Samsung tested batteries in house, Note 7 banned from U.S. commercial aircraft
Samsung tested the batteries in its recalled Galaxy Note 7 using a CTIA-certified lab owned by the electronics giant, according to The Wall Street Journal. In contrast, Apple uses third-party CTIA-approved labs to test its phone batteries.
Lithium ion batteries for cellphones sold in the United States are tested in accordance with IEEE 1725 at a CTIA-approved lab. The standard sets criteria for qualification, quality, and reliability for the batteries, including battery-pack electrical and mechanical construction, packaging technologies, pack- and cell-level charge and discharge controls, and overall system considerations. (See Certification Requirements for Battery System Compliance to IEEE 1725.)
The Journal reports that Motorola and Nokia have operated CTIA-certified labs but are closing them. The Journal quotes Tom Sawanobori, chief technology officer at the CTIA, as saying, “We’ve certified over 1,500 batteries. This is the first time we’ve had an issue.”
The Journal further quotes Eddie Forouzan, a member of the IEEE committee that developed the battery standard, as saying battery safety failure rates have dropped to parts per billion from the parts-per-million level that accompanied a flood of cheap batteries that proliferated in the early 2000s. Forouzan said he hopes Samsung releases details of the failure mechanism for the Note 7 batteries to help determine whether tests need to be improved.
Meanwhile, a U.S. ban on carrying Note 7 cellphones on commercial aircraft either in cabin or in checked luggage went into effect Friday.
