Sound Advice: Swollen battery poses a serious fire risk

Q: I have a 1970s vintage receiver I love, but the radio reception is awful. I don't own a smartphone and use an iPod Touch connected to my receiver, along with the TuneIn and Audacy apps to listen to my favorite radio stations. I play it almost all the time, so I keep it connected to a power source, and my favorite radio station plays as soon as I turn on my receiver. It's so convenient, except my iPod battery has swollen over time from being connected to the charger constantly.

Do you know of a "smart charger" that will stop sending power to the iPod's battery when it is full? Will this save the iPod's battery, or will it swell anyway? Or, do you know of a solution that I can connect to my vintage receiver that will allow me to download and control my radio apps?

A: A swollen battery is a fire risk. Don't charge or use your iPod Touch again until the problem has been addressed.

There are a lot of things that can cause a battery to swell as it ages. Smart chargers exist and can be found easily on Amazon, but I don't know that Apple has ever made an iPhone or an iPod without smart charging circuitry built into the device itself. Even if Apple no longer supports your device, there are third parties willing to put in a new battery for you for under $80 including installation. Online vendor ipodbatterydepot.com is an option, and Batteries Plus Bulbs stores (batteriesplus.com) can do the replacement, as well.

It might be time to move past the iPod. I suggest getting a $69 Amazon Echo Show. It has a bigger screen, sits on a stand, will work with TuneIn and Audacy and costs about the same as a professional battery replacement. It doesn't have a battery, but you keep it plugged in all the time, anyway. Plus, then there's no battery to fail.

Q: You recently recommended a machine for promoting collagen growth under the skin. I forgot the name. Would you please provide the name and cost?

A: It is called the AOGNY skin tightening machine, and it sells on Amazon for $339. It uses RF energy to penetrate and warm the skin, promoting the growth of elastin and collagen and tightening the loose skin. Most commonly used on the face, it can also be used on the body to remove stretch marks.

I started seeing small but noticeable results in about 30 days, with my face and the area under my chin starting to tighten up. These improvements continued gradually and accelerated a bit after six months, and nine months later, I am still seeing improvements. The key for me was to use it religiously every three days.

Please note that professional RF skin tightening is available from dermatologists, as well, though at a much higher cost.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.