Simple battery replacement - what could go wrong?

crwdns2853023:0crwdne2853023:0

I had a motion-sensitive LED unit for my basement steps that was not holding a charge. It was easy to open and an identical battery was available online, so I ordered one.

crwdns2853024:0crwdne2853024:0

Not good. The white battery connector was a bit hard to unseat, but finally came out. Looking at the replacement part I thought "That's odd - the wires look backward." But did that stop me? Nope. As soon as I got the replacement seated there was a telltale smell of fried electronics.

crwdns2853025:0crwdne2853025:0

Trust your suspicions, especially with cheap parts from the internet! Lucky for me, I only made a stupid mistake on a cheap device.