SDS100/SDS200: Broken battery door clip due to large battery tightness

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n5gqb

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Well it has happened to me, the battery door clip has cracked and will no longer hold onto the battery door. Scanner has not been dropped, mishandled, knocked around, etc. I actually keep it in a case most of the time. I blame this pretty much on the extra "tightness" the large battery and new battery door had placed extra stress on the clip, thus making breakage more likely. Also the fact I would routinely change out the battery from large to small to get longer operating times and keeping both batteries charged. Creating more snapping and unsnapping of the clip.
As others have commented the pad inside is a bit thicker than the small battery door. Maybe for extra padding due to heavier battery? I realize its a size tolerance thing overall, but the fact exists that the large battery and door is a much tighter fit than the small battery & door.
Now I have a radio that will only work when plugged in cause neither door will stay on (at all). I guess I could use a plastic zip tie? Don't know if the clip is even avail, plus it looks like the radio has to be taken apart (looks easy enough) to replace due to pin running thru case holding clip in place. Hate to have to send it off for such, taking weeks to return.
Any comments?
 
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jim202

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That's what happens when you try and force fit plastics. I would have considered using a file to take some of the wall of the battery cover off to allow it to fit without possibly damaging the radio by maybe breaking the clip. If it wasn't the wall of the battery case and you mention the thickness of the pad, then consider working over the pad.

No matter what the actual cause, you broke it.

There's an old saying that I might not have correct, but it is something to the effect that if you let a bull loose in a china store, there will be damage.
 

Outerdog

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That's what happens when you try and force fit plastics. I would have considered using a file to take some of the wall of the battery cover off to allow it to fit without possibly damaging the radio by maybe breaking the clip. If it wasn't the wall of the battery case and you mention the thickness of the pad, then consider working over the pad.

No matter what the actual cause, you broke it.

There's an old saying that I might not have correct, but it is something to the effect that if you let a bull loose in a china store, there will be damage.

So you're saying that a consumer of a $700 radio should have to take to it with a file and modify/alter the thing to achieve proper operation? And that even if it is a design flaw, it's somehow the OP's fault and he "broke it"?

Seems to me this radio should be placed inside a cabinet next to grandma's fine china, never to be touched again.
 

n5gqb

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Geez, what a ludicrous comment. All I was doing was swapping out batteries. I wasn't like the other fellow that dropped his and the clip broke, but the underlying issue is related.
By your logic the same thing could be said if I was pressing on the volume knob and it came apart, or pressing buttons on the keypad and it broke.
Yes, the large battery door is more snug and a little more force is needed to hold the battery door down in order to snap and unsnap the clip. So what? The clip should have not strained to the point of easily breaking when used as expected. Also what I am saying is that a thinner cushion pad would have probably not exacerbated this to happen. It is not the battery door itself or the mating area on the radio. Could the clip have been made a little stronger? Sure.
Did I know or even suspect this was to happen? No. It seemed adequate at the time.
I'll be happy to buy some clips and replace myself IF they're avail. In the meantime I would look for some thinner cushion pads to replace the current ones in the large battery door.
Since the larger batteries were received by early adopters about a month ago and now that the external charger/battery combo is shipping, I would predict that this scenario will be on the increase with people changing batteries out.

...and yes for the record, I like the radio and I would buy it again if I had to.


That's what happens when you try and force fit plastics. I would have considered using a file to take some of the wall of the battery cover off to allow it to fit without possibly damaging the radio by maybe breaking the clip. If it wasn't the wall of the battery case and you mention the thickness of the pad, then consider working over the pad.

No matter what the actual cause, you broke it.

There's an old saying that I might not have correct, but it is something to the effect that if you let a bull loose in a china store, there will be damage.
 
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jiminpgh

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Broken Battery Clip

My battery clip broke. It split. I presently have one tab rather than two on the clip holding the battery in place.

I can't wait for people to flame me for being so stupid to break the battery clip. The radio has never been dropped and I was installing the SMALL battery. I was sitting at my desk and was being gentle and careful. It felt like the plastic disintegrated in my hand when it broke. This was the third occasion the battery latch was used. The plastic has a unique brittle feel about it. I have done this stuff for a long time. I think I know how to treat this type of equipment. This failure is the result of contract electronic manufacturing, maintaining quality standards and managing vendors. The clip is flimsy to begin with, the material feels wrong and the clip is a pretty tight fit. Something has to "give/flex" for the tabs to engage. Not sure what "force fit" means. Other vendors use a latch to secure the battery. This radio uses a clinch connection. Call me crazy.

I realized that having a pocket scanner requires fiddling around with batteries, antennas, GPS and other things. I have a carry case full of trinkets for this device. While I have settled back to the OEM antenna and accepted the so-so sensitivity on UHF. Now I have two batteries and I prefer the smaller battery.

The next weak point is the USB connector. Using the GPS and power connection in the car will fail at some point. I not sure on how the mini USB connector is rated, and I appreciate a standard connector but I'm plugging things in and out of that all the time. It is a point that will snag on something and break, or the connector will wear.

I purchased the radio from Universal Radio at their new location. I paid extra so the radio came out of the box and was working before I left the store. I had trouble with the battery clip and made them install the battery.

I calmly contacted Uniden. The radio has to come apart, holding pin removed, and new clip installed. It has to go back to the factory for 3 weeks for this simple procedure to preserve the warranty. I have not returned it yet, but I have the shipping instructions. Not sure how they would view my warranty claim if the radio case had been modified with a file or materials removed from the case to allow a better "fit."

I needed a new pocket scanner to replace my 396T. I now realize I caught up in the hype on Radio Reference regarding the release of the scanner. I do not regret the purchase. I like the elimination of squelch tail using PL, the form and display are nice, USB charging, sentinel programing is easy, and it works well on P25. I will probably get the mobile when it comes out.
 
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IAmSixNine

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No one should flame you for what has happened to your device.
There is a difference between your battery clip failing and another after dropping a scanner.
As with all newly manufactured devices im sure we are starting to now see an issue with the quality of the materials or design (small battery vs big battery) or a combination of a few things start to happen with normal use over 6 months.

I was thinking of getting an SDS100 for Christmas. I have been fortunate enough to borrow one on several occassions and liked it. However im not in a position where i NEED one. My other radios and scanners are doing the job. Going to sit back and see if any more of these latch issues creep up.
 

srpawski

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The more I read the more it solidifies my decision to sell mine and wait and see what they do to improve this thing, if anything. This whole cheesy battery deal is looking worse all the time.
 

KK4JUG

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My SDS100 came with the big battery and I ordered (and received) another one. Both fit perfectly. The pressure to open or close the snap closure seems to be the same for both. And, incidentally, the charged voltage reads the same for both batteries. I have no complaints about the batteries or the radio.
 

denrodg

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And so, it start's.....

you got it! it was predicted that there would be a new complaint after the batteries were shipped and received, which was more or less a no brainer lol since all the complaining was user error and here it starts again!
 

KE5MC

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Helpful Tip

When the original post was made I checked mine and found the pressure to unlatch was high and easy to over-rotate and possibly break at the hinge.

The following will greatly reduce the possibility of breakage.

I placed the keypad face in the palm of my left hand. Placing my fingers on one side of the battery cover back and my thumb on the other side I squeezed like holding a baseball bat. While I could not perceive the cover and opposing frame coming together the unlatching force was greatly reduced and came open easily.

The foam has been mentioned, but I think it important not to overlook the o-ring seal as another item possibly effecting the unlatching force.

Hopefully the above will help those with intact latches. Sorry to hear about the ones that break.

Mike
 

K2KOH

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I just checked my radio, and one suggestion is when you put another battery in, hold the doo tight, and I mean tight, so the clip isn't straining to engage. But yeah, it is a bit of a design flaw
 

trentbob

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This is like being in a Bizarro world. The o p was using the product in a normal fashion and this cheap plastic radio broke and it's his fault? He's a complainer? Unbelievable. Do you realize how some of you sound? It's just plain crazy.

To the o p, sorry this happened to you. The community thanks you for the warning of the design flaw. Maybe your post will help prevent this from happening to many other people.
 

KK4JUG

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Are they all breaking or is it just one? A single incident is hardly a design flaw.
 

trentbob

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Yeah maybe it's not a design flaw, maybe it's just a quality control issue and not every radio is affected. At least we know now that it happened under normal operating conditions through no fault of the user and we should all be careful now.
 

Citywide173

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Are they all breaking or is it just one? A single incident is hardly a design flaw.

I see two broken without abuse, just normal, expected use and two posts that indicate a tight fit requiring finesse to achieve normal action by the battery latch, with specific instructions from one of those on how to finesse it properly. That is in a 27 hour period. How many people aren't going to read this thread and end up with broken clips? How many of those people are going to be told by people who aren't the manufacturer that they should have seen this thread and known how to finesse it?

People bring up a problem, hoping the manufacturer might see it, as there are reps on this board so that it might be investigated, but get told that it's their own fault, by people who aren't the manufacturer. It might be their fault, it might not be. This was an accelerated fix to a problem on a radio that was accelerated to market. What if Uniden admits a problem if this continues to be an issue? Will those blaming the consumer admit that they were wrong? I doubt it.
 

WeBeCinYa

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The delusion some hold with spending $600+ on a unit that has mostly been lackluster is holding tight. Not sure why so many are so defiant that the SDS is flawless. I mean count the threads now. Shame someone gets slammed here for mentioning an issue...
 

budevans

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I just checked my radio, and one suggestion is when you put another battery in, hold the doo tight, and I mean tight, so the clip isn't straining to engage. But yeah, it is a bit of a design flaw

Thanks N2MWE.

I've been concerned about the amount of effort it took to unlock and lock the battery cover with both the small and large battery. After reading N2MWE's post I grabbed my scanner and gave his suggestion a try.

By holding the scanner in my right hand, keypad facing my palm and using my fingers to put pressure on the lower part of the battery cover, it now easily unlocks and also locks with less effort.

This is definitely something Uniden should notify users about.
 
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n5gqb

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All, I am one of the ones who posted about the battery clip breaking and the tightness to latch it with the large battery and door.
I had mentioned that the pads inside the large door was thicker than what's in the small battery door. I assumed the pads were thicker by design due to heavier/bulkier battery and maybe it is to some degree.
I started examining the two battery doors closer and yes the large battery door pads is twice the thickness. Upon even closer examining the large battery door is actually 2 pads stacked on top of each other. Is this supposed to be the case??? Did someone at the factory goof up and double up on the pads...thus causing this issue of breaking battery latches when used a lot in conjunction with large battery? Hmm make me wonder.
Also would like to know if only a select few have this "double padded" battery door or everyone has this?
It is tempting to pull off the top pad and then see how well the door clips.
However since my clip is broke I do not want to venture down that way yet since mine will probably have to go back.
Take a look at photos attached. One compares small battery door pads to the large battery door. The close up you can clearly tell there is two pads sandwiched together.
Let me know what you think and report back on how your battery doors compare regarding the pads.

On a side note, for those of you that do have the large battery but never swap it out then your chances of breaking the clip is probably a lot slimmer than those of us that constantly swap out packs.
2c371be8d84e6ca057495e58c1f4b73f.jpg
00fa423e4e339e85650cdefc1ec18a9d.jpg


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Tapatalk
 

JamesO

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For the most part until the larger, replacement battery was released, and the fact the external charger was not released until recently, there would be little reason for anyone to remove the battery because you had to charge it in the radio.

Now that the larger battery and door as well as the external chargers are available, I expect to hear more battery latches breaking.

I guess everyone needs to press the door flat before unlatching or latching the the batter door to reduce the stress on the battery clip.

I have maybe opened my battery 3 times since receiving the scanner, 1 time to install the big battery. I also have the external battery charger, but have yet to even open the box yet. So I will be careful when opening and closing the battery door latch from now on.

Time will tell if the battery latch will hold up. Users reporting in will answer this question.

Hopefully Uniden will offer replacement battery door latches.
 
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