Flir Ex Series, opening the battery case

[class101]

Hello 👋

Could anyone provide directions on how to separate the battery compartment from the lower part without causing too much damage to the casing?

Since everything is tightly fitted together, I’m unsure where to apply pressure to slide out the 18650 cell housing.

I’d like to access the battery of my Flir E8 XT, yet I find information confirming this is possible and this is interesting for me because I have a charger and analyzer of battery health

[Fraser]

The bottom moulding just ‘unsnaps’ from the battery casing. You then have a plastic battery casing that is glued or welded together. A combination of cutting along the joint line and brute force is needed to separate the halves. There is a real risk of damage to the battery plastics. The battery does not contain a BQxxxx or gas gauge IC

[class101]

Hello Fraser,

I realized from the attached photo that the battery case is secured to the handle using clips designed to seal the case permanently. The only way to unseal it would be to break it. I’ll try to find a solution to convert this case, which turns the 18650 into a proprietary battery, into an accessible design that allows me to remove and reinsert the 18650. Ideally, I would need to print a new case. I’ve seen people sharing its design, but unfortunately, I don’t have access to a printer when I’m on the move.

[class101]

Ty Fraser for the pictures.

Another idea would be to make a small opening with an ultrasonic cutter to modify the original case.

To give you context why I’m looking to do this

I would like to verify the quality of the batteries, as I purchased a, brand new, model at an unbeatable price of €999. However, the product is from November 2023, so the batteries are 2 year old at minimum and I noticed that the voltage of the battery inserted in the E8 was at 0V, while the one outside remained above 4V. I want to ensure that the batteries haven't degraded in quality, considering this is a discontinued model and I have a charger supporting 8 chemistry types and 44 cell formats (SkyRC MC3000)

[Fraser]

Pictures of the battery protection PCB. It is not an easy task to convert an Ex battery pack to one where the Li-Ion cell is user exchangeable. A custom 3D printed alternative can be an easier path to follow but you have explained that you have no access to a printer.

[Fraser]

Class101,

I suggest that those batteries are actually in good order and you should not be concerning yourself about degradation in them at only 2 years old. I am still using Ex and EXX battery packs from 2013 and they still have excellent capacity. Quality Li-Ion cells were used in these packs. The battery pack that is showing 0V will be in sleep mode due to long term storage. The battery protection board will have electronically disconnected the battery because the cells voltage dropped below a set threshold. The cell is likely still fully functional and the application of 4V, with current limited to approximately 100mA, to the battery packs terminals will pass charge to the cell and bring it back from its sleep after a few minutes. The battery protection board will re-enable its output and you can charge the battery as normal, in the camera, it the external charger.

These FLIR battery packs are very long lived.

Fraser

[Fraser]

I also have that SkyRC MC3000 charger and battery Analyzer…..a really excellent bit of kit 

Fraser

[class101]

Wow Thank you very much for all the information; I’ll take some time to study it. 

It’s great to find another fan of this charger as well! Personally, I love it, it offers so many options to configure charge and discharge cycles exactly as you want. 

Honestly, I learned almost everything just by reading its manual, it’s really well written. 👍 

I love it so much that I use it exclusively now. I used to find USB-C charging convenient when I only had one or two flashlights, but now I have a few more, thanks to spending too much time reading flashlight and laser subreddits. I’ve also ended up with a bunch of measurement tools that run on batteries. Reusing this charger is obviously more practical than carrying around each manufacturer’s proprietary chargers, especially since, for example, my E8 XT just uses a standard 18650 Lithium-Ion battery. 😃

[Fraser]

It would be possible to drill two small holes in the top of the Ex battery to directly access the positive and negative terminals of the Li-Ion cell where it connected to the protection PCB, so bypassing the protection PCB for tests, if desired. Spring loaded Pogo pins may then be used to make a good contact with the solder on the protection PCB.

Some owners of the MC3000 added 4mm banana sockets to their units that are connected to one of the battery bays. This enables them to connect the MC3000 to cells that would not fit in the battery bay. I did not want to modify my MC3000 so I made a dummy battery that mounts in the battery bay and has connection cables coming from it to use on unusually shaped cells or in cased where I want to probe a single dell battery pack, such as that of the Ex. My dummy cell is 3D printed but I have seen people make one out of a piece of wood dowel with a thumb tack at each end to which wires are soldered. Not pretty, but it works ! I attach some pictures from the internet of other peoples ‘dummy battery’ adapters for single cell charging.

https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/r0hakf/diy_dummy_18650_magnetic_battery_charger_adapter/

Fraser

[Fraser]

You can also buy ready made dummy battery kits that are intended to be used to power battery powered equipment using a mains adapter. Prices and quality varies. The additional cells are shorted dummy’s to fill the battery bay in the equipment. The dummy connection cell may be used in a charger to connect to other types of cell format.

[Fraser]

This is what you are trying to make…..

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4241882

You could use an on-line 3D printing service to get it made for you maybe? You then have to attach the metalwork and solder connections.

Fraser