Battery disaster - Revision history

Lynch at 11:20, 12 March 2010

2010-03-12T11:20:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:20, 12 March 2010
Line 2:		Line 2:

	At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up		At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
			<!-- link has changed! [http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is -->
	~~[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is~~ a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the battery's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5 cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).		a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the battery's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5 cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

	Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.		Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

Lynch at 11:16, 12 March 2010

2010-03-12T11:16:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:16, 12 March 2010
Line 2:		Line 2:

	At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up		At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
	[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the ~~motor~~'s internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5 cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).		[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the battery's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5 cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

	Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.		Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

Sam Bobb at 19:51, 18 August 2009

2009-08-18T19:51:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:51, 18 August 2009
Line 7:		Line 7:

	Lesson: you can't be too careful in charging a Li-Ion battery! If a particular charger-battery combination has not been fully tested before, only try it somewhere no one will get hurt and nothing important destroyed!		Lesson: you can't be too careful in charging a Li-Ion battery! If a particular charger-battery combination has not been fully tested before, only try it somewhere no one will get hurt and nothing important destroyed!


			[[Category:e-puck]]

Lynch at 17:05, 19 December 2007

2007-12-19T17:05:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:05, 19 December 2007
Line 2:		Line 2:

	At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up		At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
	[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the motor's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a ~~5cm~~ x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).		[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the motor's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5 cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

	Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.		Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

Lynch at 02:00, 18 December 2007

2007-12-18T02:00:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 17 December 2007
Line 2:		Line 2:

	At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up		At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
	[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the motor's internals. The charger board ~~itself~~ had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).		[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the motor's internals. The charger board had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

	Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.		Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

Lynch at 02:00, 18 December 2007

2007-12-18T02:00:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 17 December 2007
Line 2:		Line 2:

	At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up		At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
	[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off. The charger board itself had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).		[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off, while the two - spring terminals remained, attached to burnt remnants of the motor's internals. The charger board itself had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

	Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the + terminal) blew off the board, taking the + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.		Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the battery's + terminal) blew off the board, taking the board's + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

	Lesson: you can't be too careful in charging a Li-Ion battery! If a particular charger-battery combination has not been fully tested before, only try it somewhere no one will get hurt and nothing important destroyed!		Lesson: you can't be too careful in charging a Li-Ion battery! If a particular charger-battery combination has not been fully tested before, only try it somewhere no one will get hurt and nothing important destroyed!

Lynch at 01:56, 18 December 2007

2007-12-18T01:56:07Z

New page

[[Image:blown-up-battery.jpg]]

At the left of this photo you see the e-puck's 3.6V Li-Ion battery. Next to it you see one that was blown up during the charging process. I made a little board (with no electronics) to hold the battery, with two spring terminals at one end of the battery ("ground") and one button terminal at the + end of the battery. Then I hooked up
[http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3148 this charger], which is a "smart charger" made to charge a 3.6V (or 3.7V) Li-Ion battery at 0.5 amps (though this company does not sell the particular battery used in the e-puck, so naturally this combination had never been tested before). I attached the + and - leads of the smart charger to the board's terminals as appropriate, then left my office for an hour while I attended a talk. When I came back, my office smelled of chemicals and smoke, and I found pieces of the internals of the battery in a blast radius of several feet around the spot where I had left the battery. The large shell portion of the battery was found on the floor about 8 feet away from where the battery was charging, next to a gash it had left in the plasterboard of the wall. So obviously it had ejected with quite a bit of force! The small metal piece that completes the shell of the battery had not gone far. As you can see on the remains of the charger board, the + button terminal was blown off. The charger board itself had fallen to the floor by the table it was initially on, where it burned a 5cm x 5 cm portion of the carpet (other smaller burns on the carpet were found scattered).

Reconstructing, it appears that the two - spring terminals acted as a launching pad, and the large piece of the shell (which includes the + terminal) blew off the board, taking the + button terminal with it, and leaving behind the small "cap" of the shell that was braced against the two - spring terminals.

Lesson: you can't be too careful in charging a Li-Ion battery! If a particular charger-battery combination has not been fully tested before, only try it somewhere no one will get hurt and nothing important destroyed!