Fact or fiction

[ssim]

You decide. Can this really happen??

Slightly used laptop (http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/20/dell-battery-explodes-at-yahoo-hq-hundreds-evacuat/):p

[cdifoto]

Well they have seriously been recalled for that, BUT...that doesn't look like a legitimate explosion. Why the debris on the keyboard yet no hole from which it thrust forth? :rolleyes:

[Pekka]

Toshiba and Dell has called recall fo batteries:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/14/dell-recalls-4-1-million-batteries/
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=412815&in_page_id=2

[lakiluno]

There is a hole. Remember the battery probably won't make a complete hole - as with most semi-explosions, It'll go the easiest way. The outside of a laptop is made out of metal often, and because the battery takes up the whole depth of the laptop, and if the laptop was resting on a table or flat surface, then the easiest way is up.

To add to that, theres multiple pictures, including ones from the person who founded flickr and now works at yahoo...

[Mark_Cohran]

Apple has the same recall - just got my new battery yesterday.

Mark

[cdifoto]

If this was legit you could Google "Yahoo Evacuation" and come up with a news article from a legit website. Nothing comes up.

I even went straight to abcnews.com to search their website. Nothing. An evacuation of a major corporation related to a major recall would certainly hit the news.

And I still don't see a hole. If that large black stuff is the batterie(s) and/or components, it had to come out of a rather large hole...one that I don't see.

I'm not saying these fires don't happen...I just don't think this particular one is legit.

[In2Photos]

There is a hole. Remember the battery probably won't make a complete hole - as with most semi-explosions, It'll go the easiest way. The outside of a laptop is made out of metal often, and because the battery takes up the whole depth of the laptop, and if the laptop was resting on a table or flat surface, then the easiest way is up.

To add to that, theres multiple pictures, including ones from the person who founded flickr and now works at yahoo...
So you are telling me that if my battery "semi-exploded" that my keyboard would still be intact? I see no missing keys.

[In2Photos]

Here is another picture at 1600x1200. Looks pretty fake.

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=248442701&size=o&context=photostream

[gjl711]

I don’t know about that particular picture but having just had a recent discussion with one of the engineers here at work specifically about Lithium-ion batteries, he assured me that these are very capable of performing very dramatic pyrotechnics if mishandled, especially if shorted or if during manufacturing some impurity is introduced aka. cheap battery. I know that in the mobile business there have been several cases where a mobile user was seriously burned when the battery overheated and caught fire. In all cases it was because a cheap knock-off battery was used. I guess someone with a spare laptop wanting to experiment could try wrapping a battery in foil making sure all contacts are shorted and slapping in into the laptop and watch what happens. Actually, looking closer at the pic, it looks not so much an explosion, but more of a melt down. Maybe the laptop was in a bag and opened for the pic.

[Moppie]

Hmmmm, well its clearly covered in dry power from a CO2 extinguisher.
The black chunks on the key borad however have not erupted or exploded out of the key board though.
If you ever get to hack some lap tops apart with a hammer (and I have) then will see that they all have a very solid structure under the key board, ususaly made of thin steel plate (stainless, or aluminium usualy), and there is very little holding the key board together.
There have however been a few cases of the batteries catching fire, and it almost looks like thats what happened here, then the hot battery, covered in melting plastic, has been pulled out, afters its finnished burning, and put on top of the lap top key board.
It certianly didn't explode out there like that, its not possible with out completel ripping the top of the lap top apart.

Of course its quite possible that it was something else entirly that caught fire, was put out, then placed on top of the lap top, and the whole lot then sprayed with a fire extinguisher.

[In2Photos]

Hmmmm, well its clearly covered in dry power from a CO2 extinguisher.
The black chunks on the key borad however have not erupted or exploded out of the key board though.
If you ever get to hack some lap tops apart with a hammer (and I have) then will see that they all have a very solid structure under the key board, ususaly made of thin steel plate (stainless, or aluminium usualy), and there is very little holding the key board together.
There have however been a few cases of the batteries catching fire, and it almost looks like thats what happened here, then the hot battery, covered in melting plastic, has been pulled out, afters its finnished burning, and put on top of the lap top key board.
It certianly didn't explode out there like that, its not possible with out completel ripping the top of the lap top apart.

Of course its quite possible that it was something else entirly that caught fire, was put out, then placed on top of the lap top, and the whole lot then sprayed with a fire extinguisher.
Exactly!

[RossW]

Well, if you download the actual image, there's EXIF data... doesn't that discount minipulation of the image itself, or is that only true for some types of editing or with some PP software? (But apparently taken by a Nokia phone???)

[Morgandy]

There's a bit of discussion in the thread as to whether the laptop "exploded." I'd like to point out that the word "exploded" is a relative term. These batteries obviously can catch fire. Whether or not they actually "explode" is something I've never seen in a legitimate article. They might initially pop loudly, which might explain why witnesses claim it exploded. I've seen about a half dozen pics of different laptops that have caught fire and none of them look like they "exploded."

[Morgandy]

Well, today on engadget.com I see a post (with pics) of an IBM that went kinda boom. Small explosion perhaps. The photos linked make it clear this wasn't just a burn. A witness said there was some shrapnel.

Anyone who has a laptop that has had a battery recall, better get it replaced! :)

[lakiluno]

it looks like the recalled batteries are getting to the critical point...all exploding at once!

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/another-thinkpad-battery-explodes/