

When a fire like this happens, it is usually caused by an internal short in the battery. The CBC article,"Summer of the Exploding Laptop," rounds up several of these incidents. There are video clips and photos on the Web that show just how serious these fires can be. If the battery gets hot enough to ignite the electrolyte, you are going to get a fire. It may also keep track of the number of charge/discharge cycles and send out information so the laptop's battery meter can tell you how much charge is left in the battery. If the cells ever become completely discharged, the battery pack will shut down because the cells are ruined. If you leave your laptop in an extremely hot car and try to use the laptop, this computer may prevent you from powering up until things cool off. If the battery pack gets too hot during charging or use, the computer will shut down the flow of power to try to cool things down. A battery charge state monitor, which is a small computer that handles the whole charging process to make sure the batteries charge as quickly and fully as possible.A voltage tap, which monitors the energy capacity of individual cells in the battery pack.A shielded notebook connector that lets power and information flow in and out of the battery pack.A voltage converter and regulator circuit to maintain safe levels of voltage and current.One or more temperature sensors to monitor the battery temperature.The lithium-ion cells can be either cylindrical batteries that look almost identical to AA cells, or they can be prismatic, which means they are square or rectangular The computer, which comprises:.That is not to say that lithium-ion batteries are flawless. Lithium-ion batteries can handle hundreds of charge/discharge cycles.They have no memory effect, which means that you do not have to completely discharge them before recharging, as with some other battery chemistries.

A lithium-ion battery pack loses only about 5 percent of its charge per month, compared to a 20 percent loss per month for NiMH batteries. Using lead-acid technology, it takes 6 kilograms to store the same amount of energy that a 1 kilogram lithium-ion battery can handle. A lead-acid battery can store only 25 watt-hours per kilogram. A NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery pack can store perhaps 100 watt-hours per kilogram, although 60 to 70 watt-hours might be more typical. A typical lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of electricity in 1 kilogram of battery. Here is a way to get a perspective on the energy density. This translates into a very high energy density for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium is also a highly reactive element, meaning that a lot of energy can be stored in its atomic bonds. The electrodes of a lithium-ion battery are made of lightweight lithium and carbon.

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