Li-Ion Battery Safety So the new thing on the block is using LED flashlights to help spot and find holograms and other imperfections in the paint. LED lights work great for this and are very useful but with this increased use around here on DB I just wanted to point out some safety issues I would like to point out. First off most of us using them will be using, Li-Ion batteries, they are wonderful technology in the land of batteries but not all are made equally. First off please always use protected cells to help prevent over or under charging as both can be dangerous. The most dangerous part of Li-Ion batteries is during the charging phase, always place the charger on a non-flammable surface and not around items that are flammable. Do not leave the charger un-attended and always unplug and remove the batteries after they have charged so prevent over charging of the cells. Also do not let the batteries discharge to depletion, this should be prevented via the protection circuit in protected batteries. This goes for regular, primary, and rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (Such as CR123 cells) if you hear a hissing sound or a chemical smell throw the light and run as it is venting and dont want to be near it. Now this is not meant to scare anyone from never using Li-Ions (Rechargeable or Primaries) but please use some smarts and use proper safety measures when charging Li-Ion batteries. If anyone has anything to add to this let me know and I will add it to the original post. Addition: Most of the cells used in LED lights, such as 18650 size Li-Ion rechargeable batteries were made for use in packs such as notebook batteries, RC toys, and other packs were a circuit is also used to prevent over and under charging that is robust. They were modified to use in LED batteries and this is why big name companies do no release them to the public and you can not find them at all stores but some hobby shops. They are not dummy prof and should use caution.
