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IBM Recalls 553,000 Laptop Power Units
qewl writes "The 56-watt adapters can overheat, cause damage to the circuit board and melt through the case, the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. About 225,000 of the adapters are being recalled in the United states. The power adapters were shipped mostly with IBM ThinkPad i Series, ThinkPad 390 and 240 Series and a limited number of ThinkPad s Series laptop computers and have the part number 02K6549, the agency said."
Looks like IBM has been working a little too closely with Apple.. it's starting to rub off on them.
...was every laptop. Everytime I put my Dell on my lap it burns me. That sucker is hot!
Kabooooommmm!!!
Tyler: You don't know where ive been, Lou. YOU DONT KNOW WHERE IVE BEEN!!
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if 533,000 of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
the recalled machines will be sold to gericom, who puts a new sticker on them and resells them as brand-new-bleeding-edge-desktop replacment. melting through plastic is a side effect that is expected of their machines.
Only morons moderate based on a sig.
Looks like IBM is in the hot-seat now. Thank god I don't have to worry about that with my crappy 720c.
will their airbag deploy?
So that is what that burning sensation was in my lap! And, to think, I called my girlfriend a dirty whore! Thought for sure she gave me something!
I wonder in how many products this kind of thing happen, but at a smaller scale, without forcing the company to do a recall. Happened with my sister's laptop power converter, causing the board to fry... oops, warranty's not valid anymore, you're screwed!
:
Obligatory Fight Club reference
If a new car built by my company leaves Chicago traveling west at 60 miles per hour, and the rear differential locks up, and the car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside, does my company initiate a recall?
You take the population of vehicles in the field (A) and multiply it by the probable rate of failure (B), then multiply the result by the average cost of an out-of-court settlement (C).
A times B times C equals X. This is what it will cost if we don't initiate a recall.
If X is greater than the cost of a recall, we recall the cars and no one gets hurt.
If X is less than the cost of a recall, then we don't recall.
Kinda scary when you consider cars instead of laptops...
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Sure, but can it show me where in line I am for those three inches I've been expecting for months now?
It wants this story back.
to China? Might make as good of a heat source as the uranium.... :-)
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
The computers were sold between January 1999 and August 2000 They received SIX reports after 4 years since releasing this stuff and they're recalling the whole series? Weird.. A power adapter CAN break after 4 years of intense usage.. it just happens, right? :)
I thought we were all going to be using single chip power supplys like the Tinyswitch... they can do 240 to 5v on a chip connected directly to the mains and sink about 800ma.
They were going to be the next big thing, and then we were all back to switched mode blocks with all their coils and components and heatsinks.
I am so sick of people stealing Apple's ideas.
So much for trading my PowerBook in for a Thinkpad, either way I might get burned.
Hi there
So does this mean all those people bitching about how apple is the only company that gets so much coverage for a recall will write well worded eloquent statements about how they were wrong?
--aiee
It seems like every piece of hardware that was in any way manufactured or connected with IBM was flaky or just plain broken. I've heard people swear about how reliable and durable IBM hardware is. They're nuts.
The computers were sold between January 1999 and August 2000
Note that IBM shipped a revised product under the SAME part number after August 2000... if you think you qualify, make sure to look at the details - it has to have HOLLOW pins look here to be part of the recall.
Just if you were curious, the IBM and Apple batteries are not manufactured by the same company. Apple's are manufactured by LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea, IBM's are manufactured by Delta Electronics Inc. of Taiwan. Some other information of possible interest: I own one of the Apple laptop batteries to be recalled and have never had any problems with it. The surface near the cpu does get quite hot, however. Not unbearable though.
Sources inside IBM leaked this week the development of a new tanning bed using 100% recycled materials, codenamed "Thinkpad".
"What the hell is an aluminum falcon?"
The burning sensation's from the LAPTOP... I was wondering how the hell a geek like myself (can't get laid to save my life) caught an STD...
Laptops need more than 800ma, and also dual rail. While the single chip solutions would be great for a new kind of lower power computer, conventional laptops are just too power hungry.
Not that it won't stop people trying. Anything to minimise cost. IBM probably underspec'ed their switch mode here to save $ and look where it got them. Excess heat is the first sign you have skimped on current capacity!
Ah, looks like they'll have piles of laptop parts to accompany their piles of Travelstar HDs. I bought a "Hitachi/IBM" Travelstar three months ago and have done two exchanges b/c each one I got gave me scrapes of death by week 2. After the 3rd one, I said screw the warranty--I pitched it in the trash--and bought a different brand. Gee, I wonder why IBM got rid of theird HD business. Ugh.
G-Force music visualization
That's just the kind of thing you want on top of your lap...
There's smoke coming out of your crotch...Is the power unit in your laptop melting or are you just REALLY happy to see me?
Sailors. Oh man!
You do it how often now?
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
Where do i find the form for them to send me a new desk?
who, zippo or ibm?
A quick fix I found for my Dell overheating was a thin Therm-o-Pilly sheet bumper glued to the battery area.
What the Hell? I thought IBM tested these things before they shipped them. 'Melts through the case' man I wonder who that happened to. I like having my laptop with me as much as I can, but fusing the laptop to my lap is taking it a little far.
The PSUs for desktop PCs seem to get worse and worse. The cheaper they get, the less protectional components they include. A few months ago I had an overheated PSU burn out itself, the main board, and basically everything connected to it (only the RAM and the floppy drive survived). A few fuses or voltage-limiting zeners could have saved my PC. Too bad the PSUs all look the same from the outside. The only good thing about it was that my current computer plays Doom3 nicely :-p
That thing's been plugged in the last 5 years without any interruption.... Blast, I should have roasted by now!
IBM shares closed up 35 cents to $84.57 on the New York Stock Exchange.
There's nothing like fucking up and getting paid for it.
They get a marketing database filled full of people who were using older (late nineties) hardware that would be ripe for upgrades. At the same time that they're collecting the data, it makes IBM look responsible, it gives IBM a chance to talk to their customers with said older hardware, and casts FUD on the reliability of equipment that is out of warranty. The true cost of the power adapters in bulk is easily less than $5. Hell, shipping the thing out probably cost more than the adapter itself! This is timed to give IBM customer information just in time for holidays 2005. The must smell a replacement season coming on. When it comes to direct/consumer marketing, you can't be too paranoid.
http://tinyurl.com/4ny52
obviously this is the opening SCO has been looking for.
The chairman of China, pointing out the obvious Chernobylesque failures of the US Capitalism system, has vowed to only use "safe" power adapters in all its laptops...
Great... This is just what i need. I work on hte IBM Thinkpad Helpdesk. I just know were gonna be flodded with calles from every one that had a thinkpad, affected or not, is gonna call in, ignore the "how to tell" and wanna just wanna "make shure". Not that i reall blame them, i mean, burning and melting, jeez, but its gonna give us at least a week or two of 20+ sec hold times.
If you resist reading what you disagree with, how will you ever acquire deeper insights into your own beliefs?
Actually 800ma at 120v = 96W. 800ma at 240v = 192W. (assuming 100% efficiency) This should be enough for some laptops I would guess. No idea what chips this guy was talking about tho.
Mine says 02K6550. SAFE!
Laptop reviews should include bottom temperatures for "lap" users.
I don't know about whatever news site you came from, but on this one, we obey the laws of Thermodynamics!
So lets see... Laptop running Windows 98.. still being used? well.. If it hasn't melted yet you should be safe.. might as well get a new computer instead :)
Obama = Socialism.
The biggest problem with the devices like Tinyswitch is the lack of isolation from the power line. This means when you go plug your USB connector into your computer (while touching the metal shield) and are leaning on your metal desk, you complete a circuit between the mains and ground. Not a good thing. I'll let the others calculate the typical body resistance (and power rating) to 50/60 Hz @ 110/220 volts.
... good example is a NiCd or NiMH charger with recessed contacts and/or an interlocked door, or a rechargable razor.
These devices are useful in applications where there is no possibility of touching any conductor connected in any way to these power supply ICs
My Thinkpad is sitting on my lap right now as I'm typing this, and the temperature is perfectly norm... AAAAAH! IT BURRRRRRRRNS! FOR THE LOVE OF NI, PLEASE SOMEONE STOP THE BURNING IN MY CROTCH!
***
Seriously, that would suck though, huh?
They seem to all be made poorly lately. My wallstreet powerbook's adapter was recalled. The first run of ibook adapters (frequently referred to as "UFOs") had issues with their AC cord and were quickly replaced with the new white bricks, and now this recall from IBM? You'd think they'd put a little more effort into safety testing for something like this.
They make these packs as small and light as possible, yet they have to be able to pump up the laptop's battery very rapidly, usually while the laptop is also drawing power from the pack. Without careful safety testing, some ppl are gonna get their houses burnt down if this recklessness keeps up.
A friend of mine almost managed to burn down his house yesterday by way of a laptop pack setting the electrical outlet on fire while he was at work. While that was likely more caused by a site wiring fault than by the pack or computer, it really underscores just how much juice some of these packs draw, and how easy it is for a minor design flaw to prove disastrous.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Mine says 02K6550. SAFE!
Fuck this safe shit, did you get laid?
This is the one I have! Im so happy cause mine crapped out on me like the year I got it and I just got a new one. This is so great, because I didnt throw that one away, now I can get another new one for free!! (the new one I got after was model 02k6543)... Interesting story, first hand acount of this fire problem happening. This is the ps that all the teachers use(d) at my high school like 5 years ago and one caught fire and the building had to be evacuated. That was like 3 years ago though.
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I work for a large Toronto Employer *cough*...and we've been ordering IBM Desktop (8194-E4U) form factor NetVista models since last summer...almost EVERY hard drive in these puppies failed...the Maxtor slimline 40 GB drives (sub-1 inch).
We just got the callback for mass-replacement that we've been asking for. We've so far seen 60- 70% of our drives fail.
This kind of thing should not be surprising though as large companies are likely to have large orders for third-party parts and materials. When once source goes "bad" it can have this kind of an effect
I'll give IBM's customer service an A++ for promptness and courtesy though - they've been Golden in helping us get the replacement parts quickly (next day!)
This recall happened a few years back on the same units. I had Pentium2 Thinkpad that had the recall on the charger. To their credit, I had the replacement within 2 days of registering on the website and was also supplied with a paid bag to send the old one back.
Me looks down at keboard.....IBM After fliping it over it reads: Part No 1391401 yada yada Model M IBM Corp 1984 Salvaged from IBM 286 PS2 computer. And still works perfectly.
I think the laptop models stated above and The Register imply this affects mainly older adapters.
Yet I bought a R40e for my girlfriend at christmas last year. In April the adapter caught fire on our bed. Fortunately, we were in it and awake. I did get a replacement free of charge though.
The PSU is always the centre of many 'issues' partly because the task of designing it usually falls to the most junior engineer who has very little experience.
Why? Because they are boring and 'un-sexy'.
So it is not surprising that throughout modern times, the laptop powersupply brick has had more product recalls than anything else. On many an occasion, I have pried one apart and inspected its innards to see that there has been factory mods done to it with wires, globs of solder and tracks cut with a crude knife.
I don't expect the situation to improve either.
-- The universe began. Life started on a billion worlds...
-- Except on one where stupidity was there first.
Somehow I fail to see the point of this recall. In normal 24 hour test, a huge percentage of defects is already found. Seeing that these laptops have been sold around 2000, 4 years ago, I simply do not understand why anyone having trouble with that particular AC-adapter hasn't already experienced it.
Probably that person either used his guarantee, or he - unluckily - met with the problem 1 or 2 years after the ending of his guarantee. In any case, people are in the majority of cases either out of luck (they didn't have any guarantee, and let the machine be repaired themselves or trashed/sold it) or it simply ain't necessary anymore.
So what's the function of this recall if noone is going to use it ? Prevent liability ?
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Funny story. I got my dad a Canon digital camera for his birthday a few years back, complete with charger and rechargable batteries from wal-mart.
He was complaining a few months later about the seemingly short battery life.... turns out, he threw away the rechargables (since they looked similar to the alkalines) and starting charging the alkalines. I'm impressed that one set of alkalines didn't have issues with discharge/charge.... must be a pretty fast charger you had to get the alkalines up to giving up their innards.
Karnal
they are not afraid to do a recall, even if it's years after the product was released.
Not only that, but they're shipping the replacements in advance. Most companies would require you to send in the bad one first, leaving you dead in the water until the UPS ground delivery arrives.
Kudos to IBM.
Chip H.
IBM hasn't made any of those laptop models in years. Why the big recall now all of a sudden?
I've got one of those thinkpads, and the thing started smoking in the middle of my tribes game. Now i know why.
In a word, Age, and testing stupididy. If you try to charge a bad battery pack, over and over, you are going to stress that charger.
I bet the power packs work just fine.
Joe sixpack leaves his laptop charging for 6 days, or months - whatever, ruining or shortening the life of same battery pack, then finds he needs to leave it on longer...
These testers should work on how to ruin a battery pack, then see what happens when the charger gets stressed on duff batteries. OTOH, substituting different batteries during production, could also affect recall rates
oh how i wish this recall was for the battery on my i-series thinkpad...poor little Ni-MH thing...
The real equation would include the estimated time for the lawsuits to affect income caused by negative public perception and the time before corporate leadership retires.
It really doesn't matter if the company sinks when you're out the door and not legally liable.