Using Li-ion laptop batteries?
01-25-08 | 10:05 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,300
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From: Oakland, CA
Using Li-ion laptop batteries?
Is it feasible to use li-ion laptop batteries as a power source?
Can they be charged using an off the shelf smart charger?
I ask since laptop batteries are considerably cheaper to purchase than other batteries for the same capacity
Can they be charged using an off the shelf smart charger?
I ask since laptop batteries are considerably cheaper to purchase than other batteries for the same capacity
01-28-08 | 08:28 AM
#3
Mad bike riding scientist
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,187
Likes: 6,265
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
A battery is a battery as far as voltage goes. If the laptop battery has the proper voltage and a high enough capacity for your system, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Making the connections to the system may require some McGuivery and some soldering. Make sure you get a charger that is compatible with the Li-ion chemistry, however. The charging regimes are different for the Li chemistry.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
01-28-08 | 09:11 AM
#4
Recumbent Evangelist
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,991
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From: Kitchener, Ontario
Bikes: Rebel Cycles Trike, Trek 7500FX
Instead of a laptop battery, find one of those external li-ion portable DVD player batteries. I used one for a while before replacing it with a larger pack from batteryspace. The battery was designed to provide extra power for those portable DVD players. It had a built-in charge controller, so all you had to do was plug in a wall-wart transformer to charge it up. It featured an LED battery level indicator. It was rated for 9V @5400mAh. I got it for less than $40.
