GPS batteries

[Spuddy]

Thought I'd pass on a report from Practical Electronics magazine.
Seems there's been some incidents of mobile phione and Gps batteries glowing and even blowing up causing injuries.
The cause now identified as counterfeit batteries. Cheap replacements and also counterfeits don't have the protective safety features which are in pcbs shrinkwrapped inside the pack. These circuits balance cell voltages while charging and do other fancy stuff.
Recommendations are:
only use manufacturer's batteries
buy from a legit dealer and watch out for suspect packaging.
This is all low down on my personal list of problems - I've got this leak you know.
Anything else seems a high class problem at the moment.

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[johnsomerhausen]

This finding actually comes from the Belgian equivalent of "Which ?" and they only tested cell phones batteries and not GPS batteries. Their tests involved Nokia batteries and they reported this tendency; Nokia protested and after checking more closely, "Test Achats" (the organization in question) admitted that the cheap batteries they had bought and used for the tests were probably counterfeits. They were going to do a new batch of tests
john

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[Spuddy]

The Belgian Trials were only one of the sources mentioned.
The article mentioned "reports on the Internet indicate that GPS receivers have also self destructed". Can't give chapter and verse on which sites.
Common factor is the lithium batteries - the product is irrelevant.
I didn't mention Nokia bacause it might have led to some residual prejudice and the Belgian tests weren't a fair test.

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[tome]

Lithium batteries have an extremely small internal resistance, which means that they can deliver a frightening amount of current for a short period of time. We used to use them on in-sea equipment and in the early days we had a few explode like hand grenades before the manufacturer fitted an internal fuse. The explosion had to be experienced to be believed.

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[johnsomerhausen]

I onder which brand of GPS they had in minde. My three Garm,ins all use either alkaline or Nicad AA batteries about whuich there never have been mentions of that.
john

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