18650 battery feels consistently hot and reading way over 4.3 volts?

Valharth1031 · 2018-04-08T11:27:24.000Z

Newbie here. Ok so this weird thing happened. I have this Nitecore 18650 battery (model NL1835R, one with a USB port) that I got as a gift. I was using it fine for like a couple of days then when I decided to charge it today it felt quite a bit hot as I got it out of my MH20, which btw was off and not in use for hours. I also noticed the indicator lights on the battery were going out of whack as I took it out, then disappeared after a few minutes.
I then plugged it in to charge using the built-in port and no indicator lights were showing. I thought it wasn’t charging so I charged it using an external charger and it was charging and I had the chance to use it a few times after that.
I then set it aside to let it “rest”. After a few hours on the table, the button top of the battery felt hot (yes, hot and it was out on the table) but the body was mildly warm only. I pulled out my voltmeter and get this, it read 9.96 volts (like wtf?). I tried measuring my other batteries and those read 4.18-4.19 so I knew the voltmeter was okay.
Can anyone give me an idea what might have happened? I’m not sure if the circuitry is broke or if my battery is dead or about to explode or what. I’m kinda apprehensive about plugging it in the charger since something might happen lol. Please help.

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-04-08T11:46:35.000Z

Get rid of it, safely. Obviously, that battery is waiting to vent or flame or even explode. 9.96v sounds impossible (circuitry gone wrong?), unless it’s a battery pack with multiple cells, but whatever the case, any battery that stays warm when not in use is an extreme safety hazard.

thijsco19 · 2018-04-08T13:30:13.000Z

Yeah, I wont trust it anymore. Most likely the circuit is broken and something weird is going on.

pennzy · 2018-04-08T13:46:54.000Z

WalkIntoTheLight:

Get rid of it, safely. Obviously, that battery is waiting to vent or flame or even explode. 9.96v sounds impossible (circuitry gone wrong?), unless it’s a battery pack with multiple cells, but whatever the case, any battery that stays warm when not in use is an extreme safety hazard.

Maybe this belongs in the stupid question thread, but where is the safe place to dispose of cells?

Barkuti · 2018-04-08T14:41:17.000Z

WalkIntoTheLight:

… that battery is waiting to vent or flame or even explode. 9.96v sounds impossible …

Most of the vent and flame thing with li-ion is exaggerated gossip, I think. If you read Intertek's guide to the UN requirements for lithium battery testing prior to transportation, in page 9 you can see the overcharge test for single li-ion cells implies “2x voltage and current” for 24 hours, with a “no disassembly or fire within 7 days of test” pass criteria. Serious benchmark!

And you know… well, everything's possible I believe. ;-)

Cheers ^:)

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-04-08T15:50:26.000Z

Oh, I agree that many people are far too paranoid about lithium-ion cells. But, I wouldn’t keep a cell that stays hot when it’s not being used. That is trouble.

Stick it in a metal can and let it cool down. Line the can with some plastic so it doesn’t short. When it reads close to 0 volts, throw it out or recycle it. I assume it’s an internal short, so it should discharge by itself over a few hours or days.

HarleyQuin · 2018-04-08T17:02:34.000Z

I wouldn’t trust Nitecore to have used only cells from quality brands. I wouldn’t trust shady chinese cell makers (there are tons of them) to produce anything that passes regulated tests.

The temperature OP describes shows either the cell or the circuit is damaged (or both). Not necessarily will this lead to a thermal rundown, but it very much increases the risk. As this produces at least poisonous fumes and fire, who wants to use this cell anymore except somebody who doesn’t care about himself or others?
And the voltage clearly is way off, so using the cell might damage anything you put it into. Why bother.

snakebite · 2018-04-08T17:45:31.000Z

only way i can see that cell reading 9.xx v is on a harbor freight meter with a low battery.
they can be wildly inaccurate when the battery is low.
the heat is damage to the charger/protection board.
i would take it off and convert it to unprotected.
cell is likely fine.

Valharth1031 · 2018-04-09T00:34:54.000Z

Update: Over the course of the few hours, voltage has gone down and now reads 9.68.

Valharth1031 · 2018-04-09T00:37:09.000Z

Barkuti:

WalkIntoTheLight:

… that battery is waiting to vent or flame or even explode. 9.96v sounds impossible …

Most of the vent and flame thing with li-ion is exaggerated gossip, I think. If you read Intertek’s guide to the UN requirements for lithium battery testing prior to transportation, in page 9 you can see the overcharge test for single li-ion cells implies “2x voltage and current” for 24 hours, with a “no disassembly or fire within 7 days of test” pass criteria. Serious benchmark!

And you know… well, everything’s possible I believe.

Cheers :partying_face:

Good to know that it’s exaggerated. Made me a bit paranoid that it would blow up in my face any moment. lol.

Valharth1031 · 2018-04-09T00:39:43.000Z

snakebite:

only way i can see that cell reading 9.xx v is on a harbor freight meter with a low battery.
they can be wildly inaccurate when the battery is low.
the heat is damage to the charger/protection board.
i would take it off and convert it to unprotected.
cell is likely fine.

I’ll consider this. It would seem like a waste to just throw it out willy-nilly.

Danglerb · 2018-04-09T01:08:44.000Z

All my funky cells go to the local hazardous material waste site. They take old electronics, engine oil, paint, etc.

I would be concerned about how it got to over 4.2v, that makes me think there is a charging issue.

No I would not keep it, at least as is, maybe if the protection circuit was removed.

Barkuti · 2018-04-09T01:19:57.000Z

If those measured voltages are right (9.96V, then 9.68V after a few hours means damaged cell), such cell should be disposed. I've seen cheap 4.2V cells die just by overcharging them up to ≈4.35V. It's not worth taking a risk in this case.

Cheers ^:)

d_t_a · 2018-04-09T02:04:50.000Z

for reference comparison, Samsung 30Q specs PDF indicates it undergoes factory stress tests by overcharging to 20v:

“Level 1”: battery damaged (leaks), but doesn’t explode…

moderator007 · 2018-04-09T02:17:43.000Z

It’s toast and to cheap to replace to risk burning your house down. Dispose of the cell and replace it.

RobertB · 2018-04-09T02:24:57.000Z

Toss it in a bucket of saltwater solution, and set it outside for a couple days. It should be good and dead by then.

bansuri · 2018-04-09T02:32:44.000Z

If the instruments you’re measuring these batteries with consistently measure other known voltages accurately; please do not sleep in a residence with this battery in it.
Easy enough to read less voltage from a battery, requires a specific circuit to put out a reading at 2X what you’re expecting.
There may be special circumstances but if the battery was “quite a bit hot as I got it out of my MH20, which btw was off and not in use for hours” there’s a problem.

thijsco19 · 2018-04-09T04:51:39.000Z

Valharth1031:

snakebite:

only way i can see that cell reading 9.xx v is on a harbor freight meter with a low battery.
they can be wildly inaccurate when the battery is low.
the heat is damage to the charger/protection board.
i would take it off and convert it to unprotected.
cell is likely fine.

I’ll consider this. It would seem like a waste to just throw it out willy-nilly.

Don’t risk it. I wouldn’t trust a cell like this anymore.

If you want a unprotected cell just buy one they are pretty cheap.

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-04-09T13:10:14.000Z

d_t_a:

for reference comparison, Samsung 30Q specs PDF indicates it undergoes factory stress tests by overcharging to 20v:

I’m not sure that test indicates the cell is charged up to 20v. It may just be that they use a 20v load on it in order to force current through it to overcharge it. Can a lithium-ion cell even have a resting voltage more than about 5v?

nick779 · 2018-04-09T13:26:31.000Z

RobertB:

Toss it in a bucket of saltwater solution, and set it outside for a couple days. It should be good and dead by then.

This.

a $10 cell is hardly worth the risk