A look inside the 36V battery supplied with a low cost cordless lawnmower.

Some resources:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion

everything you ever wanted to know about batteries, but were afraid to ask: Part I from electronic_cigarette

https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews/18880255-battery-chemistry-finally-explained

http://www.wackedoutecig.ca/7752-about-lithium-batteries.html

, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eHynUZ-jER4/hqdefault.jpg

source

45 Comments

  1. Hello, I have problems with that battery, it does not have any charge and when I put it to charge the red light does not stop flashing, do you know what it could be

  2. If I strip apart the cells would they work in my Vape ? As they are 18650s

  5. My 36v cordless Qualcast mower won't turn on having worked perfectly for 2 years – Ive come here in hope of a resolution….

  8. Interesting video… But is nobody going to mention how terrible that lawn is even after being mowed?

  9. Thanks. Now I don't need to take my lawnmower battery apart. It's been tempting me for a few years!

  12. It is a good idea to keep these types of Battery and the Charger indoors all the time, take the battery out of the mower after use each time. The charger and battery have ventilation vents, moist air can enter onto the curcuit boards eventually causing shorts and failure.

  13. those cells are good quality. Same ones are used in lidl cordless drill that i have been using quite often for the past 2 years. certainly more than 100 charge cycles. No noticeable capacity drop yet.

  15. Looks like the cells are DLG NCM18650P-1300, a cheap Chinese cell claimed to be NMC-chemistry, with 19.5A continuous and 39A burst discharge, about the same current as an LG HG2, and definitely less than the Samsung 25R. They really cheaped out on the cells.

  16. "ICNMR" is a weird marking for an NMC cell (most manufacturers will use "INR" for this chemistry). Also, 1300mAh is extremely low for the NMC chemistry, and would actually suggest the older IMR chemistry instead. Even IMR (which is very high current) goes to at least 1600mAh.

    Makes me question whether these are genuine NMC cells or not.

  20. The Black & Decker CM1936 battery pack consists of 3 12v 12AH sealed lead/acid batteries. Initial current 3.6 Amps.

  21. I think it is best to keep the batteries inside the house when not in use. I read some complaints about batteries life cycle only lasting a few months. I suspect that it is not recommended to keep the batteries inside a warm garage during the summer.

    Any thoughts on automating your lawn mower? It would be an awesome RC project.

  24. I still use my original B&D CMM1000 cordless mower. Only had to replace the lead acid batteries once since 1999. Cost me $40 for a set. No way will lithium cells last this long and be that cheap. Mower still runs and cuts all of 500 square meters of lawn every week on a single charge. Great mower even though it is nearly all plastic. It is stored plugged in and even the -40C winters don't seem to bother it.

  25. I'm loving your videos. Recently I picked up 2 electric lawn mowers for free who had their Lead Acid Batteries die. I'm in the process of building 18650 packs. Your previous video describing the new TP4056 was also very helpful. Thanks for your work.

  27. the powerrav 6700mah power bank has 2 x 3350 mah 18650s in it, lg or panasonic cellsits costs about 11 quid, and can provide 5v at 2.4 amps.even if you just take it apart for the cells it is great value

  28. Ah Julian just seen this video, seems you have discovered all the info already 🙂

    As I said same 36v pack as used in the Qualcast and Mac Allister garden tool range.

  30. Batteries in laptops usually have 3 months warranty so I wouldnt expec much more than that. (Apple computers can also not be used on an altitude above 9000 feet or something like that without voiding warranty).

  31. I'd actually like to get your thoughts on using this type of battery in place of lead acid deep cycle batteries on inverters for portable power. I've been doing it for a while now without much issue. The only thing I had to come up with is a way to charge them without having to do it on an individual basis. Cell holders for this type aren't hard to find and a simple charge balancing circuit was easy enough to build. I also built in an over temp circuit using a thermistor. Safety first and all. For a thousand watt 120 volt inverter I set the batteries in parallel sets of three. The lower voltage, higher amperage cells work well and hold up to heavy usage better due to their more robust construction. It was a fun project. I just wish I'd shot video of it.

  32. ICR = Lithium cobalt oxide
    INR = Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide
    IMR = Lithium manganese oxide

    ICNMR I guess means lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. These are usually marked with NMC though.

  33. Looks like you need a Florabest String Trimmer.  I really like these two videos on your new lawnmower.  Thanks for sharing.

  34. Hey Julian 🙂 10amps isn't really alot from batteries. suppose it depends on the make and model of them but Sony vct4 can safely do 30amps and vct5 can do 20amps but if your wanna find out more about batteries you should Google "mooch battery tests" he tests lots of batteries 🙂 he tested a few batteries to 100amp aswell and I'm sure Sony were the best. Ince again sorry for my inconsistent rambling lol. Take care 🙂

  35. Hello. I got an interesting question. I got 5 LiPo batteries, each 3.7V 20'000mAh, and its taking ages to charge them. Question would be, is it possible to charge LiPo with CC CV buck converter set to 4.2V and 10A or so

  37. hi Julian , the battery looks identical to the Macalister 36volt range at B and Q I bought a few of the 4 ah batteries as selling old stock for £34 . use them on my electric bike daily for over a year i use a thumb throttle use lots of power. they are quality Samsung cells I solder two packs in parallel for 8 ah . also the fast charger is light and brilliant

  38. 🙂 You made me buy a Lawnmower. I went today at Home Depot here in Canada and got a Ryobi 40V 🙂 yes is the same 10s2p cell configuration but 40V sounds better than 36V and the same brushless motor. I made a quick test and it works fine so I will keep it.
    It was 396 CAD reduced a bit from 449 CAD and has two batteries same 20 cells 94W written on them (they used 3.6V for that calculation x 2600mAh = 93.6Wh so rounded just a bit to 94Wh) and a large charge a bit nasty based on the noise my pure sine inverter makes. Charger is rated for 90minutes so a bit slower maybe.
    They have security screws and I do not have a bit for that maybe will need to order one to be able to open but I'm sure they have the same high power 1300mAh cells probably from Samsung.
    This is the model RY40112A and the two batteries are OP4026

  39. The date code could also mean the 3rd week of 2016 – not necessarily the month!

  41. The battery's service life may be extended by mowing half the lawn stopping and letting the battery cool down, then finishing. Would be interesting to try this to see if the battery charge lasts longer as well.

  42. Not very related question, but do you have a recommendation for a cheap (ebay) 18650 charger & capacity tester?

  43. I know cost is an issue but if they went with something like a samsung 25r, they could do 20 amps continuous each and increase the run time as well.

  44. The thing i'd miss the most with this thing is the smell of a 2-stroke engine and freshly mowed grass.

  45. They could put something like Sony US18650VTC4, but those are costly and 30A continuous might be bit overkill.

    Great for e-cigs tho…

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