Solid-state Electrolyte could make batteries safer and longer-lasting | MIT News

Posted on by Paul

Researchers at MIT and Samsung, and in California and Maryland, have developed a new approach to one of the three basic components of batteries, the electrolyte. The new findings are based on the idea that a solid electrolyte, rather than the liquid used in today’s most common rechargeables, could greatly improve both device lifetime and safety — while providing a significant boost in the amount of power stored in a given space.

Typically a liquid organic solvent whose function is to transport charged particles from one of a battery’s two electrodes to the other during charging and discharging — has been responsible for the overheating and fires that, for example, resulted in a temporary grounding of all of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jets …

““All of the fires you’ve seen, with Boeing, Tesla, and others, they are all electrolyte fires. The lithium itself is not flammable in the state it’s in in these batteries. [With a solid electrolyte] there’s no safety problem — you could throw it against the wall, drive a nail through it — there’s nothing there to burn.”

Source: Going solid-state could make batteries safer and longer-lasting | MIT News

LED globes & TV reception interference | ACMA

Posted on by Paul

Some models of (imported) LED light globes cause interference to TV signals. This interference may consist of a sudden loss of signal or picture quality in a residence or neighbouring house. In these cases, the ACMA needs to be able to quickly contact the supplier of the globes to notify them of the problem. People experiencing TV reception problems may also wish to contact the supplier to arrange an exchange or refund.

The consequences of supplying a device that does not comply with Australian law can be serious and may risk your business’s reputation. Taking some simple steps before making a bulk purchase of LED globes (or any electronic device) directly from overseas will help prevent interference.

via LED globes & TV reception | ACMA.

How Lithium Batteries Become a Workplace Hazard – Lion Technology

Posted on by Paul

Overview:

A battery can catch fire due to an internal short circuit. When a short circuit occurs, it causes overheating of the cells within a battery, which can ultimately lead to a condition known as “thermal runaway”, which doesn’t typically confine itself to just one cell. Increasing pressure and temperature within a cell can cause it to explode and vent its contents. This can lead to neighboring cells going into thermal runaway as well.

Lithium fires are unique in that they are not typically extinguished in the same manner as ordinary combustible fires. Depending on the type of battery, non-traditional extinguishing agents, such as halotron or copper powder, may be needed. A lithium metal fire is treated differently from a lithium-ion fire in that each requires different firefighting agents.

See more information at via How Lithium Batteries Become a Workplace Hazard – Lion Technology.

Child safety – button or coin batteries (Ingestion risks and preventative measures)

Posted on by Paul

This presentation was written by Paul W Robinson, Australia, and presented to the IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE) in Chicago in May 2015. It covers the identification of risks to children associated with the use of button or coin batteries or cells, the prevalence and severity of harm to children worldwide, and what can be done to mitigate the severity and frequency of injuries. An author’s copy of the PDF version of the submitted presentation is available at the link.

via Child safety – button or coin batteries (Ingestion risks and preventative measures) | paulspiece.com.

ACCC Webinar recording – Sourcing Safe Products, 12 May 2015

Posted on by Paul

Sourcing safe products is a responsibility that all suppliers must meet. This webinar is aimed at businesses that supply products within the Australian marketplace and want more information on their responsibilities when sourcing products for their consumers.

via Webinar – Registration.

Moore’s Law turns 50 | Australian Computer Society

Posted on by Paul

The basis of Moore’s Law is that the number of transistors on a silicon chip will double approximately every two years.

via Moore’s Law turns 50 | Analysis | Information Age | Australian Computer Society.

Australia: When pranks break the law: hoax conversations

Posted on by Paul

There are many prank phone calls that can be considered criminal offences: Threatening to kill or cause serious harm to someone – and not just the person on the phone; Making a hoax bomb threat is a crime; Making prank calls to 000 pretending there is an emergency is open to jail time of up to three years. Even if the prankster doesn’t threaten their victim, repeated calls can amount to harassment, stalking or bullying. Under the Criminal Code it is illegal to use “a carriage service” (that includes phones, emails, texts and social media) to menace, harass or be offensive – with a penalty of up to three years jail.

via When pranks break the law: hoax conversations – Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment – Australia.

Stanford invention could lead to better, cheaper chips :: ElectronicsOnline

Posted on by Paul

Silicon and gallium arsenide both begin their progression from raw crystal to electronic device similarly. Both materials are fashioned into what electronics manufacturers call wafers. These are flat, circular platters of purified material. Subsequent manufacturing steps create computer chips, solar cells or other electronic devices on top of these wafers. But it can cost about $5000 to make a wafer of gallium arsenide 8″ in diameter, versus $5 for a silicon wafer … The new Stanford process seeks to lessen this thousand-to-one cost differential by re-using that $5000 wafer.

via Stanford invention could lead to better, cheaper chips :: ElectronicsOnline.

Australia: IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUPPLIERS OF CORDSETS

Posted on by Paul

(Public information, copied from an email circular from ERAC Secretariat)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUPPLIERS OF CORDSETS

Recently several companies have recalled a C5 type Appliance connector part of a cordset (Australian plug, cord and appliance connector for connection to equipment) that was supplied with equipment. It is reported the fault identified may cause the appliance connector to overheat and cause a fire or burn hazard.

The appliance connector is marked LS-15 and LINE TEK and SAI TE4211EA.

Cordsets are level 1 equipment in the EESS. Responsible suppliers supplying cordsets, either separately or with their electrical equipment, are required to ensure the cordset parts (plug, cord, appliance connector) have current valid certification and are electrically safe.

If you supply cordsets, either separately or with your electrical equipment, you are requested to check if the cordset appliance connector has these markings, and if so then you need to confirm your appliance connector does not have the same fault and is electrically safe. NOTE: it is understood not all appliance connectors of this manufacturer or certification will have this fault.

ERAC secretariat.

PAULSPIECE COMMENT: the “cordsets” mentioned above are mains power cord set assemblies comprising a mains plug, flexible electrical cord and an appliance connector. Refer to the first image below (images borrowed from the recall notices). All three components individually are Level 3 articles, requiring individual electrical authority approval and EESS registration at Level 3. However the fully-assembled cord set itself is Level 1. There have been three safety-related recalls of the affected IEC 60320 type C5 appliance connector model LS-15 in Australia in recent months from different suppliers (refer to earlier separate posts in paulspiece.com).

Cord set with LS-15 connector
Cord set with LS-15 connector indicated on the bottom right
LS-15 appliance connector
View of the LS-15 appliance connector, on the end of the cord sets, which is subject to these recalls

 

All-electric cars may be worse for environment

Posted on by Paul

The key is where the source of the electricity all-electric cars. If it comes from coal, the electric cars produce 3.6 times more soot and smog deaths than gas, because of the pollution made in generating the electricity, according to the study that is published in PNAS. They also are significantly worse at heat-trapping carbon dioxide that worsens global warming, it found.

The study examines environmental costs for cars’ entire lifecycle, including where power comes from and the environmental effects of building batteries.

“Unfortunately, when a wire is connected to an electric vehicle at one end and a coal-fired power plant at the other end, the environmental consequences are worse than driving a normal gasoline-powered car,” said Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science, who wasn’t part of the study but praised it.

…

But if the power supply comes from natural gas, the all-electric car produces half as many air pollution health problems as gas-powered cars do. And if the power comes from wind, water or wave energy, it produces about one-quarter of the air pollution deaths.

Hybrids and diesel engines are cleaner than gas, causing fewer air pollution deaths and spewing less heat-trapping gas.

But ethanol isn’t, with 80 percent more air pollution mortality, according to the study.

“If we’re using ethanol for environmental benefits, for air quality and climate change, we’re going down the wrong path,” Hill said.

via All-electric cars may be worse for environment.

Product Safety Recall: Lenovo (Australia & New Zealand) Pty Ltd—Linetek LS-15 Power Cord for Use With Laptop Devices

Posted on by Paul

Product description “LS-15” labeled AC Power cables.

The exposure is limited to a single part number (p/n 145000589) for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. A sticker attached to the cord with the name Linetek on it will show a revision date ‘REV-001005’. The female connector has the imprint ‘LS-15 Linetek’

What are the defects? In some instances the “LS-15” labelled connector’s electrical insulation may degrade over time with the potential to overheat and burn.

via Lenovo (Australia & New Zealand) Pty Ltd—Linetek LS-15 Power Cord for Use With Laptop Devices.

▶ Dangerous GU10 LED Spot Light is Cheap and Bright but could Kill You – Seriously – YouTube

Posted on by Paul

This GU10 LED spot light is cheap (£3 including postage) and bright. But it’s also lethal! There’s a 50% chance of putting live mains within a few microns of the metal casing (which is what you’ll be holding when you insert it) and there’s no earth to protect you. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with 240v AC mains. This sort of thing gives new technology a bad name. Avoid it if you want to stay alive.

via ▶ Dangerous GU10 LED Spot Light is Cheap and Bright but could Kill You – Seriously – YouTube.

UNSW’s solar cell achieves 40% efficiency :: ElectronicsOnline

Posted on by Paul

“This is the highest efficiency ever reported for sunlight conversion into electricity,” UNSW Scientia Professor and Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) Professor Martin Green said.

“We used commercial solar cells, but in a new way, so these efficiency improvements are readily accessible to the solar industry,” added Dr Mark Keevers, the UNSW solar scientist who managed the project.

“The new results are based on the use of focused sunlight and are particularly relevant to photovoltaic power towers being developed in Australia,” Professor Green said.

via UNSW’s solar cell achieves 40% efficiency :: ElectronicsOnline.

Mortality and Morbidity: Children’s Accidents and Injurie Australian Social Trends, 2005

Posted on by Paul

Boys are more likely than girls to experience and die as a result of an injury. While half of all children are boys (at 30 June 2001, 51% of 1-14 year olds were boys), nearly two-thirds of injury deaths for this age group between 1999 and 2003 were boys (62%). This difference between girls and boys in relation to injury and deaths exists regardless of the child’s age, and across all OECD countries.

via 4102.0 – Australian Social Trends, 2005.

 

Manufacturers not the only party responsible for safety of garage doors | Architecture And Design

Posted on by Paul

The Australian Garage Door Association AGDA is lobbying government … to enforce full mandatory compliance to Australian and New Zealand ANZ standards for all parties involved in this area of (garage doors) construction. “.. it is in fact the responsibility of the installers, builders and designers of buildings to ensure compliance in relation to garage doors, not just manufacturers,” said Fraser.

In addition to lobbying the government for non-compliance, the AGDA is calling for additional safety mechanisms in automated garage doors to be made mandatory. They also want to enforce secondary entrapment protection for automatically operated garage doors under ANZ regulations

via Manufacturers not the only party responsible for safety of garage doors | Architecture And Design.