Battery Failure

[Larry Maxwell]

The other day I was working on the roof of my motor home when I started feeling heat and then burning in my right leg. I noticed my pants we're smoking; I was trying to get them off when my pants exploded.
I had purchaded a new weather radio and batteries from a retailer and had the radio turned off and in my pocket. Can anyone tell me what went so terribly wrong.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Maybe the wrong type of battery. e.g. Li-Ion where a Ni-Cd should go. A defective battery. Samsung has suggested modifying the phone so it doesn;t charge the Li-ion battery more than 60%.

Another scenero: The battery door fell off and either coins or keys shorted the pack. The larger Li-Ion packs should have a battery protector that prevents overcharge and fast discharge.

 

[audioguru]

Another cause of the battery explosion might be that the battery and radio were made cheaper than is possible and with no concern for safety. What will happen when their cheap cars come here??

 

[Tony Stewart]

Send an affidavit for supplier and state your demands for the lack of safety on the product.

 

[audioguru]

They will not make safe products because stupid people buy their cheap dangerous junk.
Maybe they are learning. I buy cheap Chinese solar garden lights and put colors-changing LEDs in them. They used to have an old fashioned Ni-Cad battery cell that leaked its toxic chemicals and rusted away in a couple of months but recently the battery cells are safer and properly sealed Ni-MH and they do not rust. Their solar panels used to be plastic that got sunburned but recently they are glass and last a long time.

 

[Tony Stewart]

ag remember when "made in japan" meant cheap quality new technology? China has so much R&D now that improvement will be rapid.

 

[audioguru]

When I was 10 years old my AM portable radio had 6 germanium transistors. My friend got one that said on its case, "12 transistors!" so was his better than mine? No, the Japanese cheated because inside 6 of its transistors were connected together in a circle but were not connected to the 6 transistors radio circuit.

36 years ago when Bell's monopoly for telephone systems in Canada ended I worked on Goldstar (S. Korean) office telephone systems. The soldering was the worst I have ever seen. Today Goldstar is called LG (Lucky Goldstar) and make high-tech products properly.

 

[Larry Maxwell]

Thx for the information and suggestions. The weather radio came with a charger. I had the option of operating on regular AA batteries (3) or rechargeable batteries. I chose the regular AA batteries. I never operated the radio with rechargeable batteries.