I was so happy when I found these cheap li-ion cells that I didn’t realize they weren’t the same type as the ones I needed. To be fair, it was under the 18650 category and I just figured they were cheaper cause of the lower mAh rating. But they are of the same diameter and the same voltage so I figured I would put it together and see if it melts. Here they are in all their glory:

Just a tad shorter than the 18650's

I sprang for the metal tabs so I don’t have to solder wires directly onto the batteries. I started by melting some solder on both ends of the metal tabs so maybe they’ll fuse better, or something:

Solder on tabs

I should’ve known better when it took almost ten seconds to liquify the solder at max temperature. Trying to solder by heating up the opposite side of the metal tab was almost impossible… but then after an hour or two of trying to solder the blasted things together, I managed to heat up something else, and caught it on fire:

 

I hope I didn't kill that cell

This isn’t the first time I soldered, but it is the first time with this uber cheap iron. I’ll need to go grab some better ones before I attempt at this again.

 

Remember this iron? Don't ever use it if you know what's good for you

 

 

I’m heading to China tomorrow, wish me a safe flight! *afraid it’s going to asplode*