My Battery Just Exploded!!

[Simmo]

Ok, so I just wired up my LED electronics for the very first time on my very first saber (a graflex conversion) for it's very first test run, now aside from the fact that I stupidly have mistaken cyan for blue (grrr!!!) one of my batteries popped loudly and started leaking acid everywhere!!

I had four AAA 1.5v Duracell Alkaline Batteries wired to a 1000ma buck puck then going into the LuxIII cyan LED. It was running fine for about 10 minutes then the pop happened and scared the hell out of me, I don't think the battery holder is damaged as I washed it straight away. Everything was wired up correctly, any other way and I assume the LED wouldn't light.

Have I done something seriously wrong here with this setup/choice of battery or was it just a freak accident?? Talk about off to a bad start :(

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Pictures man.

[Count Malik]

Pictures man.

yes please!!

[DJMoonbass]

you sure you didnt screw a screw into one of the batteries? lol that happened to me. and i was unaware of it for like a couple days.

[Simmo]

lol. It's looking pretty unspectacular now after a clean but the pop was impressive! On further inspection I had a short :(

For the archives and fellow noobs, don't be stupid like me and just twist all your connections together and leave them bare to test the circuit as even a quick short could possibly turn your duracell into a fizzy hissing mess.

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9984/img5174.th.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/img5174.jpg/)

[Matt Thorn]

For the archives and fellow noobs, don't be stupid like me and just twist all your connections together and leave them bare to test the circuit as even a quick short could possibly turn your duracell into a fizzy hissing mess.
Um, yeah, that would be up there with "Don't hold the soldering iron by the pointy end" and "Don't use your Dremel in the bathtub" on the list of "Safety Tips That Should Go Without Saying." :| Just because 6 Volts of electricity from alkaline batteries pose no threat of electrocution does not mean they can't be dangerous. A short circuit in which the positive and negative poles of a battery pack are connected without anything (like an LED) in the circuit will result in an intense build-up of heat that could lead to burns or even start a fire.

[Sunrider]

It is always good to feel around components for heat when turned on for the first time. Runaway thermal events can be costly.;)

[Jedi-Loreen]

You left out a few details on your first post. :|

Why would you need to test your circuit for 10 min? I test mine for a few seconds, just to make sure everything works, then I solder my connections and shrink the heat shrink.

It's a good idea to slip the loose heat shrink over the wires when you do test your circuit like that.

You're lucky that the battery didn't blow up in your face and spew battery acid into your eyes. :?

[Simmo]

I know! It was on for 10 minutes basically because I was staring at it's shiny goodness for my first time ever seeing a 'real' lightsaber :)

Dumbstruck you could say! Or noobstruck :oops:

[Skottsaber]

You're lucky that the battery didn't blow up in your face and spew battery acid into your eyes. :?

You mean like this? :
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1237687/TCSS%20Posts/Grievous_batteryacidsmall.jpg :mrgreen:

(I got bored)

[xl97]

I know! It was on for 10 minutes basically because I was staring at it's shiny goodness for my first time ever seeing a 'real' lightsaber :)

Dumbstruck you could say! Or noobstruck :oops:


I think everyone can relate...

we all started somewhere.. :mrgreen:

[Jedi-Loreen]

Were you staring at the bare LED for that long? :o



If so, I hope that deaf, dumb and blind kid plays a mean pinball.

[Lord Maul]

I wonder if his name is Tommy :p

[Simmo]

lol no, the blade was in the socket outside of the hilt. Can we please let this topic die now? LOL :oops:

[Jedi-Loreen]

Not as long as we are having fun with it. ;)