Overheat -- Engadget

overheat posts

HTC Touch Pro battery goes rogue, lights up an otherwise fine pair of pants

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2009 at 10:04AM

Just a note to everyone who carries around a spare smartphone Li-ion in their rear pocket: buy thicker underwear. The scene you see above was all caused by an obviously volatile HTC Touch Pro battery, one that the pants-wearer claims is an authentic HTC cell and not a cheap-o alternative from eBay. As the story goes, a foul odor led him to a laundry pile, where he uncovered eight moist socks, a torched battery and a ruined pair of pants. Look, we're glad this guy's okay and all, but seriously, can you imagine what this testy little thing would've done when tossed into the dryer? It's a blessing in disguise, kiddo.

[Via phoneArena]

Ionic cooling system adapted for laptop use, scalded legs cautiously rejoice

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2009 at 7:41AM

To be totally candid, we can't even utter the word "ionic" without thinking of Sharper Image, but the concept here actually seems like one that just might benefit the public at large... or at least those of us forced to cook our upper legs on a daily basis. San Jose-based Tessera, in cooperation with the University of Washington, has adapted an ionic cooling system for use in everyday laptops. The magic elixir consists of two electrodes, one of which is used to ionize air molecules such as nitrogen, while the other acts as a receiver for those molecules. According to reports, this method can extract around 30 percent more heat from a lap burner than the traditional "fan and more fans" approach. Still, a major obstacle remains in terms of ensuring that the electrodes remain reliable throughout the life of a laptop, but if Tessera has its druthers, some form of the system will be commercialized next year.

70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard

by Darren Murph posted May 14th 2009 at 3:13PM

It's been quite awhile since we've seen a major recall surrounding volatile laptop batteries, but it looks as if HP is the company bringing the topic back to the forefront. Announced today, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard, has issued a voluntary recall of about 70,000 Li-ion batteries. Reportedly, these cells can "overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers," and so far, the firm and CPSC have received two separate reports of batteries that have overheated and ruptured, resulting in -- wait for it -- "flames / fire that caused minor property damage." For a look at what units are affected, head on past the break -- oh, and if you're reading this on an HP lappie right now, go ahead and grab the fire extinguisher just in case.

Continue reading 70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard

New cooling material keeps heat down in densely packed electronics

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2009 at 3:17AM

Oh sure, liquid cooling rigs are all the rage, but they aren't too useful within minuscule things like netbooks, MIDs and pocket projectors. The always churning minds over at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are already on the issue, recently conjuring up a new material designed to "efficiently dissipate heat even in devices with densely packed components and that can give increasingly miniaturized electronics a longer life." Researchers at the entity's Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research have teamed with gurus from Siemens and Plansee to create the substance as part of the EU project "ExtreMat." Unfortunately, details beyond that are few and far between, but given that demonstrations have reportedly "already been produced," we'd say it's well on its way to infiltrating things far smaller than your mind can grasp.

Apple firmware update aims to fix vertical line issues on 17-inch MBP

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2009 at 7:59PM

Apple's latest firmware update for the recently shipped 17-inch MacBook Pro sure is light on details, but one thing's for sure: it reportedly nixes those weird vertical line issues that have plagued so many. Unfortunately, the "MacBook Pro Graphics Firmware Update 1.0" doesn't point out whether it was an overheating problem or a GeForce 9600M quirk that was wreaking havoc, but so long as it works, we guess it matters not. Hit up your Software Update when you get enough courage to suck down 770KB of problem-solving goodness.

[Via MacRumors]

NTT DoCoMo's overheating BlackBerry Bold not caused by battery, says RIM

by Ross Miller posted Feb 27th 2009 at 6:41PM

While RIM and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo still don't know why their BlackBerry Bold is feeling a little toasty around the keyboard, the duo has ruled out a likely culprit, the battery, as its unwelcome heat source. Word on the street is an estimated 30 people have issued complaints about the mobile device heating up while recharging, with around 4,000 units being sold before DoCoMo halted sales. One analyst speculates the issue -- which so far has affected only Japan -- may be based on region-specific software of other customizations. We're sure the pair are working around the clock to get to the bottom of this malfunction, but in the meantime, we recommend dusting off the ol' 8707h to get that retro BlackBerry feel -- y'know, just for kicks.

NTT DoCoMo halts BlackBerry Bold sales after reports of overheating

by Donald Melanson posted Feb 27th 2009 at 10:58AM

It's apparently not quite the same fire hazard that the truth in advertising standard-bearer Quickfire is, but NTT DoCoMo doesn't seem to be taking any chances with its newly-launched BlackBerry Bold, with the Japanese carrier now suspending sales of the smartphone after some reports of it getting a bit too toasty for comfort. Apparently, some 30 users reported that the keyboard "heated up" while the phone was recharging, although it's not clear if that's due to the charger or the handset itself. For its part, RIM says that the issue "appears to be specifically limited to the BlackBerry Bold devices sold in Japan," and that expects to be able to fix the problem and resume sales of the Bold "shortly." In the meantime, stay frosty, Japan.

[Via Yahoo! News / AFP]

NVIDIA reportedly urging customers to buy new problem-free GPUs

by Darren Murph posted Dec 26th 2008 at 4:08PM

NVIDIA has yet to step in and confirm this publicly, but a purported leaked memo from the outfit has been posted over at VR-Zone. What's it say, you ask? Only that the company "strongly recommends that customers transition to the latest revision of the NB8E-SET GPUs as soon as possible." Said revision taps a new Hitachi underfill packaging material that "improves product quality and enhances operating life by improved thermal cycling reliability." If you'll recall, certain PC vendors such as Dell issued their own firmware updates to combat the weak packaging set in the chip maker's faulty GPUs earlier this year, but it appears that NVIDIA's solution is to just let bygones be bygones and get on with the new and improved.

[Via Electronista]

Recalled: 35,000 volatile Sony batteries in Dell / HP / Toshiba laptops

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2008 at 5:25PM

Ruh roh. We're really, really hoping this isn't just the first of another long string of laptop battery recalls, but the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with a slew of other outfits, has just announced a voluntary recall of around 35,000 Sony laptop batteries. As you'd expect, the Li-ions in question "can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers," and there have already been 19 reports of overheating including 17 reports of flames / fire and two reports of consumers getting mildly burnt. For the full list (and it's pretty long) of affected laptop models from HP / HP Compaq, Toshiba and Dell, be sure to give the read link some serious attention. Oh, and stop using that battery pronto if yours is one of the afflicted.

Purdue researchers want tiny refrigerators cooling your PC

by Darren Murph posted Jul 24th 2008 at 7:02PM

You think your liquid-cooled rig is pretty snazzy, don't you? After Purdue researchers get their technology on the streets, that stuff will seriously look like old hat. The team is working on a "miniature refrigeration system small enough to fit inside laptops and personal computers," which would hopefully boost cooling performance while enabling computers to be smaller. According to Suresh Garimella, they have "a very good handle on the technology," but it's still a ways from being implemented in end products. Don't worry though, we're sure the likes of Alienware and Voodoo PC will have it up as optional equipment just as soon as it clears the quality assurance lab.

[Via TheFutureOfThings, thanks Iddo]

Nyko announces Intercooler TS for Xbox 360 / PS3

by Darren Murph posted Jul 15th 2008 at 6:37PM

Never has one company mooched off of poor design like Nyko. Okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but according to the peripheral maker, the original Xbox 360 Intercooler is the top selling third-party accessory for the Xbox 360 -- despite the fact that it's known for torching consoles and leaving bits of carpet hot and bothered. Nevertheless, the long, long overdue Intercooler TS (for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) features a built-in temperature sensor and its own dedicated AC adapter, which will hopefully solve the aforesaid issues experienced with the original. This new, non-hazardous version will sell for $25, while the old, potentially hazardous iteration will somehow remain on store shelves for $20. Spend the extra $5 -- it's cheaper than a new house.

Update: Nyko pinged us to say that the original Intercooler is no longer being sold; the $20 version will be the Intercooler EX.

Thermalright Xbox 360 heatsink spotted at Computex?

by Darren Murph posted Jun 4th 2008 at 2:06PM

When everything looks like a netbook, anything out of the ordinary sticks out like a festering wound at Computex. One such sore thumb came from the Thermalright display, which saw a number of new cooling devices basking in the glory and just waiting for photographers. While most items at the booth were generally uninteresting, this particular image shows off one TR-360 -- something we can only assume is a replacement heatsink for the Xbox 360. All we've got right now is the picture above along with one other in the read link, but here's to hoping Thermalright gets around to sharing more information soon.

[Via Xbox-Scene, thanks Xant]

Xbox 360 power supply pinpointed as cause of house fire

by Darren Murph posted Apr 19th 2008 at 9:56AM

Sure, you've heard the horror stories of faulty Xbox power cables sparking up fires in homes, but it seems the latest case involves the aforesaid console's successor: the Xbox 360. According to Little Rock, Arkansas fire department captain Jason Weaver, a 360's power cord was to blame for a blaze that injured no one (thankfully) but caused some $100,000 in property damage. Mr. Weaver asserted that the power supply was likely crammed in a tight spot with no "space to dissipate heat," and while we've certainly seen no shortage of overheating Xbox 360s, this marks the first time that we've seen high temperatures wreak havoc on more than just the machine's internals. Here's to hoping this isn't the start of a dreadful trend.

[Via Joystiq]

iPhone overheats while docked, fight for replacement begins

by Darren Murph posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 9:23AM

Not even a month after three iPods got all hot and bothered on separate occasions, along comes images showing that even Apple's iPhone isn't immune to melting itself. Purportedly, the handset was purchased from Carphone Warehouse in December, but was never activated for one reason or another. Just this week, the owner's son slapped it in a dock with intentions of activating, walked downstairs to catch the last few minutes of Magnum, P.I. and returned to his room to find a "stupidly hot" iPhone which had already melted in some parts and had its screen cracked from the reaction. Not surprisingly, he's currently in the middle of a runaround trying to get someone to remedy the issue, but thankfully no Earthlings, carpets or IKEA desks were harmed.

Update: Thanks to Logan5's quick eyes, it appears we've discovered a scammer in our midst. Essentially, this bloke posted the real story here noting that the crack (more on that here) actually appeared after it was mishandled and dropped. Haven't we learned this approach doesn't work by now?

Alienwarez: Bios released to fix overheating Area-51 m15x rigs

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 19th 2008 at 6:56AM

Drop those pitchforks m15x owners and prepare to update, Alienware just released a fix to your overheating (and downclocking) problems. A new beta BIOS -- X29b P3A30 -- features a few tweaks including the ability to spin-up the fan to a new 5400rpm max. So more noise for more speed; sounds like a reasonable trade-off to us. Unfortunately, the new BIOS is only available if you email area51_m15x@alienware.com for a copy. A general release is expected shortly. Until then, however, it looks like all m15x shipments are on hold. Ouch.

[Via Laptop, thanks Kris J.]