My Can Light flooded. Actually, it just leaked a bit...

[Mo2vation]

One of them flooded. Full on rootbeer float sizzling, bubbling battery acid. No fun.

The other sort of leaked. Just about 1/8" water inside.

Its not been a good couple of weeks for Kenny and his light quiver.

The batt in the light that leaked still works. I dried it off, cleaned it up a bit, put it back on the light head, and it stull fires up! So I charged it when I got home, and it only gives me about 90 minutes of burn time.

Did this routine twice - charge and drain... I get about 90 minutes.

I took off the skin, and noticed at the bottom of the batt stack, one of the tabs sort of got eaten away (see pic). I checked all the others (on top and in between the stacks) and all of the others seem in good shape.

So here's the question:

I understand these stacks are "spot welded" and not soldered, less the heat from a soldering guy damage the batt. So how can I fix this? Is it worth fixing, or do I now have a 90 minute back up batt?

Maybe I can just run a jumper temporarily and charge it up, and then check to see if I get back my full 4 hours?

Any assistance from you electronimos will be appreciated.

---
Ken


PS: if you're interested in the batt as is, PM me. I'll accept any reasonable offer (I just paid $145 for a couple of new batt packs... so don't come in too soft )

 

[Rick Inman]

One of them flooded. Full on rootbeer float sizzling, bubbling battery acid. No fun.

Ohhh... been there, done that. I can't answer your questions, but I want to know how you got the leaks. Wasn't it you that suggested the tire tube bands I now use myself as protection against leaking??

Its not been a good couple of weeks for Kenny and his light quiver.

Oh, oh. Kenny is talking about himself in the third person again. Not good...

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Ohhh... been there, done that. I can't answer your questions, but I want to know how you got the leaks....

Last I heard, he was blaming it on his dive buddy... eyebrow ...but, I think it was the Laguna wash&spin cycle!

 

[ba_hiker]

well it loost to me like you have two bad connections on this stack of batteries. One compleatly gone at the top of the pix and the one on the right bottom is weak too. Note also the corrosion showing between the cells and on 5 of the cells.

You can solder them, but the bit you are soldering to must be clean, and shiney and the right most battery of the middle tier looks like it won't make it. It looks like these have been exposed to salt water for longer than one dive.

These look soldered, not welded. If you want to try to fix them try this. 1) clean the buttons really well where you want to solder, 2) get eutectic solder (i belive its 44/56 solder) in a thin diameter and a controlled heat soldering iron 3) warm up the iron and solder a couple of connections on something else 4) reconnect the batteries, applying as little heat as possible, but don't get a cold joint, use flux if the solder is not rosin cored.

I solder computer batteries like this some times and it works. Good luck

 

[micbu]

Hi,
of course it is possible to solder it, but be careful, the iron must be very hot, that is better for the batteries. Are you sure that they are still o.k. ? Normaly, flooded batteries are just good enough to throw away.


Greetings, Michael

-----------------
www.hid-tec.de

 

[Mo2vation]

ba & mic

Thanks for the tips. I have an excellent solder station. I'll scrub these a little better and give it a shot. Like I said, I consistently get 90 minutes out of this pack, which is why I really couldn't see trashing it outright.

I can't believe this happened... I'm still pretty bummed out.

Thanks -

---
Ken