November 23, 2023
Description
DIY Power bank from recycled vape batteries.
I've used 5 batteries from a rechargeable vape. Each battery has a 650mAh capacity, so the total is approx 3250mAh. It charges most modern phones to above 65% from 0%.
USB Charge Power Bank Module Circuit Board used: 134N3P
This is the board I purchased: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264463774745
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==SAFETY==
A lot of people are asking about safety so I thought I would add this here.
The charge module, also known as BMS *(Part 134N3P, above)* will make sure that they are never overcharged *(max voltage: 4.2v ±1%)* and also never over discharged *(max voltage: 2.9v ±1%)*. It also makes sure it does not discharge them too fast *(Output current: 1A (max))* and also that they are not being charged too fast *(Charging current: 1A (max), in my two builds, the max charge current is only 0.5A)*. To top this up, it also offers overvoltage protection, short circuit protection and overload protection on the output.
**To reiterate, since the batteries are in parallel, you only need *one* BMS (Charge module) to protect the whole pack as there is nothing to balance. By definition, parallel cells will naturally balance since they are directly connected to each other.**
*If you have a circuit that can be added to make this safer, please post the part in the comments.
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==BATTERIES==
***IMPORTANT***
Remember to charge all 5 batteries independently **BEFORE** you solder all of them together!
***IMPORTANT***
They all have to be charged independently so when they are soldered they are all "balanced". This way, each of the 5 batteries will discharge at the same rate and charge at the same rate. As best as they can. If you don't do this, things WILL go wrong!
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==TIPS==
**Try to have them all within 0.1V of one another, before soldering**
**After soldering them in parallel, leave the batteries alone for 15 to 30mins so they can balance automatically, this will remove any discrepancy left**
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==CHARGING YOUR BATTERIES==
The batteries I used all had mini charging circuits attached to them, so I just used that to charge them and then I removed it before soldering.
If your battery does not have this, you can just use the circuit for the whole power bank to charge one at a time, maybe use a set of alligator clips to make it easier, or just solder. *[Last picture is an example of this!]*
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Once everything was put together I used hot glue to make sure not nothing gets moved about.
For info, my one takes about 5 hrs to charge from dead as it charges at 0.5A.
Also, the little 45° notch on the lid is to make it easier to open it up again after it has been closed.
it's not the fastest but it sure works!
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
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