[Leica] cowardly about li-ions

[shino at panix.com (Rei Shinozuka)]

slashdot pointed me to this story, which i thought of after the
discussion of using off-brand $20 batteries in your $5,000 M8:

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineering-design-problems/2007/09/whats-wrong-with-lithiumion-ba-1.html

making me somewhat nervous:

   "...Don Sadoway, a professor of Materials Chemistry at MIT who is
   an expert in advanced battery technologies, worries about off-shoring
   of a chemistry he asserts "needs to be treated with respect"

  "I have 100% confidence in the
  Japanese battery manufacturers,"  he says. "And my guess is that
  they never had the problems we're seeing now when the same batteries 
  were manufactured from start to finish in  Japan.

  "He notes that one of the challenges with Li-ion batteries in
  particular is that it is very difficult to verify that the
  manufacturing and assembly is being performed according to
  specifications. because once s assembled into a battery pack, the
  device cannot be inspected from the outside nor can it be easily
  tested. "

it's an interesting article.

i should note i use a cheapie knock-off spare battery in my fuji f30,
and that it has never engulfed the camera in an explosion.  but still, 
it's a $250 camera.

-rei

-- 
Rei Shinozuka shino@panix.com
Ridgewood, New Jersey