Where can I buy _fresh_ LION batteries

[mockingbird]

Hello,

I am looking to rebuild the battery back for my Toshiba laptop.

I opened the battery up and inside are 6 "CGR18650" batteries (MH12210).

I've been scouring eBay, and there are a ton of batteries, but do any of you know what type of battery I want? Do I need protected? There are two types of these. One are for flashlights, and the other types they are recommending for battery packs.

Also, which vendor would you recommend for fresh batteries? My understanding is that Lithiums degrade over time whther they are used or not. Who sells the freshest batches? I'm only looking to pay a maximum of $3-4 per battery. Thanks.

[PCBONEZ]

The key number is 18650. [That like saying "AA" cell or "D" cell for those.]
The mAh will vary from one brand/model to another. More is better. [Last longer.]
-
Sanyo and Panasonic used to be the best brands but watch-out for old stock and I'm doubtful you'll find fresh stock [in those] that cheap.
There are counterfeits of those around too, just like caps.
.
Can't say where to buy. Haven't bought any in ages.
.

[mockingbird]

Thanks.

I noticed there are slight differences in hight depending on the mAh. Anything over 65mm and it won't fit so I'll have to keep a lookout...

I contacted one seller with genuine Sanyos. He says the date is March 2010. He also has Panasonics but he doesn't know the date. I saw one seller with a June 2011 date on the battery, but it was off-brand, and who knows if he's going to send me what's in the picture.

It's a little disappointing, the variety that is, of lithium cells. One would think that since so much stuff runs on Lithium, the specifics and availability would be a lot better. I guess people mostly just spend the money on new batteries from the manufacturer ($100+ dollars), or they buy those garbage dupes from China.

[ipman]

Samsung makes good ones also.
The lithium batteries decay with time, used or not. But that's not very concerning, because is not that fast.
Look for reviews on flashlight dedicate forums, they have a lot of reviews and tests about 18650 rechargeables.

[mockingbird]

Thanks ipman, that's a great tip.

[mockingbird]

Regarding protected or non-protected batteries, from what I can gather, protected batteries should not be needed for a laptop battery, because a laptop battery is not a dumb circuit like a flashlight, the laptop battery case PCB should have better protection than the built in protection of those 18650s.

[PCBONEZ]

Might want to PM KC8ADU on this topic.
As I recall he does this sort of thing now and then.
.

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by mockingbird

It's a little disappointing, the variety that is, of lithium cells. One would think that since so much stuff runs on Lithium, the specifics and availability would be a lot better. I guess people mostly just spend the money on new batteries from the manufacturer ($100+ dollars), or they buy those garbage dupes from China.

well, a lot of people are cheap and/or lazy. most people don't know how to rebuild a battery (I'd rebuild one of my dell latitude d400 packs if I knew how to get the ****ing thing open).

the worst I saw was a the story of my hitachi flora 270GX:

I bought it cheap since I wanted an old laptop for cheap. it had a 533mhz celeron and took cheap to find pc133 256 modules. had the hdd caddy and all, but the seller never mentioned the battery.

turns out it had a hollow "dummy" battery. must have been a display model. I found cheap chinese replacements (it used acer travelmate parts), but the seller sent me one that would not charge. the replacement he sent held a charge but once it ran down would like the first, not charge. I then sent it back and got a refund with the jackass. lesson learned.

[mockingbird]

I'm happy to report that I found a great deal on the cells. They're not Panasonic/Sanyo/LG/Samsung cells, they're made by "Trustfire" and while they're not the best, they should be just fine for a laptop battery rebuild.

The great thing is that they only cost $3 a piece and the shipping is free. So it's $20 to rebuild a battery. I'm sure if I bought a "new" battery from Toshiba, they would send me something with 3-year old cells. These should be relatively fresh.

My next project is my SVHS camcorder. I've found that I can still get a replacement SLA battery, but I don't know anything about SLA batteries and how long the thing will last.

[kc8adu]

i stay away from all the xxxxfire batts.
they just try to knock off surefire.
and a bad li-ion can make plenty of fire.
not the place to cheap out.

[mockingbird]

If it were off eBay, I wouldn't. They're probably counterfeit junk. But I found a retailer, and people have left reviews praising it. As long as it gives me an hour battery life for at least a year, I am happy. Right now my battery gives me maybe 5 minutes. For $20, you can't go wrong.

[yogurt]

Majority of laptop batteries need to be reset when you change the cells. Batteries circuitry holds the wear and capacity information, so even if you put brand new cells, without resetting the circuitry you will gain nothing.
I hope all goes well in your case

[mockingbird]

What's involved in resetting the circuitry?

Doesn't disconnecting the circuitry from the cells reset it?

[brethin]

I was going to do this as well but after much research I found out you need a prom programmer and have to reprogram the eprom in the battery pack to reset it, just changing the batteries does not work. This was the case for the Dell Pack I was going to rebuild, it may be different for Toshiba.

[mockingbird]

Did your Dell battery have a "smart meter" on it (The button you push for the LEDs to light up to tell you how much juice is in it)?

Good thing I didn't order anything yet.

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by mockingbird

Did your Dell battery have a "smart meter" on it (The button you push for the LEDs to light up to tell you how much juice is in it)?

Good thing I didn't order anything yet.

anything dell latitude dxxx and later has them...

[brethin]

The 3 packs I was going to rebuild (Dell Inspirion 1100, Dell Latitude C610 and Acer Aspire 3100) did not have buttons. They all had a small circuit board inside the pack with the eproms (that needs to be reprogramed or it will still think the old batteries are in the pack).

[b700029]

I was under the impression that the charge monitor would reset itself automatically. Maybe some types do? I remember upgrading cells in a pack and after a cycle, it worked fine except the "full charge capacity" became greater than "design capacity".

[PCBONEZ]

The laptop only knows what the eprom in the pack tells it.
The eprom in the pack doesn't know new cells were installed unless you tell it.
[So to speak.]
.