18650 Battery tips

1.How do I choose a 18650 battery?

2. How do you care for 18650 batteries?

 

1. How do I choose a 18650 battery?

When choosing between different 18650 cells, you need to consider what power output the battery needs to be capable of.

All cells are balanced between storage capacity and peak output power. 
For example, the Sony US18650-VTC4 has a discharge current of 30A while only having a capacity of, 2100mAh.
On the other end of this balance is the Samsung INR18650-35E with a discharge current of only 8 amps at a capacity of 3500 mAh.
Depending on their task, this can be a major dealbreaker when deciding between 18650 cells.
Always check your appliance for how many amps it will pull from the battery and from then on you can decide the best battery suited for your specifications.

2. How do you care for 18650 batteries?

when you're building a battery pack out of 18650 batteries, it is always good to know how to take care of your cells.

 Voltage:

The standard voltage of an 18650 battery is 3.6V, this means that the battery will be 3.6V on average, the actual voltage range of the cell is 4.2V - 3V. Going over these limits can be harmful for the batteries and you yourself.

If you go above the 4.2V limit, the battery may catch fire. The properties of an 18650 battery make it so that the battery itself produces oxygen when it burns, making it difficult to extinguish the cells. The most common precaution is therefore to sand or immerse the cells in water.

Temperature:

The temperature range of an 18650 battery is -20 to +60 degrees Celsius. However, a battery is already damaged in use between +5 and +50 degrees Celsius.

When using an 18650 cell above the allowable temperature, some cells will activate a built-in pressure fuse, breaking the circuit and making the cell worthless.