A cautionary tale of cheap lights

[Bollo]

Trailtec, battery space the latter is US.
Its called don't take a risk where the work involved is minimal.

Trail tech supply lights and other accessories for motorbikes and are not a mainstream UK cycle light manufacter. Their two product instruction leaflets dealing with batteries and chargers make no mention of charging in tins.

http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-70.pdf
http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-73.pdf

This is called called evidence. Have some?

While I'm on, how will putting the battery in a tin affect the temperature of the battery while charging? Should the tin be earthed? Should the tin be ventilated? What is the minimum recommended tin size? Why is a tin not supplied as a safety item? How would charging in a tin affect the battery/light warranty? Is a small battery an effective homeopathic cure for electrocution?

 

[classic33]

Trail tech supply lights and other accessories for motorbikes and are not a mainstream UK cycle light manufacter. Their two product instruction leaflets dealing with batteries and chargers make no mention of charging in tins.

http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-70.pdf
http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-73.pdf

This is called called evidence. Have some?

While I'm on, how will putting the battery in a tin affect the temperature of the battery while charging? Should the tin be earthed? Should the tin be ventilated? What is the minimum recommended tin size? Why is a tin not supplied as a safety item? How would charging in a tin affect the battery/light warranty? Is a small battery an effective homeopathic cure for electrocution?

Not many sweet tins are actually tins these days, most are now plastic & have been for a few years.

 

[SD1]

Trail tech supply lights and other accessories for motorbikes and are not a mainstream UK cycle light manufacter. Their two product instruction leaflets dealing with batteries and chargers make no mention of charging in tins.

http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-70.pdf
http://www.trailtechproducts.co.uk/acatalog/010-ELV-73.pdf

This is called called evidence. Have some?

While I'm on, how will putting the battery in a tin affect the temperature of the battery while charging? Should the tin be earthed? Should the tin be ventilated? What is the minimum recommended tin size? Why is a tin not supplied as a safety item? How would charging in a tin affect the battery/light warranty? Is a small battery an effective homeopathic cure for electrocution?

If a fire occurs in a metal box it is less likely to result in a house fire. Than for instance if you put the battery on your duvet.

 

[Hacienda71]

A bit of both methinks.
The Chinese are responding to demand, an insatiable demand for cheaper products.
Price is everything for lots of people, its short sighted of course, buy cheap, buy twice...but many dont see it that way...cheapest is best. If only....

The problem is that for an equivalent UK light like a Hope you can buy 5 or 10 Chinese cheapos so if one fails it is still vastly cheaper to go down the Chinese route and still have cash in your pocket.

 

[classic33]

If a fire occurs in a metal box it is less likely to result in a house fire. Than for instance if you put the battery on your duvet..

One problem with the biscuit/sweet tin idea. Large area that conducts heat very well. If left on your duvet to charge, and overheating does occur then you're not stopping the problem.

 

[Tim Hall]

If a fire occurs in a metal box it is less likely to result in a house fire. Than for instance if you put the battery on your duvet.

However, the Trailtech documents referenced don't say "charge in a tin". Which is a perfect reason fof calling someone else a dick,obvs.

 

[classic33]

How did Red Bull manage?

 

[Bollo]

Just so we're clear, the instructions for the trail tech Li-ion battery charger say (Item 3, second bullet)

"Do not cover charger or battery during the charging process"

So, please, no tins.

 

[Tin Pot]

The problem is that for an equivalent UK light like a Hope you can buy 5 or 10 Chinese cheapos so if one fails it is still vastly cheaper to go down the Chinese route and still have cash in your pocket.

Hmm, so cost comparison;

1x UK light

Vs.

10x Chinese cheapos + cost of refurbishing house + increased insurance costs + n% risk of death

You're right, the Chinese option is much more economic.

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Have I missed something or did he throw water on an electrical fire?

 

[Jody]

I would like to see some evidence as to failure rates and consequential losses.

 

[Hacienda71]

Hmm, so cost comparison;

1x UK light

Vs.

10x Chinese cheapos + cost of refurbishing house + increased insurance costs + n% risk of death

You're right, the Chinese option is much more economic.

Yeah but people don't think like that. They look at initial outlay. Plus most lights/batteries from China don't catch fire, so consumers are willing to take that risk. Including a substantial number of people on this forum judging by the countless threads and posts on the subject. Lots of warnings about charging batteries but very few threads about batteries catching fire. Maybe they all died in house fires and couldn't post about all the catastrophic failures..............

 

[Tin Pot]

Yeah but people don't think like that. They look at initial outlay. Plus most lights/batteries from China don't catch fire, so consumers are willing to take that risk. Including a substantial number of people on this forum judging by the countless threads and posts on the subject. Lots of warnings about charging batteries but very few threads about batteries catching fire. Maybe they all died in house fires and couldn't post about all the catastrophic failures..............

Too bloody right they don't!

Maybe it wasn't the cheap batteries on their bike lights, or the cheap electrician who wired their house, or the cheap mechanic on their car, or the cheap Christmas lights they left on over night.

But it was something. Something that their faulty thinking set them up for, and then they think "how could this have happened to me?" as they perished.

Think clearly: Do I have any idea what I am buying? Who I am buying it from? Do they know what they're selling? Where it was made? What standards are they held to? What accountability do they have? And most of all - why is the item massively cheaper than elsewhere?

Know your enemy: How does an unregulated industry work? How does organised crime make money?

 

[classic33]

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_of_lithium_ion_batteries

Maybe the tin acts as a heatsink?
https://kipre.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/4-myth-and-facts-about-lithium-ion-polymer-batteries/

PRBA Statement on Hoverboards and Lithium Ion Batteries
http://www.prba.org/general/prba-st...ithium-ion-batteries-prba-press-release-1055/

 

[Paulus]

That's an awful piece of writing, something that's getting ever more common on Road.CC unfortunately. For starters, it's the battery that's caught fire, not the lights.

I like the piece that says his house "nearly" burnt down. It was nowhere near when the rest of the article is read. The bedroom was badly damaged and the whole house had to be re-decorated. A tad over excited in the writing I think.