Attention: Lenovo recalls 200,000 Thinkpad batteries

[Ludi]

"Lenovo is recalling more than 200,000 Thinkpad batteries after some almost caught fire when owners dropped their laptops.…"

"This time around, the Thinkpad models affected are the R Series (R60 and R60e), T Series (T60 and T60p) and Z Series (Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p). About 100,000 notebooks were shipped with the incendiary defect, and another 105,000 of the extended life 9-cell batteries were sold as accessories between November 2005 and February 2007."

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/03/01/lenovo_sanyo_battery_recall/

[TekMate]

I wonder what is happening with the batteries lately? Do you think it is an issue in manufacturing with the higher capacities? You never heard of this type of thing even a couple of years ago.

[subslug]

I wonder what is happening with the batteries lately? Do you think it is an issue in manufacturing with the higher capacities? You never heard of this type of thing even a couple of years ago.

Yeah but then 10 years ago who knew what Black mold actually was.....now we're all doomed because of it.

Kneejerk maybe....?

[ppetit55]

I wonder what is happening with the batteries lately? Do you think it is an issue in manufacturing with the higher capacities? You never heard of this type of thing even a couple of years ago.
In the last few years everyone has switched from NiCd or NiMH to Lithium Ion. Lithium ion batteries store more energy per pound, by quite a bit. However, they have certain bad tendencies. I don't know the details, but it's some sort of runaway heat problem, where the hotter they get, the faster they get hotter. (If you can parse that sentence, you're not drunk).
Anyway, the result is that every battery has to have some built-in circuitry that regulates this effect, and keeps them from getting into the heat-runaway state. Apparently, no one can make circuitry that works reliably.
The old NiCd and NiMH batteries didn't have this sort of problem.
Wish I could tell you more. I'll bet Wikipedia has an entry for this.

[deanlinkous]

I am paranoid enough that I do not use my laptop on my lap anymore if it has the battery in it!

[TekMate]

I am paranoid enough that I do not use my laptop on my lap anymore if it has the battery in it!
I am not quite so bad but I do shut them down now if I am not going to be home.

[deanlinkous]

Well did you see what happened to Alan Cox's thinkpad 600? It blew OUT and DOWNWARD. The thinkpad 600 battery (if you aren't familar) is in the front of the machine, right in the middle! It was just sitting on a table at the time thank goodness. THAT (taken along with the other cases) was the one that decided it for me. Considering my laptop at the time WAS a 600 series thinkpad I felt it was a wise move. :D

And yes, I would shut mine down at night and when not at home now but the laptop I have now the battery died and I am not replacing it, I just gutted it to fill in the hole and that was it.

[TekMate]

Yeah if I had that model with a battery in that location I might be a little more cautious myself.