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

[djeplett]

Read the thread, multiple people reported having this happen to them.

Should there be a sticky made, then?

 

[djeplett]

Are there different safety concerns when disposing/recycling of a swollen battery vs. one that is not swollen?

Some good reading here:

What to do with a swollen battery

Removal and disposal of a swollen battery can be dangerous, but leaving a swollen battery inside a device can also cause serious harm. Read all warnings carefully and proceed at your own risk. All batteries are hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly.

www.ifixit.com

 

[GlobalNorth]

Certain battery chemistries can swell. I have a 13 year old MacBook that had the batteries replaced and the replacement batteries swelled after 4 to 5 years.

 

[iMONITOR]

@iMONTOR Very useful for someone living in a rural area. 👍

I was surprised by this myself! I used to recall seeing a 5 Gal bucket by the front door of my local post office full of old batteries. Then I checked on line.

 

[darkness975]

I have a question about this.
Is this something that is inevitably going to happen to every single one? I have OCD and this is bothering me. Is there a ticking time bomb on the desk next to my head?
I know what some are saying to just use it on AC power, but I want access to the scanner when the power goes out.

I have the larger battery as my unit is from 2019.

 

[djeplett]

No way to know. It would help to have a sticky where people could report if it happens to them. Then we could have an idea of exactly how common it is.

So, @KevinC you never answered my question... Shouldn't there be a sticky for this since so many have experienced this? You were quick to point out there were others that had it occur and yet I missed that original thread. It begs the question, then...

 

[KevinC]

No way to know. It would help to have a sticky where people could report if it happens to them. Then we could have an idea of exactly how common it is.

So, @KevinC you never answered my question... Shouldn't there be a sticky for this since so many have experienced this? You were quick to point out there were others that had it occur and yet I missed that original thread. It begs the question, then...

I merged the original thread and this one and stuck it.

BUT, I would highly suggest people contact Uniden about this as we have no idea if they monitor Radio Reference any longer.

 

[darkness975]

I have the larger battery as my unit is from 2019.

 

[jonwienke]

A swollen battery is more likely to rupture or short internally than a normal one. I would try to discharge the battery to 3V or so to minimize the energy available if the battery shorts.

 

[jonwienke]

I have a question about this.
Is this something that is inevitably going to happen to every single one? I have OCD and this is bothering me. Is there a ticking time bomb on the desk next to my head?

No. It can happen, but it is not inevitable. It's more likely the battery will just stop holding a useful amount of charge.

 

[iMONITOR]

Something to consider:

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Also Amazon, ETC.

 

[outrider]

I bought the sds100 in 2018 when it first came out. And i too had my large battery expand. At the time it was siting on the desk fully charged . 2 year life span not good ???

 

[n1chu]

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

Don’t you mean “How much do these scanners SWELL for?

 

[captainmax1]

I just noticed slight swelling in one of my SDS100 batteries. I purchased a couple spares less than a year ago. Don't even think it's a year old yet. Will look up the receipt.

 

[darkness975]

These reports don't make one feel that great.

 

[kruser]

I always suggest getting some of the flameproof storage bags for lithium cells plus maybe a couple good old steel army ammo boxes.
Keep spare or unused cells in those containers plus keep the containers in an area where things can't combust from heat should they manage to go up in flames inside the storage devices.
I've only had one small lithium cell actually flare up with flames on it's own. I've had a few that did swell up way bigger than I'd ever imagined they could have.
I also had a lithium cell I purposely took apart slowly. As I unwrapped the layers of the cell, it suddenly burst into flames. Not simple flames either but very intense and really hot flames judging by the flame color.
I was able to extinguish that experiment with a halon extinguisher but as soon as fresh oxygen was allowed back into the box, the flames reignited immediately!

It is kind of scary when you think of all the lithium cells a typical active household may contain these days!
The main thing I guess is try and have some faith in technology as they are making them safer and safer as time goes by.
With the tons of cheap devices coming from China though, who knows what kind of research they may be doing to prevent fires from lithium technology.
Maybe instead of banning TikTok, they should look at tightening up restrictions on Lithium technology!

 

[jonwienke]

The energy release associated with a battery failure is directly proportional to the charge level of the battery. A fully charged battery failure can be pretty spectacular. A completely discharged battery, not so much. If you're worried about a battery failing, enclose it in an appropriate container that isn't pressure sealed, and then do a controlled discharge to drain off as much energy as possible. Every joule of energy siphoned off during discharge is one less joule available to be part of a fire or explosion.

 

[darkness975]

I guess I just have to open the scanner and check the battery now and then. I only have thr one and I leave it in the radio.

 

[tvengr]

I guess I just have to open the scanner and check the battery now and then. I only have thr one and I leave it in the radio.

You don't have to check the battery. If it swells up, it will break the battery cover open. The small batteries originally shipped with the radios were notorious for swelling up. Mine popped open while sitting on a desk, luckily out of the scanner. It was not being charged nor had recently been charged. My battery was one of the first failures and was sent to Uniden for them to investigate. If you have one of the small batteries in your scanner, get rid of it. I haven't noticed any reports about the large batteries. If anyone has had any problems with the large batteries, please let us know.

 

[phillydjdan]

That's funny. I've never had a Motorola radio battery do that...