Hot Batteries, Plastic Smell Upon Entering Room

[Binigo]

I've been using the same Xtar Wp2 since 2013'ish. I was charging two VTC4's that were purchased from RTDvapor on March of 2019. Never had problems with Sony batteries or my charger before. But I put the pair in my charger like I have for all these years and left for lunch (12:00 pm). Returned at 3 pm and when I entered my room this strange plastic smell immediately told me something was wrong. I took the batteries out and they were hot. Not too hot to touch but hot enough to be concerned.

I smelled the positive side end of the charging bay and it smelled burned but no visible damage to the outside of the unit. No visible damage to the batteries either. I always play safe with these things so I disposed of the charger and recycled the batts.

One thing I should also mention, I just moved here in the Philippines 2 months ago. Although I've never had a problem charging these batteries using a converter/transformer - i dont know what the proper name is. (Philippines' 220V to 110V) I'm curious if this is the actual issue?

I'd like to know if you guys have had any problems like this. I'm not sure what to do now as I only have one good battery left and no charger. I'm afraid of buying batts out here also because I dont know what places are trustworthy. I don't if my charger just got old or what. I couldn't find much info on when to replace chargers or signs of a charger going bad. Even more difficult for me to find info on using such chargers in the Philippines on 220v wall socket with converter / transformer whatever its called.

 

[Izan]

I've been using the same Xtar Wp2 since 2013'ish. I was charging two VTC4's that were purchased from RTDvapor on March of 2019. Never had problems with Sony batteries or my charger before. But I put the pair in my charger like I have for all these years and left for lunch (12:00 pm). Returned at 3 pm and when I entered my room this strange plastic smell immediately told me something was wrong. I took the batteries out and they were hot. Not too hot to touch but hot enough to be concerned.

I smelled the positive side end of the charging bay and it smelled burned but no visible damage to the outside of the unit. No visible damage to the batteries either. I always play safe with these things so I disposed of the charger and recycled the batts.

One thing I should also mention, I just moved here in the Philippines 2 months ago. Although I've never had a problem charging these batteries using a converter/transformer - i dont know what the proper name is. (Philippines' 220V to 110V) I'm curious if this is the actual issue?

I'd like to know if you guys have had any problems like this. I'm not sure what to do now as I only have one good battery left and no charger. I'm afraid of buying batts out here also because I dont know what places are trustworthy. I don't if my charger just got old or what. I couldn't find much info on when to replace chargers or signs of a charger going bad. Even more difficult for me to find info on using such chargers in the Philippines on 220v wall socket with converter / transformer whatever its called.

Hi mate,
IMO, What you need is to buy a local power supply that matches the needs of the charger.
Center contact is POS, outer contact is NEG.

The charger doesn't care what supplies the 12v/1A DC current.

Does the area where you live have issues with power outages or low voltage delivery? (brown outs)

Cheers
I

 

[GOMuniEsq]

Although I've never had a problem charging these batteries using a converter/transformer - i dont know what the proper name is. (Philippines' 220V to 110V) I'm curious if this is the actual issue?

Those things are called AC adapters, sometimes colloquially referred to as wall warts. The label should state a range of accepted inputs. Good ones take 100V-240V at up to 60Hz and will work in both countries.

You did the right thing by disposing of the charger and cells. The next charger you buy will certainly come with a proper AC adapter for North America the country you live in now.

 

[Binigo]

I didn't think about this but yea power outages have been happening just the past week or 2 because rainy season has begun and the rains/winds come in really heavy for 20 minute bursts and sometimes takes the power out.

 

[englishmick]

I have a VP2 charger. Great charger but when it was new it gave off a slight burning smell. It lasted for months, eventually it stopped. I got a second one recently and it does the same. My guess is some kind of manufacturing residue inside that had to evaporate off. And the batteries did get warmer than on my previous charger.

Yours sounds different though, especially since you had it for a while and it just started happening.

 

[Punk In Drublic]

Just to clarify, you are using a 220v to 110v step down converter? If so, this should be sufficient. Any electronics repair locally where you can take this converter to be tested? It would be beneficial to know if this converter is operating correctly for continued use with other non 220v electronics could present a risk.

Failing that, I would contact Xtar for the proper 220v power supply. Aftermarket PSU’s can be questionable in quality.

Also – this is an excellent example to not charge your batteries unattended. Even with the correct power source you should be present while your batteries are being charged. Should something happen, you are more likely be able to deal within it immediately!

 

[Binigo]

Just to clarify, you are using a 220v to 110v step down converter? If so, this should be sufficient. Any electronics repair locally where you can take this converter to be tested? It would be beneficial to know if this converter is operating correctly for continued use with other non 220v electronics could present a risk.

Failing that, I would contact Xtar for the proper 220v power supply. Aftermarket PSU’s can be questionable in quality.

Also – this is an excellent example to not charge your batteries unattended. Even with the correct power source you should be present while your batteries are being charged. Should something happen, you are more likely be able to deal within it immediately!

Hey thanks for sharing. Yea dude I think the step down converter is much older than my charger. I dont know enough to say but maybe it was a contributor to the issue. I think you and other guys here are right, i've got to look for a proper power supply and ditch this U.S. power supply.

 

[Punk In Drublic]

Hey thanks for sharing. Yea dude I think the step down converter is much older than my charger. I dont know enough to say but maybe it was a contributor to the issue. I think you and other guys here are right, i've got to look for a proper power supply and ditch this U.S. power supply.

If the Step Down Converter is operating properly, it’s age shouldn’t matter. They can be a useful apparatus for those who have moved to a country of different power voltages. Might be worth getting it checked out – shouldn’t cost a lot, a simple multimeter is all that is needed. You can check yourself if comfortable doing so (as the cost of a multimeter of course).

 

[F-machine]

You moved in The Philippines? Yeah it's 220V back there, and you didn't say if your charger was autovolt. But given that long years, it's probably time to replace them anyways. Never heard of RTD vapors, but is that local there? I understand your fear of buying batteries out there, but are you near any mall? NCR area?

 

[Izan]

Hey thanks for sharing. Yea dude I think the step down converter is much older than my charger. I dont know enough to say but maybe it was a contributor to the issue. I think you and other guys here are right, i've got to look for a proper power supply and ditch this U.S. power supply.

B,
When I moved to Spain from the states, I bought a couple of Travel Smart by conair wattage converters.
The new model is auto switching, the one I have has a switch for low (0-25W) and high (26-2000W)
I have only used one of the units as it has performed flawlessly for the past 10 years. The back up is still NIB.
Link to New version below:
Conair Travel Smart 2000-Watt Auto Adjust Smart Converter Set

Cheers
I

 

[P3ch3]

Hi mate,
IMO, What you need is to buy a local power supply that matches the needs of the charger.
Center contact is POS, outer contact is NEG.
View attachment 819613

The charger doesn't care what supplies the 12v/1A DC current.

Does the area where you live have issues with power outages or low voltage delivery? (brown outs)

Cheers
I

This is what i was about to post, thanks mate, you still my idea, or maybe i did stealed yours, but the point is ultra correct on quoted post, get a wall powersupply with the correct values according local power outlets

 

[Binigo]

You moved in The Philippines? Yeah it's 220V back there, and you didn't say if your charger was autovolt. But given that long years, it's probably time to replace them anyways. Never heard of RTD vapors, but is that local there? I understand your fear of buying batteries out there, but are you near any mall? NCR area?

RTDvapor is in the U.S. I made sure to buy some batteries before I moved here in March. Can you recommend any shops or local ph websites for legit batteries? I just went to RSAP by tayuman today to check out what they have based on a friend's recommendation, but their vtc4 looked a little different from mine... I dont know if I trust it. I actually live in Project 8 QC area, so I'm near Trinoma / SM Edsa.

Edit/Update
So I bought the VTC4's from Tayuman and they were fake LOL. I was pretty curious and they were $7 so it wasn't so bad. I took off the wrapper and when I compared it to all I could see from Mooch's reports on VTC's/VTC4's and the legit one I have here I was pretty sure these were fakes. No Dimples on the positive terminal, Number 1 Found engraved on the Negative Terminal too. Sorry I'm getting off topic but yea... exactly why I was afraid of buying here. Idk I might just request the next family member who comes over to bring an order of batteries for me lol. Hey atleast I got new working charger out of the trip going down there.

 

[Izan]

RTDvapor is in the U.S. I made sure to buy some batteries before I moved here in March. Can you recommend any shops or local ph websites for legit batteries? I just went to RSAP by tayuman today to check out what they have based on a friend's recommendation, but their vtc4 looked a little different from mine... I dont know if I trust it. I actually live in Project 8 QC area, so I'm near Trinoma / SM Edsa.

Edit/Update
So I bought the VTC4's from Tayuman and they were fake LOL. I was pretty curious and they were $7 so it wasn't so bad. I took off the wrapper and when I compared it to all I could see from Mooch's reports on VTC's/VTC4's and the legit one I have here I was pretty sure these were fakes. No Dimples on the positive terminal, Number 1 Found engraved on the Negative Terminal too. Sorry I'm getting off topic but yea... exactly why I was afraid of buying here. Idk I might just request the next family member who comes over to bring an order of batteries for me lol. Hey atleast I got new working charger out of the trip going down there.

Sorry to hear you got fakes.
I use the EU (plus VAT) site of this company, but since you are outside of the EU, try the non EU/non VAT site also:
NKON | ru.nkon.nl

Good luck
I

 

[F-machine]

RTDvapor is in the U.S. I made sure to buy some batteries before I moved here in March. Can you recommend any shops or local ph websites for legit batteries? I just went to RSAP by tayuman today to check out what they have based on a friend's recommendation, but their vtc4 looked a little different from mine... I dont know if I trust it. I actually live in Project 8 QC area, so I'm near Trinoma / SM Edsa.

Edit/Update
So I bought the VTC4's from Tayuman and they were fake LOL. I was pretty curious and they were $7 so it wasn't so bad. I took off the wrapper and when I compared it to all I could see from Mooch's reports on VTC's/VTC4's and the legit one I have here I was pretty sure these were fakes. No Dimples on the positive terminal, Number 1 Found engraved on the Negative Terminal too. Sorry I'm getting off topic but yea... exactly why I was afraid of buying here. Idk I might just request the next family member who comes over to bring an order of batteries for me lol. Hey atleast I got new working charger out of the trip going down there.

If you find yourself anywhere near SM Megamall, do a google maps search. I think there's a shop at ground floor bldg A named Green Puff. I'm not sure about their current battery selection there, the last time I went there was 2 years ago. Also, be prepared to pay double the regular MSRP in that shop. Yeah, the things I hate about Philippines.

You're probably gonna hate my recommendation at this point, but just to be safe, just grab a cheap AIO or mods with built in battery, like OBS cube or Aegis mini. And again, prepare for double rate pricing.