Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / April 2005

Just got a new RC vehicle with a 27Mhz controller.   I bought a brand
new 9V battery and when I put the battery in the controller, white
smelley smoke started coming out of it !!  Now the smoke seems to be
gone but needless to say, I cannot operate the vehicle with the
controller (probably a fried circuit?).

I am trying to figure out if I was sold a malfunctioning unit (bought
it on Ebay) or if reversing the battery (+/- inverted) would be enough
to cause that.  I don't think that I put the battery in the wrong way
but then again, I took it out so quickly when the thing started
smoking that I could not confirm at 100% that I did not inadvertedly
switch the polarity.  Even if I had, would it simply make the unit not
work (without the smelly burning smoke)?

I don't want to wrongfully accuse the seller of selling me a defective
unit but at the same time, I am a little suspicious that putting the
9V battery the wrong way would create this effect...

Andre