Re: [avr-chat] Li-ion cell phone batteries

[Blake Leverett]

I don't know where you can buy the connector - try Digikey first - but I will 
caution you to be VERY careful with Li-ion batteries.  Many people have 
burned down their houses, cars, and garages messing with these things.

LiIon batteries are pretty safe, until you damage it (drop it or accidentally 
poke it).  I have a friend who accidentally punctured one with a screwdriver, 
and it caused a fire he could not put out - water only made it worse.  
Luckily it was in a sink and he finally got a fire extinguisher to put it 
out.

Also, charging the battery incorrectly is very likely to cause a fire.  Make 
sure you use a LiIon charger, and don't leave it charging unattended.

The RC community (guys playing with model planes and cars) have learned that 
the only safe place for an unattended LiIon battery is in a fire-proof 
container, like a bucket of sand, with the batteries under half the sand.  No  
kidding.

I know that your laptop and cellphone have a LiIon battery and they are very 
safe.  But having one on the bench running around loose, and being manually 
charged, is a potentially dangerous situation.

See these pages for some pictures:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140641
http://www.laureanno.com/RC/fire-pics.htm

Sorry to be so pushy about this, but most EE's don't know how dangerous these 
things can be.  So just be careful, and don't leave it sitting around on a 
wooden table while it charges.

Blake

On Friday 28 March 2008, Robert L Cochran wrote:
> Since Joerg advised me to try powering my ATMega644 circuit with a 3.6v
> battery, I found one in an old Sony Ericsson cell phone. It is a Power
> Products rechargeable battery. It is small, square, there is some sort
> of dark wrapping around it, and on the left side is a very small white
> plastic, 3-wire connector with black, blue, and red wires. The blue wire
> is the center one. The print on the battery is partly rubbed out but
> "Ericsson T60/61" is still legible. The phone is a model T61c. There is
> no voltage printed on the battery label.
>
> I think I can charge this battery with my Pro-Peak Prodigy II charger,
> if only I can find the right connectors for the battery. And that is my
> question. Where can I find connectors that would make this battery
> useful on charger and/or breadboard circuit? The charger should be able
> to get the voltage and current rating from the battery's circuit board,
> right?
>
> Thanks
>
> Bob Cochran
> Greenbelt, Maryland, USA