Polar V650 battery not charging

[MrSadman]

Hi,

I've got a problem with a Polar V650.
Fault description - Unit does not charge when connected to a wall charger.
Steps so far:
Opened up the unit and the battery had swollen up.

Seems like an easy enough fix, just get a new battery and you're good. Unfortunately this is where I'm stuck.
I can't find the same make and model of battery anywhere.


Browsing the internet, it seems I am not the only one with this problem...
Anyone have any suggestions where to find a battery that has the same connector/pinout and measurements?

I guess my other option is to hope that the BCS is functional and try to get it off of the battery and swap it to a suitable replacement. I don't enjoy soldering around Li-Po's so I'll leave that as a plan B for now.

[mikerj]

If an exact replacement is not available you'll have to source a cell of the same or slightly smaller dimensions and swap over the battery protection board (if one is fitted).  I've had to do this on quite a few older devices.

The main dimensions are most likely 44x66mm, but you'll need to get a reasonably accurate thickness measurement.  Since the cell is swollen you may have to get this dimension from the housing, e.g. put a piece of modelling clay where the battery sits with some kitchen plastic food wrap either side, temporarily put the device back together to squash the clay and then remove it and measure with some vernier calipers.