I recently got a 1300mAh X2 from Smokeless Image. All of their products have worked great so far and the only other issue I've had was sorted out quickly through customer service. I'll be returning this one soon for a replacement, but am just curious as to what might have happened.
I was on a road trip and had the battery in my lap, taking occasional puffs. It was cloudy and cold outside, a strange weather day for mid June. I say this to clarify that it wasn't hot in the car and the battery wasn't in direct sunlight. I noticed the battery was hot when I felt it through my jeans. After picking it up, I realized that the bottom part of the battery, where the mini USB connector sits for charging and passthrough, was extremely hot for some reason. I twisted off the cap that protects this USB connector and immediately smelled something burning.
There were no LEDs to indicate that the battery was stuck in the on position. Pressing the button showed that it was still working properly, though I had no plans to attempt to use it. Just to see if it would help, I clicked the button 5 times to lock it. I was a bit worried about the possibility of it exploding or leaking battery acid, but held it out the window to try to cool it off. It stayed hot, however, and this continued for several hours. As I expected, when it finally cooled off, it would no longer turn on (the charge was dead).
Taking a chance with destroying more equipment, I plugged it into the USB car charger to see what would happen. The LED lit up for a split second, then went out. Re-attempting this, the LED didn't flicker the second time. It is completely dead at this point, and it still smells funny(an acrid chemical smell).
Was something inside the battery making a connection where it shouldn't have? That's the only thing I can think of. I'm not knowledgeable in the area of electronics, though.
On another note, has anyone had to return faulty equipment to SI before? I just put in a ticket, but I'm wondering, is the address to send it to the same that is listed as their headquarters on the website? Is there a form I need to fill out?
I was on a road trip and had the battery in my lap, taking occasional puffs. It was cloudy and cold outside, a strange weather day for mid June. I say this to clarify that it wasn't hot in the car and the battery wasn't in direct sunlight. I noticed the battery was hot when I felt it through my jeans. After picking it up, I realized that the bottom part of the battery, where the mini USB connector sits for charging and passthrough, was extremely hot for some reason. I twisted off the cap that protects this USB connector and immediately smelled something burning.
There were no LEDs to indicate that the battery was stuck in the on position. Pressing the button showed that it was still working properly, though I had no plans to attempt to use it. Just to see if it would help, I clicked the button 5 times to lock it. I was a bit worried about the possibility of it exploding or leaking battery acid, but held it out the window to try to cool it off. It stayed hot, however, and this continued for several hours. As I expected, when it finally cooled off, it would no longer turn on (the charge was dead).
Taking a chance with destroying more equipment, I plugged it into the USB car charger to see what would happen. The LED lit up for a split second, then went out. Re-attempting this, the LED didn't flicker the second time. It is completely dead at this point, and it still smells funny(an acrid chemical smell).
Was something inside the battery making a connection where it shouldn't have? That's the only thing I can think of. I'm not knowledgeable in the area of electronics, though.
On another note, has anyone had to return faulty equipment to SI before? I just put in a ticket, but I'm wondering, is the address to send it to the same that is listed as their headquarters on the website? Is there a form I need to fill out?
It sounds like short in the electrical...and I am glad to hear it happened in a safe way. This is the first I have heard of this happening with a VOLT. It would seem to be the case as long as it did not get wet...
