Amtrak bans the Galaxy Note 7

[seat38a]

So far as noted no problem is rechargeable cars but there have been too many Li ion battery failures including a B-787, hover boards, power tools, smart phones, etc.

In my view the primary failure with the B787 was the FAA's decision to undermine their own mandate by allowing the manufacturer to self-certify the design. Those fake hover boards were completely unregulated rather than professionally underwritten, so it's no surprise they had sloppy designs and insufficient safety measures. They probably should have been blocked at the border but I guess burning down people's homes isn't seen as a problem worth preventing.

Well, if you guys joined the rest of us cool kids and used an iPhone, you wouldn't be in this mess.

Not sure if this was intended as a joke but Apple has had their own battery failure recalls in the past. My first generation iPod Nano was one of them.

Yes but it was only for overheating and and a precaution. None of them caught on fire or were banned from public transportation.

 

[SP&S]

I once punctured a small (3000 mah) lithium battery pack (don't ask - stupidity) and the resultant reaction was something to behold. I now have a great respect for lithium packs, but well made batteries implemented properly (like the 21 kwh pack in my car) pose no danger. In fact, in a car they are far less dangerous than a tank of highly flammable gasoline. IMHO Samsung cut corners on the Note 7.

Perhaps Samsung should add a cigar lighter app to the note and call this a feature.

 

[PVD]

To say no trouble in hybrid or electric vehicles is not true. Some well publicized incidents and others not well known have certainly occurred. The best known of these were the Chevy Volt fires. There are issues with Li batteries inherent to the chemistry, but proper design, testing, and education, combine to minimize the risks. When I trained to teach EVITP (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program) classes, we got to watch video of the subject, and quite a bit of material on risk mitigation for first responders in accident situations. To say no danger is patently false, but with proper training most of those risks can be dealt with safely.

 

[west point]

Proper training ? How many persons do you expect to get training much less even read the instructions ? we all know persons who say " I can figure it out

'

 

[PVD]

The proper training I was referring to was in reference to first responders and what they need to do to minimize the special risks of dealing with an EV accident. It was not meant to refer to the general public. Sorry about that lack of clarity.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Not sure if this was intended as a joke but Apple has had their own battery failure recalls in the past. My first generation iPod Nano was one of them.

Yes but it was only for overheating and and a precaution. None of them caught on fire or were banned from public transportation.

It was apparently overheating enough to melt skin and burn clothes. I've been buying Apple devices for over a decade but I've never seen them replace hardware for free just as a precaution. The final failure mode (runaway chemical reaction) was the same for both the Apple iPod Nano and the Samsung Galaxy Note. The primary difference was the size and power density of the battery. If the Nano had a battery as big as the Note the outcome would have likely been the same.

 

[A Voice]

Well, if you guys joined the rest of us cool kids and used an iPhone, you wouldn't be in this mess.

I use a flip phone...what does that make me? :unsure:

 

[jis]

Well, if you guys joined the rest of us cool kids and used an iPhone, you wouldn't be in this mess.

I use a flip phone...what does that make me? :unsure:

Depends on whether it has a rotary dial on it

 

[Thirdrail7]

Just out of curiosity, what action would a passenger take if they were removed from the train or prevented from boarding a train because of their Samsung 7?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just out of curiosity, what action would a passenger take if they were removed from the train or prevented from boarding a train because of their Samsung 7?

There's not much of a reason to hold onto an expensive and potentially dangerous phone just for the heck of it, so I imagine they'd probably try in vain to explain that there is more than one "Samsung 7" phone on the market (Samsung Galaxy S7 is apparently safe) before eventually giving up and leaving.

 

[JoeBas]

Over the years I've had fingernail clippers, tiny pinky sized novelty tools, and travel sized soaps/sunscreens/toothpastes tossed in the trash for looking too dangerous or being packed improperly or labeled incorrectly or whatever else was annoying that particular checkpoint on that particular day. Then other times items that any educated person would think of as legitimately dangerous were allowed through without issue. Somewhere along the way I lost a lot of respect for whatever criteria they're using.

There are criteria?