Battery Problems

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:04 pm

I just got my batteries (two packs) a few days ago and I tried to hook them up to the N64 after charging them. The first one didn't seem to work, so I tested the N64 to make sure it wasn't fried or anything with the regular power supply. After that worked, I tried the first battery again, and it still didn't work. I tested it with the other battery and everythng worked fine.

I figured the first battery might be dead or something, so I tried it with a small computer fan. Didn't work there either. I tested the second battery on the fan and it worked. I set up the N64 again and the working battery suddenly stopped working. Now neither of them work on the N64 or the fan. Both the fan and the N64 work properly when using other power sources. When connected to the charger, it indicates that they're full and they both output the proper voltage, but nothing seems to work with them.

I posted a thread at BatterySpace, where I bought them, here with pretty much the same information, but I'm wondering if anyone here might know what's wrong. Thanks.

Turbo Tax 1.0 · Post by **Turbo Tax 1.0** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:28 pm

what kind of batteries are they?

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:34 pm

Lithium-ion. These to be specific. I was planning on wiring them in parallel to get 8000 mAh out of them, assuming they work correctly.

shmagoogin77 · Post by **shmagoogin77** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:13 pm

dont you need some kind of protection circuit when you use li-ions?

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:14 pm

The protection circuit comes with the battery packs. It's all prepackaged together, so there shouldn't be anything to set up with it, at least as far as I know.

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:59 pm

you didnt put them on the charger backwards, right? i really hope its not possible to do that.

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:14 pm

Although it would be possible (considering the charger has two alligator clips, not any type of connector), I definitely didn't put it on backwards. I double checked before connecting it.

Warrior_Rocker · Post by **Warrior_Rocker** » Sun May 07, 2006 1:10 pm

voltmeter them... also just a small test you can do to determine if the battery packs have any amperage in them, if they have no amperage your not going to be powering anything...

what you can do is, lightly and quickly touch the lead off the batteries together, warning only for .00001 of a second you dont want to short them, just make sure they are still good to go, the larger the spark, the more power...

i know this isnt a good test to be doing, but its simple and effective..

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Sun May 07, 2006 1:19 pm

I already RMA'd them, so hopefully I'll get some that work.

Post by **marshallh** » Sun May 07, 2006 2:24 pm

Yep, you have a short on your N64 somewhere. The batteries are fine, but the protection flipped to keep them from exploding. It's a problem on your end, not theirs. Lucky you had the protection circuits

SteelFox15 · Post by **SteelFox15** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:27 pm

If there was a short on the N64, why would it work when on wall power? It also works when hooked up to a 7.2V NiMH battery (though only for like 20 minutes). The batteries should also have worked on other devices even if the N64 had a short, no?

Post by **marshallh** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:29 pm

SteelFox15 wrote:The batteries should also have worked on other devices even if the N64 had a short, no?

No, once the batteries encounter a short, something flips in the protection circuit and it will not work until it is reset (it that is even possible). That's probably why the working battery stopping working after you tried it on the n64.