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Originally Posted by zenithfan1
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Oh yes, Lithium Ion as used in laptops and such can be nasty when something goes pear-shaped with them. Apple was the first to experience the combustible aspects of LiIon cells when they chose them for the infamous PowerBook 5300 (they switched to NiMH before it was released), and just about every other laptop manufacturer has had to deal with their flammable nature as well (not to mention Boeing with their infamous 787 Dreamliner!). I got lucky with my own MacBook Pro last year, turned it on, and saw that the battery indicator had a red 'X' over it. Looked at the bottom of the case, and saw that the top of the battery cover had swelled up quite a bit!
After some online research, I brought it to the Apple Store, and took it to their 'Genius Bar'. The guy took a look at the swollen battery, took a new one off the shelf, installed it in place of the defective one, showed me that the computer still worked, and sent me on my way. Say what you will about Apple, but they offer great customer service!
As far as other batteries go, I've had to deal with the effects of cells being left in old devices all the time. It's usually fatal to old-fashioned LED wristwatches, as the resulting corrosion eats away the battery terminals, or otherwise damages the circuitry. Got lucky with another Apple computer I have, a
Lisa 2, where the internal NiCd 5-AA pack corroded a little, but not enough to destroy the board. Haven't been so lucky with my Korg Poly 800 synthesizer, which had a set of batteries left in it at one time, and suffered corrosion on the circuit board. This has led to several lingering issues, including damaged circuit traces, and a myriad of circuitry glitches. To that effect, whenever I come across a battery-powered gizmo at a yard sale/flea market/swapmeet, I always open the battery compartment to look for signs of battery corrosion. If I find any, I often don't buy the thing unless I'm sure it can be repaired.
-Adam