Hot Batteries

[Willei]

What the hell? Just sitting here playing Kobo Deluxe, and all of a sudden I feel the back of my GP2X getting really quite hot. I turn the thing off and take of the back panel to see what's happening. One of the batteries is normal, but the lower of the two is really very hot - too hot to handle in fact, although I don't think you could get a burn from it.

I remember reading some broken English in the manual warning about this, but I assumed it was just the usual ass-covering junk that you get on most things these days. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[abigsmurf]

batteries should get hot but not hot enough to be painfull to the touch. Standard responce of "check the contacts are bare metal, not covered in a white substance" really

 

[Willei]

Yeah, the contacts on the batteries are fine, the ones on the GP2X have had that cack scraped off them already, when people were conjecturing that it was the cause of some of the screen problems.

It is the first time I've used this battery though (a 2500mAh NiMH Energizer), so there could be a fault with that I suppose.

 

[Squidge]

The 2X uses a lot of current from the batteries, so some can get very hot during use. It's also the reason why some batteries will die very soon after placing them in the 2X (as they can't handle the current consumption). Normally however, if you just leave such batteries to rest, they will recover some charge, and you can use them again.

GPH should have really spread the load over 3 or 4 batteries (4 probably being the easiest, as I think you could still have 3V by using two parralell sets of 2 series, thus doubling the amperage), as this would mean far longer playing times, the batteries not getting so hot, and thus lasting for much longer. I don't think they wanted the extra weight however.

 

[nickspoon]

Plus, it would have to be a different shape.

And I hate 4-battery devices. Never mention that idea again.

 

[matt goode]

I've lost my old rechargeables for my gp32! can anyone reccomend any i should get?

 

[iignotus]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

 

[Eolair]

I've lost my old rechargeables for my gp32! can anyone reccomend any i should get?

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Ansmann 2500 mAh NiMH photo batteries

 

[matt goode]

(*°-°*) cheers mate

 

[nickspoon]

http://www.budgetbatteries.co.uk

There you can buy single 2600mAh Ansmann photo rechargeables for about £3.50 each.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

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Are you sain? OMG...

1st: the one that invented AAA Batteries should be shot. They are expensive, and are low powered beyond compare.

2nd: As you mentoined: they are weak, incredible weak. Where's the point in having 4 of 'em for 3400mAh, when you can have 2x2600mAh AA batteries, that would be 5200mAh(following your analogy), nearly twice as much power than with your version. Plus AAA would mean: twice as much cost, plus almost twice as much storage wasted.

 

[Robster]

Hey Willei,

Although the GP2X does take quite a lot of power to run, what you're describing is certainly not normal! Especially because one battery was quite a lot hotter than the other.

It could be a contact problem, although you would expect the battery to be hotter at one end than the other if that was the case. Most likely though is a faulty battery.

As you say that they are brand new, I guess it would be worth trying a few discharge/charge cycles before giving up on it... but if the heating persists, I'd say replace the batteries.

Could you let us know how it turns out? It sounds like an interesting story

 

[iignotus]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

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2nd: As you mentoined: they are weak, incredible weak. Where's the point in having 4 of 'em for 3400mAh, when you can have 2x2600mAh AA batteries, that would be 5200mAh(following your analogy), nearly twice as much power than with your version.

​

Well, that wouldn't be following my analogy, as 2x2600mAh AAs would only give 1.2-1.5v if they were to provide 5200mAh, hence my AAA suggestion. Also, I can get 4 AAAs for the price of 2 AAs (rechargable, about $5) where I am.

 

[Mentor]

sounds like one of your new batteries is faulty, they can get hot if you short em out (anyone remember those old stories about people getting burnt when they shorted out their spare cellphone batteries on the loose change in their pockets?), but they shouldn`t get that hot in normal use, that one got hot while the other didn`t tends to show that one was faulty, high drains will show up any weakspots in dodgy batteries, I use cells like that for powering model aircraft at up to 40amps drain (thats 40,000mah for reference) and while they get hot, they don`t get "burn you" hot, thats a fault on the cell, plus if they get that hot they will vent off, lose some of the electrolyte and have their storage capacity reduced, I would take em both back and get em changed for a different brand, since the shop may well be selling all that brand from the same production run.

Mentor.

 

[tevildo]

I have had batteries get hot in general use, but generally that's high current applications (specifically, RC cars). However, all batteries have a rated maximum output, as you approach that they will get hot. Check the rating for your batteries.

matt: a good place to buy batteries is www.overlander.co.uk. I buy all my batteries for RC models from them - good prices, good capacities. They want £2 for a single 2500maH NiMH cell, with charge rate of 2A and discharge of 10A - shouldn't get too hot at 1A Make sure you look at the single cells section.

Oh, i can't personally vouch for those particular cells, as i've never bought individuals - they seem to say 'high voltage' but that could jsut mean voltage stays at 1.5V for longer through the discharge?

tevildo

 

[Squidge]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

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You need 3V, so you'd end up with 1700mAh out of 4 batteries, which is quite weak when compared to AA's. Personally, I think the way older mobile phones worked was the best - either the provided rechargable battery, or a set of AA's for emergency use

 

[iignotus]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

​

You need 3V, so you'd end up with 1700mAh out of 4 batteries, which is quite weak when compared to AA's. Personally, I think the way older mobile phones worked was the best - either the provided rechargable battery, or a set of AA's for emergency use

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Yep you're right. That sounds like a good idea, though I'ven't seen many rechargable paks that take the shape of 2 AAs. Is there anyone that currently makes them?

 

[nubie]

@nickspoon, squidge: How about the prospect of using 4 AAA? There are plenty of 850mAh AAAs... x4 would be 3400mAh and about the same weight as 2 AAs, no?

​

You need 3V, so you'd end up with 1700mAh out of 4 batteries, which is quite weak when compared to AA's. Personally, I think the way older mobile phones worked was the best - either the provided rechargable battery, or a set of AA's for emergency use

​

Yep you're right. That sounds like a good idea, though I'ven't seen many rechargable paks that take the shape of 2 AAs. Is there anyone that currently makes them?

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I hope you are saying his math is right. Remember, you have to add Voltage in series, add Amperage in parallel.

So 2x 2500mAh 1.2v in Series = 2500mAh 2.4v
2x 2500mAh 1.2v in Parallel = 5000mAh 1.2v
4x 2500mAh 1.2v (2 in Series, Parallel) = 5000mAh 2.4v

Another thread mentioned 13000mAh per cell, do a search, they were D size or larger though.

 

[nickspoon]

Yes, I would love to carry around a car battery on the back of my unit.

 

[abigsmurf]

I hope you are saying his math is right. Remember, you have to add Voltage in series, add Amperage in parallel.

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I knew physics teachers who would go crazy if you said amperage rather than current...