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fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

(OP)
I'm thinking a fire proof box for my son to charge his Li-Ion batteries in might be a good Christmas present. I'm thinking any dual wall box that is fire resistant for 20 minutes should contain a 10W (max) Li-ion going bad. So maybe something as simple as this:

http://www.staples.com/Honeywell-300-cu-in-Key-Loc...

The trick is I need to get power into the box. I'm thinking a flame retardant extension cord will work, or maybe a plenum rated cable. I doubt I'll find any extension cords rated for plenum use because I believe that is a no-no.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good type of (extension) cord to use to get power into the box?

Thanks,

Z

RE: fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

Li-Ion batteries explode in part because they get too hot.

Charging them in a sealed box won't help that.

RE: fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

I'd go for a 5 sided box open on the top. The flames are not going to get more than a few feet high, if that. That way cord entry isn't a problem nor heat. What else I'd do is put 1 inch feet under it so it doesn't ignite what it's sitting on.

I have an old Compaq laptop with an ancient very special unreplaceable program on it. I expect the Li-Ion pack to freakout at any time so I keep it on a 3/16" aluminum plate stood an inch off the desk. I only charge it when I'm present and about once a month. I use it about every 2 years. I'll probably recycle the battery soon and run purely adapter, as that would be safer.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

Charge it on a non-combustible surface and you're not going to have a problem even if there were to be a fire. Don't put it inside any kind of box when charging- you'll regret it.

RE: fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

zappedagain,

What is your budget? Is this not what UL886 is for? This should cover enclosures and hardware.

--
JHG

RE: fireproof box for Li-Ion battery charging

(OP)
Thanks all!

Mint, Molten - I was figuring on a box with a much larger volume than the battery volume.

Go figure, imc, someone already invented it! As I thought about this last night I figured it makes a lot more sense to have the charger outside of the enclosure so you can see the charger display, kind of like a liposac.

I'm off to the hobby shop where I buy batteries. They have two versions there for a pretty good price.

Z

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