Battery Fires

[saneagle]

That is overly complicated. If you have never seen a spark when you plug your charger into your battery, then your charger and battery have up to date designs, they risk nothing. If you do, then post your experience here so other people can learn from how you solve your spark problem.

The problem is that the first spark can destroy the battery, like it did with mine. I was able to replace the jack socket, but most people wouldn't be able to do that. In other cases, it would blow the charge fuse. many people wouldn't be able to deal with that either, since it involves opening the battery and soldering in most acses.

 

[guerney]

The leaflet which arrived with my battery states I must plug the "D-Power" charger into the mains while switched off, connect to the battery while it's switched off, then turn on 240V to charge. There are no instructions/destructions for what to do if the battery is to be charged while it's switched on, but I haven't noticed any sparks on the rare occasions I've absentmidedly connected the charger to the battery while the charger was switched off and the battery was switched on - if I did, I might be inclined to make a short plug-in extension lead from the battery jack to a no-spark XT90 connector, for the charger's short extension XT90 lead from it's jack, which I'd also have to solder together. But they have been known to fail:

https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/threads/what-might-cause-an-xt-90-anti-spark-mechanism-to-fail.96129/

 

[Woosh]

The problem is that the first spark can destroy the battery, like it did with mine. I was able to replace the jack socket, but most people wouldn't be able to do that. In other cases, it would blow the charge fuse. many people wouldn't be able to deal with that either, since it involves opening the battery and soldering in most acses.

I am sure these things have happened and it's better to err on the side of caution. However, the vast majority of users are blissfully unaware because a) the connectors are better designed and built, the sparks are not noticed and b) the chargers and BMSes are also improved over time. The last time I saw a welded, badly damaged charging port connector on a battery was many (10?) years ago.

 

[saneagle]

I am sure these things have happened and it's better to err on the side of caution. However, the vast majority of users are blissfully unaware because a) the connectors are better designed and built, the sparks are not noticed and b) the chargers and BMSes are also improved over time. The last time I saw a welded, badly damaged charging port connector on a battery was many (10?) years ago.

It's only a problem with the 5.5mm Jack's.

 

[saneagle]

Maybe if you look to see what happens, you can see. Switch your battery on and the charger off. Check that the charge port is live because it's possible that switching on the battery switches off the charge port. Put the jack in the socket and see if there's a spark. If there is, twist the jack to remove it. Don't just pull it out. Obviously, you can only do it once because the battery will charge the capacitors in the charger as soon as you plug in. That's the problem, so if you try again, the capacitors will already be charged and there won't be a spark.

 

[lenny]

Why the UK risks getting burned on e-bike battery safety

Why the UK risks getting burned on e-bike battery safety | ETA

E-bike battery safety: Why the UK needs stronger regulation to prevent fires — lessons from the US, Germany, and the Netherlands.

www.eta.co.uk