Neo magnet damage to electronics

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We use tablets, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite to be exact, in our production facility to deliver configuration parameters to our employees. It is often the case that they drop the tablet cracking it's display and this costs a lot to fix. Since all machines are made of steel I figured if I glue Neo magnet to the back case of the device they can safely place it on the machine surface without worrying about dropping it. Now I have a problem figuring out will super strong Neo magnets damage the internal components of the tablet.

I did some research and most people say things like "it shouldn't", "probably not", "it will if the magnet is strong enough", "keep electronics away from Neo magnets" - so most of it is guess work, and far from a definitive answer.

Some say it will destroy it completely and refer me to pacemaker specs, but as far as I figured out these are designed to change their mode of operation when exposed to a very specific magnetic field, so keeping pacemaker away from magnets is to prevent accidental operation mode triggering.

Most of them talk about LCD, CPU, RAM, FLASH memory and magnetic field sensor, but nobody said one thing about battery that is directly under the thin plastic cover I intend to glue the magnet on.

Also not a single word about Wi-Fi operation which is essential for these to be useful to us.

To my understanding strong magnetic fields shouldn't disrupt anything but compass sensor, but as I said this is gathered from various experts all over the Internet.

So to my question... Can anyone give me a definitive answer if any of these magnets are safe to glue to the center of the back cover of this tablet?

Enis P. Aginić

Posted 2014-03-25T11:37:37.557

Reputation: 1 288

This has been done a lot. In the short term, it is safe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25R5dfwsu-g I haven't heard of any long term tests though. I'd say do this to one and see if it doesn't have other problems. I'm going to guess that a magnet that won't slip is going to be rather heavy and annoying on a tablet. I'd probably just mount some of these in strategic locations: http://www.staples.com/Buddy-Products-HIPAA-Single-Pocket-Wall-File-Holder-Black/product_393873

– krowe2 – 2014-11-14T22:53:37.763

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Related: What computer components are currently vulnerable to magnets? and Can Screwdrivers With Magnetic Tips Cause Damage To Electronics?

– Indrek – 2014-03-25T11:55:29.687

I did read both of these before I asked my question, but the answers are not definitive or relevant to my situation. They say anything electrical CAN BE vulnerable which is simply not the case. For example FLASH doesn't use any magnetic technology to save data, so is it directly influenced? Today's tablets do not use any type of hard drive, and again nothing about battery, and especially not about Lithium ion battery used in the tablet in question... – Enis P. Aginić – 2014-03-25T12:03:56.613

Fair enough. Though I see that one of the answers on the first question does mention batteries. In any case, if you're unsatisfied with existing answers, you could comment on them to ask for clarification and more details, or add a bounty to the question to attract new answers. It's not constructive to have a number of questions on essentially the same subject (effect of magnets on consumer electronics).

– Indrek – 2014-03-25T12:14:32.247

Yes, I understand that - however in those answers you find one that says "HDD exposed to strong magnet still works", and then a few answers down "keep your iPhone away from speakers". I felt I need to ask a very specific question and get an answer from someone who knows this stuff, not just random people who I assume guess. I understand that magnetic media will be damaged, but new phones and gadgets have this thing called wireless charging which I assume uses some sort of oscillating magnetic field to induce power to the coils inside the device, so it does vary by case... – Enis P. Aginić – 2014-03-25T12:35:03.333

Answers

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If you want definitive I'd say it might be time for an experiment instead of anecdotes. :) Test it out on one that's cracked but still otherwise functioning (if any exist) and see how that goes for a month. Get a benchmark at the start and one at the end without installing anything on it or otherwise using it - you dont want the results to be skewed due to other factors.

Plan B - get a decent case for it and hook that sucker to a landyard of some sort so it can just be hung up on a hook instead of messing with the magnets. This would likely be the route I'd go but I'm not sure if this makes operational sense for what you're doing.

Bradley Forney

Posted 2014-03-25T11:37:37.557

Reputation: 651

This is a valid suggestion, but I have one more concern before I begin. Manufacturer says not to expose the battery to heat as it may blow up, but will exposing it to magnetic field have similar effects, maybe heat it up? I don't want it to blow and hurt someone. There are some disturbing photos of blown lithium ion batteries that burn trough laptops. Even if I set it on a desk for a month that doesn't conclusively prove that the battery won't catch fire at some point - just like exposing it to heat or using a hair drier in the bathroom. – Enis P. Aginić – 2014-03-27T20:15:41.413

My best guess is that it won't have any catastrophic effects on the battery. Most likely as said elsewhere, you'll see effects on the memory/data storage portions of the device first.

Another option is to use adhesive velcro. strips. You get the best of both worlds - it'll hold up your gear but it won't have any of the potential side effects a magnet would. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-27T22:23:15.567

I did some more research and consulted local engineers and they said that Li-ion batteries contain ferrite materials which will be affected by magnets. They do not expect catastrophic failure such as bursting cells shooting flames, but battery drain, overheating, slow charging might be expected. They are brewing a concoction that will create strong static and oscillating magnetic fields trough the device and we will leave it running heavy benchmarks 24/7 for a month and see what happens. My primary concern now is safety, and than device longevity. If it's safe and lasts a year, I'm happy. – Enis P. Aginić – 2014-03-28T08:58:00.007

Neat info! Please follow up with your findings. I'd love to know. – Bradley Forney – 2014-03-29T12:17:28.737

Asked: 2014-03-25T11:37:37.557

Viewed: 1 772 times

Active: 2014-11-14T22:40:08.047