A total newb

Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
99
Hi All,

Dave here - originally from Sydney, now in Los Angeles.

As the title suggests I am totally new to this although I do have some electronics experience, am a programmer for a living and quite handy with a sledge hammer.

At this early stage I am mostly reading, digesting information, and learning as much as I can.

Looking forward to being to eventually contribute.

Dave
 
Welcome
 
Thanks daromer!

I have spent some hours reading as much as I can here - wonderful information. However, is there an idiot's guide to all this? I for one would certainly benefit from a concise and complete overview of all that is involved.

If such a guide does not exist, then as a highly qualified idiot, I'd be happy to create one. Or rather, I would be happy to lead the creation of such a guide.

Dave
 
Wellcome

While you learn and watch all the videos from Daniel and others the best you can do is start to collect cells, for me this is the most difficult part by the lack of providers in my area, at PC repair stores I only can find a couple of laptop batteries by month, so finally I have to buy it.
 
Its hard to give a definite guide. Because if we do that it will end up in "I followed your guide and now i burned my house down..." :)

Perhaps not but a guide is hard to write due to how different approaches many of us have taken. I also think that the videos many have done is a very good start.

And then look at everyones project threads and you will see that many do differently but still same end goal. (To use left over batteries)
 
hello my friends, im a newb but with some electromech experience, im from Brazil and im starting my project, I founded very interesting a video by jehugarcia on his channel, that might help you my friend!

And as my first question i would like to know if we can charge the batteries in a simple powersource or do we need some electronics module to charge, like jehugarcia says in his video, he ask us to buy the imax b6 to test his batteries if is good or not good.

Thx in advance, im willing to test 16 cells next week, im having hard time to find battery of used laptops too, im running a low budget project here too my friends. And plus im trying to find the spacer clips project to make a 3d printer to do the job for me. If u happen to know where i can find the project to send it to the printer, thx again.
Good luck to all!
 
Welcome!

Maybe you should start your own thread for your questions in the future ;)

To charge lithium batteries (like 18650s from laptop batteries) you either need a charger from the radio controller hobby folks (like the SkyRC IMAX B6), a DC-DC conversion module with CCCV function (a buck, boost or buck/boost converter, tons of them available on eBay and at your preferred merchant from china) or a lab power supply (search for lab power supply on Amazon for examples). It might be bad taste but I just realize how funny it is to tell someone from Brazil to search for something on Amazon :D Sorry, let's get on with it :D

These are your three main options, a fourth one is a hybrid of one and two. There are modules like the TP4056 which is a IC that works as a DC-DC converter with enhanced functionality like automated cutoff and the end of charge.

Since you also need a way to discharge cells and test the capacity something like a B6 makes sense, but you can only discharge one cell at a time. That's my many people use something like the Opus BT-C3100 which can discharge four cells at a time. And then as many of them as you need to process cells at a time. They can charge the cells as well of course. Personally I think this Opus device is a bit crap, but it certainly gets the job done. If you only have 16 cells you could go either way, but if you have plans to expand further then you need something that processes more than one cell at a time or otherwise it will take ages with one B6.
 
DarkRaven said:
Welcome!

Maybe you should start your own thread for your questions in the future ;)

To charge lithium batteries (like 18650s from laptop batteries) you either need a charger from the radio controller hobby folks (like the SkyRC IMAX B6), a DC-DC conversion module with CCCV function (a buck, boost or buck/boost converter, tons of them available on eBay and at your preferred merchant from china) or a lab power supply (search for lab power supply on Amazon for examples). It might be bad taste but I just realize how funny it is to tell someone from Brazil to search for something on Amazon :D Sorry, let's get on with it :D

These are your three main options, a fourth one is a hybrid of one and two. There are modules like the TP4056 which is a IC that works as a DC-DC converter with enhanced functionality like automated cutoff and the end of charge.

Since you also need a way to discharge cells and test the capacity something like a B6 makes sense, but you can only discharge one cell at a time. That's my many people use something like the Opus BT-C3100 which can discharge four cells at a time. And then as many of them as you need to process cells at a time. They can charge the cells as well of course. Personally I think this Opus device is a bit crap, but it certainly gets the job done. If you only have 16 cells you could go either way, but if you have plans to expand further then you need something that processes more than one cell at a time or otherwise it will take ages with one B6.
Thanks for the quick answer, ha! as im running low budget some teachers from eletromechanic class let me use the lab to try some ways of charging them, in the future i will be posting the equipment that we have on the lab to see if it is available for charge.

I wanna build a fan that charges the battery, idk how to say in english but I made it with a ceiling fan and some magnets, i'll post the progress, as soon as i get the batteries charging and discharging.
ill post pictures soon, thanks again for all advices. I really need some money man, it seems a lot easier with all these modules and chargers! HA!

peace and light!
 
A wind turbine perhaps? You can find alot on that topic on google :)
 
vledaromerA wind turbine perhaps? You can find alot on that topic on google :)

yes! wind turbine! now i understand the process of charge with the tp4056 thx u so much, here is the lab but i guess no need for all thos machinery huh? :) image_vgwnhv.jpgimage_bzpgsj.jpg
 
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