The more devices with lithium-ion batteries come on sale, the more often there are reports of exploding smartphones or catching charging ports on the web. This issue has become urgent again after Samsung reported in connection with reports and complaints about problems with an exploding battery. Why this happens - read our article.
First of all, it should be noted that the chance of explosion or ignition of a battery in an electronic device is extremely small, except for those cases when serious mistakes have been made in the design of the device or the battery itself. Even on the rare occasions when this happens, the battery itself is often not the main problem. Also note that the article is mainly about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.
Causes of explosion or fire
In total, there are two main reasons why a device's battery can explode or catch fire. One of them - deformation resulting from a fall or deliberate injury... For example, if you hit your smartphone hard in the area where the battery is located, the walls of the battery are more likely to be broken. This leads to leakage of the insides and subsequently to a short circuit and possibly an explosion. Often, you could see this during funny crash tests, where the video records how a person mocks the smartphone in all possible ways and in the end simply bangs it with a hammer.With a simple fall from a height of human growth, such an outcome is unlikely - the impact force is too small. But if you drop the device from a height of several floors, then the battery will most likely catch fire or explode.
Now is the time when the phones of little-known Chinese manufacturers are most popular. This is another battery problem. Small companies don't buy quality batteries from Samsung or LG as they are too expensive. To achieve a low cost, the Chinese have to purchase batteries are not of the highest quality... Often, such batteries do not have a so-called fuse that turns off charging if the voltage is too high. Or in such batteries, due to manufacturing defects, microscopic metal elements are found. They react with the contents of the battery, causing a short circuit.
At least 35 cases of battery explosion on Galaxy Note 7 have been recorded
The third and most common problem is generating too much heat when charging... As smartphone manufacturers constantly want to reduce charging times, they have to install controllers that supply more current to the battery. Of course, this has the side effect of generating extra heat. The temperature rises not only in the battery itself, but also in the controller, which is located next to the battery. Overheating has the effect that a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe battery cannot cool quickly. As a result, a reaction is formed there, when heat accumulates until an explosion or fire occurs.
Subject to all standards, fast charging with the release of a large amount of heat will not lead to any serious consequences. However, in the case of the Galaxy Note 7, these are explosions and fires. Samsung has already admitted that these smartphones have different batches of batteries. Apparently, one of them was produced with defects, which leads to problems.
Not original charging and adapters - the second reason for overheating when charging. In the case of the Galaxy Note 7, according to the official data, the explosions are caused by defective batteries, then even a good battery can fail when using non-original chargers and adapters.
How to avoid battery problems
To prevent your smartphone from melting when charging, you need to follow simple rules:- Use only the original charger, including the unit and cable if separated. If the charging "plug" does not fit (Chinese or British), then it is better to buy an adapter and not another charger.
- Use only original batteries. If your device is old enough and you decide to replace the battery in it, then buy only original ones. Alternative offers may be cheaper, but then they will cost you more.
- It is not necessary to fully charge the battery - 50% is enough if that's enough for you. Lithium-ion batteries do not have a so-called memory, so they can be charged frequently and incompletely. But you need to charge with a suitable device, as lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to low voltages.
- Do not use the device while charging and do not leave the device in a hot place. Playing or browsing while charging is not a good idea as it already raises the temperature inside the case. Also, do not leave your smartphone charging in a hot place.
The problem was fixed in new batches, but many burned out.
While the world is discussing about the exploded iPhone 7 Plus, we decided to recall the incidents of fire of a truly dangerous device - Samsung Galaxy Note7.
The South Korean company skipped the Note 6 model in its lineup, considering that the number and scale of changes in the new smartphone allows one to "jump" one step. May be, not worth the anger of the gods of arithmetic and logic?
Samsung sold around 2.5 million Galaxy Note7s but launched a recall campaign a couple of weeks later. Naturally, it was not possible to do this promptly, and almost every day we hear news about the injured Note7 owners.
It all started almost immediately after the official start of sales.
1. After the fire, the house almost burned down
Schoolteacher Park Soo-Jung was forced to leave her own bed in a hurry when her brand new Galaxy Note7 suddenly burst into flames and filled the bedroom with smoke. The teacher got off with fright and light bruises after falling out of bed.
2. The blogger demonstrates the burnt out Galaxy Note7
On your Youtube channel user Ariel Gonzalez posted a video showing a Samsung Galaxy Note7 burned right on the charger. Gonzales is currently in talks with Samsung for damages.
3. Together with Note7, the garage completely burned down
Wesley Hartzog left his smartphone charging in the garage, which eventually burned out. According to Wesley, he missed the news that Samsung is withdrawing its new product due to the problem of battery fire.
4. Note7 caused a jeep fire
American Nathan Dornacher left his Galaxy Note7 charging in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. After some time, he heard the alarming barking of a dog, looked out into the street and found his jeep on fire.
5. The man was left without pants. It could be even worse
Florida resident Jonathan Strobel suffered second-degree burns when a Samsung Galaxy Note7 exploded in his front pants pocket. Jonathan plans to sue the South Korean company for 15 thousand dollars.
6. The child suffered from the fire of Note7
A six-year-old boy from Brooklyn suffered minor hand burns after the Samsung Galaxy Note7 caught fire in his hands. According to the child's grandmother, the incident occurred while the grandson was watching a video on a smartphone that was charging.
7. Samsung smartphone damaged MacBook Pro
Chinese Hui Renjie received minor burns to two fingers and damage to his MacBook from which the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 was charged. Curiously, according to the Chinese user, the device was from a new "safe" batch.
7.Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge may be unsafe too
The other day there was another case of fire on a Samsung smartphone. This time the fire was caused by Galaxy S7 Edge. The smartphone caught fire while charging. The owner of the house, Danielle Boutilier, was forced to call the firefighters. According to her, until the moment of fire, the smartphone was constantly overheating. Accidental coincidence or all Galaxy S7 are unsafe yet is not clear.
Of course, there are dozens of cases of explosions and fires of the fiery flagship Samsung Galaxy Note7. We have collected those that have received widespread press coverage.
The biggest failure in the mobile industry
On September 2, Samsung Mobile President Koh Dong Jin was forced to publicly apologize for the self-igniting Galaxy Note7.
To date, many airlines have urged aircraft passengers to restrict the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone. Samsung capitalization fell by $ 22 billion, while analysts note that the company's losses will be even greater. It is not only about recall costs, but also about lost opportunities and company prestige.
Galaxy Note7 sales have resumed worldwide from yesterday. Are you afraid to buy now or not?
When releasing a new device to the market, the manufacturer is obliged to thoroughly test it in all modes of operation and closely examine all its units and components for reliability and adequacy.
The Samsung company, which is considered one of the authorities in the world electronics market, apparently hastened somewhat with the release of the new flagship Galaxy Note 7. Such a rush went sideways both to the manufacturer and to those users who were in a hurry to acquire a prestigious novelty.
The problem lies with batteries, which can explode. Given that the battery capacity of this product is substantial, it could cause serious injury if it explodes in the user's hands or in a pocket. In total, 35 cases were registered when the batteries of smartphones of this model exploded or caught fire, although there are probably an order of magnitude more such cases.
What to do with the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone?
Samsung has made an official statement, which clearly states that it is recalling all (!) Galaxy Note 7 devices sold. This is due to concern for customers who may be victims of a factory malfunction. Material damage to Samsung is estimated by experts at no less than $ 1 billion, and the damage to reputation is much greater.
Exchange promotions have been launched in all markets where this smartphone has started to be sold. Anyone who purchased the device can return it to the seller for free and then replace it with a smartphone with a safe battery. The company has launched a hotline, calling which you can get answers on the topic of exchange or pre-order.
As for the Russian market, official sales have not yet begun here. Their start is scheduled for this fall. This means that deliveries for Russian retailers will be made from new batches, which are free from an annoying and dangerous defect.
09/01/2016, Thu, 15:20, Moscow time , Text: Valeria Shmyrova
Samsung has suspended shipments of its new flagship Galaxy Note 7 to the South Korean market. This decision is associated with incidents of battery fire during charging, one of which was recorded in this country. Samsung shares immediately fell $ 7 billion.Samsung interrupts Galaxy Note 7 shipments in South Korea
Samsung has interrupted shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to three major mobile carriers in South Korea to conduct several additional quality control tests. The company does not specify exactly why the tests were required.
Reuters linked the cutoff to cases when the battery of a smartphone that went on sale late last month exploded from overheating. At the same time, Galaxy Note 7 users on forums and in social networks and other problems with the device.
Galaxy Note 7 Battery Explosion Cases
The first case of a Galaxy Note 7 battery explosion was reported in China about a week ago. User with the nickname Mr. Ni 666666 posted a photo of the melted device on the local Baidu forum. According to him, the smartphone caught fire when it was connected with a charger to the electrical network.
Galaxy Note 7 burned out while charging in China
According to Business Korea, on August 30, 2016, a similar incident occurred in South Korea. In the popular Korean social network Kakao Story, photos of another melted Galaxy Note 7 appeared. According to the owner of the smartphone, it also exploded while charging. Samsung has seized the damaged phones from customers to investigate.
Samsung's losses after canceled shipments
The company announced a supply interruption on the evening of August 31, 2016. According to Reuters, this decision has already cost Samsung $ 7 billion of its market value due to an immediate 2% drop in the stock. According to Park Jung-hoon, manager of HDC Asset Management, Samsung's profit for July-September 2016 will fall by at least $ 180 million.
Galaxy Note 7 exploded in South Korea
Samsung subsidiary SDI, which supplies batteries for the Galaxy Note 7, said it has not received any information from Samsung about problems with the model. However, after the announcement of the supply interruption, the company's shares fell 6.1%.
In early August, the financial services company Hyundai Securities expressed confidence that by the end of 2016 Samsung will be able to sell about 12 million Galaxy Note 7. According to analyst Kim Dong-won Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to distract the attention of buyers from the iPhone 7, which is scheduled for release on September 7th.
The average Galaxy Note 7 price in South Korea is $ 882. According to Samsung, the demand for the new model in this market exceeded supply even before the start of sales. The South Korean press, citing a Samsung source, reports that the company plans to recall soon those Galaxy Note 7s that have any battery problems. The company will not refund money or change the smartphone to a new one, but will only replace the battery for free.
MOSCOW, September 2 - RIA Novosti... Last Wednesday, Samsung announced the suspension of sales of its newest phablet, the Galaxy Note 7, which hit stores in 10 countries since August 19. The main reason for which the president of the mobile division Dong Jin Koh has already apologized is the explosions of the batteries while charging.
Samsung may recall all of its Galaxy Note 7 due to battery issuesSamsung is expected to announce the results of its investigation into the causes of the battery problems, as well as announce a series of comprehensive measures to address the problem either this weekend or early next week.Be that as it may, this attack has been haunting lithium-ion batteries for the third decade. And since April this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) even introduced a temporary ban on the transport of Li-ion batteries on passenger flights if they are not installed in any device.
The essence of the problem
The lithium-ion battery, despite all its advantages, is a very capricious element. Its charging is carried out according to a complex algorithm and is always controlled by a special microcontroller, which constantly monitors the temperature and other parameters of the battery. Its operation and storage is also subject to a lot of restrictions. Such batteries do not tolerate deep discharge, operation at negative temperatures and heating. Therefore, almost all devices with them have special controllers that monitor their work and disconnect the battery if its critical values \u200b\u200bare exceeded.
Making a lithium-ion battery safe isn't all that difficult, though. However, the current trends to reduce the size of batteries and their shapes, as well as experiments with the chemical composition, each time return developers to their original positions. The main problem is overheating of individual battery cells due to temperature rise or short circuit inside the cell. An overheating cell can start a chain reaction. And given the fact that the alkali metal lithium that is part of the batteries is flammable, the consequences can be very sad: sudden swelling, fire or even an explosion.
But if controllers monitor the battery performance at every step, why do they explode? There may be several reasons.
Among the main ones is a manufacturing defect, in which the insulator layer between the cells is insufficiently thick.
Shocks or physical damage to the battery, and banal overheating are also dangerous. For example, if the battery has received minor damage from being dropped from a low height, the user may not pay attention to it, but the condition of the battery may deteriorate. It can fail without even reaching its temperature limit.
The problem can be solved by stricter regulation. But this will lead to an increase in the cost of all products and a slowdown in the introduction of new technologies. On which, in conditions of constant competition, companies simply will not go. Therefore, consumers will have to come to terms with the fact that isolated cases of fires can continue to occur with the products of the most famous brands, such as Apple, Samsung and any others.
However, at the beginning of this year, American physicists from Stanford announced the development of a special fuse for batteries. It consists of nickel nanoparticles embedded in a thin sheet of plastic and graphene and automatically turns off the battery without waiting for the controller to react. Despite the seeming simplicity, the implementation of this development remains in question, since it will not save batteries in a hundred percent of cases, but will lead to its rise in price.
