[TriEmbed] Lithium ion batteries.

[Kevin Schilf]

Hi Glen,
Following your lead, would the group be interested in a 15 minute talk about Li-Ion Care and Feeding?
I know there are several people in the group with great experience but it sounds like there are also some who are less experienced with batteries.  As you note below, they are a tremendous power source (high-intensity flashlights, laptops, Tesla battery packs, etc.), but with power comes responsibility (or a 30 second epitaph on the Internet).  :-)

Sincerely,Kevin SchilfDigital Telesis, Inc.919 349 7730

      From: Glen Smith via TriEmbed <triembed at triembed.org>
 To: TriEmbed Discussion <triembed at triembed.org> 
 Sent: Monday, May 8, 2017 11:47 PM
 Subject: [TriEmbed] Lithium ion batteries.
   
Some people picked up Li-Ion batteries at tonight's meeting, and I want to make sure that anyone who is new to Li-Ion at least has a chance to familiarize themselves with some safety aspects of a technology that has a chance of creating some pretty nasty problems if not properly cared for.
First and foremost, understand that you are probably already using Li-Ion batteries, but in a slightly more protected manner than the bare cells that were available tonight. Most laptops and cordless tools use exactly these cells, but they are built into packs with battery management circuitry and polarity protection that preclude most of the problems that can arise from naked cells. Cell phone also use Li-ion technology, but in a different form factor.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard of the e-cigarette accidents, the exploding Galaxy phones and the flaming hoverboards. These mostly are a result of improper use of Li-Ion battery technology. These are NOT lead acid batteries that Dad used to use. When they go critical, they can release Hydrogen Fluoride. THIS IS BAD. Inhalation of Hydrogen Fluoride gas causes serious long term medical issues, that can take time to show up and you don't even know it.
Please spend some time familiarizing yourself with the proper care and feeding of this technology. There is an entire thread dedicated to Li-Ion safety on the flashlight forum that I have mentioned during various meetings. http://budgetlightforum.com/node/45314 As with any topic involving personal responsibility, there are some people who will use OSHA recommended safety precautions, and others who will attack with a hatchet and chilly hands after uttering the words: "hold my beer and watch this!" Where you are in this spectrum is up to you, but please make a conscious decision about it, rather than proceeding from ignorance.
Invest in a quality charger, the one I use is a LiitoKala Li-500 analyzing charger, available in many places, but cheapest from overseas at Bangood.com https://www.banggood.com/LiitoKala-Lii-500-Lithium-And-NiMH-Battery-LCD-Smartest-Charger-p-999106.html?rmmds=search or Gearbest.com: http://www.gearbest.com/lii%5E%5E500-_gear/ Many other chargers exist, some are better than others. Most will auto-sense the cell under charge and make a best guess what to do with it. How much you trust that firmware is up to you. Some of my flashlight buddies charge in an ammo can in the garage, others in the spare bedroom.
Don't short circuit these cells. They have an amazing ability to deliver large amounts of current - Samsung 30Q's are spec'ed at 15 AMPS. Testing has shown them to be capable of delivering 20 AMPS. This is not a cell to drop in your pants pocket with your keys.
Thank you for listening.[/soapbox]Glen_______________________________________________
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