Has your Shortstop or 2cent fuse ever tripped?

[nahoku]

Hi all,

I've done the calculations for the atty's I use (1.3 to 1.5), and I don't see them coming anywhere close to causing problems with what my batteries can "supposedly" safely sustain in terms of power and current. Both these fuses trip at around 5 amps, so for my atty's this won't be a problem.

Also, I was thinking that if the batteries themselves failed internally (shorted), then these fuses wouldn't protect anything as it's external to the battery. This sounds like a correct assumption to me.

I know some of you use these, but I wanted to know if any of you have had them trip... during normal usage? If so, what was the cause.

Note: SLR maniacs need not reply about not using fuses. I already know you don't use fuses!


Thanks!

 

[tj99959]

Nope, and I hope I never have to find out if they really work.

A direct short should be the only thing that would cause them to trip.

 

[nahoku]

Well, I was just wondering if anyone ever had one actually trip due to a failure outside the battery. You hear all the hype about fusing, but has there been an incident yet, or is it just fear mongering? Most all incidents I've read about involving batteries were caused by the batteries themselves burning up.

 

[tj99959]

There have been enough incidences where the device wasn't fused to make some people want to use a fuse. (me for one)

 

[nahoku]

Can you describe what happened in your case?

 

[Baditude]

May you all learn a lesson from my experience with Li-Ion batteries. I had not long had my first mods, a Silver Bullet and a BB, both mechanical mods. I was using "protected" batteries in them as that is what the manufacturer recommended. I change into scrubs while at work at a hospital, and kept my mods in a pants pocket hanging in my locker to vape during breaks.

Notice the protruding fire button on the above BB. Well, the button became compressed inside the pocket and caused the battery to fire and short itself out. This caused the battery (shown above with a normal battery of the same) to "vent" or go into what is called thermal runaway. The battery became super hot, venting hot gases and blowing both ends out and melting the battery housing. When I went to my locker on break to vape, the BB was too hot to touch.

Mind you, I was not using a shortstop fuse, only relying on the battery's built in "protection". You see what good that was.

I stopped using protected batteries after this incident. I now use the safer chemistry IMR, high drain batteries in both my mechanical and variable voltage mods. I also no longer store my PV's in a pants pocket when not in use while at work.
____

To see a Li-Ion battery purposively shorted out to cause an explosion, watch this video. Pretty scarey stuff:

 

[donnah]

I had my shortstop activate the other day. It was my fault, I had it in a mech and the resistance on my rba was too low, I think I was setting it up, stupid me. Anyway, when I pressed the button, smoke came out the end of the mod and the most awful smell! I quickly unscrewed the bottom and took out the batt.. It didn't look bad and it wasn't hot but I could tell that it wasn't any good anymore but seeing the bottom of it. I threw it away. The shortstop is supposed to reset itself but I haven't tried it again to see if it did. I wouldn't recommend using one if you're setting up a coil! I'm using aw imr batts.

 

[nahoku]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I ended up purchasing the shortstop (2 each). One of my carto's had it's center connector leaning and almost touching the side of the carto case. I was just looking at it and noticed it. I never connected it to my mech, but it made me think about what might happen if I did and it shorted. Made me decide to go the safe route!

 

[mrfixit]

That video read overcharged battery not shorted I believe there's a difference same results though. There is no real difference in protected and non protected lithium ion batteries. The safet chemistry ones are bit safer but not by much this information comes from the manufacturers of these batteries and other places like battery university. Never put your mod in a pocket with an atty attached period locking switch or not. Never store your device with the battery in it in a case with other metal objects. Common sense stuff if you use these things be aware of how they work. Always inspect your batteries outside covers for gouges pieces missing before putting in a mod for use. our cell phone batteries are far more dangerous than the ones we use for vapping. That's scary for sure! Fuses won't save you from a bad cell only a direct short.

 

[El_tecolote]

I use the shortstops and have been extremely fortunate to have never had a failure. Although I build my RBAs at about 1.2-1.4ohms, I'm still apprehensive at times.