Problem with Power Functions Rechargeable Battery (8878)

[JLiu15]

Hey guys,

So I have a PF rechargeable battery (8878), and a few months ago, I noticed that battery would not turn on a few days after charging it (i.e. the green light doesn't light up). Charging it for a while would get it to turn on without being connected to the transformer, but even then it seems to turn off in a matter of minutes. I initially assumed it to be due to the cold, as my house got really cold at night, but even after getting a space heater the problem continued.

I was away from home the past two weeks, so when I came back the battery wouldn't turn on (pretty much expected this). I've been charging it for about 7 hours now - the red charging light is still flashing, and when I press the power button the green light turns on when it's connected to the transformer, but when it's not connected to the transformer, when I press the power button the green light would come on for like a second before turning off. I'm guessing this means it's still not holding a charge. The heat was turned off in my home while I was gone too, so maybe the cold was also a factor here along with how long it's been left unused.

Has anyone experienced something similar, or know of a solution to this? Maybe just wait until the red light stops blinking? It's been 7 hours and there's been seemingly little progress. I just hope I can still get it to work properly, as it's gonna be crazy expensive to replace now that PF is discontinued.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Zerobricks]

How long did you not charge it befor this attempt? If left too long, the battery could have died due to lack or charging.

[JLiu15]

36 minutes ago, Zerobricks said:

How long did you not charge it befor this attempt? If left too long, the battery could have died due to lack or charging.

About 2 weeks-1 month, although the issues with it not turning on first arose in October/November.

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, JLiu15 said:

Has anyone experienced something similar, or know of a solution to this?

You may want to have a look into this thread:

Scroll down to page 2. @kage28 has really done some in-depth research here!

Best,
Thorsten 

 

[2GodBDGlory]

I don't have any advice about what's wrong with your battery, but should it come to replacing it, you could potentially save quite a bit of money by replacing it with a much cheaper AAA box, and then filling it with six 1.5V lithium AAA batteries, giving it the same battery chemistry and slightly higher voltage (9V). Another appealing option I was looking into is using three 3.7V lithium cells and three "dummy" cells in an AAA box, giving Buwizz levels of voltage on the cheap. Of course, charging it won't be as convenient, but depending on your use case it could make sense.

[dr_spock]

Sounds like the battery pack inside may have reached the end of useful life.  Open her up and measure the voltage of each of the cells. You could rebuild it with a new set of LiPO batteries of the same size.  Be sure to read up on safety protocols for LiPO handling if you are not familiar.

[JLiu15]

50 minutes ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

I don't have any advice about what's wrong with your battery, but should it come to replacing it, you could potentially save quite a bit of money by replacing it with a much cheaper AAA box, and then filling it with six 1.5V lithium AAA batteries, giving it the same battery chemistry and slightly higher voltage (9V). Another appealing option I was looking into is using three 3.7V lithium cells and three "dummy" cells in an AAA box, giving Buwizz levels of voltage on the cheap. Of course, charging it won't be as convenient, but depending on your use case it could make sense.

I actually had a AAA battery box before but preferred the rechargeable due to its ability to not have to be taken out of your creation to replace batteries, as well as its lighter weight. It also seems most MOC builders prefer the rechargeable over the AAA battery box, so I'd still rather have a rechargeable one and not go back to using the AAA.

11 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

Sounds like the battery pack inside may have reached the end of useful life.  Open her up and measure the voltage of each of the cells. You could rebuild it with a new set of LiPO batteries of the same size.  Be sure to read up on safety protocols for LiPO handling if you are not familiar.

I got it in November 2017, so that's about 4 years. Should it really reach the end of its useful life that fast? I'd also rather not put new LiPo batteries in it, as I feel like that's not being purist lol (as the battery is no longer in its factory conditions). Plus I have little experience working with electronics like this, so not sure if I'd mess something up. Between searching for a compatible LiPo battery, opening it up, learning how to install it and putting it back together, it might still be more worthwhile to replace it completely...

One thing I want to add is, back in September it was still working normally, but just a few weeks later the issues started, so it wasn't like sitting around unused for a long time before the issues arose.

[Johnny1360]

As far as end of life goes, time is not nearly as pertinent as charge discharge cycles, have you used it a lot? No way of really knowing how long it sat around before you got it, is there? It does sound like it is simply at the end of its useful life, still I would open it up to verify, of course follow normal safety protocols, safety first.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Johnny1360

[JLiu15]

5 minutes ago, Johnny1360 said:

It does sound like it is simply at the end of its useful life

So 4 years is pretty normal for a PF rechargeable battery's useful life?

[Johnny1360]

Not necessarily but it does depend on how much use or abuse it has been subjected to. I have had them last much longer and also much less time, with various other batteries. I actually do not own one of those packs but sure wish I would have picked up one before they retired.