Fried battery

[yomama365]

Hi everyone, i was pushing a bare ground wire from a usb into the ground port on a pc fan, it was still plugged into the pc. This caused an electric arc, causing a glowing flame effect, not a real flame though, similar to when you plug something into a cheap travel adapter. All my usb ports work fine still. Laptop works ok. My only concern is will the battery be damaged by this? So far the battery is discharging at the normal rate

 

[UsernameIssues]

There are battery charge/discharge circuits that limit the current that can flow each way. Every reputable battery manufacturer uses a charge/discharge chip set that protects against short circuits. Your battery is fine.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yep not a good idea to work with wires while the system is hot

 

[Layback Bear]

Okay, make my day and explain why one would do such a thing.

From post #1

i was pushing a bare ground wire from a usb into the ground port on a pc fan, it was still plugged into the pc.

 

[yomama365]

Okay, make my day and explain why one would do such a thing.

From post #1

i was pushing a bare ground wire from a usb into the ground port on a pc fan, it was still plugged into the pc.

Had plus minus wires inserted into fan header to test a fan. Fan stopped when one of the wires came loose. Usually id unplug it then fix it but i was lazy and fixed it while it was still plugged in. It was a dumb move

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Most people might have used a port of a known good fan to test another fan with,
Still shutting down first though and restarting....

 

[yomama365]

Hi,
Most people might have used a port of a known good fan to test another fan with,
Still shutting down first though and restarting....

Yes it was stupid, but everything still works (so far). Im so glad i didnt damage the laptop

 

[yomama365]

Would it be safe to continue making my usb fan but cut and solder and insulate the connectors for extra safety. Would the usb port still be able to drive the usb fan after that. Things all work fine, but what kind of minor damage could there be that arnt effecting me

 

[Layback Bear]

Please post a website of the fan you are trying to use.

 

[yomama365]

Please post a website of the fan you are trying to use.

Just an old pc fan i got from my computing teacher. Dc brushless

 

[Mellon Head]

Would it be safe to continue making my usb fan but cut and solder and insulate the connectors for extra safety. Would the usb port still be able to drive the usb fan after that. Things all work fine, but what kind of minor damage could there be that arnt effecting me

Those PC fans are meant to work with 12 Volts. USB ports provide 5 Volts, so it won't turn as fast as it should. Then there is the current to consider. You may want to look at the fan to see if it has a label saying how much current it draws in Amps or milliAmps. You don't want to go over 500 milliAmps when drawing from a USB port or you'll damage it.

My advice: If you want a USB powered fan, buy one specifically designed for the purpose.

 

[yomama365]

Would it be safe to continue making my usb fan but cut and solder and insulate the connectors for extra safety. Would the usb port still be able to drive the usb fan after that. Things all work fine, but what kind of minor damage could there be that arnt effecting me

Those PC fans are meant to work with 12 Volts. USB ports provide 5 Volts, so it won't turn as fast as it should. Then there is the current to consider. You may want to look at the fan to see if it has a label saying how much current it draws in Amps or milliAmps. You don't want to go over 500 milliAmps when drawing from a USB port or you'll damage it.

My advice: If you want a USB powered fan, buy one specifically designed for the purpose.

Its only 200mA

 

[Layback Bear]

I would suggest stop playing USB port games with that fan. It could cost you a motherboard.

 

[yomama365]

I would suggest stop playing USB port games with that fan. It could cost you a motherboard.

Is 200mA too much?. And if i safely solder the connectors, then its safe isnt it? Im not gonna do a half job next time. Im just glad it didnt cost me this time

 

[yomama365]

There are battery charge/discharge circuits that limit the current that can flow each way. Every reputable battery manufacturer uses a charge/discharge chip set that protects against short circuits. Your battery is fine.

Ok well battery check said the battery is ok. But last time i ran off batteries it worked fine then suddenly jumped from 45% to 7%. But note that the computer was on sleep for a while just before that. Any idea, i hope its not my worst nightmare. This has happend yesterday once too. But afterwards i charged it again and it discharged as normal with no jumping. Is this to do with sleep mode

 

[UsernameIssues]

There are battery charge/discharge circuits that limit the current that can flow each way. Every reputable battery manufacturer uses a charge/discharge chip set that protects against short circuits. Your battery is fine.

Ok well battery check said the battery is ok. But last time i ran off batteries it worked fine then suddenly jumped from 45% to 7%. But note that the computer was on sleep for a while just before that. Any idea, i hope its not my worst nightmare

Large jumps like that can indicate that one or more cells has gone bad. It might be coincidental (i.e. the cells just happened to fail at this time). Or maybe the surge in current pushed the weak cells over the edge. The current surge should have stayed well below any level that could damage the batteries. That is what good short circuit protection chips do: they limit current to prevent damage. Poor protection circuits might not kick in soon enough.


You said that it was an old fan. The voltage rating should be written on the fan. If it is rated for 200ma @ 12 volt, it will probably draw more current @ 5 volts.

 

[yomama365]

There are battery charge/discharge circuits that limit the current that can flow each way. Every reputable battery manufacturer uses a charge/discharge chip set that protects against short circuits. Your battery is fine.

Ok well battery check said the battery is ok. But last time i ran off batteries it worked fine then suddenly jumped from 45% to 7%. But note that the computer was on sleep for a while just before that. Any idea, i hope its not my worst nightmare

Large jumps like that can indicate that one or more cells has gone bad. It might be coincidental (i.e. the cells just happened to fail at this time). Or maybe the surge in current pushed the weak cells over the edge. The current surge should have stayed well below any level that could damage the batteries. That is what good short circuit protection chips do: they limit current to prevent damage. Poor protection circuits might not kick in soon enough.


You said that it was an old fan. The voltage rating should be written on the fan. If it is rated for 200ma @ 12 volt, it will probably draw more current @ 5 volts.

I still dont get how most of the time it discharges fully fine. And this battery is less than a year old. Would the hp batter calibration possibly caused this since i ran it after the fire

 

[UsernameIssues]

If the battery discharges fine most of the time, then the cells are probably fine.

I don't use any 3rd party apps for battery management...
...so I'm not sure what problems can happen when you use them.

Maybe other HP users can help you with that.

 

[yomama365]

If the battery discharges fine most of the time, then the cells are probably fine.

I don't use any 3rd party apps for battery management...
...so I'm not sure what problems can happen when you use them.

Maybe other HP users can help you with that.

1 last thing unrelated. My power port on the laptop is slightly loose. If i wiggle the charger plug slightly while in the laptop port it will have some play and move up on am angle slightly but trying to do it down or side to side doesnt work, it stays firm, only happens pushing up. Will this ever cause an issue

 

[UsernameIssues]

I do not know how HP mounts their power connector on their motherboard. I have seen laptops where the power connector was intentionally allowed to flex with respect to the motherboard and case.