iPhone spontaneously combusts on CCTV We all know iPhones are hot property - as their owners generally tell you. However, when one blows up in your pocket, you know its probably time to stop bragging. That's what happened to 17-year-old Henri Helminen, whose three-month-old iPhone started smoking profusely of its own accord, causing the Finn to quickly reach for …
From a li-ion battery that's vented. The nasty stuff is normally contained within the cells which is why your told not to disassemble them, however if the cell has to vent to prevent a thermal runaway and consequent hydrogen fire/explosion then that obviously breaks the seals and when the seals are broken then all sorts of nasty stuff comes out.
It's warned about on the safety sheets, which of course everybody reads before using something with that kind of battery in it.
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/docs/msds/MSDS_LiIon.pdf
Check out page 3 for the warnings & page 4 for the precautions to take if the cell is ruptured. Ie; gas masks filtering the air aren't considered to be safe enough and your meant to use something with an independent oxygen supply, hand protection, eye protection and a chemical proof apron.
As I say, the stuff is a bit scary and personally I wouldn't be breathing it.
Actually if you actually watch the video i'd say your not watching the actual cctv footage but someone has recorded the cctv footage on there phone as if you look at the time at the top left that moves with the image too, which it wouldn't do if you were merely watching a faked video.
Why should someone play the file that comes out of a CCTV system, then record it onto a cellphone, get the file out of the camera (which is hard enough with some phones) to post it on the Internet? Wouldn't it be much simpler to just put the file from the CCTV system onto the Internet?
Why record it on a phone cam? I can tell you've never tried getting data out of a Maplin cheapo CCTV system - not the H.264 ones necessarily, the previous generation which had the most insane file format I've ever seen. Took me best part of a day to export and convert a file (and I have some pretty hardcore video handling tools), frankly I wouldn't fancy a punters chances at all.
> Personally, I'd prefer to stick with certain classes of dry powder for putting out metal fires...
To quote from the PDF referenced above:
---
5. Fire Fighting Measures
CO extinguishers, halon or copious quantities of water or water-based foam can be used to cool down
burning Li- ion cells and batteries.
Do not use for this purpose sand, dry powder or soda ash, graphite powder or fire blankets.
---
You may do as you please, I'll stick to what the instructions say.
For Class D flammable metal fires, the only thing to do is bury it in something like graphite or copper powder. Anything else will probably make it worse. You can get Class D fire extinguishers filled with such powder but good luck finding one outside of a Li-ion battery warehouse!
As phones get more demanding of power it's pretty obvious that more capacity is going to be squeezed into them. We've gone from relatively safe NICD to NIMH but it was the move to Li-ion where the problem started, they're just not as safe.
The more power you put into the device the more it will go bang when damaged or overheated.
Really!
Looks like it was in his side pocket to me.
Aren't apple phones built for "normal" use?
I'd consider having your phone in your pocket is normal.
Where is your phone right now?
Stop trying to lay blame anywhere other than at FOXCONN/APPLE and the battery manufacturers door, just cause you love your last decade phone.
1) The amazing co-incidence that he was in virtually the exact middle of the frame, in full view of the camera when he does the dancing and throwing routine. If you've ever reviewed CCTV footage, how often does the really interesting stuff happen exactly in the middle of the shot?
2) Where is he going? The door appears to be below the camera?
3) The microphone click of the sort you get when someone physically knocks the camera
Yep..You sussed it.
It's iPhone hater propaganda, because Apple product batteries NEVER EVER explode. Even the ones apple had to recall due to exploding.. So he must have replaced it with a stolen magical fake battery.. Because the unicorn powered one that Apple supplies runs on sunshine and lollipops, so has no nasty chemicals.
Lithium cells do build up pressure when damaged. They don't explode so much as burst. Which is why they are usually vented. To relieve the pressure.
It is quite easy to damage a Lithium cell through normal use. Especially in a too thin casing which takes every flex and bend.
Even Apple has duds.
Now get over yourself and get a life.
This post has been deleted by its author
If you see the date stamp in the top left corner, it is moving in frame, which says to me this is someone using a camera to record the CCTV screen and not the footage straight from the camera which accounts for the shaking and background noise.
Also, why does everyone take the guys word when he says my GSIII burst into flames with no video just pictures but when an iPhone does on camera it has to be a conspiracy?
"Also, why does everyone take the guys word when he says my GSIII burst into flames with no video just pictures but when an iPhone does on camera it has to be a conspiracy?"
Because applites just refuse to accept their choices are poor, ill-conceived and misguided. Their handset choice mainly made because their mate showed them a talking cat app, and that is just so wonderful to them.
I dunno, does anybody walk like that in real life? It seems to be a very affected casual walk. "Me? I'm just strolling from my van with a recent purchase in a bag, oh wow my trousers are smoking."
What is he doing in the van for the first 5 seconds? Meditating? He's utterly motionless.
It could be real. It looks staged.
> What is he doing in the van for the first 5 seconds? Meditating? He's utterly motionless.
Perhaps he's a delivery boy and that's his 30 secs break. Perhaps he's trying to adjust the radio.
Perhaps he's putting Ballmer on hand-free.
Conspiracy theories: the sky is your limit.
"We all know iPhones are hot property - as their owners generally tell you. However, when one blows up in your pocket, you know its probably time to stop bragging."
What is there to brag about. What? Your taste is glass/steel and 80's wall paper?
iPhone owners are so dim! Brag to me you have an iPhone and i'll laugh in your face. How foolish? iPhone, tisk, your last decade!
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
