When the puckerfactor = 3000

[SantaClaw]

Right.. I did it... I ordered myself a TS-80 USB powered soldering iron, I made sure I got the chisel tip, and the biggest tip they make for it.. Right.

I do alot of automotive stuff, and I do alot of soldering at my cabin, where all I have is solar power, so I figured a USB - C QC3 soldering iron would be great!  Now... All I need is a suitable power bank.

So I looked at the small pile of power banks I had laying around... hm... none of these are QC3... Right... Onto the Internets, Let's find one that can power this iron for hours if need be...

TA-DAH ! Choice fell on a Baseus 33w Ambilight 30 000 mAh powerbank, It was perfect!  Plenty of ports, and large enough to power the iron for days, charge my phone, and my laptop

Ordered it and waited like a.. happy thing waiting for uhm... more happiness.

https://www.baseusofficial.co.uk/shop/baseus-amblight-super-high-capacity-33w-30000-mah-power-bank-pd-3-0/


Yesterday, when I checked my mailbox, I could smell... uhm... smell? Wait, that's not good.. Electrolyte....
The whole time I was carrying it to my house, I hoped someone had spilled perfume on the thing...
It turned out.. they hadn't....

There really wasn't much damage on the outer packaging, or the retail box itself, but the unit stunk like nobody's business, and it had somewhat opened itself...

Right.



Ok, that doesn't look good..


Oki, I just had to have a peek inside...  Now comes the part where I nearly shit myself out of shear terror...

Getting the lid off all the way was a pain in the butt, it was clipped and glued in there like crazy.. I didn't realize I was tugging on the pack itself... lol



Not good.. lol  As you can see, the pack had torn.. 

In my mind, I am handling a live grenade, we're talking 500 grams of pure lithium cell... 

Anyway, I bought it of an ebay seller in Germany, he immediately shipped  me a new unit (Aka, Service, if any of you china stores are following) once he saw the pictures.. Shoutout to:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/254332586692

Now, it sits in a pot, waiting for Monday, when I have to go to the local post office and hopefully fill out a damage report so he can get his money back from DHL...

[SiliconWizard]

But it's got electrolytes!

[james_s]

In my mind, I am handling a live grenade, we're talking 500 grams of pure lithium cell... 

That's a bit hyperbolic.

It's certainly not a good situation, that could have easily set fire to the whole truck full of mail, hopefully it didn't end up in the belly of an aircraft. It's not a grenade though, these things can make quite a fireball if they are fully charged but they don't explode. In a partially charged state they will do what happened there, puff up and vent electrolyte. By the time it was in your hands the energy was likely fully depleted.

[Zero999]

How does one safely dispose of that thing?

And I know they don't want you to return it, but hypothetically speaking, what would happen if a seller wanted you to return something in a potentially dangerous condition, in exchange for a refund. Would it be acceptable to refuse and still be entitled to a refund/replacement?

[kripton2035]

at work we don't return swallowed liion batteries. we must keep them and dispose of them locally. no carrier company wants to carry them.
I would dismantle the whole thing, only one cell is dead, the other must be good. and throw the bad cell to a local waste company.

[james_s]

How does one safely dispose of that thing?

Several years ago I crashed a model airplane and it seriously damaged the LiPo but two of the cells while bent were still intact and holding a charge. I set it out in the middle of my back yard and shot it with an air rifle but pounding a nail through it or hitting it with an axe or something would have accomplished the same thing. It puffed way up, started smoking and then made a little jet of flame for a few seconds and smoldered for a while. They hold quite a bit of energy but they don't blow up like bombs.

[SiliconWizard]

I set it out in the middle of my back yard and shot it with an air rifle

Like a poor injured horse to put it out of its misery...

[coppercone2]

if you puncture it under water (bad idea) it will make a serious shit load of sludge after a while

i don't think the chemical inside will react to make flames with water, its highly flammable when warmed however (not like lithium metal that it reacts with water, at least to my observation)

i want to say, its less reactive when drained, so first connect it to a lowish resistor to drain it that will not heat it, then destroy it.

[amyk]

Since the cell has already been opened, there is no chance of pressure to build up and cause explosion. When you pulled it apart, the plates separated, which means the cell will lose significant capacity and increase in internal resistance, making it safer.

All the violent events with lion cells come from them being shorted or punctured in a way as to cause a short. Your cell has come apart so there is far less risk.

[james_s]

And they rely on it being fully charged or nearly so. A cell that is at a storage charge does not contain much energy, it may swell up and char but it's not going to make a fireball. Generally cells are shipped at the lowest charge possible without damaging them.

[bc888]

Breathtaking.  Are all of the powerbanks that will drive the TS80 made in China?

[james_s]

I think pretty close to all powerbanks period are made in China.

That in and of itself means nothing, there is plenty of good quality stuff being made in China, but you usually have to pay for it.