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Feds Say There Isn't A Single Safe 'Hoverboard' (engadget.com)
In the Consumer Product Safety Commission's letter to manufacturers, importers and retailers, it urged them to make sure the scooters they make and sell comply with the safety standards set by Underwriters Laboratories, the organization in charge of certifying that products are safe for use. According to UL Consumer Safety Director John Drengenberg, "no hoverboard has passed the certification process at this time."
There isn't a single [] hoverboard. Big neas.
CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
The only reason UL exists is to generate income for UL. Having been through several "certification" cycles on various products, it's very clear that they exist only to run a highly-organized shakedown.
We've actually had to make our products LESS SAFE just to pass some nonsensical test that some UL "engineer' dreamt up that has no practical application in real life.
The UL standard is still a draft proposal. I know because I tried to acquire a copy late last week. UL only released the document 1/29 and was prepared to evaluate devices as of 2/6. This is a simply an inflammatory sound byte with no merit.
Here's UL's own blog post for more details.
http://www.ul-energy.com/start/the-new-ul-2272-standard-gets-a-handle-on-hoverboard-safety/
And Uncle Sam needs to grow a pair or make it official and change 'his' name to Nanny Sammy.
The feds say they must meet a standard. The summary says none are certified to a standard. Those are two different things. A manufacturer could certainly manufacture a product to meet the standard, but not spend the extra time, money and effort to have it certified by a private organization.
Not saying there are ones which comply, only that the summary makes invalid assumptions.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
More importantly, they don't actually hover.
They are lucky we live in a time with rule of law, because if we were living in Roman times, I would go burn down their factory and get away with it. Makes me mad every time I see those liars mentioned.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
There is'n t a single safe hoverboard... all of the safe ones are married.
For me, things like this come down to the not-so-fine line between personal freedom and involuntary involvement in danger.
My view on this is the same for magnetic buckyballs, extreme sports, recreational drugs and virtually every other case of self-harm. We should focus on idiot-proofing idiots rather idiot-proofing their houses. Let capitalism allow for people to make their own wise decisions.
That said, there's a difference between accidentally eating two buckyballs and shoving them down the throat of someone else.
They're all made of bendy plastic that isn't even sealed.
It's not the hoverboards that are unsafe, it's the clumsy idiots riding them that make them unsafe.
Oh wait, their cheap Chinese batteries light on fire and burn your house down. I almost forgot that.
Given these devices would need to pass European Certificate, if they were to be sold in Europe, would the presence of a CE mark be sufficient reassurance that the devices meet some sort of minimum acceptable standard, for sale in the USA? I realise this isn't a US certification, but in the absence of US certification, would this provide sufficient reassurance for them to be sold anywhere? Also, is there a federal US equivalent of the CE mark?
In this context, are there any 'self-balancing two wheel boards' (aka the non-hover boards), that are approved with the CE mark?
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
These new devices do not meet the criteria set in the movie, "Back to the Future Part 2" from 1989, for a hoverboard. Therefore, they should not be called hoverboards.
Thunderf00t found the problem. These boards have a faulty kill switch on their charging system that prevents the batteries from overcharging, or falling below 1% of battery power. A large number of these boards can be over charged which makes them blow up like they do. This is a defect that should be resolved by a class action against the manufacturer, and a recall of the boards to have the charging system retrofitted and upgraded.
UL is usually for 115v appliances that use an internal supply, low voltage stuff isn't usually UL certified. The wall wart is.
http://blog.newegg.com/hoverbo...
Per newegg:
More importantly, the latest boards are UL certified. “Underwriters Laboratories” is an independent electronic safety certification so getting that UL stamp is a solid start for hovering confidence. Additionally, board makers have also been advertising their batteries as originating from Samsung or LG. So that’s something.
And here's one of the UL certified boards on their site:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...
From the specs, it says, "Battery and Charger are UL & CE Certified"
It doesn't say the board is certified, but does that matter if the batter and charger *are* certified?
You can only pack so much energy in a small space. People want FAST charging. They don't want slow (SAFER) charging because we are now "instant gratification" humans. We don't want to wait for anything. Plus, you can bet the bulk of these things, if not all of them, are manufactured in China, Mexico, Vietnam or other places where QC isn't the #1 priority. Anytime you pack the energy required to make something that demands a high current needed for these scooter boards, you are going to run into problems.
What they really meant to say is,
"There isn't a single hoverboard".
The closest thing I've seen is the Lexus maglev board+track pair, but that's just a gimmick.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Thunderfuck did not find the problem. Everyone knew what the problem was.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Riding a bike isnt safe either, no matter the safety practices of a company or the government will save you from doing stupid shit!
Ask the Germans to make safe electric hoverboards.
Top Hoverboards - Updated February 2016
Our extensive analysis of the top hoverboards and our pick for your best bet.
http://bestreviews.com/5-best-...
"In the end, it comes down to personal preference. These things are an absolute joy to ride around, and it’s no wonder they have become an international phenomenon. If you have the risk appetite for it, you will be sure to have a lot of fun zipping through the street on the hottest toy in town."
These things are, like their inspiration, the Segway, a lot of silly crap. At least the Segway did not claim to hover.
Media's obsession with the pleasant lie is something we may never solve, but we don't have to encourage them.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
It seems the libertarian Sci-Fi authors were right. It is illegal to redesign the skateboard with fewer wheels and add electric motors.
LOL!
Is there a single safe federal government?
43% of US voters view federal corruption as their main concern.
>>The only reason UL exists is to generate income for UL. Having been through several "certification" cycles on various products, it's very clear that they exist only to run a highly-organized shakedown.
That's true. UL is ripping off companies. The US market often does not accept the lawful alternatives (NRTLs), and often you have to explain US law to a US customer. Strange. FYI, a UL certification from UL costs 2-3 times more than the exact same certification according to the exact same UL/ISO/IEC standards from any other NRTL.
>>UL, the organization in charge of certifying that products are safe for use.
That's wrong. UL is one of the organizations that are allowed to certify according to "UL standards" ( which are now mostly IEC anyway)
>>it urged them to make sure the scooters they make and sell comply with the safety standards set by Underwriters Laboratories
NRTL safety tests are needed only in products used at the workplace. But it's good to have it NRTL certified for any product.
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