You should know more about home-made 18650 battery holder

The name of 18650 refers to its cylindrical size. The number 18 refers to the diameter that the battery has, 18 millimeters to be exact. Meanwhile, the numbers 650 refers to the height, 65,0 mm. These type of battery has a voltage of 3,7 v and has between 1800 mAh and 3500 mAh.

These types of batteries are often used in flashligths, laptops and high drain devices due to their superior capacity and charge rates.

There are essentially two types of 18650 batteries;

1.Protected 18650 batteries

Protected 18650 batteries have a small circuit integrated into the cell packaging. This circuit protects the battery against common dangers such as overcharge, over-discharge, short circuit, and temperature.

Protected batteries have a couple of important components such as;  PTC which protect against overheating and indirectly over current. CID or pressure valve which will disable the cell permanently if the pressure is too high on the cell due to overcharging. PCB which main function is to protect against overcharge, over discharge, over current. Which function it carries depend on the design.

2.Unprotected 18650 batteries

These type of batteries do not have an electronic circuit in the cell packaging. Because of this, they more capacity and capability rather than a protected battery. However, there is always a danger of over heating, short circuiting and over discharging. They usually comes at a lower price than the protected 18650 battery.

Recharge cycles of 18650 are very limited. As the more the user charges the battery, the battery degrades due to oxidation and electro chemical degradation. This scenario happens to a lot of rechargeable battery.

Functions of a 18650 battery holder

A batery holder is one of the small compartments of chambers whose function is to hold the battery in a place. For dry cells, the holder must also have electrical contact with the battery terminal. For wet cells, cables are often found connected to the battery terminal.

A battery holder is usually a plastic case with the housing molded as a compartment or compartments that accepts a battery. Another alternative that it could be a seperate plastic holder that is mounted with glue, double-sided tape, screws and any other mean.

Battery holder usually has a lid to retain and protect the batteries. They can also be sealed to prevent circuit damage and any leakage from the battery components.

Coiled spring wire and flat tabs that press against the battery terminals are means of making the electrical connection inside a holder. External connections on battery holders are made with contacts usually using pins, solder lugs, or wire leads.

The contacts of the battery are usually made of nickel or nickel-plated. This is to prevent galvanic corruptions between to different metals since batteries are mostly nickel-plated as well.

How to make a 18650 battery holder

There is a couple of material that you will have to have in order to be able to make a 18650 battery holder.

You will need a general-purpose PCB board, office paper clips, header pins, PCB switch, soldering iron, and pliers.

Next, you will only to have to follow the step below:

1.Unfold the paper clip to 180 degrees. The form that it form should resemble an  “S”.

2.Using pliers, cut the paper clips into two parts. One part should resemble a “U”. You should have two pieces of “U”.

3.Cut a general-purpose PCB board to the size that you desire. Make sure that the size is adequate according to your needs.

4.Insert the “U” shaped clip at one end on the PCB board.

5.Measure the distance from the inserted clip according to the size of the battery and then insert the other clip at the opposite side. Then you should solder both of the clips to the PCB board.

6.Unfold the remaining parts of the clips to make a straight wire. Insert the clip adjacent to the “U shape” clips so that it can form a support for the batteries. Ensure that you make the railing on both sides

7.Add a switch to the PCB board and connect it to one of the clips.

8.Add two header pins that will be used to connect any peripheral device to the battery. Connect one of the header pins to the switch and other pins to the holder terminal.

Voila! Your own battery holder is ready to be used. All you need to do is to insert a 18650 battery in the holder and connect any peripheral device such as motors, or LED to the header pins. All you have to do is to turn on the switch!

How to use 18650 battery holder properly

In order to maintain your 18650, there are a couple of tips that you can follow through:

1.Whenever you finished charging your battery, let the battery and the battery holder cool off.

2.If it is possible, reduce the setting of the battery holder to 4,1 V. This will reduce stress on the batter and extends its life. Most importantly, this will also reduce the pressure for the battery holder. However, if you do this,  you will lose 10% to 15% of the capacity of the battery.

3.It is always better to charge the batteries at a lower speed. The more you fast charge your batteries, the more you will lose their shelf life. You will also increase the risk of getting your holder broken as well.

4.Do not overcharge your batteries. When you overcharge your batteries, it will reduce your life cycle. Overcharging is also very dangerous to the battery holder. It is better to charge the batteries partially. In this way, you decrease the stress on the cell and the battery holder.

When the batteries are getting warmer during a charge life cycle, change it! You will save yourself from risking the battery holder.