Li-Ion Blue Battery switch

[GAP]

I recently purchased a "blue battery" and it arrived faulty, after getting no help/replies from the seller I wrote it off.
I dismantled it the other day and to my surprise I found that both the charging and output plugs were wired in parallel i.e. both were switched.
When I was researching these batteries most of the posts I read said that the charging socket was permanently 'live'.
In my case this was so.
I am posting this a precautionary warning to others to check their batteries on arrival because, like I did, plugging in the charger may not charge the battery unless the switch is in the ON position.
Mine was definitely faulty measuring only 8.4V at the terminals regardless of charging time with the switch in both positions.
I'll consider another one in the future because, after reading posts and talking to others, I believe they are great but I will look for another seller.

 

[Del Tapparo]

Can you please expand on your description of a "Blue Battery"? Who makes it and where did you buy it?

 

[GAP]

Can you please expand on your description of a "Blue Battery"? Who makes it and where did you buy it?

12V 4800mAH Li-ion battery like this one.
Bought from My Zone in Hong Kong.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-4800...ronics_Batteries_Chargers&hash=item3f060c455f

Popular battery used by people on this forum.

 

[Del Tapparo]

That's a very scary looking and unusual looking configuration. It would be more appropriate to label it as an 11.1V (nominal) 3-cell battery pack (3.7V per cell nominal). Why the switch? Why two plugs? (because of the switch, obviously). Why the switch? I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[GAP]

That's a very scary looking and unusual looking configuration. It would be more appropriate to label it as an 11.1V (nominal) 3-cell battery pack (3.7V per cell nominal). Why the switch? Why two plugs? (because of the switch, obviously). Why the switch? I guess you get what you pay for.

These things are marketed as a "UPS" out of China and come in capacites up to 9600mAH.
Internally it has 3 "cells" wired in series to make the battery so 3.7x3 =11.1 but the manufactures quotes 4.2V/cell so 12.6V.
Manufacturers and sellers will always quote a higher spec I know this from my work as an avionics technical assessor.
One lead is the switched output and the other is connected directly across the terminals for attaching the charger.
That is how the configuration is supposed to be but I got a dud.
These have been used successfully by other users in here with no problem.
My post was more or less an alert bulletin for potential users to check the configuration before using.