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Forum Discussion
battery nighthawk m6 (mr6150) swelling
hi,
got a 2.5 year old nighthawk m6 (mr6150) and just notices the battery starts dangerously swelling! this should not happen... it has just been sitting in a cabinet as backup. i bought it at amazon.nl but they do not want to replace it as it is out of warranty. this seems like a dangerous production problem of either the battery or the charging electronics. i do want netgear to know about this.
also i am a bit afraid to put in a new battery...
anyone else had this? what should i do?
thanks
frank
6 Replies
this seems like a dangerous production problem of either the battery or the charging electronics.
Was the aircard on a charger? Or was it just sitting in the cabinet (not connected to anything)?
Battery swelling is a common sign of failure in a lithium battery - aging + humidity can cause it. But so can overcharging.
what should i do?
Obviously dispose of the battery. Be careful not to puncture it, as that can result in a fire.
If there is no sign of damage to the electronics inside the aircard, then it should be safe to replace the battery with a new one. Though I don't think you'll find many Netgear-branded replacements - googling shows mostly third-party replacements when I look.
There is available a (cradle fan cooler) device known as a MD200, for his MR6150 mobile router.
I would recommend taking off the battery cover on the mobile router, before placing it into the cradle. Doing this would allow the fan air flow to regulate the mobile router & battery temperature.
I made my own bespoke low-profile, 5v low voltage USB coolers. :D
@ boddeke,
That's what will happen if you don't provide, or have adequate cooling for router lithium ion battery!
That's what will happen if you don't provide, or have adequate cooling for router lithium ion battery!
Also overcharging, physical damage, or normal aging...
The battery swells because the electrolyte inside has broken down (releasing gas).
it has just been sitting in a cabinet as backup
If the cabinet got hot from time to time, that would accelerate the electrolyte breakdown.
I agree with you, about the battery cycle electrolyte aging process. Lithium ion batteries have charge cycle of between 300 - 500 charge/discharge cycles. When I have my routers on charge to 100% level the IQ smart charging adapter electronics will automatically stop charging the battery. You'll be notified on your router LCD display message saying your battery is now fully charged. You'll also be shown a (little lightening icon) next to the battery icon, this would also have disappeared too, meaning that the power adapter has stopped charging the battery.
It's like many other devices nowadays example Laptops, mobiles phones, tablets, and desktop computers all require cooling. If there is no internal air flow cooling device assistance, then an external one would be useful to help regulate the mobile router device & battery temperatures. Lithium ion batteries don't like heat over a certain threshold.
