Revolt Kits

Safety

Every Revolt Kits build involves a harvested lithium cell and a hot soldering iron. Read this page before you start — it's linked from every product and tutorial page instead of repeated on each one.

Handling the harvested battery

  • Assume no built-in protection. Unlike a name-brand power bank, a cell pulled from a disposable vape usually has no protection circuit of its own. Treat it as a bare lithium cell: don't short the terminals, don't over-discharge it, and don't charge it unattended.
  • Check it before you use it. Inspect every harvested cell for punctures, dents, swelling, or a bulging wrapper before wiring it into a kit. If the cell is swollen, punctured, leaking, or smells odd, do not use it — dispose of it at a battery recycling drop-off point, not in household trash.
  • Watch it while charging. Charge on a non-flammable surface (not on a bed, couch, or paper), stay in the room while it charges, and stop immediately if it gets more than warm to the touch, swells, or discolors.
  • Keep it away from heat and water. Don't leave the finished kit in direct sun, a hot car, or somewhere it can get wet — lithium cells are sensitive to both heat and moisture.
  • Store and dispose of it properly. Tape over bare terminals for storage or transport. When a cell reaches end of life, take it to a battery recycling drop-off — never put a lithium cell in household trash or a curbside recycling bin.

Soldering safety

  • The iron stays hot after it's off. A soldering iron tip runs at several hundred °F/°C and stays dangerously hot for a while after you unplug it. Always use a stand, and never touch the metal tip or barrel.
  • Work in a ventilated space. Solder fumes shouldn't be breathed in directly — work near an open window or a fan, and avoid leaning directly over the joint while soldering.
  • Protect your eyes and your surface. Safety glasses are a good habit, and a heatproof mat protects the table underneath from accidental contact with a hot tip.
  • Adult supervision for younger builders. If a kid is doing the soldering, an adult should be present for that step — soldering irons and lithium cells are not unsupervised-kid tools, even on an easy build.
  • Let it cool before you close the case. Give solder joints time to cool before handling them or 3D-printed parts before you seat them against warm components.

This page covers general good practice, not a substitute for your own judgment. If something about a specific cell or joint looks wrong, stop and don't use it.