lithium batteries

[busbar]

Somewhere I have read that lithium batteries are prohibited on airlines…but lithium-ion batteries are pervasive in cameras and laptop computers. Also, I use lithium/ferric-sulphide cells [Eveready L91] in portable CD players. How do the TSA folks handle this for carry-on baggage?

 

[geekEE]

You're fine packing spare lithium batteries in carry-on baggage, just not in checked baggage.

http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

Glenn

 

[busbar]

 
Thanks sincerely, geekEE.

 

[MalcolmStewart]

I was responsible for safety on a large airborne radar system some time ago. For fault reporting memory backup, it utilised a bank of quite large rechargeable lithium batteries, in a series/parallel configuration. At the time, lithium batteries were known to be somewhat risky, and we went to enormous trouble to ensure that the additional risks due to the bank of lithium cells didn't hazard the aircraft - significantly.

At the time commercial airliners were very strict in what could be carried, but as serious camera batteries grew larger, I noticed that the restrictions on them gradually lessened, and kept pace with usage in the real world! A good example of "commercial" engineering...

Malcolm Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK

 

[IRstuff]

Seems to me that it still wouldn't be needed, since flash memories have the speed and capacity to store gobs of data without any battery requirement.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[MalcolmStewart]

Unfortunately, our problem was adding a then modern requirement, fault reporting, to a system originally designed in the 70s well before flash memory came on the scene. And the user also came up with the requirement that faults had to be readable up to 2 weeks after the plane had landed. If we'd been allowed to redesign the system, we would certainly have chosen a better way of meeting our user's new requirement.

Malcolm Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK