Bargain Ebay bike lights

[Scougar]

Just to say I have not yet had a response from Deal Extreme regarding this.

Battery is totally dead now. Zero volts.

 

[EarlofBarnet]

Battery charger went a little fickle on mine. Still, wasn't grumbling when a replacement was under £2 delivered

 

[Scougar]

Finally got a reply from deal extreme. I think their answer comes from me already demonstrating I have at least a small understanding of electronics lol.

They basically said that they would refund me $7 if I could fix it myself, or as it's outside the 90 day period, I would have to pay shipping back to get it checked out and replaced etc.

To be honest, I'm actually pretty happy with that reply.. as I wouldn't mind taking it apart and having a stab at fixing it. (I have noticed the bottom seems to have some rust/corrosion contamination through the cardboard.. so I will start there).

In other news: My modified "5W Cree" ebay light has held up well after my recent tumble, even coming disconnected from the USB power cable in the process lol. I did bust the bracket however.. luckily I have another 3 of those

 

[The Ken]

My battery is dead too, I took it apart to find a fair bit of rust - (Mine was wrapped in clingfilm all the time) the connecting strips and charging circuit seems to be to blame as the cells are fine.

One connecting strip has burnt out and reconnecting it gets nothing out of the battery via the circuit board, very disappointed but that is the risk with self-imported goods.

New batteries seem to be around £12 -£18 on ebay but there are no real details on the connector or whether they are protected circuits - or if they will work with the original charger.

Battery-Pack

 

[Scougar]

I'll try to take a look tonight and get a photo up if possible (I'm short for time, but I'll try). Are you able to get a photo of you damage?

 

[The Ken]

here you go...

 

[Scougar]

Blimey. Defo gonna quickly take mine apart when I get in. That is freaking terrible! Incidently.. mine was also sealed against water incursion.

 

[The Ken]

I've ordered another from that link above, I'm tempted to take it apart before I use it to see what it is like "new" They aren't waterproof anyway so new heatshrink and perhaps a home-made silicone case with prevent further issues.

 

[Scougar]

I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that the problem is not caused by water. I reckon it's caused by badly chosen metals/solders and possibly even some chemical leakage aiding corrosion from the batteries themselves (although I don't know if lithium batteries tend to leak?)

 

[The Ken]

I agree, I think is is a venting issue with the heat build up aiding corrosion.

I'm starting to think my totally sealled clingfilm method might have been part of the cause....

Lithium-ion batteries produce gas while operating, so its container needs venting to prevent the battery from exploding. Lithium-ion batteries also produce heat, so the container must have a shutoff switch to prevent the battery from overheating.

Read more: How to Construct a Lithium-Ion Battery | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7637452_constru ... z1luJBXkZs