What's on your bench?

[GerbrandR]

Another question from my side. I have an unlimited coil for a 372XP, sadly the grommet that connects the spark plug wire to the coil is broken. I have looked online but cannot seem to find the grommet itself. Does anybody know if it's possible to just replace the grommet or does it have to be a whole new coil or cable?

It's like the grommet on the right side on the image.

 

[Gullet]

Not sure it would be worth the effort to replace.
Prolly just put it on & wrap good with electrical tape.
Removing the wire from the module is easy enough, but it can be a pita sometimes to screw it back in to where it seats well on the module contact pin.
I've learned the hard way & have had to try 2 or 3 times to get a good contact.

Just my .02 cents

 

[RI Chevy]

You should be able to just replace the wire.

 

[decableguy2000]

Heat shrink, would last longer than tape.

 

[GerbrandR]

Thanks for the tips, will give that a go. I think there is no need to buy a new wire, will try this first.

 

[Ketchup]

Three microsaws laid out for the spinny tools.

 

[Wilhelm]

Stihl 038AV for a chain sharpening.


"Chain is still cutting good, just touch it up."
Yeah, right!


Much better after numerous file strokes on every cutter. Next time I will grind the chain!


P.S.:
The rakers are not my doing!

 

[1Snowcat]

Been busy with jobs this year but in-between all that, awhile back solar sparked my interest and I've been working on a solar generator project. Finally got it up and running today. 200 watt panels. 20A mppt controller. (2) 100ah batteries. 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter. Have had the chest freezer plugged in for a few hrs and it's working nicely. The way this world's going, I figured it can't hurt to have another form of power source. Now that this is done, my brain already is thinking of building a bigger setup lol
View attachment 340114 View attachment 340115 View attachment 340116

What is the red switch for in the tote next to the battery? Part number ?

 

[Agent Smith]

What is the red switch for in the tote next to the battery? Part number ?

It's a marine battery switch to kill the power from the batteries to the inverter so the lead coming out of the lid isn't hot when not in use. There's also the same switch down in the bottom of the tote to shut off power between the batteries and charge controller. Got it on Amazon

 

[Wolverine]

I slaughtered the battery pack I salvaged out of a battery recycling bin.
As I suspected the pack contains 4 18650 Li-Ion cells which seem to be healthy.
All 4 had a voltage of merely 1.37V, which tells me that they got under discharged and the battery packs protection circuitry cut in.
A loss for the previous owner, a win for me.

The cells specs are:
- Molicel, ICR18650H
- 3.7V
- 2200 mAh max (2100 mAh nominal)
- 4Amp discharge max
- Made in Taiwan

These will work great in a LED flashlight, high capacity, low discharge current.
I am happy with my find!
I couldn't salvage the battery packs case, it was glued together and broke apart upon prying it open. The packs circuitry looks functional.

View attachment 340149 View attachment 340150 View attachment 340151

How do you get them back after over discharge. I just lost a 20V Dewalt pack from this. Tried "jump starting" with another pack for about 2 minutes. Did nothing.

 

[farminkarman]

More 4910 action last night.

 

[SimonHS]

How do you get them back after over discharge.

Very carefully! It's not straightforward to do. This instructable will help:

https://www.instructables.com/Make-Lithium-Battery-Pack-From-Salvage/

 

[Wilhelm]

How do you get them back after over discharge. I just lost a 20V Dewalt pack from this. Tried "jump starting" with another pack for about 2 minutes. Did nothing.

I did not yet read the link @SimonHS posted.

The battery packs circuitry is what prevents automatic charging, it literally cuts off any incoming and outgoing current.
In my humble experience to revive a battery pack You need to open the housing, locate the plus and minus wires coming from the batteries and apply direct electricity to them prior to the circuit board.
Make certain to use a voltmeter to control the voltage at all times.
Do not apply high amperage input, use only a 100-500mAh power source.
You can use a voltage below and up to slightly over the batteries rating, for example 16-24 volt input for a 20V battery pack.
Apply the jumpstart current in short intervals, 1-2 minutes at most, and see whether the packs voltage goes up.
If the battery pack doesn't pick up any voltage then there are one or more defective individual cells. Defective cells need to be replaced to revive a battery pack, which is another story altogether.

You only need to get the battery packs voltage above the circuitries shut off voltage.
On a 20V pack I'd try get to around 16V or more and then reassemble the battery pack and place it in its dedicated charger.
You do not have to aim for 20V, the charger will do that!

DISCLAIMER:
Messing around with electricity can be dangerous - electric shock, burns!
Messing around with Li-Ion batteries can be dangerous - fire hazzard, explosion, heat, toxic fumes, acidic leakage . . . !
At least moderate know how should be present when attempting to service, repair, revive, alter Li-Ion battery packs!

 

[Wilhelm]

The above link is about salvaging, testing and reusing cells out of multiple battery packs.
I do this whenever I encounter a defective battery pack.
I have about 2 dozen salvaged 18650 li-ion cells and one 14500 cell. Salvaging those I discarded half a dozen defective cells.
Often enough it is one single defective cell that renders a whole battery pack inoperable.

 

[Lsf]

I also took old laptop battery cells 20 years ago, and the last ones around 2012 when the T20 motherboard broke or something( service manual, vcds laptop )
All quality cells, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sony. I need several work lights
Most cells are in top condition after 15 years.

 

[Wilhelm]

How do you get them back after over discharge. I just lost a 20V Dewalt pack from this. Tried "jump starting" with another pack for about 2 minutes. Did nothing.

You can "jump start" the dead pack with a working one only when You apply current past the dead packs circuitry.
In short, You need to open the dead pack!

 

[Wilhelm]

I also took old laptop battery cells 20 years ago, and the last ones around 2012 when the T20 motherboard broke or something( service manual, vcds laptop )
All quality cells, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sony. I need several work lights
Most cells are in top condition after 15 years.

Nice!
I too have Sanyo, Samsung and Sony.
Healthy cells have a very low self discharge, and their deterioration seems negligible when properly stored (not hot, nor sub zero temps for long term storage).

I too am considering to make a large portable LED work light powered by dozens of 18650 cells, gotta get some use out of them other than my head lamp.

 

[RI Chevy]

Shouldn't those 18650 batteries be stored at about 3.6volts? Less stress on the cell.

 

[Wilhelm]

Shouldn't those 18650 batteries be stored at about 3.6volts? Less stress on the cell.

3.6V is actually a partial discharge voltage considering that a fully charged cell will show 4.2V.

It is recommended to store Li-Ion batteries charged 40-80ish % , but that is rarely achievable.

Individual cells are not as volatile as battery packs simply because single cells will not influence each other, while a single defective cell in a battery pack can and will negatively affect all other cells.

What also needs to be considered, battery packs and single cell batteries for gadgets have a much higher self discharge than individual cylindrical cells due to the attached circuitry continuously drawing power in order to monitor the batteries/packs health - it's a devils circle really.

That been said, in my personal opinion and experience:
- store cylindrical Li-Ion cells fully charged and You can let them sit a year or two without maintenance
- store single cell gadget batteries fully charged and recharge them occasionally, the batteries circuitry will cause a self discharge and lower the charge from 100%
- store multiple cell battery packs fully charged and recharge them occasionally, the battery packs circuitry will cause a self discharge and lower the charge from 100%

On my Makita 14.4V and 18V battery packs I noticed a 20ish% self discharge over a period of several months.

On my two HP laptop batteries I noticed a 100% self discharge withing two months, them being disconected from the devices.

On my Sony 8mm camera the small capacity pack shows a 50ish% discharge over a couple months, the high capacity pack self discharges 80% during the same time period. Go figure!

There is really no clear telling what is best since no battery/battery pack behaves the same.
In my opinion You are better off occasionally recharging Li-Ion batteries and packs rather than allowing them to over discharge which will do them more harm than holding a 100% charge every now and then.

If You have batteries, battery packs, gadgets incorprating batteries that You don't use at all - best dispose of them in an eco friendly manner (sell or recycle).

 

[Wilhelm]

Shouldn't those 18650 batteries be stored at about 3.6volts? Less stress on the cell.

In short - technically You are correct!

A 100% charge causes accelerated corrosion/erosion of the batteries internal electrodes diminishing the batteries performance and longevity!