How to Upgrade Your 2600mAh Powerbank to 5000mAh

by danleow

17K3523


Intro: How to Upgrade Your 2600mAh Powerbank to 5000mAh

This video shows you how to upgrade your 2600mAh powerbank to 5000mAh. This is for the popular 2600mAh keychain powerbank found in eBay. You don't need a rocket scientist brain to do this!!!! :P

Warning! quick solder on battery terminal. Li-Ion battery can explode when expose to heat for long period of time. Best is to discharge the battery and wear safety glass.

What you need?

1. Soldering iron and flux

2. 5000mAh 18650 battery ($10 or less in eBay)

3. Precision screw driver or pryer

Step 1: Open the cover by create a small opening at the side and then insert pryer or precision screw driver to gently snap open the cover.

Step 2: Remove the internal battery and the USB circuit board from the holder. Check and remember the terminal wire colour (red wire for + and black wire for -)

Step 3: Unsolder the wire attached to the internal battery. Then solder the wire onto the new battery. Make sure the terminal is correct.

Step 4: Check the circuit by charging it and charge a usb device. If all well, close the cover. If all fails, check the wiring.

There you go, you have upgraded your 2600mAh powerbank to 5000mAh.

23 Comments

ForumP 8 years ago

Sir, I have single cell powerbank. If I add the Additional same type of cell(parallel) then it would be OK or it may left burnt up the PCB?

danleow 8 years ago

Addin the batteries in parallel is ok but don't connect in series or serial.

ForumP 8 years ago

Thanks..
That means we can add multiple cells so that the capacity is increased, but dont its PCB has any load of it?

danleow 8 years ago

only if you connect the batteries in parallel you will maintain

samalert 8 years ago

hey mate i dont know why but i connected 4 old laptop battery in parallel checked voltage it was 3.7v and then as soon as i connected the connections went red hot and burnt. Pcb was saved but am not sure why it happened. Then i started testing with two and its still happening same why is that so. And yes i am connecting in parallel and checking voltage on multimeter

SianaG 7 years ago

Perhaps instead of parallel, you accidentally connected them antiparallel, i.e. plus to minus and minus to plus. This is actually a short circuited series connection, causing the maximum possible current to flow, as much as the cells will emit. However, between the common terminals, the voltage is close to 0V, so there was no electrical damage to charge controller.

That the wires got red hot means that the cells took thermal damage too. Toss them away, you can no longer use them.

Another possibilty is much less likely, that one of the cells gained high ESR and another low, due to repeated series charging without full balancing, causing a difference in apparent voltage when they were connected, which caused compensation currents to flow. But it's difficult, nearly impossible for that to occur at such currents as to heat up the connections red hot, because then ESR is current-limiting. What normally happens is that it either levels off or the battery depletes itself and becomes useless, but no extreme temperatures.

samalert 7 years ago

I actually used thin wires and those heated up. After using multi stranded wire it worked good. Connections were good though.

danleow 8 years ago

Only if you connect the batteries in parallel you will increase the capacity but maintain the same voltage as a single cell bat. Usually the PCB in powerbanks accepts about 3.7V which is about the same as 18650 bat.

JesseL35 8 years ago

I dont think there is such thing as a 5000mah 18650 battery i think the highest 18650 battery would be 3000mah

SianaG 7 years ago

You are quite correct. The highest capacity 18650 size cells are approx. 3500-3600 mAh, made by Panasonic (ex Sanyo) and LG Chem. Which is honestly quite impressive already, i mean anything beyond approx. 1600-2000 is no longer terribly trivial, which is about how much you can expect from cells made by Chinese chemical companies, no matter how much they exaggerate.

I'm not sure i'd take those cells of unknown origin even for free, i mean what it they grow a lithium dendrite inside and short out? There's still plenty of energy in there to make the consequences uncomfortable.

NathanielP11 8 years ago

You can buy 6000mah 18650 batteries from chinese sellers.

JesseL35 8 years ago

Just because they state 6000mah batteries it does not mean it is actually its capacity there is such thing as fake you know. If such capacity exists then how come the major manufactures dont produce it. It is most likely a fake

NathanielP11 8 years ago

Lol yeah I was aware of that. I was kinda joking. I was making fun of how they claim the batteries to be 6000mah. But the thing is - Chinese sellers are afraid of negative feedback, ironically. Thus one could easily get a refund, and end up with free batteries. Your reason for refund could be that the storage was exaggrated.

sunitz 7 years ago

What will happen to led indicator after upgrading battery, will it show proper indication of battery being fully charged or not? And what is parallel circuit.?

Muteeb UllahK 8 years ago

sir can you make one for me please... i would love to purchase it

tinkercad1 8 years ago

Those 5000mah or 6000mah batteries are fake. You are mostly buying lower than 2600mah.
The best 18650 battery has 3500mah and it's LG INR18650 MJ1 or Panasonic at 3400mah and only IF you find genuine. Be careful because they sell these on ebay and some are fake.
Also, don't forget, you need UNPROTECTED batteries
Look here. They were selling 66mah batteries disguised as 18650. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOshOXcSkDA

danleow 9 years ago

18650 battery should weigh about 45grams. Most fake 18650 batteries weigh less than 40g. So your battery should be genuine.

I have video of some fake batteries,

venauntopo 9 years ago

What a pitty! thank you for the explanation.

ironsmiter 9 years ago

double check ACTUAL capacity.

Not to be contentious, but what brand cell did you use?

And if buying them, rather than risk questionable soldering in a dangerous battery, get tabbed cells. It isnt more than a few cents extra to get the soldering tabs prewelded on, ad us much safer.

The only 5000mAh cell I have ever seen was a 32650. And the highest capacity 18650 was 3800mAh. There are plenty of ebay listings, amazon listings, and even manufacturer listings over that amount, but MOST any cell/battery claiming over 3200mAh is going to be a relabled cell of much lower capacity.

And if it has "fire" anywhere in the name, you KNOW it is at least overrated, if nit a flat out fake. The best "fire" cell I ever tested was actually a USED sony cell that had had the protection circuit ripped off, then filed flat(I could still see evidence of 2 of the spot welds they couldnt get all the way off). It was "rated" at 2600, and produced an actual 1800.

For a quick survey if ebay batteries, check out http://www.ebay.com/gds/18650-Battery-Buying-Guid... for a more comprehensive, but older, review of batteries and capacities, try http://www.ebay.com/gds/18650-Battery-Buying-Guid...

Now, I HAVE recelled things like this. For friends and family who have bought the round powerbanks (looks like a large lipstick), they often have garbage cells in them, but ok circuitry. Sony, and panasonic cells with solder tabs turn these dollarstore rejects into useful power supplies.

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