Oops, destroyed a Google Nexus 7!

biggles

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I have been using a Google Nexus 7 as bedside clock and alarm for years. Today I noticed that the battery bulging so much that the screen is pushed away from the back panel. It still turns on. Is this dangerous to continue using it?

When using a phone or tablet as a bedside clock, should you unplug it a few times per week to avoid this? There is something going on here regarding the lithium ion battery, I think you are not supposed to keep these things plugged in continuously. Actually, I do not understand what is happening, laptops stay plugged in daily and they have lithium ion batteries. Laptops never had this problem. Just wondering if anyone can give some insight or advice here.
 
I have been using a Google Nexus 7 as bedside clock and alarm for years. Today I noticed that the battery bulging so much that the screen is pushed away from the back panel. It still turns on. Is this dangerous to continue using it?

When using a phone or tablet as a bedside clock, should you unplug it a few times per week to avoid this? There is something going on here regarding the lithium ion battery, I think you are not supposed to keep these things plugged in continuously. Actually, I do not understand what is happening, laptops stay plugged in daily and they have lithium ion batteries. Laptops never had this problem. Just wondering if anyone can give some insight or advice here.

Yes, that is dangerous and should be disposed of. Lithium batteries are not meant to stay at full charge for long periods of time as it generally degrades their performance. Laptops cannot stay plugged in indefinitely and maintain their usefulness either and many laptop batteries have puffed up like that since the dawn of laptops.

Advice: Properly dispose of that tablet or if you have someone qualified, have them replace that battery but IMO its too dangerous to be around and absolutely not near your bed.

Why Do Lithium-Ion Batteries Swell?
  • Overcharge conditions which accelerate parasitic reactions between the electrodes and electrolyte, with release of heat and gases.
  • Poor cell quality and design with low anode to cathode stoichiometric ratios, particulate contamination
  • Mechanical damage to electrodes induced either during cell assembly or from the product application
  • Excessive temperatures (Do not leave your cell phone inside your car)
  • Deep discharge of cells
 
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I'm still using my Shield tab as a desktop companion device and try to discharge it occasionally to avoid this, esp. since it has been refurbished due to a battery recall. It would be nice if Android could natively cap battery charge at like 80% to avoid excessive wear while being plugged in all the time like this, but if you're willing to root it, I'm sure there's an Xposed module or something you could load onto it in order to cap the battery charge.

Since yours is obviously in need of a new battery though, I would find one online (probably on Amazon or Aliexpress if not anywhere else) and replace it before it potentially explodes on you one night causing injury and/or a fire in your house. I've replaced the battery on both my son's old Nexus 7 (2013 model) and had to re-solder the battery connections on my Shield tab and they're super easy to take apart and work on. But I would only work on a swollen battery outside and with some gloves and face shield/mask for protection in case it decides to let go while you're removing it. Just be extremely gentle with it and ensure not to poke or puncture the battery with any tools and you should be fine.
 
Okay, I gave the Nexus 7 to a more tech savvy family member. He should be able to do the battery replacement. I plan to use an iPad Pro 10.5" as the new bedside alarm clock. Battery should be safe this time since this iPad is used during the day and thus only stays plugged in at night. Question, do folks recommend getting an app that shows the time but acts like a screensaver? In other words, an app that moves the clock digits at night once every few minutes in order to avoid burn-in on the screen. The iPad is LCD and that is supposed to be a lot less likely to suffer burn-in vs oled. So perhaps the risk is small, I just do not want to destroy a 2nd tablet.
 
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