd say that his battery is probably safer than the one in your bike. It's a shame he didn't design his case for the downtube.

Suppose the problem is though 99% of people who attempt this would just gaffa tape them together with no spacing and wire the S and P using unsuitable AWG wire rather than busbar etc.

 

I was out on ebike earlier, there was delivery dude at co-op with a heavy duty gaffa taped massive triangle battery in the frame gaffa taped on and a rear hub that was 1000/1500W. I got off bike and was about take a pic when dude arrived and got aggressive asking I think what I was doing, he got straight on his bike then sped off, he's hardcore and hadn't even bothered to lock it up!

 

say cheese

Most people like blue cheese

its megabong cheese that thing was made 2002 only had to replace the switches on the front made in Germany and no fkn can bus.

I watched his video. He knew what he was doing. He got hold of the data sheet for the cells. All the cells were new, as they could only have been through one charge cycle at the most. |He had what looked like professional cell testing equipment and a proper 8-cell charger/ballancer that gave the individual cell data when charging. He made his own cell holder/separators and soldered the tags to copper busbar. Overall, I'd say that his battery is probably safer than the one in your bike. It's a shame he didn't design his case for the downtube.

 

 

It's a very good video and well worth the time to watch it. I had no idea that many of the throw away vapes had such good cells in them. The one I salvaged from the gutter and put in my LED torch is a much smaller type - marked 500 mAhr, but is still a useful thing for a job such as it now has.

 

The idea that thousands of these cells every hour are going to junk after one use is mad.

I've got one of those old vape batteries in a tiny pocket torch I carry with me. The torch used to have a shabby type cheapo 14500 battery in it, very light weight and little capacity. It was soldered to the swicthing and re-charge board inside the torch and it stopped working the other day. The issue was the battery. It was totally dead and would not charge. I have no idea why it gave up like it did, because it was not neglected.

 

Anyway - while I was looking at it, and thinking about getting another 14500 battery, I remembered that I had picked up a broken up disposable vape in the street about a year ago. It looked as if someone had trodden on it and there was the perfectly sound little 500mAhr battery. I salvaged that bit and charged it at the time and put it in a plastic bag and left it for some future project.

 

Now it has one.

 

[ATTACH=full]60568[/ATTACH]

 

I used to carry around one of those too, and when the 14500 died I bought this smaller one to find my other torches with instead, AAA:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olight-Flashlight-Compact-Keychain-Torches/dp/B07W4PPBXP

 

Brightest torch this size I have ever used. Lights up dark pavements real good for my nightly lurkings. Quick to turn off before pouncing.

 

Edited November 7, 20241 yr by guerney

Looks handy but I value having a re-chargeable system. Doesn't look like that one is. Mine has a usb mini charge port on the base.

 

This is the one I carry, but be prepared to replace the 14500 battery if my experience is anything to go by. I don't regret the purchase. I only paid £4.60 for mine - it has gone up since. Just scrounge a wee 500mAhr vape battery and solder it in when the supplied one conks out.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355458806703

 

Ignore the ridiculous brightness claim on the listing. It's quite bright and a useful torch.

This is the one I carry, but be prepared to replace the 14500 battery if my experience is anything to go by. I don't regret the purchase. I only paid £4.60 for mine - it has gone up since. Just scrounge a wee 500mAhr vape battery and solder it in when the supplied one conks out.

 

Pardon our interruption...

Ignore the ridiculous brightness claim on the listing. It's quite bright and a useful torch.

 

I've got about 12 of those - used as headlights on my bike, before I soldered 6000LM headlights to my ebike battery.

 

 

Looks handy but I value having a re-chargeable system. Doesn't look like that one is. Mine has a usb mini charge port on the base.

 

Poundland AAA NiMHs, quidditch. Very useful, not as explosion prone, but I miss the crenulated edges of the larger one, as you could break a nose and leave a nasty scar using that, after pouncing, having lurked in the dark for a time.

Edited November 7, 20241 yr by guerney

Son works in a vape warehouse. Always have a stock of nose breakers in my pockets.

 

Son works in a vape warehouse

 

Blimey, handy supply to brave soldering your own ebike batteries.

 

 

Always have a stock of nose breakers in my pockets.

 

Their sharp crenulated edges kept wearing through pockets, hence the small one linked above... which I suppose could break a nostril if inserted hard and if there's enough leverage? If switched on at the time, bright enough perhaps for nose cartilage to show under the skin? Deffo small enough to pose a choking hazard - shove it down their throats? The larger ones could be used smash through skull temples I guess, I haven't tried. I'm not a violent man. I've never killed anyone. It was the one armed man.

Edited November 8, 20241 yr by guerney