JEITA task force to set notebook PC battery guidelines

A task force was formed by the JEITA head" target=_blank>Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) to set guidelines for safety use of Li-ion batteries in notebook PCs.

Members of the task force include all PC vendors that used the troubled batteries, other than Apple Computer Inc. The task force, which plans to work closely with battery vendors, will soon get under way and plans to make a report by the end of the year.

Each PC vendor will independently investigate the cause of laptop battery problems, which have resulted in the recall of nearly 10 million units in recent weeks. The task force will prepare guidelines for design and verification procedures, according to a JEITA spokesman.

"We are running without investigating the cause," said Naoyuki Akikusa, chairman of JEITA and chairman of Japanese PC vendor Fujitsu. "What was wrong? Was it the battery itself, procurement [testing] procedures, or peripheral circuits? All are mixed up."

- Yoshiko Hara
EE Times