SteelSeries keyboard battery swells due to continuous charging

A SteelSeries wireless mechanical keyboard owner reported that the device's battery swelled after being kept continuously plugged in to minimize input lag. The user, identified as Redditor ‘Molti_gfx’, purchased the keyboard for approximately €100 on sale, though its standard retail price is around €300.

The incident highlights a potential design flaw in the keyboard's printed circuit board (PCB). Unlike many wireless peripherals that can function in a wired mode without a battery, this specific SteelSeries model requires the battery to be present and functional to maintain operation. Consequently, the swelling battery has rendered the keyboard unusable until a replacement component is installed.

Critics noted that the hardware lacks a mechanism to limit the battery's state of charge when connected to a power source indefinitely, which likely contributed to the swelling.