HELP! needed, Nicd Pack Mishap!!
 

WOW, I had always known never to cross the charge leads, but it finally happened, YIKES! I'm okay, rooms a tad smoky. *whew*

My question - how do I know if the packs ruined? Is it usable? How do I do diagnostics? Any danger hurting my planes motor/receiver if I hook it up & try it? Is it safer just to get a new pack? It's a 7-cell Sanyo pack, polls were crossed 3 seconds, the last cell connection heated up & burned through the plastic. I am using a Great Planes Triton charger. I'm relatively new to packs & charging (only really know how to charge/discharge)

Any help GREATLY appreciated

Thanks

Lee

RE: HELP! needed, Nicd Pack Mishap!!
 

Did the cell heat up and burn the heat shrink around it, or is it just the wire lead to the cell that burned its insulation? If the cell burned through some of its heat shrink you need to take care. Except for the button on top the entire case of the cell is the negative pole. Besides that, your best bet would be to stick it on your Triton and do a discharge/charge cycle or 2 and see how many mah it takes. If something is wrong with the pack, the Triton probably won't charge it or it will show a drastically reduced mah. I have the Triton and it is usually right. If something is wrong and you are handy with a soldering iron, you could remove the damaged cell and still have a 6 cell pack.

RE: HELP! needed, Nicd Pack Mishap!!
 

Another way is you have not started to charge the pack is to measure the individual cell voltages just after a load is applied and before the cells rebound.

if you are below 1v on any single cell you may have a problem

Cycle the pack as stated before. but make sure no wire has lost its insulation