Why is my NiMH AAA so hot?
Strikes or blows are really bad for most recharchables, but especially AA and AAAs. The thin plastic shrinkwrap around the battery, sometimes along with a small plastic disc around the + terminal-button, and the fine gap between the positive and negative side, is the only thing that’s really protecting it from shorting out. The positive side can become dented, especially around the edges of the cylinder, and make contact with the negative side, which in some – or a lot – of batteries is the whole of the metal case underneath the shrink wrap. (basically, all of the metal that is not the positive end.) And battery explosions can be pretty nasty. You can get chemical and heat burns, even if it doesn’t explode or catch fire, and just wants to get really hot and leak everywhere. A good source for battery cases is those multipacks of disposable batteries that actually come in a little plastic recloseable clamshell. (Example, Rayovac alkalines from WalMart.) I save those for keeping rechargab
