TSA confiscated cellphone battery charger
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Went on a trip. Packed a second battery and small daily recharge gizmo for the cellphone Trip out there, no problem. Trip back, I heard some sort of announcement about Lithium Ion batteries. I thought, "No problem; NiMH". Oooops, I lied, it was indeed Lithium Ion. Arrived home; no battery. Okay, if I broke the rule, they are the authority, they enforce the rule. Now, a bit too far guys: they also confiscated the charger; no lithium, no ions. It was one of THESE[^] sorts of things. I'm guessing that the total money lost was about $10, maybe $15. Still, there was no reason to take the charger. Has this happened to anyone else ?
Not yet, but I would like to mount a camera on my RC heli and go flying at some worthy places like the Grand Canyon. Taking along the heli is not a big deal, but I would also need a few flight batteries. Those would be 5000 mAh 22.2V lithium polymere batteries, weighing only little less than 1kg each. They are even more explosive than lithium ion batteries and are not in a protective case to save the additional weight. The only solution probably to buy the batteries when I arrive and not take them back home. What a waste, those batteries are not really cheap. Just google for '6s 5000 mAh' and you will see some nice prices.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns. -
Not yet, but I would like to mount a camera on my RC heli and go flying at some worthy places like the Grand Canyon. Taking along the heli is not a big deal, but I would also need a few flight batteries. Those would be 5000 mAh 22.2V lithium polymere batteries, weighing only little less than 1kg each. They are even more explosive than lithium ion batteries and are not in a protective case to save the additional weight. The only solution probably to buy the batteries when I arrive and not take them back home. What a waste, those batteries are not really cheap. Just google for '6s 5000 mAh' and you will see some nice prices.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.If I took my old RC heli they might make more fuss - it used to run on nitro-methanol which was a mixture of methanol plus a few drops of nitroglycerin. This was a few years back of course; around the mid-70s when you could still buy nitroglycerin over the counter.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Went on a trip. Packed a second battery and small daily recharge gizmo for the cellphone Trip out there, no problem. Trip back, I heard some sort of announcement about Lithium Ion batteries. I thought, "No problem; NiMH". Oooops, I lied, it was indeed Lithium Ion. Arrived home; no battery. Okay, if I broke the rule, they are the authority, they enforce the rule. Now, a bit too far guys: they also confiscated the charger; no lithium, no ions. It was one of THESE[^] sorts of things. I'm guessing that the total money lost was about $10, maybe $15. Still, there was no reason to take the charger. Has this happened to anyone else ?
That's because the FAA considers chargers to be batteries[^]. No kidding.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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If I took my old RC heli they might make more fuss - it used to run on nitro-methanol which was a mixture of methanol plus a few drops of nitroglycerin. This was a few years back of course; around the mid-70s when you could still buy nitroglycerin over the counter.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
I would not take any fuel with me and simply buy some whereever I go. At least it's less wasteful than buying batteries for a few hundred bucks and then using them only a few times.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns. -
Not yet, but I would like to mount a camera on my RC heli and go flying at some worthy places like the Grand Canyon. Taking along the heli is not a big deal, but I would also need a few flight batteries. Those would be 5000 mAh 22.2V lithium polymere batteries, weighing only little less than 1kg each. They are even more explosive than lithium ion batteries and are not in a protective case to save the additional weight. The only solution probably to buy the batteries when I arrive and not take them back home. What a waste, those batteries are not really cheap. Just google for '6s 5000 mAh' and you will see some nice prices.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.You would actually be allowed to bring two of those batteries onboard according to this[^] document from the FAA. I would triple check with the airline before buying the tickets though.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Went on a trip. Packed a second battery and small daily recharge gizmo for the cellphone Trip out there, no problem. Trip back, I heard some sort of announcement about Lithium Ion batteries. I thought, "No problem; NiMH". Oooops, I lied, it was indeed Lithium Ion. Arrived home; no battery. Okay, if I broke the rule, they are the authority, they enforce the rule. Now, a bit too far guys: they also confiscated the charger; no lithium, no ions. It was one of THESE[^] sorts of things. I'm guessing that the total money lost was about $10, maybe $15. Still, there was no reason to take the charger. Has this happened to anyone else ?
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You would actually be allowed to bring two of those batteries onboard according to this[^] document from the FAA. I would triple check with the airline before buying the tickets though.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
Nice to know. Better than nothing if they actually allow it. Yesterday I got 7 minutes flight time out of each battery with a little more than the minimum charge left to spare. 8 minutes may be ok, but travelling half way around the world to get 16 minutes flight time before returning to the hotel to recharge is not really great.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns. -
That's because the FAA considers chargers to be batteries[^]. No kidding.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
Just clicked. Just looked. You are right. "...External chargers are also considered to be a battery. ..." How could I have ever missed such an obvious violation ??? I wonder if that's why they have such good prices on eBay for them; i.e., it's a sideline business for TSA agents. Thanks for the knowledge.
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I'm a non-traveler as well. Last time I was on a plane was in...1998, I think. I let my passport expire years ago, and I intend to keep it that way. So I wanna ask the travelers: When the TSA "confiscates" something of value, do they snail-mail it back to you at your home address? Or is there a procedure to request that they do? Or are you SOL altogether?
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Nice to know. Better than nothing if they actually allow it. Yesterday I got 7 minutes flight time out of each battery with a little more than the minimum charge left to spare. 8 minutes may be ok, but travelling half way around the world to get 16 minutes flight time before returning to the hotel to recharge is not really great.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.you would also need to define your chopper as "consumer electronics" rather than vehicle and get somekind of casing for the batteries.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Eddy Vluggen wrote:
isn't that called theft?
Not when they wear a TSA uniform. Okay, lesson learned, next flight, use the U.S.Mail (or perhaps UPS) and send my clothes and items in a separate box, out of the reach of TSA agents' hands, to the hotel.
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Just clicked. Just looked. You are right. "...External chargers are also considered to be a battery. ..." How could I have ever missed such an obvious violation ??? I wonder if that's why they have such good prices on eBay for them; i.e., it's a sideline business for TSA agents. Thanks for the knowledge.
I understand the fuss about lithium batteries. If you drive a nail through one it will explode. It's of course on youtube if you'd like to watch it. But chargers?!
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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I'm a non-traveler as well. Last time I was on a plane was in...1998, I think. I let my passport expire years ago, and I intend to keep it that way. So I wanna ask the travelers: When the TSA "confiscates" something of value, do they snail-mail it back to you at your home address? Or is there a procedure to request that they do? Or are you SOL altogether?
Good question. I estimate the value of my crimes against America to be somewhere between $10 and $15. I'll take the high side and make it $14.50 With minimum wage at $7.25, that's two hours. I will invest up to, but no more than, two hours to find out if I can recover the items.
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you would also need to define your chopper as "consumer electronics" rather than vehicle and get somekind of casing for the batteries.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
I already keep them in fireproof bags just for this purpose. Also the document says that the limit is 100 Ah, but these batteries would end up with 111 Wh (typo! I wrote Ah), so I would have to take some with less capacity and end up with even shorter flight time.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns. -
Eddy Vluggen wrote:
isn't that called theft?
Not when they wear a TSA uniform. Okay, lesson learned, next flight, use the U.S.Mail (or perhaps UPS) and send my clothes and items in a separate box, out of the reach of TSA agents' hands, to the hotel.
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I already keep them in fireproof bags just for this purpose. Also the document says that the limit is 100 Ah, but these batteries would end up with 111 Wh (typo! I wrote Ah), so I would have to take some with less capacity and end up with even shorter flight time.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.Read the next paragraph. "Passengers can also bring two (2) larger lithium ion batteries (100-160 watt hours per battery) in their carry-on." But they are not allowed in the checked luggage.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
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Eddy Vluggen wrote:
isn't that called theft?
Not when they wear a TSA uniform. Okay, lesson learned, next flight, use the U.S.Mail (or perhaps UPS) and send my clothes and items in a separate box, out of the reach of TSA agents' hands, to the hotel.
C-P-User-3 wrote:
Okay, lesson learned, next flight, use the U.S.Mail (or perhaps UPS) and send my clothes and items in a separate box, out of the reach of TSA agents' hands, to the hotel.
That may be a bad idea: arriving at an airport with little or no luggage is a "trigger" for "internal concealment" inspections... :laugh:
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Went on a trip. Packed a second battery and small daily recharge gizmo for the cellphone Trip out there, no problem. Trip back, I heard some sort of announcement about Lithium Ion batteries. I thought, "No problem; NiMH". Oooops, I lied, it was indeed Lithium Ion. Arrived home; no battery. Okay, if I broke the rule, they are the authority, they enforce the rule. Now, a bit too far guys: they also confiscated the charger; no lithium, no ions. It was one of THESE[^] sorts of things. I'm guessing that the total money lost was about $10, maybe $15. Still, there was no reason to take the charger. Has this happened to anyone else ?
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Read the next paragraph. "Passengers can also bring two (2) larger lithium ion batteries (100-160 watt hours per battery) in their carry-on." But they are not allowed in the checked luggage.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
Yes, I also checked on the safety bags. They are exactly the packaging they had in mind and the contacts must be taped to prevent shorts. That's reasonable. But before I do that, I will need some FPV equipment. Here is a video[^] of a T-Rex 550 (like mine) with FPV and also telemetry. With FPV you see the flight on your goggles with the telemetry and can still record the video without it.
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns. -
Went on a trip. Packed a second battery and small daily recharge gizmo for the cellphone Trip out there, no problem. Trip back, I heard some sort of announcement about Lithium Ion batteries. I thought, "No problem; NiMH". Oooops, I lied, it was indeed Lithium Ion. Arrived home; no battery. Okay, if I broke the rule, they are the authority, they enforce the rule. Now, a bit too far guys: they also confiscated the charger; no lithium, no ions. It was one of THESE[^] sorts of things. I'm guessing that the total money lost was about $10, maybe $15. Still, there was no reason to take the charger. Has this happened to anyone else ?
C-P-User-3 wrote:
Still, there was no reason to take the charger.
With the thousands of items that those workers have to look at each hour, they probably did not have time to figure out exactly what it was. They erred on the side of caution. Or they simply stole it.
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