News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Why a plane turned around when a passenger lost a phone midflight. Parent comment

Re:Why a plane turned around when a passenger lost a phone m... by vkou on Sunday March 30, 2025 @07:24PM (#43528813)
Is a lithium battery installed in a device (allowed) comparable with a lithium battery not installed in a device (not allowed)?

That's the steelman version of the parent poster's question.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why a plane turned around when a passenger lost a phone m... by lxgr on Sunday March 30, 2025 @07:31PM (#43528880)
Danger probably primarily varies with capacity, production quality etc., not form factor (disassembled or assembled into a device), sure.

I'm not saying that current regulations of lithium batteries make sense; my argument is that the actual threat from lithium batteries seems larger than that of devices not in airplane mode (i.e. somewhere around zero).

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why a plane turned around when a passenger lost a phone m... by manarth on Monday March 31, 2025 @01:02AM (#43531250)
An installed battery will have its terminals protected and connected to the device.

An uninstalled battery will have its terminals exposed, where they could be accidentally shorted by a stray paperclip, foil wrapper, or zip.

[ Parent | on HN ]