A big thanks to everyone who shared instructions and tips! I too blew the fuse in my semi integrated battery, and thanks to this forum and help from a friend, I got my battery working again today.
If anyone else is in this situation, I encourage you to try the repair route. If you lack the tools, you could check repaircafe.org to see if a local volunteer can help.
Below I will share detailed instructions consolidating what I learned in this forum and from doing my own repair. It is a long post, but I am hoping the extra detail might help someone.
VIDEOS/PHOTOS
Both these videos are worth watching to see some visuals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q287-kQNDsM&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoHOZZpu6oo -- you probably do not need to take the whole thing out like this guy does
I also made a login account to this forum so I could see the photos others have posted.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 10 amp mini fuse -- available at an auto supply shop
- Something to pry off black end cap -- e.g. flathead screw driver, putty knife, wood chisel; a hammer or mallet helps too
- Torx 10 screwdriver -- needs to be long and skinny enough to access a narrow, recessed opening. What my friend had on hand did not work, so I had to run to the hardware store
- Utility knife -- for cutting through the blue plastic and black silicone rubber
- Needle nose pliers -- for removing the broken fuse
- Electrical tape -- for sealing up the plastic when you finish
STEP 1: REMOVE END CAP
This first step is a bit challenging. You need to pry something in like flathead screwdriver and then you can use a mallet to tap your tool at an angle and eventually knock off the end cap to reveal the screws underneath. I recommend starting with the end cap that is close to the charge port. Several posters here reported that is the ONLY end they had to mess with. Eventually I had to open up both ends (will explain later), but maybe you will have more luck.
STEP 2: REMOVE TORX SCREWS
There are four torx 10 screws on each side. Two are relatively easy to remove, but the other two are buried deep in the recessed opening, which is why you need a torx 10 screwdriver that can go deep.
STEP 3: MAKE SURE FUSE IS ACCESSIBLE
This step seems to be easier for some than others. The fuse is around the top left corner on the charge port end of the battery. Some people say they just pulled the blue casing out a bit and were able to move onto the next step. In my battery, there was a LOT of black silicone rubber so things were really sealed into place. I had to do a lot of careful cutting around all the edges to get through the rubber, and I also had to do the same on the other side. It was a frustrating process, but eventually I cut enough of the black stuff all around and used a mallet to push the bottom end of the battery so a portion was sticking out the top, finally making the fuse accessible.
STEP 4: CAREFULLY MAKE A SLIT IN THE BLUE PLASTIC TO ACCESS FUSE
Use your utility knife to make a small slit so you can remove the broken fuse. Proceed slowly and carefully. To the right of the fuse there is a flat ribbon that conveys the battery status to the exterior lights. Some other forum posters accidentally cut through that during this step.
STEP 5: REMOVE FUSE
You will see a red fuse with the number 10. You can pull it out using needle nose pliers.
STEP 6: REPLACE THE FUSE WITH ANOTHER 10 AMP MINI FUSE
I went to an auto supply story and got a 5-pack of fuses for $5. Much cheaper than a $600 battery replacement! Luckily this step is pretty easy. You just insert the fuse in the same spot where you removed the broken one. Once this is done, I recommend plugging in your charger to confirm that both lights are red indicating it is fixed and now charging. If it works now, congrats!
STEP 7: TAPE IT UP
I used some electrical tape to seal up where I had cut. I could only add one piece of tape because it was a really tight fit getting my battery back in. Here are some comments left by others in this forum:
--I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
--I used standard electrical tape to tape things back. I then coated the patched area and the tape with liquid electrical tape for a good seal. This brushes on nicely.
--I used some vinyl tape. Rad uses silicon seal, all the black stuff in the photos. If you use silicone to seal the battery, I recommend avoiding any silicone with acetic acid (it smells like vinegar). Acetic acid can corrode the electronics in the battery pack. Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker does not have acetic acid and is available at most automotive supply stores.
STEP 8: REASSEMBLE
Make sure to get the gasket back on correctly, and then you just add the screws back in and put the end caps back on.
STEP 9: ASK RAD TO REDESIGN THIS BATTERY
Seriously. Anyone have ideas on how to best influence their design team? When my fuse blew earlier this month, I submitted a warranty inquiry and sent some follow-up messages, and also called and waited on hold for two hours, and weeks later I have STILL not gotten a response from their corporate help center. So based on my terrible experience with customer support, I feel like sending design feedback to that generic email is a black hole. But if anyone knows the email address for their head of engineering please send it to me!
Designing this thing with repair in mind will be better for Rad, for customers, and for the planet.
If anyone else is in this situation, I encourage you to try the repair route. If you lack the tools, you could check repaircafe.org to see if a local volunteer can help.
Below I will share detailed instructions consolidating what I learned in this forum and from doing my own repair. It is a long post, but I am hoping the extra detail might help someone.
VIDEOS/PHOTOS
Both these videos are worth watching to see some visuals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q287-kQNDsM&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoHOZZpu6oo -- you probably do not need to take the whole thing out like this guy does
I also made a login account to this forum so I could see the photos others have posted.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 10 amp mini fuse -- available at an auto supply shop
- Something to pry off black end cap -- e.g. flathead screw driver, putty knife, wood chisel; a hammer or mallet helps too
- Torx 10 screwdriver -- needs to be long and skinny enough to access a narrow, recessed opening. What my friend had on hand did not work, so I had to run to the hardware store
- Utility knife -- for cutting through the blue plastic and black silicone rubber
- Needle nose pliers -- for removing the broken fuse
- Electrical tape -- for sealing up the plastic when you finish
STEP 1: REMOVE END CAP
This first step is a bit challenging. You need to pry something in like flathead screwdriver and then you can use a mallet to tap your tool at an angle and eventually knock off the end cap to reveal the screws underneath. I recommend starting with the end cap that is close to the charge port. Several posters here reported that is the ONLY end they had to mess with. Eventually I had to open up both ends (will explain later), but maybe you will have more luck.
STEP 2: REMOVE TORX SCREWS
There are four torx 10 screws on each side. Two are relatively easy to remove, but the other two are buried deep in the recessed opening, which is why you need a torx 10 screwdriver that can go deep.
STEP 3: MAKE SURE FUSE IS ACCESSIBLE
This step seems to be easier for some than others. The fuse is around the top left corner on the charge port end of the battery. Some people say they just pulled the blue casing out a bit and were able to move onto the next step. In my battery, there was a LOT of black silicone rubber so things were really sealed into place. I had to do a lot of careful cutting around all the edges to get through the rubber, and I also had to do the same on the other side. It was a frustrating process, but eventually I cut enough of the black stuff all around and used a mallet to push the bottom end of the battery so a portion was sticking out the top, finally making the fuse accessible.
STEP 4: CAREFULLY MAKE A SLIT IN THE BLUE PLASTIC TO ACCESS FUSE
Use your utility knife to make a small slit so you can remove the broken fuse. Proceed slowly and carefully. To the right of the fuse there is a flat ribbon that conveys the battery status to the exterior lights. Some other forum posters accidentally cut through that during this step.
STEP 5: REMOVE FUSE
You will see a red fuse with the number 10. You can pull it out using needle nose pliers.
STEP 6: REPLACE THE FUSE WITH ANOTHER 10 AMP MINI FUSE
I went to an auto supply story and got a 5-pack of fuses for $5. Much cheaper than a $600 battery replacement! Luckily this step is pretty easy. You just insert the fuse in the same spot where you removed the broken one. Once this is done, I recommend plugging in your charger to confirm that both lights are red indicating it is fixed and now charging. If it works now, congrats!
STEP 7: TAPE IT UP
I used some electrical tape to seal up where I had cut. I could only add one piece of tape because it was a really tight fit getting my battery back in. Here are some comments left by others in this forum:
--I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
--I used standard electrical tape to tape things back. I then coated the patched area and the tape with liquid electrical tape for a good seal. This brushes on nicely.
--I used some vinyl tape. Rad uses silicon seal, all the black stuff in the photos. If you use silicone to seal the battery, I recommend avoiding any silicone with acetic acid (it smells like vinegar). Acetic acid can corrode the electronics in the battery pack. Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker does not have acetic acid and is available at most automotive supply stores.
STEP 8: REASSEMBLE
Make sure to get the gasket back on correctly, and then you just add the screws back in and put the end caps back on.
STEP 9: ASK RAD TO REDESIGN THIS BATTERY
Seriously. Anyone have ideas on how to best influence their design team? When my fuse blew earlier this month, I submitted a warranty inquiry and sent some follow-up messages, and also called and waited on hold for two hours, and weeks later I have STILL not gotten a response from their corporate help center. So based on my terrible experience with customer support, I feel like sending design feedback to that generic email is a black hole. But if anyone knows the email address for their head of engineering please send it to me!
Designing this thing with repair in mind will be better for Rad, for customers, and for the planet.