Oudie N battery malfunction

[James Cooper]

I had an Oudie N battery malfunction today (Wed 6/25/25) following an enjoyable 6-hour XC flight.

The Oudie N performed as expected throughout the flight, but after I turned off the power and began removing the Oudie N from its cradle, I noticed that the internal battery pack had swelled up and buckled the back case cover (see photo below). The back case was warm, but at first glance there doesn’t appear to have been a runaway thermal issue.

An email has been set to my local supplier to work out next steps, and I thought I’d share my experience here as well.

Anyone else experienced this?

James C.

[Rick Sheppe]

Yipes, this is becoming a bit of a concern.

To answer your question, yes, one of our club members had the same problem.  He sent the Oudie N to Naviter, who repaired it and sent it back promptly.  Overall, a good customer support story.  I can get further details if anyone is curious.

James, can you describe the procedure you have been using for charging (frequency, min/max charge states, charging durations, etc.)?  Also, were you connected to an external battery during the flight in question?

[Eric Redweik]

This same thing happened to my Oudie N almost 2 years ago. (Picture attached) Like Rick says, the Customer Support from Naviter was excellent! I received a replacement unit quickly and was back on my way. I only charge the unit to full prior to flying and do not store the unit with a full battery. The battery on these units is (typically) very good thus I have never found the need to connect it to an external battery source while flying.  

During my last flight attempt, I was getting ready to hop in the glider and was met by a big red band across the top of the screen saying the Security Seal is broken and that I need to contact Naviter for support. Unfortunately it looks like I will be sending this unit back again. 

Both of these issues occurred on particularly hot days in Arizona. I have a feeling that these units are built quite rugged but may not be quite as tolerant to heat as one may expect. We will see what Naviter says about the seal issue after they have a chance to diagnose it. 

Regardless, I am still very happy with the Oudie N as well as the customer support they have provided. Hopefully I will have my unit back soon so we can keep logging great flights with it.

-Eric

[Bruno Ramseyer]

This happend to one of my Laptops, Manufacturers verdict after replacement, simply faulty battery, nothing to do with external heat etc. Immediate replacement

recommended as this faulty item represents a fire hazard and should only be disposed of by specialists or in Recycle centres.

Mottley

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From: naviter-gliding-...@googlegroups.com <naviter-gliding-...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Eric Redweik <epre...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday 26 June 2025 17:10
To: Naviter Gliding Discussion Group <naviter-gliding-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Naviter Discussion] Re: Oudie N battery malfunction

 

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[Paul Remde]

Hi Eric,

I can re-seal the Oudie N at my office for $30 plus return shipping.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde

Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

[Kevin Anderson]

I know of 3 in region 5 with the guys that I fly with that have had battery swelling.

Kevin

[Eric Greenwell]

Is there anything is common with those units? Has Naviter commented on the situation?

Eric G