Help me identify a component

skillet

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Jan 3, 2005
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Green Co. , Bluegrass State
The "M" shaped component gave its life when the LiPo battery was connected reversed polarity.. Anyone know what it is?
It's connected between the + and - outputs. The symbol on the board is for a resistor, but that confuses me (which is easily done...)

Before

ImageUploadedByCandlepowerforums1491403441.344182.jpg

After

ImageUploadedByCandlepowerforums1491403666.189927.jpg
 
Last edited:

Steve K

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Jun 10, 2002
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Peoria, IL
I'm with skl, although I'd lean towards it being used only as a current shunt.

Hard to believe it was destroyed like that! The virtue of this style of current shunt is that it has a very low resistance which dissipates very little power. As a rough estimate, I would think that it would take 100A (or more) to destroy wire that large.

It's not uncommon to install some sort of circuitry to protect against a battery connected with the wrong polarity. Your device either had a poorly designed protection circuit that couldn't protect the shunt, or perhaps it lacked a protection circuit and other parts are damaged too. You might want to check other components in the area too, even if they don't exhibit external signs of damage.
 

FRITZHID

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Jun 20, 2011
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I'm with skl, although I'd lean towards it being used only as a current shunt.

Hard to believe it was destroyed like that! The virtue of this style of current shunt is that it has a very low resistance which dissipates very little power. As a rough estimate, I would think that it would take 100A (or more) to destroy wire that large.

It's not uncommon to install some sort of circuitry to protect against a battery connected with the wrong polarity. Your device either had a poorly designed protection circuit that couldn't protect the shunt, or perhaps it lacked a protection circuit and other parts are damaged too. You might want to check other components in the area too, even if they don't exhibit external signs of damage.
+1
 
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