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FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

wsj.com

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Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#51

Post by wfunction »

gilgoomesh wrote: post #34
bwang29 wrote: post #3

If I understood this correctly, this is based on a higher (but unknown to consumers?) chance that the Galaxy Note 7 's battery could explode during flight and catch fire. Then, what would be considered a chance high enough that a laptop battery's explosion would not be a concern? Would it be safer to lock these phones into an explosion-proof box before they onboard the flight?

The batteries don't "explode" – they self-combust. Better to have the phone out in the open (so you can see it catching fire) and throw it in a bucket of cold water – the water will absorb most of the heat and prevent the fire getting out of control (it won't extinguish the fire, which will continue in the water).

I'm confused. I thought trying to put out lithium fires with water was an awful idea?

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#53

Post by shavingspiders »

megablast wrote: post #39
kondro wrote: post #20

Australian airlines have just outright banned them. http://www.smh.com.au/business/innovation/qantas-jetstar-vir...

Are they banning them from being brought aboard the planes? Because it just looks like Qantas is stopping them from being charged or used while aboard?

I've heard second hand that they're being asked to not use them or charge them (just flew into Australia).

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#54

Post by mveety »

bdcravens wrote: post #46
flashman wrote: post #2

Here's the actual release: https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsI... Might as well just quote it in full: > In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.

I wonder why they aren't being banned, the way that hover boards were (though I believe the fire risk for the Note 7 is only present while charging)

Risk might not be great enough. They're balancing convenience and safety. IIRC the hoverboards had a higher risk because of how many cheap ones burst into flames and people didn't want to use them in flight so it wouldn't bother them if they didn't have them.

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#55

Post by blkhawk »

wfunction wrote: post #51
gilgoomesh wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The batteries don't "explode" – they self-combust. Better to have the phone out in the open (so you can see it catching fire) and throw it in a bucket of cold water – the water will absorb most of the heat and prevent the fire getting out of control (it won't extinguish the fire, which will continue in the water).

I'm confused. I thought trying to put out lithium fires with water was an awful idea?

Rechargable Lithium batteries contain surprisingly limited amounts of it. And its not in there in its elemental form anyway. Lithium batteries burn because of the potential energy they have after charging. You can drive nails through discharged Lithium Ion batteries without much happening.

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#56

Post by TeMPOraL »

jen729w wrote: post #40
revicon wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but take the battery out obviously not a mac user

Clearly not. Mac users are used to their laptops actually going to sleep when they shut the lid. My work HP, however, is regularly scorching hot when I get home as it's been on in my backpack the whole time despite me shutting the lid and despite the instruction to 'go to sleep when the lid is closed'. How there's not some sort of thermal cutoff I do not know, but I know for a fact that there is not. Edit: by 'regula…

It may not be the fault of HP per se. Windows itself tended to cause this on every laptop I ever used by randomly deciding it needs to wake up the machine and check for updates.

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#57

Post by madaxe_again »

bdcravens wrote: post #46
flashman wrote: post #2

Here's the actual release: https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsI... Might as well just quote it in full: > In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.

I wonder why they aren't being banned, the way that hover boards were (though I believe the fire risk for the Note 7 is only present while charging)

Honestly, I've always scratched my head slightly at the fact that one is allowed to travel with an explosive device, so long as it also functions as a battery - yet bottled water is way out.

It's trivially easy to make a lithium fire at 45,000 feet. Stamp on/bend an IMR 18450, and you have a torch which will burn through a window. Hell, you could probably just fold your phone in half - most batteries run the full height of devices these days.

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#58

Post by [deleted] »

blkhawk wrote: post #55
wfunction wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm confused. I thought trying to put out lithium fires with water was an awful idea?

Rechargable Lithium batteries contain surprisingly limited amounts of it. And its not in there in its elemental form anyway. Lithium batteries burn because of the potential energy they have after charging. You can drive nails through discharged Lithium Ion batteries without much happening.

[deleted]

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#59

Post by duncan_bayne »

madaxe_again wrote: post #57
bdcravens wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder why they aren't being banned, the way that hover boards were (though I believe the fire risk for the Note 7 is only present while charging)

Honestly, I've always scratched my head slightly at the fact that one is allowed to travel with an explosive device, so long as it also functions as a battery - yet bottled water is way out . It's trivially easy to make a lithium fire at 45,000 feet. Stamp on/bend an IMR 18450, and you have a torch which will burn through a window. Hell, you could probably just fold your phone in half - most batteries run the full he…

Sure. But what is the maximum possible damage from a burning battery? Even if you managed to burn through a window, that'd be highly unlikely to down a modern airliner.

Re: FAA Urges Passengers to Not Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on Planes

#60

Post by antocv »

wfunction wrote: post #49
nradov wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people have no idea what battery chemistry is in their laptops. Especially for models where the battery isn't even removable. I don't mean this as a criticism, it's just not necessarily something that everyone notices.

Are you saying there are laptops with batteries that don't fall in this dangerous category, or are you saying people don't know that all laptop batteries fall in this category?

There are people who think their laptops do not have a battery at all and run on their own power like a human does.
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