News Analysis
AT&T Investigates DSLAM Explosion
November 7, 2006

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Meter Reader
The cover of this power meter was severely damaged during the DSLAM fire.

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whyiswhy
User Ranking
Saturday November 11, 2006 3:10:52 PM
"The box housing the traffic light controllers on a street corner near my house caught fire one day. Didn't even make the news..."

Yea, but it wasn't in your yard lookin' butox-ugly, it didn't blow up and take out your fence, and thank goodness there were no children or pets of the wealthy-class playing near it at the time....

-Why
deepsubmicron@yahoo.com
User Ranking
Friday November 10, 2006 6:03:17 PM
The box housing the traffic light controllers on a street corner near my house caught fire one day. Didn't even make the news...
This is???
CARLINI_J
User Ranking
Friday November 10, 2006 4:30:37 PM
If this explosion was considered a crime scene, AT&T should have left it to the local police to investigate it as well as the source of the explosion.
zauberberg
User Ranking
Friday November 10, 2006 12:40:47 PM
Phil,

The power system is manufactured by a new company called Valere. There have been reports of these units catching fire. Perhaps that would do it.

HC
sigint
User Ranking
Friday November 10, 2006 10:04:52 AM
no ratings

I've personally witnessed the battery in my car explode once. Lucky to not be sprayed with the acid.
___________________________________________________
A vented battery, especially lead-acid would be a very poor choice for battery back-up. Lead acids produce hydrogen and oxygen even during normal charging, and in older batteries this was vented. You then need to top up water - this would be a very poor choice for a kerbside equipment (truck roll for frequent maintenance).

Modern batteries have catalysts that combine the two and produce water. H2 and O2 do react explosively when subjected to very high temperature (2500 C), or more slowly with a catalyst. Without a catalyst or a spark, there may be no reaction at all.

Li batteries can explode - but this would be one hell of a battery to actually shake down a house as it exploded.

longshort
User Ranking
Thursday November 9, 2006 6:23:23 PM
no ratings
It was some sort of virus attack.
falsecut
User Ranking
Thursday November 9, 2006 6:10:36 PM
no ratings
Sarcasm is lost on this board isn't it?
stephencooke
User Ranking
Thursday November 9, 2006 10:05:33 AM
A couple of items...

1) H2/O2 is the fuel used in the main fuel tank of the space shuttle, the old Saturn V, etc.

2) There were a few instances several years back of telecom technicians being overcome by H2 "poisoning" when they opened poorly ventilated cabinets into those tents that they erect around the opening. In fact this was the primary reason that these same technicians are now required to have a portable exhaust fan running in those tents.

Steve.
fiber_r_us
User Ranking
Wednesday November 8, 2006 10:39:22 PM
Wikipedia has a nice explaination of lead-acid battery chemistry. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead-acid_battery

The Hydrogen and Oxygen gases are produced when *overcharging* the batttery due to the electrolysis of the water in the battery.

And, yes, Hydrogen and Oxygen make water... explosively when in high concentrations.

I've personally witnessed the battery in my car explode once. Lucky to not be sprayed with the acid.
whyiswhy
User Ranking
Wednesday November 8, 2006 8:16:00 PM
I've seen almost as bad in the working class neighborhoods in San Jose, thanks to the cable company and their battery backups...

But not Palo Alto...gee, wonder if class matters?

-Why
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