Hey guys
I have an old ebike battery I'd like to use for a DIY ebike controller I'm designing. It's been left for a few years - would it be safe to attempt to charge it?
It was made by Vpower.hk, who I believe have now gone bust. It came with a 6A charger, and it's a 48V battery (13 cells, I think?). I used it for a uni project about 3 years ago, I probably only charged it once in that time, at the beginning, and then left it. Given my huge lack of knowledge on batteries, I'm a bit worried to simply plug the battery into the charger and charge it, in case it catches fire (I live in a rented flat, top floor, so slightly concerning).
The open circuit voltage is around 41V, I switched it on (it has a isolation switch on the outside) for a few seconds to measure it, again, concerned it may overheat and catch fire.
Am I being too cautious? Will it be fine to attempt a charge? I'm fairly confident the battery might be dead, given how long it's been left, but is it safe to give it ago?
Sorry I can't give any more info on the battery, there's no websites or anything now to find the data on it, I know it had current limiting, and there's some electronics inside (hopefully undervoltage protection?).
Thanks!