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High Tech Summit To Address Hot Battery Problem

August 29, 2006

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With Dell and Apple recalling nearly six million laptop computer batteries between them, the electronics industry is planning a summit to address the potential fire hazard caused by some types of lithium ion batteries.

Association Connecting Electronics Industries, an industry trade group, says its Critical Components Committee will hold a technical summit meeting in mid–September in San Jose, California, to begin development of standards for the manufacture of lithium ion batteries for portable and handheld electronics, including laptops, cell phones and personal digital assistants.

Dell recalled 4.1 million battery packs, while Apple recalled 1.8 million, after consumers complained of overheating and fires.

A man in South Venice, Fla. believes his Dell laptop is the cause of his house burning down. In July, a truck in Nevada went up in flames sending two men fleeing as the flames reached the gas tank and two boxes of bullets in the glove box.

Sony designed and manufactured the lithium-ion cells used in the battery packs.

"Without a doubt, standardization can and will address the issue of operation and safety called into question by the use of lithium ion batteries. While the Committee had identified lithium ion batteries as the next product for standardization, we are going to accelerate our activities now," said John Grosso, chairman of the IPC OEM Critical Components Committee and director of supplier engineering and quality, sub-tier and critical components, Dell Inc.

The IPC Committee, according to Grosso, will identify any current standards related to lithium ion batteries with the goal of standardizing design, performance and safety requirements for these batteries.

"The IPC Committee has been very active in identifying and working to standardize components vital to the function of products in the computer and telecommunications industry," said to Anthony Hilvers, IPC vice president of industry programs.

He added that the committee has recently completed a standard for fans for electronics applications and is also working on standardizing performance parameters for power conversion devices for electronic products.

Lithium ion batteries made by Sony are suspected in a number of cases of overheating and fire.

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