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Important: Li-Ion Battery Safety Tips!
15 years ago
<puff>
it's time for me to flex my technological knowledge and help out the greater Furry community.
Caution: Teal Deer.
Today, I'm going to teach you how to identify a specific defect in Lithium Ion battery chargers, and how to safely handle devices that have this defect.
I've nicknamed it the "End of Charge Detect defect", hereby called the EOC Flaw, because the "End of Charge" detection circuit doesn't work correctly in devices with this flaw. Namely, if you disconnect the device from power, then connect it again shortly, it will try to recharge the still fully charged battery, resulting in a possibly dangerous overcharge that could reduce the life of your battery, or even cause a fire. (This has really happened in cases eerily similar to the conditions surrounding this defect...)
Anything with a Li-Ion or Li-Po battery may have the EOC flaw. Cell phones, laptops, iPods, cameras, you name it. My Camcorder and Nintendo DS Lite both have the defect. My old cell phone has a really weird charger circuit, and I can't tell if it's flawed or not.
How to Tell: Recharge the questionable device until it indicates that its battery is full. Then unplug it, and promptly (within less than a minute) plug it back in.
Good: Device only attempts to charge for a very short time (few seconds), or immediately displays "Fully charged".
Faulty: Device enters a normal charge cycle. If it does this, unplug it. o.o
If Your Device has the Flaw: It's deceptively simple to work around the EOC flaw, once you know it's there. You just have to remember to run your battery down to at least either 80% charge, the first "segment" of the meter, or a half hour under normal use for things that don't have a meter (like your DS), before you try to recharge it again. It's normally safe to leave these devices on charge overnight, but I'd recommend against this, as a power flicker may cause it to try to overcharge its battery again...
If you've identified a device you've been using for a while to have this defect, please inspect its battery. If it appears bloated, you should replace it ASAP, as it's already been damaged by being overcharged.
I don't normally believe in chain messages, but this is an important message that needs to get out there. Please link back to it, and spread the word.
Caution: Teal Deer.
Today, I'm going to teach you how to identify a specific defect in Lithium Ion battery chargers, and how to safely handle devices that have this defect.
I've nicknamed it the "End of Charge Detect defect", hereby called the EOC Flaw, because the "End of Charge" detection circuit doesn't work correctly in devices with this flaw. Namely, if you disconnect the device from power, then connect it again shortly, it will try to recharge the still fully charged battery, resulting in a possibly dangerous overcharge that could reduce the life of your battery, or even cause a fire. (This has really happened in cases eerily similar to the conditions surrounding this defect...)
Anything with a Li-Ion or Li-Po battery may have the EOC flaw. Cell phones, laptops, iPods, cameras, you name it. My Camcorder and Nintendo DS Lite both have the defect. My old cell phone has a really weird charger circuit, and I can't tell if it's flawed or not.
How to Tell: Recharge the questionable device until it indicates that its battery is full. Then unplug it, and promptly (within less than a minute) plug it back in.
Good: Device only attempts to charge for a very short time (few seconds), or immediately displays "Fully charged".
Faulty: Device enters a normal charge cycle. If it does this, unplug it. o.o
If Your Device has the Flaw: It's deceptively simple to work around the EOC flaw, once you know it's there. You just have to remember to run your battery down to at least either 80% charge, the first "segment" of the meter, or a half hour under normal use for things that don't have a meter (like your DS), before you try to recharge it again. It's normally safe to leave these devices on charge overnight, but I'd recommend against this, as a power flicker may cause it to try to overcharge its battery again...
If you've identified a device you've been using for a while to have this defect, please inspect its battery. If it appears bloated, you should replace it ASAP, as it's already been damaged by being overcharged.
I don't normally believe in chain messages, but this is an important message that needs to get out there. Please link back to it, and spread the word.
