Quirky and amusing things... [RE-wrenches]

[William Miller]

At 12:49 PM 1/15/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>
>As for Bill's battery lap dance - Bill, we are all waiting for the
>punch line......
>
>Jeff Yago

So, since several have asked...

I have several 14.4 volt NiMh Makita batteries.  One was not taking a
charge.  It took me a few days to realize it was only one battery.  The
guys kept accusing me of failing to charge my batteries (anything to poke
fun at the boss, you know).  I would invariably grab this battery and hike
way up on a steep roof.  When I realized it was one battery, I kept an eye
on it while charging.  Half the time it would trigger the red/green
alternating error indication, half the time it would act normal in the
charger.  I took it out of the charger and it ran the drill very weakly.  I
held the chuck and after a moment, the drill was stronger.  After doing
this several times it got progressively stronger.  So I got comfortable
sitting on my tailgate while discharging the drill.  After about a minute,
the battery exploded like an M80 in my lap.  My ears were literally
ringing.  The bottom of the battery had a hole in it with a 6" piece of
mesh and some wire and MOV looking parts sticking out, sparking!  I was
working alone, so I dropped my trousers to assess the damage.  I got a
minor bruise just south of ground zero, but no permanent damage.

So why did this battery explode?  Any theories?  The moral: if your NiMh
battery is getting weak, point it away from your thingies!

William



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William Miller
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email: wrmiller at slonet.org
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