WARNING: Do NOT use lithium batteries in a Wii Remote

[treismac]

Read and watch this (http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/wayne_county/family-blames-explosion-on-wii-remote-batteries) to learn why not.

I saw this first on Kotaku and thought I'd spread the word here on DP.

[NayusDante]

Does the Wii remote feed back into the battery or something?

And who uses AA lithium cells? Aren't those for cameras and stuff? I'm pretty sure that most rechargeable packs for Wiimotes are NiMH. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

[TonyTheTiger]

I think the scariest part of this is that few people, myself included, pay much attention to batteries. I have no idea what brand are in my TV remotes and wall clocks let alone whether they're lithium or not. It's one of those things that is incredibly important but so far off the radar for most people.

[NayusDante]

Disposable: Alkaline
Rechargeable: USUALLY NiMH, but I have seen a few Li cells
Laptops, Phones, Other Devices: Lithium

[megasdkirby]

I bet the family will sue Nintendo for no reason other than extort money from Nintendo. Even when the manual stated NOT to use Lithium batteries. But that won't stop them from trying...

[Rickstilwell1]

All because Wii is "Da Bomb!"

It's a good thing they weren't home when it happened.

[joshnickerson]

I bet the family will sue Nintendo for no reason other than extort money from Nintendo. Even when the manual stated NOT to use Lithium batteries. But that won't stop them from trying...

Get ready for "Don't be a fucking idiot and use lithium batteries in the Wii Remote" boot-up prompt screens on the WiiU...

[Jorpho]

NiMH batteries are still safe, right?


Get ready for "Don't be a fucking idiot and use lithium batteries in the Wii Remote" boot-up prompt screens on the WiiU...Oh boy! Maybe they'll make it two screens long! And include a "Click here to agree" button! :roll:

[jb143]

Laptops, Phones, Other Devices: Lithium-ion

Corrected that for you. Those AA lithium cells are a different thing altogether. Mainly, they're not rechargeable like lithium-ion batteries used in cell phones and laptops.

[kupomogli]

Get ready for "Don't be a fucking idiot and use lithium batteries in the Wii Remote" boot-up prompt screens on the WiiU...

The PS3 added one of these in a recent update. Whenever you boot up the console it gives that one message about seizures and such. There's no way to turn it off. Sure you can press a button and it removes almost instantly, but it's just one more step to be able to start a game.

[exit]

Get ready for "Don't be a fucking idiot and use lithium batteries in the Wii Remote" boot-up prompt screens on the WiiU...

With an animated image of the Wii-mote exploding and setting the house on fire, but I bet people will still use them anyway.




The PS3 added one of these in a recent update. Whenever you boot up the console it gives that one message about seizures and such. There's no way to turn it off. Sure you can press a button and it removes almost instantly, but it's just one more step to be able to start a game.

The screen lasts about 3 seconds and is gone by the time I switch my TV's input to HDMI, that's hardly what I call a step.

[MarioMania]

So no rechageables in the Wiimotes. like Rechageable Energizer, Duracell or even the Radio Shack ones??

[The 1 2 P]

This was the most amusing part of the article:


Nintendo offered to replace Fuson's equipment at a discounted price.

[Guy Kazama]

The PS3 added one of these in a recent update. Whenever you boot up the console it gives that one message about seizures and such. There's no way to turn it off. Sure you can press a button and it removes almost instantly, but it's just one more step to be able to start a game.

yeah, all it accomplished for me is making the system take longer to turn on...

[Richter Belmount]

God help us all

[Gameguy]

This was the most amusing part of the article:
It should have been listed at an increased price instead, it's not like they would have read it anyway just like how they ignored the manual.

[jb143]

So no rechageables in the Wiimotes. like Rechageable Energizer, Duracell or even the Radio Shack ones??

The batteries in question are not rechargeable. I use nothing but NiMHs in mine. The main thing to keep in mind with them is not to let them completely drain or it can ruin the battery.

Those lithium AA's have a very fast discharge rate which can make them overheat and possibly explode. Most other types of batteries don't do that.

[Rob2600]

NiMH batteries are still safe, right?

I've been using Energizer and Duracell NiMH rechargeable batteries in my Wii Remotes and Balance Board for four years and never experienced a problem.

[Hep038]

I bet the family will sue Nintendo for no reason other than extort money from Nintendo. Even when the manual stated NOT to use Lithium batteries. But that won't stop them from trying...


After reading the article I do not see anywhere from the mothers comments that they might sue. Matter of fact she takes responsibility for not completely reading the manual. The only thing I see is where she says it is hard to find in the manual, which I am sure is true. But some people always look for the worst in others.

[jb143]

I'm surprised that this is even a news story. It's not like her house was knocked off it's foundation. This is really just a case of battery ignorance...which many of us are guilty of. I mean, how many times have you seen people on this site refer to battery acid leaking out of their alkaline batteries. Most people don't care about the differences in battery types so it's a bit unfair to treat this family like they're stupider than everyone else.

[portnoyd]

Most people don't care about the differences in battery types so it's a bit unfair to treat this family like they're stupider than everyone else.

From TFA:


The manual warns against using lithium batteries, but Fuson says the warning is hard to find and doesn't spell out the possible consequences for using lithium batteries.

Waaah. They are indeed stupider than everyone else.

[Clownzilla]

This was the most amusing part of the article:

Even though it TECHNICALLY was the fault of the user for not reading the manual Nintendo should of eplaced the unit for free. It seems like a few hundred dollars is a small price to pay to avoid negative media exposue. There will be quite a few people that point out this discounted price decision and chalk it up to greed even though Nintendo is in their legal right to not offer to replace the system.

[MarioMania]

So what kind of Batteries does discharge fast??

Got any pic for example

[jb143]

So what kind of Batteries does discharge fast??

Got any pic for example

Mainly just lithium. Any battery could explode if overheated(throw in a fire, try to charge a non-rechargeable) but most types don't if you just leave them in a Wii Remote.

They look just like regular AA or AAA batteries but say "lithium" on them...usually in fairly big print. They are also less common and a lot more expensive than regular AA's. If you have any around the house they probably came with a digital camera or something.

[APE992]

Does the Wii remote feed back into the battery or something?

And who uses AA lithium cells? Aren't those for cameras and stuff? I'm pretty sure that most rechargeable packs for Wiimotes are NiMH. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

Anyone can use AA lithiums?

They're advertised for cameras due to how much juice they can push out and how much more they can hold compared to other battery technologies.

That said some electronics flat out aren't designed to handle lithiums which easily catch fire under the wrong circumstances. I'd wager the Wii-mote is one of them. Don't be stupid, heed the warnings.

[Aussie2B]

This is really just a case of battery ignorance...which many of us are guilty of. I mean, how many times have you seen people on this site refer to battery acid leaking out of their alkaline batteries.

That's something you can prevent? I mean, I know using/storing a battery improperly can make it more likely to leak, but sometimes it seems like the luck of the draw too. I've even had it happen with batteries that weren't that old.

[jb143]

That's something you can prevent? I mean, I know using/storing a battery improperly can make it more likely to leak, but sometimes it seems like the luck of the draw too. I've even had it happen with batteries that weren't that old.

About the only way to prevent it is by not keeping batteries in devices for a long time while not in use. It generally happens because the metal case of the battery is also one of the electrodes, when the battery dies it continues to "eat" through the metal and leak through the paper coating. Also, if the batteries get hot it might speed up the reaction.

My point though, was that alkaline batteries can't leak acid because they use an alkali(the opposite of acid)...hence the name. Yet people will state to clean up the leaking "acid" with an alkali/base such as baking soda to neutralize it. But this doesn't really have anything to do with the topic at hand...just pointing out a general ignorance toward batteries, which is something more than just this lady is guilty of.

[Jorpho]

I'm surprised that this is even a news story. It's not like her house was knocked off it's foundation.No, but HAY LOOKIT THIS PERSON'S HOUSEHOLD ELECTRONICS A SPLODED is an excellent way to get people's attention – and a news story that does so is in many ways a desirable one for the people publishing the news.

[Niku-Sama]

ok this ia totally a slow news day make a huge story out of nothing type of thing.
plus the "concerned" parent was wearing so much makeup its unreal i (OMGWTFBB I IS ON THE KNEWS) i am thinkin its staged
and also.....duh

and i mean come on common sense here why are you jamming lithium batterys in any thing willy nilly any way, most people dont know what they are doing so they need to stop and think this is a good idea before pushing the blame onto something else


lithium batteries in general have problems in some devices or in certian circuimstances, weither its rechargable or not.

sony got sued for lithium ion batterys catching fire (hmm) HP has tons of recalls for the same type of thing. Lithium polymer batterys are about as unstable ad nitro....guess what? most of the cheepo portable dvd players use a HUGE lithium polymer battery in them as well. dont leave that in a hot car or you wont have a car any more.

[The 1 2 P]

ok this ia totally a slow news day make a huge story out of nothing type of thing.

Sure it ended harmless but it could have ended up much worse had a child been actually using it when it blew up. Then you would of had the entire media covering this story, lead by those idiots at Fox News. I could see the Fox News headline now: " Video Games Are a Ticking Time Bomb"

[BlastProcessing402]

I never leave batteries in my wii remote anyway, I find it runs them down even when not in use, compared to my 360 controller where it doesn't seem to matter. I don't use lithium though, lol, NiMH all the way.

[Gamevet]

Milf!