All right time to crack these guys open, i haven't actually done them yet, so it will be my first time and i will get to see how hard they are. It seems like it's pretty easy thing uh just for those of you don't know the reason why you might want to crack these open is to salvage the cells or to reclaim the cells right harvest the cells, that's what uh it's commonly known. So basically you take the cells out. Then you test them.

Then you build them into different packs, uh in many different ways, including but not limited to my little pcb system here that i have right. So these are very popular online right now, so i'm gon na show you how to break them apart all right. Let's do this, let's start with this one. They come with this uh half shell over here, because these go on the stem of a scooter right, and so it's got different little holes here that are filled with like goo like thing here we go, you can see those holes there see them they're filled.

So you just use the screwdriver: stick it through there and then all that glue falls off then you're able to expose the uh the screw. Much like that right so take those screws off and then just like that. This pops right off - oh yeah, okay! So the top stuff part of the bms stays in there attached to the top and because we can't use that because they're the cables are cut off and stuff, then that's: okay, here's the bottom side of the bms and we'll have to cut that too. All right! So now that you have that you'll expose the back side and it's got screw holes, which is pretty cool because in theory you should be able to screw these on another board.

You know and put a bunch of them like this, and then you have access to each one of these um battery terminals right to install a an outside, bms and stuff, but that's gon na be for another video. For now. I'm just gon na show you how to take these apart, so the next step would be to cut these off by the way. If anybody's got those little elite on those little connectors.

That would be pretty awesome because then you could just connect stuff in there and then you have access to all the the leads. Okay. So, let's see if we can do this without making too many sparks, let's start with the bottom here, the bottom: it's a good idea to start with it, because as soon as you disconnect this, then basically you cut the pack in half. So now, there's not! You know 40 volts, potentially 42 volts in here now, it's half of that.

So there we go. It's just cut in half okay, so there we go. So we disconnected that so now, let's cut these guys off like this. Here's probably the easiest way to actually lift it, so yeah, the next one.

You do the same thing you grab it there we go and then you remove this whole thing right there yeah, so there you go, that's the connector for all the balancing leads nice. Let's do the other side now, all right, so here's the other one. Now the top of this guy should be able to come out, clip clip clip and there we go. There's the bottom portion of the little bms right seems like there's something holding the whole stack here.
Let's see, hopefully, is just a regular phillips right. It looks like it's actually from the bottom yeah, oh yeah there. It is wait a minute. What oh it's a rot.

There we go oh jesus just like that, it's just a rod and then these guys just come out. Look at that they're individual little little pieces. These two are parallel. These are two parallel right.

All right, so part two is now disassembling these guys. Then you remove the little casing here. Okay, so now what happens? Is that you end up with these little prickly little things? Those are pretty sharp. They won't make.

You bleed. If you touch them like this accidentally, they will puncture you, and so it's a big pain. So what you do is you just cut them off as much as you can with your pliers here all right. There we go now they're safe to grab like that and that's uh, that's the first cell, all right! So there we go.

We have turned one of those and completely taken it apart and disassemble it, and that is what you end up with. Here is the cool thing about these cells. They don't have any glue, look at that no glue right. They come out and they're pretty pretty clean right and so uh for those of you that are watching this, and you don't know why you wouldn't want to do this.

The reason is because this is the only way that you can get pretty decent quality cells like these lg and 26s, for very for this kind of price right uh. To give you an example: uh, if you want to buy these, are a new, then you're, going to pay like two two and a half dollars each cell right uh, if, like the ones that i have on my website right now, that are brand new they're, better Sales than this they have more capacity, but they'll set you back about three dollars each right, so the reason why you would want to do this, this kind of work here is because then you end up with a cell. That, sometimes is you know about a dollar or sometimes a sub one dollar right per cell, and so that is the reason why you want to do that so the next step. Now after you have all this now, you can throw them in a charger.

One of those charger meters that uh test the capacity of those cells. So let's do that now, all right! So here we go. These are sand, flare, chargers, uh and you have to put them on a thing that is called norm test, which is normal test and what it will do. It'll discharge it and it'll charge it and then it'll discharge it again and then it'll record the capacity right.

Uh yeah, so once it does that then it'll it'll it'll mark it here what the capacities! Let's take a look at uh, what these are coming out to all right: here's, a box of fully tested ones. Let's look at what they're coming out here. We go that one is 2702 uh milliamp hours, here's another 2760 27.75. This one's a little bit beat up 27.92.
Look at that 27. 29. 27. 83.

28. 2815. 2758. 2789.

27. Okay, so you get. The idea. They're coming out are around 2 700 milliamp hours there.

You go so that's what you can expect out of these cells when you harvest them this way. So there you go, i'm gon na include links to where you can buy all these uh in the description of this video uh below uh go get em. If you need some cells, this is a great way to harvest good quality cells uh for not much money and would not much work right. So there you go a future video i'll show you how to connect them together so that you don't have to take them.

Apart right, because that's also possible, you don't have to break them down to the cell level, but for a lot of you guys, whatever the projects you guys are doing, it requires you to have cells, because then you're gon na assemble them in different ways right. So anyways thank you for watching this video we'll see you guys in the next one bye. Oh yeah, don't forget to hit that like button and if you haven't just go and subscribe, come on man come on help a brother out all right, see you in the next video bye. You.


15 thoughts on “Harvesting 18650 cells from $25 scooter Battery Packs”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ricky Chang says:

    IDK how to fix my cell battery that is 4 years old. i need help switching the battery inside and making brand new. my scooter battery is from swagtron carbon fiber electric scooter. i have been trying to fix my scooter for over a year and no luck. thank you.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Sonja Kavalut says:

    Hello sir.
    How low is set the cut off voltage of this battery testers in this capacity test, and how high is the start voltage?
    Thank you for your answer.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Gregory Thomas says:

    I would have to remake the 4-packs into 12V ones then parallel them for better capacity…the form factor of them are excellent to work with!

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tony Lorentzen says:

    Making sure the terminals on the batteries are completely flat is super important depending on the way you're planning on using them. This is especially important if you're using them in the 7S 24V batteryboards Jehu developed. If there's a small dimple on the battery connector and a lot of current is running through that to the battery holder you might end up getting heat there which could be a problem – at it's worst it could end up burning a hole in the battery. For that reason I set up a small station using a cheap drill press and a 3D printed holder that I put the battery into. Then I have two small grinding heads (one for each battery terminal's size) in the drill and I simple give every battery a very small "sanding" on each terminal making them absolutely pristine. I use the drill press' built-in stop guage to make sure I don't grind too much off. Consider it a very light surface sanding… Also makes the bond if you're soldering them much better, though I'd always recommend spot-welding them. This way I can process between 3-400 cells in an hour.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mo Ya says:

    WTF man, Your videos are Amazing but the sound you play when fast forwarding is very annoying. The noise of your tools are way better than that s..ty annoying sounds.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars pierrot2027 says:

    If u want to spot wels them, you have to clean the contact with a little dremel and a red brush to make a flat surface

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Boxer Metal says:

    I took 18 of these packs apart. It goes super fast. Almost all of the cells were above 2.8v and charged right up.
    There are 2 different types of these packs . One with a metal road all the way through and another that has a small Phillips screw in every four pack

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ecospider5 says:

    I have a 6”x6” ceramic tile on my work bench. After cutting off the sharp pieces I push the end against the ceramic tile to make whatever is left flat.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Greyson says:

    Hey jehu! Loved the video as always, but I would love another video on the Ebike. The upgrade that you hinted at in the first video would be a great video idea. Have a good rest of your day in NYC!!

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars vic garbutt says:

    you never mentioned the IR. would all of them, 40 -60 IR all be compatible with each other for assembly in a Parallel block? what is a good rule of thumb to keep em safe. what about resting for a couple weeks?

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Lewis Moten says:

    What do you do with the cells that you don’t want? Zero volt, low capacity, or cells that heat up too much when charged.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Toni Todorovski says:

    Hello..

    Would like to ask you if you send your products to Sweden?

    And what does the shipping to Sweden cost.

    Thanks so much.. Toni…

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars jdmasfuck says:

    400k subs.. awsome .. keep up the battery tinkering mods reusing them for purposes and squeeze the most life out of them

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Héctor Tarraza says:

    Jeeeehuuuuu I want to do an EV project, and those battery keeping them together look good for a Project…
    Do you recommend them for the EV????

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Chris Brumbaugh says:

    I'd like to build a couple ebike batter packs, seems like these cells would probably be an ok fit correct?
    I'd def check a video out on that if you already have one.

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