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18650 Insulator ring lost - I'm getting paranoid

EZG

Member For 2 Years
Hey,

I lost one of my 18650 insulators during the rewrap process, and I read online that it's not safe at all to use the battery without it. I'm scared, lol.

Is it really dangerous to use the battery without that little plastic ring ? It looks like it doesn't protect anything since the new wrap comes over it anyway...
I made sure to let the wrap be higher as usual so it can cover way more surface on top to make it for the lack of insulator, but I still don't wanna use the battery I'm getting paranoid.

Check on the picture, with (on the left) and without insulator (on the right), it seems to be the same thing, please help xD

0lnBcb.jpg
CB96JR.jpg
7gKD94.jpg


Any way to make a "100% safe homemade" insulator ?
 

SteveS45

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NOT SAFE Without an insulator the Positive can contact the Negative if you get a tiny slit in the wrap. Definitely playing with fire with that battery.
 

jwill

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This is a no no. Get a card of insulator rings from amazon. Possible lifetime supply $8
https://amzn.to/2GiTjDg
 

Teresa P

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Kidney Puncher has them too, I got some there.
In a pinch, I have made my own out of thin plastic or a couple pieces of paper.
 

Kranky Kanger

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Member For 2 Years
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As others have said DO NOT use the battery. It isn't a matter of if, but when without that insulator. Most certainly not safe to use the way it is now. :eek:
 

EZG

Member For 2 Years
Ok so I will not use this battery for sure before rewrapping with an insulator. But I still dont understand how it protect from shorts, how can it shorts ? The plastic from the wrap cover the exact same surface as the insulator, I dont get it.
So I can make one myself with any plastic thing I cut ?
 

Mattp169

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if you have a music store that does woodwind repair near you, ask the repair tech for an 18mm flute shim. the second thinnest one he/she has. They cost us like a penny or less.
 

SteveS45

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Member For 5 Years
The plastic from the wrap cover the exact same surface as the insulator, I dont get it.


Look at the shell which is NEGATIVE and the Center which is POSITIVE. Connect the two and you have a dead short. If they connect bad things will happen.


unwrapped-sidebyside_1024x1024.jpg
 

EZG

Member For 2 Years
I understand which are positive and negative. But I dont understand how the insulator protect more than the wrap itself since it covers the same area
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
But I dont understand how the insulator protect more than the wrap itself since it covers the same area

Go ahead and use then and we can say I told you so when you have your 15 minutes of fame when it shorts. The wrap is not enough to protect from a short so that is why it has an insulator.
 

EZG

Member For 2 Years
Go ahead and use then and we can say I told you so when you have your 15 minutes of fame when it shorts. The wrap is not enough to protect from a short so that is why it has an insulator.

Wtf is wrong with you. i'm not saying "I want to use it I dont care I dont trust you". I'm just trying to UNDERSTAND. And at the moment, I dont understand how the insulator protect from a short knowing that the wrap covers the exact same surface, what would create a short then ? I just don't get it. And it seems that you don't too judging from your free aggressiveness.
 

JMB17

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Yes, the wrap is covering the area but being covered is not enough to make it safe. What material it's covered with is what makes it safe to use.
Example: You can wrap a potato with saran wrap but if you put it in the oven it'll burn and melt all over your potato. But if you wrap the potato with tin foil and put it in the oven you'll have a perfectly edible potato. In both cases the potato is being covered but only in one of those cases (the tin foil) will the potato be edible in the end. Not the greatest example but it works.
The insulator on the battery is in fact an insulator. The battery wrap on the other hand is not.
 
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Mattp169

Platinum Contributor
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ok look at it this way.
The positive is almost level with the top of the can which is negative. So if the thin wrap tears at the top of the can even slightly, there's a possibility the top of the can touches the mods positive contact and the positive of the battery will be touching the positive contact as well and then you have a short. plus it's the contacts rubbing that often cause a tear. Plus and I have no idea hear, the insulator definitely can not conduct electricity, but those thin wraps just might conduct electricity.
Also the insulator is the full diameter of the can. if that wrap is even leaving the smallest fraction of a millimeter of the negative can exposed it can touch the positive contact of the mod and once again short.
 

EZG

Member For 2 Years
ok look at it this way.
The positive is almost level with the top of the can which is negative. So if the thin wrap tears at the top of the can even slightly, there's a possibility the top of the can touches the mods positive contact and the positive of the battery will be touching the positive contact as well and then you have a short. plus it's the contacts rubbing that often cause a tear. Plus and I have no idea hear, the insulator definitely can not conduct electricity, but those thin wraps just might conduct electricity.
Also the insulator is the full diameter of the can. if that wrap is even leaving the smallest fraction of a millimeter of the negative can exposed it can touch the positive contact of the mod and once again short.

Thanks a lot for logical explanation.
They're Sony VTC-6, and the insulator was pretty cheap, that's why I didn't understand how it protects more than the wrap itself in the first place. I see some videos on Youtube of 18650 where I'm like "Oh ok this insulator is rock-solid and clearly protecting". Insulators on my VTC-6 ? No, didn't feel that way. They felt even cheaper than my new wrap actually.

EDIT: Insulators I find to buy are just papers that I will have to cut myself. Is it safe if I made one myself then instead of ordering some ? Which material ?
 

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