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

[tvengr]

In February, I experienced the same problem. The battery was sitting in its original cover at room temperature and had not been charged recently. At their request, I sent the battery to Uniden for inspection and received a large battery in return.

 

[buddrousa]

I never got that offer when I emailed pictures to a rep and they were sent to Uniden but life goes on.

 

[tvengr]

When did yours fail? Mine may have been the first reported. It may be that after Uniden received my defective battery they had all the info they needed. I had to go through the trouble of printing a label, packaging the battery, and dropping it off at a local FedEx office.

 

[buddrousa]

Dec 26 is when I sent pictures looked at my PM log.

 

[tvengr]

I'm not exactly sure when mine actually opened up. It was sitting on a table out of view. I contacted Uniden by phone in February after making the discovery. Uniden support advised me that corporate requested that I send them the battery.

 

[racing1]

What do y'all think of mine? It doesn't feel like it has any type of lump. It's been sitting on my bathroom vanity since I got the larger one a few months back.

 

[trentbob]

Now i am wondering what the REAL reason was for Uniden swapping out batteries. Now should we trust the bigger Batteries not to do this?

While they are in the radio no less, so if Uniden has known about this for months why have we not been warned? This is definitely a problem that's not going to go away as time goes on. What did they know and when did they know it? So we think this is only an idle battery, it's only happened to the thin battery so if you use your battery every day and charge it everyday maybe it won't happen.

 

[15plus1]

In the event the swelling persists longer than 4 hours, seek immediate medical assistance.

 

[Giddyuptd]

Interesting. I wonder if it has to do with some cells lithium out of Japan that had issues like in some tablets while back.

Not sure the reason or outcome but recall hearing some cells from a manufacturer had issues.

 

[iMONITOR]

Wow, this is seriously dangerous folks! Not only could it destroy your home or vehicle, I'd hate to have one hanging on my pants or in my coat when it lets loose! Why have people keeping quiet about this? What has been Uniden's response? What shipping carrier is being used when they ship these scanners and/or batteries?

 

[iMONITOR]

At their request, I sent the battery to Uniden for inspection and received a large battery in return.

That's it? I can't believe Uniden hasn't sent out a warning & recall notice! They should also alert all their dealers/distributors!

 

[hsdtech]

LiPo's are used a lot in RC these days, and are notorious for catching fire. They have to be charged AND discharged at the appropriate rates or they WILL get damaged. One sure sign of damage to a LiPo is swelling. I'm surprised Uniden went with Lipos for the SD100 knowing that the radio would be charged/discharged at a high rate. Be carefull!

 

[ochf13]

They need to add a storage charge about (33%) to scanner firmware. Need check lipo voltage every month if needed a LIPO Bag LiPo Safe Charging Bag/Sack/Pouch, 18x22cm – Medium – Dirt Cheap RC

LIPO Safety from Common Sense RC

Lipo Battery Guidelines and Warnings
1) Charge only with a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery charger.
2) Use a balancing charger or cell balancer every time you charge your LiPo battery packs. A LiPo battery is considered balanced if all the individual cells in the battery pack within 0.05V of each other. The balancing function maintains this during charging to ensure individual cells are not overcharged and damaged
3) Never charge lithium polymer batteries unattended.
4) Always charge in a fire-resistant container on a non-flammable surface (like concrete) at least five feet away from any flammable objects.
5) Do not charge lipo batteries to more than 4.20V per cell.
6) Do not discharge below 3.20V per cell under load (about 3.5-3.6V per cell resting voltage). Make sure to activate the Low Voltage Cut-off (LVC) in your device before using a LiPo battery in it.
7) Store battery at 40-50% charged (about 3.80V-3.90V per cell). Storing LiPos fully charged or depleted will shorten battery life dramatically and void warranty.
8) Store at below 80° F and above 40° F (not in direct sunlight). Never store or charge a battery pack inside your car in extreme temperatures (100° F and above), extreme temperatures could cause fire.
9) Do not leave your battery plugged into any device (including a charger or vehicle) when the battery is not in use or charging. This can lead to the battery being discharged below the minimum 3.2V per cell and permanently damage the battery.
10) Do not expose the battery to moisture or submerge it in liquid. Lipo batteries are not waterproof or water resistant. Exposure to moisture or liquid will damage electrical components and create a major risk of short circuit and fire hazard. If the battery is exposed to moisture or liquid at any point, it should no longer be used.

 

[FoeHammer]

I Use lipo's in my RC equipment , I can tell you they should only be stored at "storage charge" approx 40% percent charge , avoid high heat , & overcharging ,....& batteries with more than one cell ,should be equipped with a balance lead , & charged with a smart charger that uses that lead to make sure the cells are equalized ,.if they are not you may have one cell that is higher & one that is lower , causing a "dumb" charger" to continue to overcharge ,instead of equalizing the cells , causing problems , & never leave them anywhere hot,. like the dash of your car , I would have thought if the sds uses a multi cell lipo , there would be some sort of equalize cell logic & protection in the charge routine

 

[marksmith]

Have one of the first radios. About a month ago swapped batteries for the first time and used the old one after storing st room temp about 6 months.

Used it, recharged it, and swapped back to big battery. So far, no issue, but it looks like I better keep an eye on it.

Mark
SDS100&200/536/436/WS1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others

 

[RT48]

The defective battery was probably sent to the factory in China for analysis. Uniden may be waiting for some feedback from them.

 

[KK4JUG]

The defective battery was probably sent to the factory in China for analysis. Uniden may be waiting for some feedback from them.

How do you know that?

 

[KevinC]

I see one owner had this happen 4 months ago but never posted anything about it here until now. I understand no one is under any obligation to do so, but I'd think this would warrant a heads up to other owners. But that's just me.

 

[kruser]

I see one owner had this happen 4 months ago but never posted anything about it here until now. I understand no one is under any obligation to do so, but I'd think this would warrant a head up to other owners. But that's just me.

I agree.

 

[RT48]

How do you know that?

I said "probably". I was speculating.

Back when I worked for Hewlett-Packard I had to send back a tape drive power supply that went up in flames to the factory for analysis.