Poundland "disposable" charger.

I said something stupid, my brain had (long ago) mixed the self discharge of NiCd battery and lithium one. This is more about 5% (including the battery itelf and all the electronics around) so dead in about 1.5 to 2 years of shelving.

Manoel

Does anyone know a really small usb lithium charger board? I want to use it to charge the lithium cells inside a self build flashlight.

Leon Schutte

Hmm. Could make a nice string of fairy lights by stacking 120 LEDs in series. Last a good long time.

Nani Isobel

If I see one discarded at a festival I'll be sure to scavenge it for parts. :)

Nani Isobel

I just bought a 2015 Chevy Volt. It has a 360v LiIon pack that produces over 100KW when I floor the pedal

Daddy Bearcat

It's always best to use protection when picking things up at festivals...

Daddy Bearcat

🤩

Mike Weijmans

I had indeed been considering this very thing for a video during the day. It would be a nice way to salvage the doomed cells.

Big Clive

Inspiratie for a new video? 🤓 Thank you again!

Mike Weijmans

Yes indeed. A 3.9V 500mW zener to be precise,and possibly the relocation of the 10 ohm resistor to limit current if the zener failed for some reason.

Big Clive

With something like a zener? Nice of you to take my idea seriously :) I Made one of your experimental solar light myself :) very Nice for these darker days

Mike Weijmans

Almost, but with the addition of another component to cap the upper voltage. I've been thinking about that and doodling things down.

Big Clive

Could these cells be put to use in your solar garden light experiment with the transistor, two resistors, a diode and a ledstring you showed us a little while ago :)?

Mike Weijmans

Theoretically that would work. I'd recommend discharging all the cells to the same level before paralleling them.

Big Clive

Would it be possible to scavenge multiple and stack them and create one with more capacity using one chip?

Thanks Clive. Now I know a £1 reusable power bank is better than the £2 one shot.

Nuts 'n' Proud

This sort of thing should be reportable to something like trading standards, it's irresponsible and Clive's video clearly shows that plain as day. Cheap chinesium products flooding our store shelves as normal.

Ugh! It’s a way to dump surplus cells into any country that allows it. What a profligate use of resources at the expense of the environment.

Or at least pick them up and dispose of them properly.

Phil Collins

Which is actually quite a lot.

Big Clive

<a href="http://blog.ravpower.com/2017/04/flying-planes-power-banks/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://blog.ravpower.com/2017/04/flying-planes-power-banks/</a> apparently most will allow up to 100Wh

mark barratt

Not sure what the powerbank limits are here for flights.

Big Clive

can you take a powerbank as capacious as the blackweb on a flight?

mark barratt

I have just ordered some charge/protection circuitry to repurpose some batteries i have liberated from old Tablets and phones, to allow me to use them with strings of LEDs as tacky xmas decorations :o) along with some 'empty' power banks to make use of 18650s recovered from laptops also, ordered one of these for a giggle, and turns out it's quite funky <a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4W-Mini-USB-LED-Disco-Stage-Light-Party-Club-DJ-KTV-Magic-Phone-Lamp-Ball-IN9/183366731481?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&amp;_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4W-Mini-USB-LED-Disco-Stage-Light-Party-Club-DJ-KTV-Magic-Phone-Lamp-Ball-IN9/183366731481?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&amp;_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649</a>

mark barratt

I tried to find them in germany in some shops but no shop has these single use power banks. Seems like i have to stick to the e-hookas to get rechargable lithium cells

Leon Schutte

These suck they must be re purposed

Michael Thompson

I love this idea! I guess the easiest would be a small flashlight, but more stuff to do with these will increase their value to those in the know and keep a few units out of the garbage.

Michael Thompson

Yes, and that's bad enough, but the worse thing is that people will dump them on the ground, in gutters, all over the place... where eventually, come a heavy enough wash of stormwater, they'll get washed down into drains and cisterns and rivers and creeks and streams, where they can happily sit and decompose into the groundwater. But, as you also point out, it's potentially a monetary scam as well as a guaranteed environmental disaster.

Chris Talbot

Eloquently put sir.

Chris Talbot

Thank you Mart for at least trying to put a positive spin on this and suggest I good idea for re-use of these things. Kinda needed that, thanks mate.

Chris Talbot

That type of thing is absolutely insane: people are going to dump them in normal bin where they should absolutely not be disposed there :/ Also, does the packaging have an expiration date? Because lithium battery have a fairly large internal resistance and they self discharge quite fast compared to other type of battery, so some people may by that for “emergency” and the day they want to use it, well the cell is flat because it fully self discharge...

Manoel

Perhaps this is your opportunity to do a Poundland reuse project, like Ikea hackers? Adapting these cells to some LED Christmas lights? One thing I've found useful in this context is wireless charging, which allows you to use any thin walled case, avoiding the need for a USB power input. Poundland even sells the wireless charging pads.

Wrapped in a nice piece of single use plastic to add to the fun.

This makes me so fucking furious. Like we don't have enough environmental issues already, and then some cheap-arse greedy bastard comes up with this idea, and of course morons will buy them because morons will buy anything in a colourful package that makes their oxygen-thieving existence slightly more convenient. Because buying an actual powerbank for about 2 pounds more than this thing cost is obviously way too much hassle. "Great for Festivals"... have the makers of this product EVER ACTUALLY SEEN a festival venue after the music stops and all the drugs have been taken? It's a goddamn disaster area full of garbage... and now, "disposable" phone chargers. For fuck's sake humanity.... when are we going to pull our heads out of arses? Goddammit.

Chris Talbot

You know, one day this planet we infest is going to go to the doctor and get a cream to clear us up.

The Tinkering Shed