Toys and Games
A Swallowed Coin Battery Can Burn a Child’s Throat Within Hours
A lodged coin battery can burn a child’s throat in about two hours. What Reese’s Law requires of new products, and what to do immediately if one is swallowed.
lithium batteries
9 articles
Toys and Games
A Hoverboard Under the Tree Needs a UL 2272 Listing, and Its Charger Matters as Much as the Board
A UL 2272 listing certifies a hoverboard’s electrical system, not the rider. CPSC counts 17 hoverboard-related deaths from 2017 through 2024, 11 of them tied to fires, and falls, age limits and charging habits matter just as much.
Sports and Recreation
The E-Bike Battery Risk Lives in Uncertified Packs, Swapped Chargers and Overnight Charging
An e-bike or e-scooter battery is dozens of lithium-ion cells in one pack. Certification, the right charger and supervised charging decide most of the fire risk.
Emergency Prep and Power
A 1,000Wh Power Station Delivers Less Than 1,000Wh to Your Appliances
Rated watt-hours describe the battery, not what reaches your devices. Inverter losses, idle draw and startup surges decide what a power station can actually run and for how long.
Toys and Games
RC Car LiPo Batteries Tend to Burn on the Charger, Not the Track, and a LiPo Bag Only Buys Time
Most RC LiPo fires start at the charger, not the track. Balance charging, storage voltage and retiring swollen packs prevent them; a fire-resistant bag only slows one down.
Auto and Garage
A Vent Phone Mount Overheats Your Phone in Winter; a Dash Mount Bakes It in Summer
Phones already warm up while navigating and charging. Clip one to a vent blowing hot air and heat builds until the phone dims its screen or stops charging.
Auto and Garage
Peak Amps on a Jump Starter Is the Number That Means Least
Peak amps is the largest number a manufacturer can print and the least regulated. The figures that predict whether the car starts are cranking amps and stored energy.
Auto and Garage
A Lithium-Battery Dashcam Wears Out Fastest Behind a Hot Windshield
A dashcam sits behind glass in direct sun, which is the worst place in a car for a lithium battery. Capacitor models exist because manufacturers know that.
Tech and Audio
Your 20,000 mAh Power Bank Does Not Hold 20,000 mAh of Your Phone
The number on the box is measured at 3.7 volts inside the pack. Your phone charges at 5 volts or more. That conversion, plus heat, eats about a third of the capacity before you see any of it.