Incident at Düsseldorf International Boat Show.

[clownfishsydney]

Good to see that they will be changing software to ensure this cannot happen again. As I said before, excellent dive computers, as good as Shearwaters, and as good service.

 

[spoolin01]

Well, sounds like the software change can't prevent insertion of non-rechargeable lithium battery packs, only try to prompt the user to recognize and avoid the risk.

 

[davehicks]

Their change does not seem adequate to me. They ought to completely disable wireless charging if they can't detect the presence of a non-rechargeable lithium ion battery. If even their own staff at a trade show can't keep it straight how do they expect others to do this in a consistently safe way?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Well, sounds like the software change can't prevent insertion of non-rechargeable lithium battery packs, only try to prompt the user to recognize and avoid the risk.

Unless there is a way for hardware to detect what kind of battery is in place, there is no way gor software to deal with this.

I’d hate to see a pop up that’s asks “are you sure?”

 

[dmaziuk]

Their change does not seem adequate to me. They ought to completely disable wireless charging if they can't detect the presence of a non-rechargeable lithium ion battery.

It's nothing to do with wireless charging, that just takes longer to make a boom.

It reads like they're already unable to charge the 1.2v rechargeables. Or maybe unable to run off 1.2v?

 

[spoolin01]

Unless there is a way for hardware to detect what kind of battery is in place, there is no way gor software to deal with this.

I’d hate to see a pop up that’s asks “are you sure?”

It might at least prevent some mistakes. Sounds like that's about what they plan to do.

I just briefly tried a partly discharged primary lithium cell in a Turnigy Reaktor smart pack charger, which generally seems fairly sophisticated, and it didn't reject the primary cell, up to 10 seconds of charging.

 

[davehicks]

It's nothing to do with wireless charging, that just takes longer to make a boom.

It reads like they're already unable to charge the 1.2v rechargeables. Or maybe unable to run off 1.2v?

Sure it does. If the battery is in computer and you use an inductive charger you may not be aware of the type of battery installed. Clearly this is what happened at the show.

Disable wireless charging and you have to pull out the battery to recharge. This is how my Shearwater works.

 

[dmaziuk]

Disable wireless charging and you have to pull out the battery to recharge. This is how my Shearwater works.

This may come as a surprise, but I have several devices here (not diving-related) that will run off replaceable batteries and have a USB charging port.

 

[davehicks]

This may come as a surprise, but I have several devices here (not diving-related) that will run off replaceable batteries and have a USB charging port.

And can you insert identically sized non-rechargable LiON batteries into it?

Nothing is fool proof, but companies need to be responsible. I bought a dive light with a big 18650 batteries. The batteries are solid blue with no markings. The charger is not polarity protected and will Explode a battery if inserted backwards which is really easy to do since the batteries are not marked. Unsafe. I tossed that charger and bought a protected one, and Sharpied all the batteries with + / - markings.

 

[dmaziuk]

And can you insert identically sized non-rechargable LiON batteries into it?

You can insert anything from 1.2v eneloops to 3.xv Li-ion 14500s and LiFePO4s. The problem is AA size: I never even seen a non-rechargeable e.g. 18650. Although as you say: one still can stick 18650s in backwards and cause problems, if one tries hard enough.