Burnt circuit boards snag Boeing 787 probe

Basroil, did read the posted article. Also read your comment . Read the article again. Conclusion is still the same. It doesn't mention the electrolyte as a factor in battery failure. Perhaps you shouldn't hypothesize on the what caused this issue. As for putting words in other people's mouths the article above doesn't point fingers at electrolyte but you have. Main point of the article is the circuit boards and the lack of recorded information concerning them , which is why one specialist has suggested this be altered so it is recorded and there are more safety features surrounding the circuit boards/brains of the batteries. "Attack" is a pretty harsh view for pointing out your obvious attack on Yuasa as being the culprit in these instances. There are multiple issues as to why these problems exist and it starts with Boeing then ends with the final component being installed tested used then retested with a higher standard of quality control on all platforms. Tmt my apology for using your username, previous comment was directed to basroil.

BuzzBJan. 27, 2013 - 07:20PM JST

Reference the recent public photos of the charred battery. In those photos can be seen one or maybe two what look to be circuit boards at one end of the container. Is this where the monitoring and safety circuits are?

One set of them, yes. Safety circuits are built into that board, the individual cells, and two more outside the battery.

Inside the same container as the battery cells??

From the shape of the battery, there's probably supposed to be a sheet of metal between the board and the cells, but it is odd indeed that they don't have it in the photos.

Reference the recent public photos of the charred battery. In those photos can be seen one or maybe two what look to be circuit boards at one end of the container. Is this where the monitoring and safety circuits are? Inside the same container as the battery cells?? Does anybody else see it this way? Otherwise why would the investigators be saying the boards are charred? Maybe not such an ideal location for your controls and annunciation circuitry.

Don't remember reading anywhere any difinitive finger pointing at electrolyte being the cause of the fire. As it states above there is now another question posed to them concerning the circuit board that monitors and controls charging of the batteries. Is it to blame ? They don't know yet what the cause is from. Perhaps tmt you should go assist the inspectors and show then where they are going wrong in this investigation being that your an expert in aviation technology. They'll find the problem or revamp the batteries and system to eliminate future issues.

Sabotage by ground crew in Japan? In Boston? Hmmm... Hard enough to get into those battery compartments as it is.

Airbus are now suffering unwelcome scrutiny over their batteries too, I hear.

Tmtm, scary, but sadly enough, ANYTHING is possible. Boeings biggest rival is?? AIRBUS, so if SABOTAGE is the source of this mess, then look up the European parts on this plane, or anybody who may have been paid off by Airbus to screw over Boeing and this new 787, right??

From now on monitor not only machine components but also humans---trace back to saboteurs from countries of dictators, from competitors.

One key question for safety investigators is how the battery’s eight individual cells became volatile even though the overall voltage to the battery was steady and didn’t exceed the 32-volt capacity, officials have said.

That one they already know, one cell had a meltdown and then the fire spread to the other cells, that's how it always happens.

KnowBetterJan. 26, 2013 - 09:12AM JST

Shocking discovery... really! Key information not recorded by the "black box".

That's not key information, that's something they would like to have but don't actually need. The black box can hold plenty of data, but not that much, certainly not every sub component of every piece of equipment.

I'd be a little concerned if I were Kanto Aircraft Instrument but I still think it may be even within the 787's wiring and/or circuits. Time will tell but I just know its not the batteries.

Regardless of who also has blame, Yuasa is fully responsible for the battery cells failing even though the charging voltages were fine. You say it's not the batteries, all the investigation information points to it being a manufacturing error in the electrolyte.

These two 787 battery fire investigations should be working side by side and in consultation. I hope that what can be seen in one incident will help with what was burnt and destroyed in the other.

The circuit boards, known as the battery monitoring unit, are the ''brain'' of the battery, experts said. About the size of a laptop computer, the boards monitor functions of the lithium-ion battery's eight cells and feed this information to the charger. That effectively makes the boards responsible for preventing a battery from overcharging.

Shocking discovery... not really. -

One key question for safety investigators is how the battery's eight individual cells became volatile even though the overall voltage to the battery was steady and didn't exceed the 32-volt capacity, officials have said. That data is not recorded in the Dreamliner's ''black box'' flight-data recorder.

Shocking discovery... really! Key information not recorded by the "black box". -

The main battery from the All Nippon Airways flight is still at the GS Yuasa plant, where it is being cleaned and disassembled for further checks. Once they are done, Japanese safety officials plan to take the damaged circuit boards to the manufacturer, Fujisawa-based Kanto Aircraft Instrument, for a detailed inspection.

I'd be a little concerned if I were Kanto Aircraft Instrument but I still think it may be even within the 787's wiring and/or circuits. Time will tell but I just know its not the batteries. -