438
Spicy Pillow. (programming.dev)
submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

That laptop is no longer a laptop, it is a bomb.

TranscriptA photo of an extremely swollen HP laptop. The panels are kept on with clips. The caption says: "User calls about disc being stuck in another computer, mentions off hand about this laptop. They'd been using it like this for weeks...

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[-] [email protected] 111 points 2 weeks ago

"What do you mean I'm not allowed on the airplane?"

[-] [email protected] 76 points 2 weeks ago
[-] [email protected] 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Seeing "spicy pillows" always makes me extremely anxious because of how horribly it can go for anyone near one. This community would be extremely bad for my mental health... ~I joined it...~

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

It is a bit train wreck-y! I’ve never had one do that, but I sure had the fear of it put in me.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Crossposted.

[-] [email protected] 71 points 2 weeks ago

oh yah ive seen this before. there’s an air pocket inside the battery. if you see this, poke it with a fork! it will let out the air 🙂

just in case someone may not knowbut for real do NOT poke a swollen battery. i think it’s obvious to most people here but just in case: do NOT poke a swollen battery.

[-] [email protected] 22 points 2 weeks ago

A poke is dangerous! It needs to be a diagonal slice of at least 1 cm.

[-] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago

No poke, just bite. Got it.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

ChatGPT just told a pregnant mother to poke her laptop battery, gj monster.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

I read somewhere that some people discharged the battery, and then carefully poked the layer full of gas, and had the battery albeit with only 50% of its previous capacity.

Still a terrible idea.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Thank you for the disclaimer hahaha yah never know... The real danger is when it's getting charged.

[-] [email protected] 47 points 2 weeks ago

that's too long to hold a fart

[-] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago

Seriously. Just prick the swollen part with a sharp needle, it will let out a toot and be good as new.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago

Good ol' flame toots.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

Just in case there's impressionable minds in the comments, do not do this. Also don't eat Tide pods.

[-] [email protected] 38 points 2 weeks ago

An HP with a fucked up battery. Jaw dropping.

It’s like they go out of your way to give you fucked up defective batteries. Then they make their laptops nearly unserviceable, so when I get a replacement battery I tear the shit out of the case to get it open.

And it’s always hp. I’ve had other laptops for 10 years with functioning batteries. These HPs fail in like a year or two. I have one now covered in stickers from all the damage I had to do to open it and replace the battery.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

It must be some sort of hobby. Especially with the Elitebook series.

The G1 had a bad charging curve and tended to produce spicy pillows. HP fixed it with a firmware update, and since the G2 had mostly the same design, they were fine.

Then the G3 came out, again with an incorrect charging curve. HP fixed the problem. The G4 were fine.

G5? Bad charging curve… wanna guess if the G6 was affected?

[-] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Seems like the battery did the opening for them already, in this case.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, see maybe that’s their plan. The battery opens the case for you. Brilliant.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, I had to replace the battery on mine twice already. Last time buying HP for sure.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

An HP

Just curious, was this a typo, or do you pronounce Hp Ach Pee?

edit: typo, ironically.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Just curious, was this a type, or do you pronounce Hp Ach Pee?

I’m not even sure where to start with this one.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago
[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

That how I pronounce it, so I'd write it that way, too.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

I am Swedish and say:

HÅPE

[-] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago

It’s not a bomb. Batteries expand when the electrolyte degrades. Once the swelling stops, it’s homeostatic. Totally discharge the battery, open it up, carefully remove or replace the battery. You can most likely use the computer plugged in with the battery removed if you don’t want to buy a new one.

Discharging the battery is the most important step in that process. A discharged battery is very unlikely to combust.

[-] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago

I think the most important step is PPE honestly -- especially when the floor chances for maim or injury is "unlikely".

Here is a guide.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Great point! I always had that available to me at work, so I overlooked it as a step. You’re absolutely correct. Never skimp on safety.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

And as you see there, one more important part being, doing it outside, in a place where you have enough air movement and a space where you can immediately chuck it in case it starts doing its thing.

[-] [email protected] -1 points 2 weeks ago

The chance of a discharged battery hurting anyone is 0%. No juice, no fire. I'm in IT and have thrown a few in the fire and shot several. Worst I've seen is one get very hot and burn around the bullet hole, and those had some juice left in them.

[-] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

Sure, that's probably true (we could quibble over "0%" and the nuances of hyperbole), but my confidence that the clearly damaged battery in front of me is completely discharged and won't cause harm is far less than my confidence in PPE saving my eyesight. When giving information to strangers on the internet, I like to play it conservative.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

I dunno, i once discharged a battery and then threw it at my brother. He seemed pretty hurt.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

When he said you were D-ranged he just meant what size battery and how far you could throw it.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

How would one safely discharge a swollen battery? Just letting the computer run?

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yup. Run it until it shuts down, then power it up into BIOS/EFI until there’s no more sign of life. Turing up screen brightness and streaming video over WiFi will speed things up if you’re in a hurry.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

This is accurate information. I just used an old computer and took the battery out of it and used it as a server. Sure, the power goes out and it might corrupt, but you know, it's just for dumb shit.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

Whenever I see a puffed up battery, I want to take it to a small range and pop it with a 10J air rifle, seems fun

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

Sorry, we don't work with pufferfish. Let me walk you to the door.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

Just lance the pillow and I’m sure it’ll be fine.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I'm on mobile and youtube hates my VPN lately, so I can't link it, but I highly recommend for everyone to go watch how does an exploding/penetrated battery looks like.

I kind of knew they are a fire hazard, but seeing one actually explode was way way worse than I thought. Exploding batteries are no joke, and everyone should see it at least once.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Another HP battery 😂

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Looks fine to me

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

This had me in stitches. I love these kinds of photos. I'm sure people with cars have way worse "solutions".

Anti Commercial-AI license

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)
this post was submitted on 16 May 2025
438 points (99.5% liked)

iiiiiiitttttttttttt

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