Trapped battery older pen

[pschlosser]

This is my first laser light pen. I found it in a drawer and it contained leaky dried batteries.

I'd like to extract the inner AAA cell, if I can. If I can salvage her, that would be a plus. If not, I'd like to remove the diode without damaging the tube. If I can pull this off, I may try to repair her or salvage what I can. The eneloops are shown for scale.

Note the notch on the plastic end cap. It may be hard to see, but below the notch is a tiny metal strip. I've poked at it and really yanked on it. I'm uncertain how to open or extract the battery... short of using a corkscrew.

I welcome any advice one can give me on extracting or dissembling this pen.

 

[Blord]

Put the tube in the freezer. Once it is icy cold then hold the tube with your hands.
Heat will expand the tube but the cold battery is still shrunk. The tube will let the battery go if you swing with it.

 

[RA_pierce]

A small, strong magnet or some epoxy on a stick might work.

 

[pschlosser]

I'll try the thermal expansion trick. It's wedged in there. With the metal battery end cap on, I have tried thrusting the pen downward and bouncing the (non-laser) end on a hard surface, hoping the inertia of the battery will move it closer to the end. As far as I can tell, there has been no movement.

 

[cheech226]

Put the tube in the freezer. Once it is icy cold then hold the tube with your hands.
Heat will expand the tube but the cold battery is still shrunk. The tube will let the battery go if you swing with it.

gotta love applied physics! +1:beer:

 

[pschlosser]

Me, too. The case became nice a brittle, and split at the end with the end cap. I was driving it vertically against my granite countertop in hopes the inertia would drive the battery downwards towards the end cap.

Corkscrew is next.