27 replies to this topic

[Bubba Longshot]

The homemade dummy batteries are probably a great way to start a fire.
The wire will be better especially if you solder the ends of the wire to make sure they don't come loose.

Yeah, my plan was to solder the wire in place.
One last question, a nerfer that is in my local area uses trustfires, and asked me for some safety tips. Since I use imrs, I have no tips. Could you guys kindly tell me some trustfires charging/storing tips? Thanks

Edited by Bubba Longshot, 16 July 2017 - 02:17 PM.

[Meaker VI]

Yeah, my plan was to solder the wire in place.
One last question, a nerfer that is in my local area uses trustfires, and asked me for some safety tips. Since I use imrs, I have no tips. Could you guys kindly tell me some trustfires charging/storing tips? Thanks

 

DON'T USE THEM IN NERF BLASTERS.

 

Alternatively, Jwasko has a good explanation here when asked basically the same thing.

 

Quoted:

 

Wait so should I not be using the trustfires, or was that just a result of overcharging which is something I am in fact aware of.

It's generally not good to overcharge, over-discharge, or over-drain them.

 

By over-discharge I mean using them until their charge runs so low that their individual voltage is less than 3.3volts.

 

By over-drain I mean using them in high-drain situations that they weren't made for...like running not just one but two or even three motors that demand a lot of current. This can cause the batteries to heat up and the voltage to sag (drop) below 3.3volts. Both will damage your batteries (maybe catastrophically/dangerously, or maybe they just stop working).

 

In all honesty many people have put trustfires in their blasters without anything blowing up. Coop and Drac are still alive, anyway. But there is a legitimate safety concern even when they are charged properly, recharged before being over-discharged, and used in a well-wired/well-insulated blaster simply because Trustfires weren't meant to be used in such devices.

 

Also, while some Li-ion rechargeables are in fact well made, there are many knockoffs that go by the name "Trustfire" or "Ultrafire" that are not made to nearly the same standards. Even using a knockoff as recommended may get you in trouble, if the manufacturer did not match the promised specs.

 

And one last note: I thought that most people used unprotected trustfires because the protection circuits had a tendency to shut down their battery under heavy use. Basically, they have a thermoresistor in them...you know, the thing everyone wants to take out of their blasters in the first place?

 

So you can either use protected trustfires and possibly have your blaster cut out in the middle of a zombie horde.

 

Or use unprotected trustfires and have your batteries heat up and/or discharge until they damage themselves (at which point you will have to buy new ones because they won't be able to hold a charge anymore).

 

Edit: Or use something else, like these IMR 14500s. This is apparently a reputable dealer, too, so they won't be knockoffs.Like Felix said they should work in most any Trustfire charger, but they do sell chargers on that site too if you need one.

 

Edit 2: This seems like a rather good article. Written for Vapers, but some of the same stuff applies.

[Bubba Longshot]

Thanks, I'll pass on the info.