SDS100/SDS200: **SAFETY ALERT** SDS100 battery severely swelled

[SCANNERSDS100]

I just found this post about the Battery on the SDS100. This past week I was getting a strange smell and I couldn’t find it. Let me back up. I’m 100% Disabled and I sit in my chair all day because I have a brain injury from a job related accident. And I listen to the SDS100 for the State Police because they are on the Digital phase II. And I listen to everything else on my Pro 197 scanner. ( Low band and VHS high band) Nothing on UHF. Because we live in the cow country. They are moving everything over to cross band UHF. But I stay with the low band because the repeaters hang up.
But let me get back to the SDS100. Like I said I was getting a strange smell like something getting hot. I do know that the SDS100 gives off some heat. But then I noticed that the red changing light just stayed on Red. And I have it set to change when plugged in.
I took out the battery and I could smell the smell I was getting in the back couple of days ago. And I put the battery back in and the red light came on so I let it go. And then today I was getting that smell again. So I took the battery out and have to Sds100 just running on it plug.
And then I went into a search mode to try to find out if others are or had the same problem.
And I came across this feed. I have sent a message to Uniden because it’s register with them and I will have to wait until they get back to me.
But for the time being I keeping the battery out.
If anyone else is having the same issue. I would recommend to take the battery out until we can find out why they are having problems with the battery’s.

 

[n1chu]

So to sum up your post,

1) The SDS100’s charge light is on and stays on, while running on battery power, even while it’s not plugged in and charging.

2) The red light goes out when the battery is removed. (It should as the radio is no longer powered if the power cord is not connected and when is connected, there is no battery installed in the radio to charge.)

2) The battery is emitting an odor.

I would also do as you did, suspect the battery as bad or going bad. The red charge light should not eliminate if the radio isn’t plugged into a USB power source while the battery is installed. I would remove the battery and watch it for swelling. Store it somewhere safe where it won’t burn down the house! I’ve heard RC airplane hobbyists that use Li-ion and LI-polys will charge and store their packs in a metal ammo box (it has a strong latch and should contain a fire and/or explosion).

Here’s another thought. How do you dispose of a lithium battery safely? With the possibility of the battery pack becoming a fire ignition source, what precautions should be taken? There have been instances where an all electric vehicle would catch fire, get extinguished by the FD, towed to a salvage yard and a week later catch fire again, all by itself. While the amount of battery is grossly different, the battery technology isn’t. So, we have this battery with an odor, or it’s swelled… Do we submerge the battery in a pail of water, park in in the backyard and wait a week before taking it down to the Home Depot or Lowes Home Improvement stores to drop into their old battery collection container? I mean, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for burning down the local home improvement store.

 

[bravo14]

I know someone charges the battery in radio. A few months back I saw him and his battery swelled up broke the battery door clip. I don't charge the batteries in the radio. I have been using external charger. I have 2 batteries are getting big 1 old and 1 new one (I bought last year).

 

[buddrousa]

The fire related part was about hover boards cellphones and other objects

 

[n1chu]

The fire related part was about hover boards cellphones and other objects

Agreed. They were multiple cell batteries at much higher voltages. The ones that caused the FedX plane to crash were ones used to power the units that generate breathable air in passenger planes, those emergency drop-down face cups over each seat. They were all supposedly depleted of power and on their way to be disposed of… packed tightly and palletized. I recall only what they surmised happened, not any corrective action going forward for shipping the batteries by plane.

There are Formula E racing teams that look like Indy race cars (the E stands for electric) that travel the world to different races by plane. They have stringent rules they follow if a battery is damaged in an accident during a race and of course, the standard rules for a routine transport on board a plane requiring the batteries to be drained below a certain level.

 

[W5ATX]

unfortunately the puffed up battery has claimed me. It was out of the scanner at the time, but fully charged. Scanner only less than 6 months old. Standard battery. I can't be arsed sending the whole shebang to Uniden.

I have all my sds100's set to "charge while on" and some of my sds100's are plugged into the charger and turned on for around 8-12 hours a day, and never an issue.

I put a different battery in the same unit and charged it, ran it till it beeped low voltage and re-charged it. there's no issue with the radio or charging but uniden wants me to ship it to them.

When I called Uniden, they only created an "incident ticket" and asked me about 4-5 times if i had any injury or property damage. they asked for me to send the unit to them for inspection and would report back to me. I told them this was not an option because this radio would likely be sold to a friend within the week and they never responded back. My guesstimate is that uniden wanted to test the radio and fix it if they found an issue ($90 fee) and then charge me $59 for a new battery.

I think this is just a random battery issue, but i'm seeing more and more report about it with batteries made from 2018 to 2021. They just swell up, pushing the black cap up and rendering it inoperative. Like i said in my earlier post, the battery door lock was extremely hard to unlatch, and when the battery door came off the battery swelled in my hand. I was waiting for it to explode or burst but never happened. I guess i'm lucky for that?

 

[buddrousa]

I found my original large replacement battery that Uniden sent me when they sent out the large batteries to the early adopters It had been stored fully charged in a controlled area not to hot or cold. All 3 cells was fully swelled.

 

[palmerjrusa]

I found my original large replacement battery that Uniden sent me when they sent out the large batteries to the early adopters It had been stored fully charged in a controlled area not to hot or cold. All 3 cells was fully swelled.

Weird, I've the small battery that was originally supplied, the bigger one Uniden sent for free and an extra large battery.
All are charged in the external Uniden cradle.
None of them have shown any signs of swelling...so far.

 

[Ubbe]

The middle cell are stamped with a code that could be the batch# or date and not just the part#. My big battery that swelled has 1H14A1.

/Ubbe

 

[VK3RX]

The swelled battery issue has occurred over this way also.

The warning from a user was to not store the radio in a cover/holder between uses, and keep it in view in such a way that if the swelling occurs, you'd notice it and take action.

 

[slicerwizard]

They were multiple cell batteries at much higher voltages. The ones that caused the FedX plane to crash were ones used to power the units that generate breathable air in passenger planes, those emergency drop-down face cups over each seat.

That's a lot of words to say oxygen generator.

They were all supposedly depleted of power and on their way to be disposed of… packed tightly and palletized. I recall only what they surmised happened, not any corrective action going forward for shipping the batteries by plane.

Aircraft oxygen generators aren't battery powered. They use a chemical mix to generate oxygen. And some craft simply use pressurized oxygen cylinders.

And the aircraft that was taken out by oxygen generator cargo was ValuJet Flight 592.

 

[doc62]

That's a lot of words to say oxygen generator.


Aircraft oxygen generators aren't battery powered. They use a chemical mix to generate oxygen. And some craft simply use pressurized oxygen cylinders.

Correct about the oxygen generators using a chemical reaction. I was in a CFR class and they discussed how the units can get covered in dust where they are located and that it was not unusual when the emergency oxygen was activated for the dust on them to start burning creating some smoke in the cabin which had a tendency to freak out some of the passengers.

 

[n1chu]

The “surmised” cause of the crash that brought down a Fed-X plane were LI-Ion batteries. I say surmised because the plane crashed at sea with no survivors. So, it’s the NTSB’s best guess, but an educated one. I learned of the cause of crash from a show called Air Disasters, aired on the Smithsonian Channel. It was from that show I learned a Fed-X cargo plane was transporting the “out-of-date/to be disposed of” batteries. And again, according to the TV show, they were somehow associated to the emergency air supply that drops down from above over each passenger seat location. Possibly they supplied power to activation circuitry? Or a fan? I also agree with you, I thought it is a chemical reaction that supplied the oxygen and pressurized the drop-down masks but what activates the masks and what powers the apparatus that drops them when needed? Maybe that what the TV show was eluding to?
Again, I’m just relating what I learned from the show.

Getting back on topic, at the risk of jinxing myself… I have one small (which tells you I purchased the scanner in 2018), and three large… all of which are still going strong! I also realize we only hear from those that have had a problem (and accurately not all of them) without many posts relating no problems at all. That’s not to say I don’t believe these bad battery reports, just the opposite, I embrace each one as an accurate accounting and believe I am fortunate… so far anyways! LoL

 

[ToddWilkinson]

How much do these scanners sell for...............??????

650-700

 

[W5ATX]

The middle cell are stamped with a code that could be the batch# or date and not just the part#. My big battery that swelled has 1H14A1.

/Ubbe

I kind of want to lift the black plastic to see the code stamp on the battery but also tempted to throw it in a box with the fedex label provided by uniden. They still haven't responded when i told them shipping the scanner is no longer an option. Maybe i should just send them the battery instead and see if they send me a new one. or maybe order one from amazon? just make sure it's sold by uniden

 

[JoeBearcat]

It seems a lot of batteries with this issue have been stored for long periods of time.

 

[W5ATX]

It seems a lot of batteries with this issue have been stored for long periods of time.

a few months isn't that long, what about all the sds100's sitting in the bin at amazon, ham radio outlet, and other retail shelves? seems to be very random. should I put this battery in the bag and send it to uniden or throw it in the trash? they still haven't replied to my email.

 

[n1chu]

I wouldn’t return it until they issue a RMA. If that’s not their practice, or you can’t get ahold of them, send it back… include a note telling them everything you have posted here and of course, your name, phone, email and snail mail address.

 

[W5ATX]

I wouldn’t return it until they issue a RMA. If that’s not their practice, or you can’t get ahold of them, send it back… include a note telling them everything you have posted here and of course, your name, phone, email and snail mail address.

They issued an RMA with a fedex lablel and told me to send in the scanner also which isn't an option because I already sold it. that still doesn't solve the battery situation and i have 3 other sds radios on my desk. I emailed them again. Uniden, do you need help answering emails? I can work from home

 

[n1chu]

Sounds like it’s time to send in the Marines!