Glow Stick Battery Change

[Andy J]

Does anyone recognise the glowstick as pictured below and can advise how to access the battery. End cap appears to be firmly attached so unsure if its screwed on or is a tight push fit.

 

Need to change the battery as it no longer holds its charge.

[Robin Colbourne]

The aluminium piece in the middle of the photo is normally screwed on with a fine righthand (normal) thread.

When you get it apart, give the brass contact in the middle of the aluminium piece a good clean.  This is often the source of problems.

[Gunnar Borseth]

Mine was a push fit. Remember to take the plastic of the top of the new battery before you press it in. 

[Robin Colbourne]

11 minutes ago, Gunnar Borseth said:

Mine was a push fit. Remember to take the plastic of the top of the new battery before you press it in. 

Gunnar is right.  I'm thinking of the ones with a larger cell inside an aluminium housing.  The Sub C cell type as shown has the steel casing of the cell pushing straight into the aluminium cup.
Pouring boiling water over it will cause the aluminium to expand at a greater rate than the steel, which may make it easier to separate the two parts.

 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

Bin it, it just isn't worth the bother,,,

[Andy J]

Well tapped off the cap but no further forward as how the cell is changed. Thought the outer shell was a container for a sub C but it appears that the outer shell is the battery and the sprung lead is simply soldered onto the battery.

 

Certainly thinking it now will be easier to buy another.

[Frank Skilbeck]

1 hour ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

Bin it, it just isn't worth the bother,,,

Yep, by the time the battery goes often the clamp doesn't hold onto the glow plug very well either.

[Phil Green]

If the problem is only that it doesnt hold its charge, ie it works but goes flat between sessions, I would try flashing it first,

it only takes seconds so you may as well try, it might save you a lot of faff.  

[Don Fry]

15 minutes ago, Phil Green said:

If the problem is only that it doesnt hold its charge, ie it works but goes flat between sessions, I would try flashing it first,

it only takes seconds so you may as well try, it might save you a lot of faff.  

Too late, it’s in bits. Not too lamented

[Andy Stephenson]

Once you have removed the aluminium housing, the spring needs to be compressed away from the positive end of the cell to unsolder it. I used clamping forceps to hold the wire. To reattach it to a new cell, the positive end of the new cell will need to be tinned first so the wire can easily be soldered. Some force may be required to fit the cell back into the housing. Be careful not to cut through the insulation of the wire.

[Andy J]

13 hours ago, Phil Green said:

If the problem is only that it doesnt hold its charge, ie it works but goes flat between sessions, I would try flashing it first,

it only takes seconds so you may as well try, it might save you a lot of faff.  

Had not thought that the battery could be recovered,  so after a quick read on the methods available I will try freezing the battery for 24Hrs and then a discharge to below 0.6v.

[Phil Green]

'Flashing' is applying a very high charge current for a very short time, typically a momentary tap of a wire onto the cell (like a single knock on a door), to blow internal dendrites & whiskers

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Phil Green

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

I got hold of one of those emergency Exit sign battery's around 30 years ago and put it on a 5 amp charger, my ears are still ringing from the bang when it exploded in my model shop !, so be careful when you fiddle with it.

[Andy J]

Will not be applying a high charge current Paul. Thought we I saw the post suggesting flashing that a web search using that term would not prove useful. So I searched for NiCad recovery which took me first to the Battery University which suggested using the 0.4 to 0.6v per cell discharge and then to another that recommended the freezer.

 

No harm in trying both as little to lose.

[Andy Stephenson]

I've tried flashing Ni-Cd batteries in the past and it has never given me satisfactory results. I haven't tried it with Ni-MH but I wouldn't expect it to do any good either.

[Phil Green]

Its a long-standing, widely accepted technique especially in the model car world or was until everything moved on to lipos 😊

 

[Andy J]

Well I tried my method and the battery does seem to be holding its charge now.