Before opening a lithium ion battery pack, you are responsible for educating yourself on the risks of lithium ion batteries, including but not limited to:
The risks from accidental or intentional short-circuts and physical damage to lithium ion battery packs and cells.
The risks of overcharging and overdischarge of lithium ion battery packs and cells.
Our quarry, a six cell lithium ion battery pack.The inside cells are 18mm. By measuring, we can get a good sense of where the two parallel rows of cells meet.I’ve scored the case with a utility knife inbetween the two parallel rows of cells. We give ourselves a margin of safety by cutting here, because there is a “valley” between the cells.By cutting slowly, using multiple passes, we can avoid cutting through too deeply.I switched to a hacksaw blade because the utility knife was going too slowly and took too much pressure. By using just the tip of the saw blade, I was able to scrape carefully through the rest of the case.After repeating the cut on the other side of the case, and carefully cutting through the ends, I was able to remove half the case without much effort. To finish the job, I started ripping open the remaining half of the case with pliers.I’m ripping a strip of plastic out so I can peel back the case and slip the battery free of the retaining ridges between the two rows of cells.Sweet, sweet battery meat!
