Gregory's ServerFun* fact in this video: the 'disposable' vapes thrown away in Britain alone contain enough lithium batteries to make 1.2 Million e-bikes.
I've been independently powering things with vape batteries that I've rescued before seeing this video. Pull out the cell, add a cheap usb charging module and you have a fully rechargeable 3.7v power source. If you need higher voltage you can put them in series and you can even get multi-cell balancing modules for next to nothing if you want to have a few in parallel for more current.
I don't trust them for anything critical, but they're great for low-budget projects as the cells are completely free. My bike lights are all powered by them (one can run a flashing bike light for a couple of weeks' use), as well as various other things that had their batteries die, or that didn't come with rechargeable batteries.
I also only charge them somewhere flameproof, though I haven't had any issues so far.
#making #electronics #reuse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehp23hrrEHY
 37 comments
@stib @l05tchild Yep, nothing makes me feel like we're doomed as a species than a bubblegum flavoured vape containing a fully functional lithium battery getting washed down the drain into the ocean when it rains. @l05tchild @stib I agree. But the government in its wisdom decided to regulate reusable capes out of existence instead while seemingly leaving the disposable ones unaffected @stib  @stib @CppGuy I was about to comment on this: I've been using the same three batteries for my device for 5+ years at this point. The only reason for single use devices is because the profit margin is higher. Reichargeable and re-fillable devices are more efficient and less wasteful. But, the counter argument is: it's more fiddly, and less convenient. Personally, I think it just is an appeal to people's laziness.   Something - many things- are way too cheap if it’s economically natural to throw away stuff that’s so useful for power and so damaging as waste But it’s really cheering to see reuse    Yeah im down in beaufort and i assure you they are being used and put in landfill. Hypothetically there could be an ewaste collection but man this is not the biggest problem in the world today.  @stib Why do we throw away nearly everything 🤔 reduce,reuse and recycle ♻️ really good idea 👍🏻  @stib you can recharge the li-ion batteries using a TP4056 charging board, then use the batteries for whatever you want. I get these boards in strips of 5 from Aliexpress, for a couple of euros, including post. I re-use found vape batteries in my Bluetooth receiver projects...I get the Bluetooth module board for €1.50 of Aliexpress and with the TP4056 and an old vape battery can make a nice rechargeable unit that is the size of a matchbox for a few euros.  @stib That's good recycling there but ultimately there isn't enough lithium in the world, mined or unmined, to satisfy all storage needs. https://muratk5n.github.io/thirdwave/en/2022/11/battery-electric.html @ariaflame @stib That is like waiting for nuclear fusion. Always 30 years away. Hydrogen based storage is much better. https://muratk5n.github.io/thirdwave/en/2022/02/h2-end-use.html Big Clive over on the Tube of Youse let his followers in on this (DvaapS - Disposable vapes as a power Source) though I don't think he has yet created an actual power bank. Brilliant! @stib I've been salvaging the batteries out of discarded vapes anytime I come across some. (Even going as far as to ask folks who partake to save their empty pens for me.) I'm definitely not above picking them out of trash cans or otherwise grabbing discarded on the ground! That's the closest I can get to free energy, hehe~ :blobfoxlaugh: A 750mAH battery cell may not be terribly useful by itself, but they do add up to a decent capacity once wired in series/parallel. @stib thanks for sharing, since they have been around I was wondering how one could use the technical inside leftovers👏👏  @stib A really great video for this. I've bought all the required materials for these projects & will repurpose them soon. It's an environmental travesty. It's like throwing away silver cutlery after every use.  They are now also making slightly less disposable vapes that have a USB-C port for charging but when the liquid runs out it can't be refilled. |
There's a better video for the kind of use I put them to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiUyMLdVyfI