Tag Archives: Lithium Ion

Did Phone In Pocket Catch Fire After Man Farted?!

Did a phone in a man’s pocket catch fire after he farted?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Phone In Pocket Catches Fire After Man Farts!

People are sharing this video on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that a man’s pants caught fire after a phone in his pocket burst into flames after he farted!

Be Careful! ⛔ Never fart with your cell phone in your pocket ! Gases are flammable ! 😱🤣

Recommended : Did A Ringing Phone Cause This Gas Stove Explosion?

Truth : Phone Didn’t Catch Fire After Man Farted!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video From South Africa

The viral video isn’t new. The video of a CCTV recording was recorded in South Africa in March 2020.

Fact #2 : It Was Not A Phone, But A Power Bank

It was not the man’s phone that caught fire, but a power bank.

Fact #3 : Flatulence Is Combustible

Farts, or flatulence, is combustible, because it contains methane and hydrogen sulphide which are produced by bacteria digestion of our food. However, the power bank did not catch fire because the man farted.

Fact #4 : Power Bank Apparently Overheated

At the time the incident happened, 29 year-old Lwando Mashiamahle, was waiting for his girlfriend to buy a plane ticket at the OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa.

While sitting down to wait, he realised that the power bank in his pocket felt warm. But he didn’t think anything of it, until it suddenly burst into flames.

It felt quite hot in my pocket but I thought it was normal, like sometimes your phone heats up when you’re using it, but I never thought it could explode,

I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do, I automatically just lost my mind. I was very, very scared.

Recommended : Apple Watch Explodes, Apple Tries To Cover It Up!

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Did-Phone-In-Pocket-Catch-Fire-After-Man-Farts.mp4?_=1

Fact #5 : He Was Not Injured By The Fire

Mashiamahle was not injured when his power bank burst into flames, because he was able to quickly take off his trousers, and avoid getting burnt.

Fortunately I have no injuries but my pants were burnt and I had to quickly find the nearest shop to buy a new pair.

He is fortunate, as lithium batteries fires are very strong and hard to put out.

Fact #6 : Phone / Power Bank Batteries Are A Fire Risk

Despite claims our phone or smartphone can spark flames in petrol / gas stations, or even cause a gas stove explosion, there is simply no scientific evidence for those urban legends.

The electrodynamic speakers in your phone vibrate to produce sound waves. They do not generate sparks. Without a source of sparks or an open flame, even a gas leak wouldn’t catch fire and explode.

The US FCC, US NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and the Petroleum Equipment Institute have all confirmed that mobile phones do not pose a fire hazard.

The lithium ion battery in our phone and power bank, however, are a fire hazard. Roughly one in every 10 million lithium-ion batteries will fail and catch fire.

That is why it is forbidden to pack any device with a lithium-ion battery into luggage that needs to be checked into an aircraft cargo hold. Everyone must carry their phone, computer and power bank using these lithium-based batteries into the cabin so that if they catch fire, the crew are aware and can quickly put them out.

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Apple Watch Explodes, Apple Tries To Cover It Up!

An Apple Watch Series 7 exploded recently, and Apple tried to cover it up. Maybe that’s why there’s not much uproar over it!

Apple Watch Explodes, Apple Tries To Cover It Up!

An Apple Watch Series 7 user recently reported to 9to5Mac that his smartwatch overheated, started smoking and eventually exploded!

The user recently noticed that his smartwatch was getting much hotter than usual, and that the back of the Apple Watch Series 7 had cracked.

watchOS also started showing a warning about needing to shut down due to the high temperature. This happened while he was in his own home where the temperature was just over 70°F / 21°C.

He immediately called Apple Support, and his call got escalated through multiple levels, eventually landing in the hands of a manager who told him not to touch the watch until he heard back from them.

The next morning, the Apple Watch was even hotter to the touch, and the heat actually shattered its display!

When he picked it up to take photos to send to Apple Support, it started making “crackling sounds” and “exploded” just as he threw it out the window.

The exploding Apple Watch Series 7 left burn marks on his couch, and he visited the hospital emergency room out of an abundance of caution over the potential of lead poisoning from the burning Apple Watch.

When he reached out to Apple, he was told that his case was a “top priority”, and that he would receive an update by the “following Monday”. Apparently, it wasn’t top priority enough to deal on a weekend…

Eventually, he waited until Wednesday, October 5, 2022, to hear back from Apple – it arranged to pick up the Apple Watch for further tests in its labs.

Apple also sent him a document asking him to agree not to share his experience with anyone. Fortunately, the Apple Watch user declined to sign the document, so he could share his story. Otherwise, we would never have known about an Apple Watch Series 7 exploding!

Apple Watch Explodes vs. Samsung Phone Batteries Bloating

It is inevitable that comparisons will be made between this story of an Apple Watch actually exploding, and the recent complaints by influencers that their Samsung phone batteries were bloating.

First, let me point out that in both cases, we cannot determine cause and effect merely from a few cases (in the saga of bloating Samsung batteries) or one case (this example of an exploding Apple Watch).

Apple sold over 100 million Apple Watch models since December 2020, and Samsung sells over 270 million smartphones every year. So it is important to frame both incidences in that context.

While exploding or bloating batteries are a real danger that we must all be aware of, it is an unavoidable risk of using lithium-ion battery technology.

When the drama over bloating Samsung batteries first exploded (pun intended!), many people asked me for my opinion as I too have many smartphones that I keep for comparison tests.

I shared that so far, the only Samsung phone to bloat was an old Galaxy S7 edge from 2017, and many other smartphones from ASUS, Xiaomi, etc. have bloated on me. In fact, a realme smartphone is slowly splitting itself in two from a battery bloat in front of me right now.

So it isn’t exactly a “brand problem”. In fact, the worst brand for battery bloating in my personal experience is Apple. My 15-inch MacBook Pro suffered no less than THREE (3) sets of bloated batteries in just 3 years. So Apple fans really should not laugh at other brands over battery issues.

All lithium-ion batteries have an innate risk of bloating, catching fire, or even exploding. That is something we must all acknowledge.

Read more : Did Exploding Samsung Smartphones Kill 3 In Florida?

Of course, better design decisions and stringent quality control can greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of such dangerous incidences. When hundreds of millions of lithium-powered devices are being manufactured every year, it is inevitable that many of them will bloat after some time, and a few will catch fire and may even explode.

That is why airlines forbid travellers from storing lithium-ion batteries, or devices with lithium-ion batteries, in their check-in luggage. That’s to ensure that if a fire does break out, it would be noticeable to the cabin crew, and can be tackled quickly.

What is most concerning though what happens when companies are made aware of battery issues. Do they take you seriously and treat you right? Or do they try to shut you up, to protect their reputation and sales?

What Samsung did was assuring, but probably only because they learned their lesson from the Galaxy Note7 battery saga. Apple did not suffer through such a traumatic event, and it shows.

Perhaps they should go through a similarly traumatic experience. Then maybe they will treat their customers a little better. The way they treated me when I reported my MacBook Pro’s bloated batteries is why I steadfastly refuse to ever consider buying an iPhone.

And trying to cover up this case of an Apple Watch exploding? That’s just not right…

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries Review!

In my review of the EBL lithium-ion AA batteries and 8-bay charger, I will share with you why this is the future of AA batteries!

EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries Review!

The future of AA batteries is here, and it comes in the form of EBL lithium-ion AA batteries, and the 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger!

Most of us have long relied on rechargeable AA batteries using NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) and NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) technologies which were developed in the 1980s.

They are set to be replaced by AA batteries built on lithium-ion technology – the same kind of battery used in your smartphone and laptops.

So I was most excited when EBL said that they would send me their latest lithium-ion AA batteries and 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger to try out.

EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries : What’s In The Box?

EBL sent me their most popular AA battery bundle, which consists of an 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger, and eight of their lithium-ion AA batteries. They also offer them for sale as separate items.

The package arrived in a simple black plastic bag – there is no special bundle packaging. EBL would do well to add bubble wrapping to prevent damage to the box, and pilfering from the package.

There are the items that you will receive if you purchase the EBL 8-bay Li-Ion battery charger and 8-battery bundle :

1 x EBL 8-bay Lithium-Ion Battery Charger
1 set of EBL Lithium-Ion Battery Charger + Lithium Ion Battery manuals
1 x USB Type A to micro-USB Type B power cable
8 x EBL Lithium-Ion AA batteries
2 x AA battery storage cases

EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger Review!

The EBL 8-Bay lithium-ion charger has a pretty simple design. It has 8 battery bays, supporting up to eight AA or AAA lithium-ion batteries, or a mix of them.

However, please note that this charger only supports lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Please do not use it to recharge your NiCd / NiMH rechargeable batteries!

Every bay has a separate circuit, allowing for optimal charging according to each battery’s condition. It is also smart enough to prevent over-charging, over-voltage, over-current and overheating while charging.

That said, EBL recommends that you take out the batteries once they are fully-charged, and do not leave them in the charger. Trickle-charging lithium-ion batteries is not good for their lifespan.

I would also recommend that you disconnect the charger after use, because it will use up to 0.3 watts of power even when it’s not charging any battery. That “vampire power loss” may seem little, but it is still a waste of power.

Power input comes through the very common Type A to micro-USB cable. In 2022, I would have very much preferred a bidirectional USB Type C connector. But this is a minor inconvenience – you won’t generally remove the cable unless you are travelling.

The 8-bay charger has a 10 watt power input, delivering up to 1.25 watts per bay when fully-loaded with eight batteries, and up to 1.5 watt per bay with fewer batteries.

However, EBL does not provide a 10 watt USB power adaptor to actually power this 8-bay lithium-ion battery charger. So you will need to purchase a separate USB power adaptor, or use the one that came with your smartphone.

Just make sure the USB power adaptor can deliver 10 watts or more. Otherwise, charging will be much slower.

Specifications	EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger
Model	EBL M7012
Type	USB Charger
Battery Size	AA / AAA
Battery Type	Only 1.5V Lithium-Ion
Input Voltage	DC 5V @ 2A
Input Power	10 W
No-Load Input Power	0.3 W max.
Output Voltage	DC 1.5 V @ 1 A
Output Current	AA : 1000 mA max. AAA : 500 mA max.
Dimensions	126.4 mm wide 75.4 mm high 25.2 mm thick
Weight	94.9 grams

EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion AA Batteries Review!

The EBL lithium-ion AA batteries work like any other rechargeable AA batteries. Just plug them into any device that requires AA batteries, and they just work.

These lithium-ion batteries have a capacity of 3,000 mWh, which is equivalent to 2,000 mAh. So they are equivalent in capacity to many NiMH batteries, but about 18% lower than top-shelf Eneloop Pro batteries.

EBL claims that they have a low self-discharge like Eneloop batteries, and will retain up to 80% of its capacity 3 years after it’s fully-charged. But they do not come pre-charged, because so you will need to charge them for 6-8 hours before using them.

The biggest advantage of the EBL lithium-ion AA battery though is its ability to deliver 1.5 volts of constant current. This beats NiCad and NiMH batteries which are limited to just 1.2-1.4 volts.

Even though these batteries have similar capacities to NiCad/NiMH batteries, their higher voltage means they deliver 7% to 25% more power.

That extra power is useful when it comes to certain devices, like Nerf guns or electric toothbrushes for example. You will get higher performance with these 1.5 volt lithium-ion batteries than you would with NiCad / NiMH batteries.

Specifications	EBL Lithium-Ion AA Battery
Size	AA
Type	Lithium-Ion
Capacity	3000 mWh 2000 mAh
Discharge Voltage	1.5 V ± 2%
Low Voltage Warning	1.1 V ± 2%
Standard Charging Time	≤ 2.5 hours
Standard Discharge Time	≥ 5 hours
Charging Voltage	5.0 V ~ 5.5 V
Recommended Discharge Current	0.2 C (400 mA)
Maximum Discharge Current	1 C
Overcurrent Protection Limit	800 mA
Overcurrent Discharge / Short Circuit Limit	2.1 A ~ 2.8 A
Low Temperature Charging Protection	0 ℃ : ≤ 150 mA -10 ℃ : ≤ 100 mA
Static Power Consumption	≤ 100 μA
Dimensions	50.1 mm tall 14.1 mm wide
Weight	20 grams

EBL 8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + AA Batteries : Price + Availability

The EBL 8-Bay lithium-ion charger can be purchased separately, or together with AA batteries, at these official price points :

8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger + 8 AA batteries : US$45.99
8-Bay Lithium-Ion Charger only : US$13.59
8 x Lithium-Ion AA Batteries : US$28.99

Here are some online purchase options :

EBL Direct : $45.99 (use Welcome for 10% off)
Amazon : $45.99

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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How Samsung Found & Fixed Their Exploding Battery Problem

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The Samsung Galaxy Note7 arrived to great acclaim on 19 August 2016. It was literally the best phablet ever, with its IP68 rating and its improved S Pen and Knox capabilities. However, its massive early success was soon overshadowed by reports of some Note7 phablets catching fire – the infamous exploding battery problem.

In October, Samsung initiated a global replacement program, but even some of the replacement devices continued to catch fire. That’s when they decided to recall and permanently end the sale of the Galaxy Note7. Since then, they have been working hard on finding out what happened, and how to prevent a recurrence.

After an exhaustive investigation, Samsung can now reveal what caused both the original and the replacement Galaxy Note7 phablets to catch fire, and what they are doing to prevent that from ever happening again. Check it out!

The Investigation

After the global replacement program was initiated, Samsung assembled 700 engineers to find out why some of them would spontaneously catch fire. Together with the replacement Note7 phablets from the global recall, their engineers tested more than 200,000 of those returned devices, and over 30,000 batteries.

Samsung also roped in three industrial safety and quality control organisations – UL, Exponent and TÜV Rheinland – to examine the Galaxy Note7 phablets, and provide Samsung with their own findings.

Finally, Samsung went back and examined every aspect of their production processes in their factories in China, Vietnam and south Korea – from hardware and software development to the assembly and testing of the Galaxy Note7, as well as logistics.

Double Trouble

The reason why both the original and the replacement Galaxy Note7 phablets exhibited similar spontaneous combustion issues was because two different batteries were catching fire under different circumstances.

Battery A

The first situation involved battery A which had an overly small casing. The cramped condition led to the negative electrodes being “deflected in the upper right corner of the battery“, and coming into contact with each other.

Battery B

The second situation involved battery B where welding burrs on the positive electrode penetrated the insulation tape and separator, and came into direct contact with the negative electrode. This essentially resulted in a short circuit.

Making Sure It Won’t Happen Again

To ensure that Samsung users will never have to worry about the exploding battery problem ever again, Samsung developed a rigorous 8-point battery safety check protocol for all future Samsung devices :

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Enhanced battery durability tests – includes overcharging tests, nail puncture tests and extreme temperature stress tests.
Visual inspection tests of every battery under standardised guidelines and objective criteria.
X-ray scans of every battery to look for any abnormalities.
Every battery will undergo a large scale charging and discharging test.
TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compound) Test – to make sure there isn’t the slightest possibility of leakage
Disassembly Test – the batteries are disassembled to assess their quality, including the battery tab welding and insulation tape conditions.
Accelerated Usage Test – the batteries will undergo extensive tests to simulate accelerated consumer usage scenarios
△OCV (Delta Open Circuit Voltage) Test – Samsung will check for any change in voltage throughout the manufacturing process, from component level to the assembled device.

Large scale charge & discharge testing

X-ray scanning of the batteries

Delta Open Circuit Voltage tests

Samsung may have been hit hard by the exploding battery problem in the Galaxy Note7, but there may be a silver lining after all. It brought up the critical and often overlooked issue of the safety of lithium-ion batteries that are, by nature, volatile. The new battery safety check protocol Samsung put in place should become an industry-standard. Other smartphone manufacturers would do well to adopt Samsung’s battery safety check protocol, or a similar one.

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ADATA X7000 Dual USB Power Bank Released

Taipei, 03 January 2017 – ADATA Technology today launched the ADATA X7000 Power Bank. As the model name suggests, the device is rated for 7000mAh. The X7000 features dual USB ports for efficient battery top-up of two devices at once.

Its stylish design employs the finest components and smart circuitry to provide multiple protective measures, made of highly durable materials to increase fire and impact resistance. A bespoke hairline-brushed aluminum textured surface combined together with a tough plastic side panels resulted in a unique look which differentiate the X7000 from other power banks.

With a choice of three colors, the X7000 is elevated from a mediocre power charging device to a premium power charger on-the-go for smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

ADATA X7000 Power Bank

Functionality into Fashion

While power banks are often thought of as generic, practical items, the ADATA X7000 power bank is a work of art itself. The combination of durable aluminum surface with tough plastic panels dissolves differences in texture into one unmatched visual experience. This innovative power bank is resistant to scratches, chipping and fingerprints smudges.

Weighs merely 210g and measures up to 12mm in thickness, the X7000 could be fitted into narrow, small spaces. The X7000 comes in three distinct colors to better match various smart devices: Titanium grey, blue, and red. A bright white LED status indicator provides at-a-glance charge capacity information, as well as a low-charge caution to keep users informed.

Quick and Efficient Charging

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The X7000 includes two USB ports, providing a total output of 2.4A output as needed by connected devices. The dual ports allow users to charge two mobile devices simultaneously, saving precious time. Additionally, the 7000mAh device can fully recharge a smart phone three times and a tablet one time. Now you can have enough power to watch and shoot videos on the mobile device, take photos and surf social networks, all the long.

Built Durable Inside Out

ADATA makes safety the leading priority with all products, and more so with power banks. Meticulous circuit and wire engineering provides six-faceted protection against excessive heat, voltage, current, charge, and discharge. Externally, the shell uses tough, fire-resistant polycarbonate that has been IEC 60950 impact resistant-certified for safe portability in diverse environments.

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