wclark

I have purchased NEW Nikon Li-ion Batteries from "BEST BUY" stores so these are not the cheap knockoffs. Problem is. I have dropped the battery on my basement floor and the battery will not function or recharge. What is the problem?

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

Dropping a heavy battery results in the ' ga - broken ' stage of wires dislodged etc etc.

Sarge69

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

I've never heard of that one. Did you drop the battery by itself or was it in the charger at the time? I assume you've already checked the charger with another battery if that was the case.

Look carefully for a cracked battery case around the connection terminals. That could allow one of the terminal pins to be out of alignment with the device you're plug it into.

Compare the connection terminal area to the same area on a known working battery. Could an alignment tab, likely plastic, have broken off and now when you push the battery into the charger or camera, the device doesn't recognize that it's physically there?

I once broke an alignment pin off of a vacuum tube and that let me rotate the tube and push the pins into the socket wrong which burned up the tube and some surrounding circuitry so I'm very careful about alignment pins now.

None of this may be the problem but just thought I'd throw a couple things your way to ponder.

Also... Sometimes "proprietary" battery modules are actually a couple AA or AAA size cells mounted inside a plastic case with them wired across each other to achieve the required 3 volts or whatever and then wired to the terminal pins of the case. I found this out when prying open a Radio Shack "C" battery and found a AA size battery inside it soldered to the connections on each end. And I had an "old school" lantern battery with spring clips on top that had a number of D cell batteries wired together inside the case. I once had a proprietary weird battery that wasn't an AA or a AAA but was similar in shape and size with an odd name like N or something like that. I peeled the cardboard exterior off the dead one and found a row of button batteries stacked on top of each other inside!

So maybe your Nikon battery isn't just one module inside but two wired together and the drop broke one of the connections internally. Since it's sealed, and a real authorized Nikon item, it would seem Nikon should replace it free without explanation of the reason why it stopped working unless there is obvious external damage.

My two cents...

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

The problem is you broke it. A Li-ion battery pack is a complicated creature with not only the Li-ion cells, but temperature sensors, a really neat little computer that keeps track of how everything's working and some other gadgets. The cells themselves are two electrode sheets separated by a plastic sheet then rolled up. These are then stuffed into a steel can that is filled with ether and pressurized.

Consider yourself lucky that you didn't cause a fire or explosion. And I wouldn't even consider returning it, since it's damaged and can go explosive at any time. Just the price you pay for your little boo boo.

donnz Loc: Auckland, New Zealand

Drop it into salted water for a week and then dump it. it will froth at first , but it wont catch fire , and safe to dispose of.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

If you bought it within 30 days return it to Best Buy. They have a liberal policy with batteries.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

The problem is probably a result of gravity, I'd try to return it!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

If Nikon or Best Buy caused the battery to drop, by all means demand a refund. If not ...

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Next time you drop a carton of eggs be sure to return those too, so the merchant can pay for your mistake. :roll:

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

I've done that!!

The sarcasm in my post should have been obvious!!

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Oops. My apologies then. :oops:

wclark

Your point is well taken....Thanks

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Please use the "Quote Reply" button at the bottom of the post you're responding to so we know who.

donnz Loc: Auckland, New Zealand

yeah, way cool, return a damaged potential bomb by US post.
Try buying a lipo or LiFe battery out of Hong kong at the moment , it will only go by courier post now due to fire potential.
I used to buy heaps of lipos from Hobbyking, now its a nightmare ,but the LiFe are safer , and can take a flattened battery in its stride.
I have pulled a few apart to resolder broken tabs , but they are dangerous, for anyone whos not been shown how

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

As long as you still have the receipt from BESTBUY, why not ask them for an exchange and replacement unit. The Li-ion disks inside your battery module have probably shifted and generated a loose connection. I suspect that BESTBUY or NIKON will honor the product guarrantee.

BTW, Li-ion batteries are better than NI-CADs but even Li-ion batteries only last so many recharge cycles. But, they do not suffer from the memory problems that were inherrent in NiCads. To eliminae NiCad memory, you need a large discharge resistor and fully cycle the battery 3 or 4 times to get it back to holding it's original charge or close to it.