[jeallen01]

See the photos - this genuine Pentax D-Li109 was bought with my K-30 and dates from 2012, and has been working fine in that body and now in the K-70.

It needed charging a couple of days ago, and so I put it in the Pentax charging cradle and left it overnight to charge (didn't need that long, just forgot about it) - but when I went to remove it from the cradle, the top cover just "came off in my hand"!

Inside, it looked OK with no bulges or leaks, so I took several shots as a record and then superglued the top cover back on again!

Anyone else seen something similar?

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[sergysergy]

It probably got too hot. Nevertheless you should keep an eye on it next time you charge it.

It probably got too hot. Nevertheless you should keep an eye on it next time you charge it.

If it did get to hot, it means that the charger is not properly working. After an amount of time the charger ought to automatically switch off if the battery is fully charged. If it did not, than the charger is at fault. Moreover, I have never noticed that any charger of Pentax overheats nor that the battery being charged got overheated.

[Not a Number]

Old batteries can get hot. The ancient battery for my K10D gets very hot where as a new old stock one doesn't get very hot at all. The old battery may take 4+ hours to charge while the new one takes the spec'ed 1.5-2 hrs.

As batteries age the internal impedance increases which translates to more heat while charging. The chargers look for a voltage spike that signals when the battery is charged. If the internal resistance gets too high the voltage spike may not get output.

[jeallen01]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

This is almost the oldest Pentax battery I have (I've still got an older D-Li90 that came with the K-5), and has probably been charged many times - so, from what you said, this might not be a surprising thing to happen.

Will keep an eye, and a finger (!), on it the next time it is being charged to see if it does get hot (might even use a temp probe if the heating seems significant).

[AstroDave]

Take a very careful look for any leakage! If that gook gets inside the camera, it can corrode things. Unless it is just a reflection, there appears to be something white (powdery?) at the bottom in your last picture.

Take a very careful look for any leakage! If that gook gets inside the camera, it can corrode things. Unless it is just a reflection, there appears to be something white (powdery?) at the bottom in your last picture.

Might be traces of glue. That is perhaps the reason that the housing of the battery came loose because of warmth.

[jeallen01]

@AstroDave - as I said earlier, there were (definitely!) no signs of any leakage from the cells.

@AfterPentax: looking fairly closely at the joints between the two sections of the case, there was little, if any, evidence of "tearing" of the edges of either - so I'm inclined to think that the original jointing compound just failed due to an inadequate amount having been applied in the first place, and/or age-related degradation over the last 8 yrs.

[rogerstg]

I'm inclined to think that the original jointing compound just failed due to an inadequate amount having been applied in the first place, and/or age-related degradation over the last 8 yrs.

That would be my guess. I've had all sorts of plastic items come undone due to regular use over a period of time. I simply re-glue and carry on.

[E-man]

When I got my K-30 a few years ago, the original battery was so fat it wouldn't fit in the camera. It also came with two aftermarket batteries, one of which was in the same state and the other looked fine but wouldn't take a charge. My solution was to get an AA battery adapter and not look back. One of the best $3 investments I ever made for a camera.

[photogem]

When I got my K-30 a few years ago, the original battery was so fat it wouldn't fit in the camera. It also came with two aftermarket batteries, one of which was in the same state and the other looked fine but wouldn't take a charge. My solution was to get an AA battery adapter and not look back. One of the best $3 investments I ever made for a camera.

You wrote that very differently in this thread you yourself opened:
Fat battery in K30 - PentaxForums.com
You then wrote that the orig. Pentax D-LI109 was fine but both "generic" batteries were fat?

I know this is an old thread but because we have a different thread now about "clone batteries vs. OEM" I feel this needs to be corrected or questioned.

[E-man]

Sorry if I mis-remembered the condition of batteries I received and tossed out more than five years ago. I'm sure the earlier post from 2017 is more accurate since it was written when I still had those batteries in my possession. They were long gone by the time I wrote the post above. The bottom line is that swollen or just stone dead, all three batteries were useless junk. The most important part of what I wrote, both in 2017 and in the post above is that using rechargeable AA cells in lieu of the D-Li109 batteries has provided a far superior user experience that I would recommend to anyone.

[photogem]

Thanks!
One never knows how previous owners treated their batteries. When "forgotten" and never recharged, the best Li-Ion can die.

[reh321]

Thanks!
One never knows how previous owners treated their batteries. When "forgotten" and never recharged, the best Li-Ion can die.

I would rather purchase a new 3rd party battery than a used Pentax battery - but that is just me.
I do have three used Pentax batteries - each came with a used “Q” I purchased.
At least once a week I take inspect my batteries as I recharge them;
I have tossed several “Q” batteries so far, but nothing has progressed to the point of being dangerous.

[photogem]

I would rather purchase a new 3rd party battery than a used Pentax battery - but that is just me.

I would prefer a used but well kept OEM Pentax. They hold charger better than a new 3rd party... and are much more safe:
You can read HERE that there is no UL certification but just the worthless CE one.

My very first D-LI50 from K10D times still works. I had 3 of them, sold my K10D long time ago but recently couldn't resist when I found
an almost new one. The amazing thing: the old D-LI50 from those days still works fine.
But then it were true Japanese cells like in early D-LI90's.