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inflating battery Anonymous
Greetings, I have a digicam that uses a Lithium-ion D-LI8 battery (see picture). I bought a spare one in my local camera store and the lady said my current battery's inflated (the one in the picture), meaning it got slightly thicker. True enough it was always hard for me to eject the battery all the time, and the new one I bought slid in and out just fine. She said I should stop using my old battery but was not specific as to why.

So I ask you /p/, what causes the battery to inflate, is it dangerous for my digicam to keep using it, and how do I prevent it from happening to my other newly-bought battery?
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Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakePENTAX CorporationCamera ModelPENTAX Optio S5zCamera SoftwareGIMP 2.4.5Maximum Lens Aperturef/2.6Focal Length (35mm Equiv)62 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2008:11:02 22:22:50Exposure Time1/4 secF-Numberf/3.5Exposure ProgramNormal ProgramISO Speed Rating400Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length10.20 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width512Image Height384RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceManualScene Capture TypeStandardContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
I haven't had a camera battery do this, but a pocket PC battery did this for me. It was also li-ion. I noticed the battery life went to hell once it happened. I'd say not using it is a good idea, it may get jammed in there, and worst case scenario it could even leak and cause corrosion. It's not that rare for batteries to inflate, it's just normal wear that can cause it, or poorly made batttery.
>> Anonymous
If it's inflated, that indicates that it has changed internally (prolly gas pressure.)

You don't know if it's shorting out inside. You don't know if the safety mechanisms are still functioning.

My advice is turf it before it goes into thermal runaway and bursts into noxious flames one day.
>> Anonymous
>>285818
Also, you don't prevent it. Unless you jammed a paperclip across the terminals or something, it's not your fault. I'd return it under warranty if you can.