It just popped. Audibly. Twice in about 10 minutes.
At first I didn’t know what happened - it was sitting on my thigh and I heard and felt a little pop. Then about 10 minutes later, the same thing happened to my Harmony 360. It still works. There are no scorch marks or anything on the battery contacts, but I’m not about to open it up further.
It’s been pretty static-y around the house - any chance that could have caused it? I had two dogs wrestling on the couch next to me. I really don’t want to replace my baby.
Edit: What’s my worst case scenario? I don’t want to start a fire or anything…
Is it possible that the battery door wasn’t closed properly and it snapped into place?
I had this happen years ago with a Gameboy. It scared the hell out of me and I thought one of the batteries was exploding. Took me a while to duplicate what happened and figure out how it had happened.
I hope so, but twice? I’m replacing the batteries - let’s see how it goes. These occasionally pop up on eBay for really cheap, but not before Christmas. And they’re $75 on Amazon, used.
I would guess it could be the batteries themselves, especially if they are old, and double-especially if they are the super-cheap Chinese off-brand batteries that often come with remote controls. They can rupture and leak their acid-y goodness all over the inside of your remote. Good thing you heard it happen, and good call on replacing them!