There is one worry I have when selling into the "hobby" market,
perhaps you, Andrew and Gerald have some thoughts on this.
If you're selling to the "maker" market, I think that's less likely to
happen. People are going to mod your design and break it and it might
catch fire, but that's the risk when you are buying a product that's
without case and meant for modding.
The national sport in the US seems to be suing people for 'damages'.
Whether it is someone suing Mac Donald's over hot coffee or something
else.
You've chosen a bad example, but yes, getting sued is a concern. Do
your design assuming you would be able to pass UL but getting UL itself
doesn't buy you any protection from being sued. I could sue you even
though I have no idea who you are (granted I'd probably lose, but you
still might need to pay for a lawyer).
Regarding hot coffee, read more about that story. There's more to it
than it seems.
That is why I was going with CSA/UL modules. You see if I design a
product that doesn't have thermal shutdown or short circuit
protection,
and someone uses it wrong, and it catches fire. Guess who will get
sued ?
Even with UL mark, you are the one who gets sued. Regardless of if UL
will help you, you're on the hook still, at least till you prove it
wasn't your fault. It's a risk of being in business. Create an LLC or
other corporate entity to shield yourself and you will be fine. So
long as you don't intentionally make a product that will hurt people,
you're fine.
Same with a Lithium pack ..
There's more concerns with a battery, yes. But designing to pass UL
would be definitely recommended here. Paying for UL isn't worth the
money though, unless you're selling retail finished product to
customers who care about UL mark. Your customers won't care about UL
mark.
If you're concerned about getting sued, create a company that shields
you personally from liability as much as possible and buy some liability
insurance for your company.
-Andrew
