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Wasabi battery won't take a charge
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Sep 17, 2019 12:08:29   #
LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY
 
larryepage wrote:
90% Isopropyl Alcohol is the preferred choice, but it can be hard to find.


90%-95% Isopropyl can be found in any drugstore, or, any drug department, such as in Walmart. Equate, for example, labels it simply as '91% Isopropyl Alcohol'. I've also seen it labeled as 'Antiseptic Alcohol' with Isopropyl and the percentage in smaller lettering.

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Sep 17, 2019 12:29:14   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
I had one of the small ‘D-LI68’ / ‘NP-50’ batteries show no voltage / no charge on my Watson charger. Just about the time I was going to give up, it sprang to life again. If the charger doesn’t give up, we shouldn’t give up. I believe the main lesson is not putting it away with a charge less than 20% or so.

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Sep 17, 2019 12:37:58   #
Tedster
 
Ah, I wondered what the method that could make them explode consisted of-- I bet this is it, huh? Thanks for the tip and the cautions.

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Sep 17, 2019 12:47:50   #
Tedster
 
My camera does not tell me percentages of charge. More of a "Yes", "No" in answer to the question "Is there power in this battery?"

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Sep 17, 2019 12:51:17   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Tedster wrote:
My camera does not tell me percentages of charge. More of a "Yes", "No" in answer to the question "Is there power in this battery?"

One of the biggest advantages of a Watson charger is that it reports “percentage charged”, so I can track what is happening.

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Sep 17, 2019 13:02:07   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Tedster wrote:
Ah, I wondered what the method that could make them explode consisted of-- I bet this is it, huh? Thanks for the tip and the cautions.

The batteries that have “exploded” or caught fire may have developed a short. I touch a charging battery periodically to see if it is getting too hot.

When I was in grad school I had an early Honeywell electronic flash with a non-replaceable battery. One night I woke up and discovered it was emitting acrid smoke - turned out it was too hot to touch, so I unplugged the charger and waited for it to cool down before trashing it.

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Sep 17, 2019 17:15:53   #
Tedster
 
Yuk yuk. Stopped me just in time.

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Sep 17, 2019 17:23:43   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
Tedster wrote:
Yuk yuk. Stopped me just in time.


You do have to be careful when attempting to recharge Li ions that have discharged below the “protection” voltage. The last time I did it (successfully) on a battery that I could not find a replacement for, I monitored charging voltage and current, used a current limiting supply, and placed the battery in a glass dish in the event of fire. The charging current can increase very rapidly once you pass the charging threshold, and unless you can limit it or decrease the voltage in real-time, you can produce a “thermal event” that can be unpleasant.

BTW, the battery survived and seems to behave normally, but I make a point to use it and recharge at least monthly. This thread just reminded me to put it in the charger...

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Sep 17, 2019 17:25:23   #
Tedster
 
Yes, the battery is several years old and has sat around for long periods. I didn't know they could leak their charge away, thanks. OK on the extended time: I have set it up to go for a day or two. I do have "rubbing alcohol", but it is 91%, so I am guessing it is OK to use?

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Sep 17, 2019 17:28:20   #
Tedster
 
Oh, urk, more exploding batteries. If just trying to charge it can make it go ballistic, perhaps I should just ashcan it.

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Sep 17, 2019 17:29:29   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
Tedster wrote:
Yes, the battery is several years old and has sat around for long periods. I didn't know they could leak their charge away, thanks. OK on the extended time: I have set it up to go for a day or two. I do have "rubbing alcohol", but it is 91%, so I am guessing it is OK to use?


We had a similar subject on a thread a week or so ago. An apparently well informed commentator was vociferous in his contention that Li ions could not self discharge over time, but both every source I could locate and my own experience says otherwise. The 91% IPA (not India Pale Ale 😎) should be fine...

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Sep 18, 2019 08:26:53   #
Silverrails
 
jerryc41 wrote:
There was a fire on a scuba diving boat, and lithium batteries were mentioned as possible cause. It cold be a year before the investigation is finished. No survivors. I hope someone comes up with a safe alternative to lithium batteries.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonwells/dive-boat-fire-preliminary-report-ntsb


Yes Indeed that Boat fire was a Tragic event, I also read that the possibility of Camera batteries being investigated as a cause of the fire. Maybe to many being "Plugged-in" at the same time, or other reasons, not determined as yet, look forward to hearing what the final investigation reveals.

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Sep 18, 2019 09:25:09   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Silverrails wrote:
Yes Indeed that Boat fire was a Tragic event, I also read that the possibility of Camera batteries being investigated as a cause of the fire. Maybe to many being "Plugged-in" at the same time, or other reasons, not determined as yet, look forward to hearing what the final investigation reveals.

It is not clear what they are thinking in this case - too many batteries being charged at once ..... or battery 'spontaneously' overheating and causing fire. Hopefully they will tell us more once they've had chance to inspect actual boat.

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Sep 22, 2019 18:03:47   #
Tedster
 
OK, last word on this Wasabi battery: I did the remove/reinsert, remove etc for about 45 minutes and that had no effect. Ditto with cleaning the contacts. Then I did the leve it charge for 24-48 hours and, at first, i thought it was working: At 24 hrs., I took it out because my camera said it was charged, and I tried it only to find that there was power enough to operate the flash and review previous shots on the chip but it would not tkae new shots-- did the flash, did the expected clicking sounds and there was no new shot on the chip. I put it back in the charger for another 24 hrs and took it out without checking it, let it sit a day and the camera says it has no charge (hey, where did that charge go??) so I am done with it. Recycling time for it.

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Sep 22, 2019 19:29:54   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
Tedster wrote:
OK, last word on this Wasabi battery: I did the remove/reinsert, remove etc for about 45 minutes and that had no effect. Ditto with cleaning the contacts. Then I did the leve it charge for 24-48 hours and, at first, i thought it was working: At 24 hrs., I took it out because my camera said it was charged, and I tried it only to find that there was power enough to operate the flash and review previous shots on the chip but it would not tkae new shots-- did the flash, did the expected clicking sounds and there was no new shot on the chip. I put it back in the charger for another 24 hrs and took it out without checking it, let it sit a day and the camera says it has no charge (hey, where did that charge go??) so I am done with it. Recycling time for it.
OK, last word on this Wasabi battery: I did the r... (show quote)


Right answer.

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