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Reusing vape batteries in flash lights? Is this a crazy idea. (lemmy.world)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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So people throw out disposable vapes all the time. I cracked one open to take a look and it turns out they have a 18500 battery in it. So I was thinking of 3D printing a spacer to make it the same size as a 18650 and putting some shrink wrap on them. I just wanted to see what people who know more than me think. Is this a bad idea that is going to burn my house down? a waste of time perhaps?

I did a trial run in my wurkkos fc11 and they seem to work, it charges and looks just as bright.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

As a rule of thumb flashlights only have LED driver in them and lack any sort of battery protection.

This hasn't been true for a quite a while. Most Li-ion flashlights have a low-voltage shutoff.

Most 18650 batteries that you buy from reputable sources have built-in protection circuits.

Also not really true. Top-tier dealers like Illumn and Nkon offer both protected and unprotected options. Some popular flashlights (Zebralight, Emisar/Noctigon) only accept unprotected cells.

even most lithium cell chargers rely on the cell having built-in protection circuit.

No charger anybody should be using relies on that. Correctly charging Li-ion requires tapering current after reaching the target voltage, which can't happen if it trips a circuit breaker.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

Maybe. Last time I was in market for a flashlight was 5 or so years ago. I don't even have a use for handheld lights anymore.

I still won't trust unprotected lithium cells for use in any device I carry on my person.