explosion when charging li-ion cell, Universal Smart charger set on wrong voltage

Norm

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This morning without thinking I put a 14500 on to charge (universal smart charger), I didn't check the switch setting, I was going about my business in the office when there was a very loud explosion, about as loud as a large fire cracker, I smelt carpet burning and my wife came into see if I was still alive. I had without thinking put the battery on to charge with the charger set to the two cell setting. Right now I'm about halfway through cleaning up the mess, the batteries internals were spread all over the room. The battery must have ruptured at the positive end as the wall in that direction is just covered with black crap, the battery casing took off in the negative facing direction leaving quite a dent in the wall..


Burnt carpet
dsc03014on2.jpg


The battery was sitting on another charger
dsc03015pv9.jpg


Some of the black crap
dsc03016db0.jpg


Dent in the wall
dsc03017kb1.jpg

 
Last edited:

ynggrsshppr

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Thankfully nothing will have any irreversible damage, cept the carpet and maybe the charger. The battery looks kinda like a bullet cartridge and I could only imagine how much force it must've had going into that wall!
 

Illum

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

:wow: glad no one got hurt

watch what you breath in.....

mmm, i dont remember 14500s to be copper colored:ohgeez:
 

Norm

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Might be the lighting the battery is silver.
Norm
 

DaFABRICATA

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

DAMN......thats a nice dent! Would have been interesting to actually see though. Set up a video camera and finish what you have left! but do it in the garage.:rock:
Blowing stuff up is fun as long as it not something you like or need.
Glad to hear you're OK
 

viorel00

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

I am not sure, but isn't this a LITHIUM cell? be careful, I think Lithium is toxic. Search this forum for similar messages. Good luck!
 

NewBie

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Norm,

I am extremely glad to hear you are okay, and there was no major damage to life/limb/or property.

Thank goodness.

Occasionally Li-Ion events can make Lithium CR123 problems folks have had look minor. Thanks a bunch for letting us know what actually caused the issue.

I hope nothing that is very important to you was damaged in this event.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only human in this world...
 

Norm

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

NewBie nothing damaged except the carpet and that's being fixed on Monday, still cleaning up.
Norm
 

fishx65

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Sounds like a mistake that's very easy to make. I know that, if handled properly, lithium ions work great but I think I'm gonna stick with Alks and NiMi batteries in my flashlights for now!! I think a lot of cell phones use Lithium ion cells and I thought I saw something on the news about a cell phone blowing up. Not very common but it happens. And I thought rifle season was bad!!!:laughing:
 

paulr

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Wow.... :eek: glad there were no injuries.
 

65535

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Only a couple way lithium cells go wrong overly high discharge rate orverly high charge rates over charging and underdischargign and heavy physical damage, so get portected batteries ora smarter charger and smart light, and all but 1 problem goes away.
 

bridgman

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

At least one of the "lithium incident" threads talked about hydrofluoric acid in the residue, and HF acid can cause some *really* scary medical problems. I know it's too late to say "wear gloves during the cleanup" but (a) watch out for any unexplained pains or skin problems and (b) keep kids, pets etc. away from the spot until you're *really* sure that nothing remains.

It may be that HF acid is only a concern with primary lithium batteries, hope this is a false alarm,. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can jump in.
 

Norm

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

coppertrail said:
What kind of charger was it?

universal smart charger as sold on CPF
This was my mistake, no fault of the charger. The charger was set to charge two cells not one as I was doing.
Norm
 

BPH

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Norm,
I'm glad you are ok, and thanks for sharing. I'm not sure how this happened.
If one can cause serious bodily harm from forgetting to flip a switch, I would not call that a "safe" charger, not by a long shot.

I can't see how a switch for 1 or 2 cells would make a difference? There should never be more than 4.25 Volts between the terminals? Unless the charger charges in series, and if so, it would not work with only one cell??
-BH
 

SilverFox

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Hello BPH,

Welcome to CPF.

That charger charges to 4.2 volts when you select 1 cell, and 8.4 volts when you select 2 cells and are charging in series.

Norm was trying to charge 1 cell to 8.4 volts. As Norm found out, Li-Ion cells are unsafe under these conditions.

Tom
 

LightBright

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

I'm glad you and your property are OK !

So much for the "smart charger" part. If it really was a smart charger, it wouldn't be relying on YOU to flick a switch.

It seems "convinent" that Li-Ion manufacturers are making AA, cr123 and other sized batteries, but I can see how maybe it's not such a good thing.
 

lrp

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Glad you weren't hurt! A mistake anyone could make....
 

David_Campen

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Re: A Cautionary Tale

That charger charges to 4.2 volts when you select 1 cell, and 8.4 volts when you select 2 cells and are charging in series.
If the charger was configured for charging 2 cells in series then with only one cell shouldn't there then have been an open circuit with the single cell seeing zero volts?
 
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