Puffs to Power Personal Project
This project involved designing and prototyping a low-cost portable phone charger using recycled lithium-ion batteries from disposable vapes. The end goal was to provide chargers that were inexpensive to produce to homeless individuals lacking reliable access to power, promoting both sustainability and social impact. The challenge was prototyping, as it took 6 versions of design before I was satisfied with the function and aesthetics. Utilizng the free 3D printers at my community college, I was able to keep the manufacturing costs low, at roughly $0.80 a unit.
The prototype shown uses 5, 3.7V 2.41Wh batteries wired in parallel with a charge protection board limiting output/input current to 1A for safety.
This was designed in SolidWorks, 3D printed on an UltiMaker 3D printer, and assembled by hand.
Project Images
