On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:33:52 -0800 (PST), powrwrap
wrote:

On Dec 11, 1:17*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Dec 11, 11:29*am, powrwrap wrote:

If the batteries were making poor contact with the negative spring,
that in itself could have caused localized heating right at the spring.

OK that's plausible. I'll stretch the springs out even more.
I doubt that is it. Remotes draw very little current for very short
periods of time. I poor connection would cause eratic behavior, but
not a lot of heat. I suspect the batteries were somehow shorted
thereby causing the current to be only limited by the battery's
internal resistance. That would heat the batteries.