Hardware Bloated/Inflated Battery

[Avalynn]

I've used a lot of lithium-ion polymer and cells over the years and I've seen old Apple laptop batteries, cell phones, and the like expand as well too from normal usage non-short circuiting and non-over changing. The chemistry in the them can go bad over time without the circuit being at fault.

So I would check with Nintendo if they are willing to warranty the battery or if you have to send the whole system in.

 

[Syphos]

So I would check with Nintendo if they are willing to warranty the battery or if you have to send the whole system in.

You want him to send this thing by mail?
Without the battery, ok.

BTw, is that avatar from Aion or PSO2?

 

[Avalynn]

You want him to send this thing by mail?
Without the battery, ok.

BTw, is that avatar from Aion or PSO2?

I agree with everyone else that the battery should be disposed of immediately, safely, and properly...

So I would check with Nintendo...

Call them, email them, get in contact with them first, see what they are willing do so to help you. It's from FFXIV.

 

[Calico]

Like I said, I had the battery for 3 years; I don't think Nintendo will make any exceptions for the extension of my warranty.
I'm not 100% sure what you meant with your previous post on the charging of Lithium batteries, so can you please clarify that for me?
Is it a bad habit to use my 3DS while it is charging, and then leaving it to charge even after it reaches maximum capacity?

 

[Foxi4]

Like I said, I had the battery for 3 years; I don't think Nintendo will make any exceptions for the extension of my warranty.
I'm not 100% sure what you meant with your previous post on the charging of Lithium batteries, so can you please clarify that for me?
Is it a bad habit to use my 3DS while it is charging, and then leaving it to charge even after it reaches maximum capacity?

Most modern hardware has failsafes built-in for this sort of thing so these days it's irrelevant (once the battery is full the system should just start using power from the charger for as long as it's connected), but I can't vouch for Nintendo engineers having any kind of sense so I'm going to say yes, it's a bad thing to simultaneously charge and discharge a battery.

 

[Calico]

Odd, I've noticed that the system doesn't work if I use it directly with the charger and without the battery.
So am I right to assume it uses the battery's power even at max capacity?

 

[bannana2]

A lithium battery will not bloat unless it's overcharged or charged with a voltage higher than expected, I've never encountered this issue popping up naturally or from overuse and I've dealt with laptops connected to the charger 24/7 for years on end. This is classic circuit failure unless the battery was physically damadged, I'd RMA that in a heartbeat. I can't even think of a legal way to dispose of a bloated lithium battery, that shit's dangerous and doesn't belong in a bin.

Finally an intelligent piece of advise. Yes, I agree.

 

[powersaver]

I haven't read this thread because I don't understand. Why create a thread for this?

I would call Nintendo irrespective of warranty status, , explain the situation, get some tech support/explanation, and most likely, buy a new battery.

It may not be the case now, however NOA has been known to have excellent customer service, which I've experienced this firsthand.

 

[gudenau]

No damage was done to anything other than the battery far as I can tell.
I forgot to mention that the battery has been on really low life for a few months. I believe it's because I consistently left my 3DS connected to the outlet, overloading the battery.
So obviously don't do this if you're lucky enough to not have this happen to you yet. If I take out charger, the 3DS will remain at 4 bars for 5 minutes and in seconds it'll go
down to 1 and automatically turn off. I just thought my battery was dying, so I left it plugged in 24/7, which probably resulted in the bloated battery.
So don't do that if you already do.

Any idea where I can get a replacement in Canada? Under 40$ would be nice.

Hey, the 3DS should not allow the battery to overcharge. They tend to inflate some when they are old, like the one in my DS is slightly inflated (A few MM). Try to keep them room temperature if you can help it.

 

[tbb043]

Odd, I've noticed that the system doesn't work if I use it directly with the charger and without the battery.
So am I right to assume it uses the battery's power even at max capacity?

Not really. How Nintendo's stuff works it just won't turn on without the battery installed for whatever reason, but as soon as it's on you can pop the battery out and run solely off AC until you turn it off again. At least that's my experience with everything from a GBASP to a WiiU Gamepad.