That time my solar phone charger caught fire on the porch

I was out back in Phoenix last July, showing my neighbor how my DIY panel setup worked. First time I used those cheap recycled lithium cells from an old laptop battery, didn't balance them right. Next thing I know, smoke started pouring out of the charge controller box, melted the whole thing in under 3 minutes. I just sat there watching it, thinking 'well, that's $20 and a week of work gone.' Has anyone else had a battery pack go up on you like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo501mo ago

Wait, hold on - you were just sitting there watching it burn? I mean, I get that you were probably in shock or whatever, but dude, that thing could've torched your whole porch. Idk maybe it's just me but I would've been scrambling for the fire extinguisher or a bucket of water or something the second I saw smoke. The fact that it melted in under 3 minutes is absolutely wild though, those cheap lithium cells really don't mess around when they decide to go. Makes me think twice about ever trying to salvage old laptop batteries for anything.

evan1511mo ago

Watching it melt felt a lot like my last relationship - I just stood there hoping it might fix itself if I stared long enough. The smoke was honestly pretty hypnotic until I remembered that was my porch melting. By then the fire extinguisher was already a melted lump in the corner cause I'd left it next to the battery pile like a genius.