Can you revive a dead laptop battery?
The question often comes up if it is possible to recondition laptop batteries. If your laptop battery is dead, you have probably already tried is to recharge it. If you find the run time on battery power is minutes and not hours, you are due for a new laptop battery. The only component that will wear out in your laptop computer is the rechargeable battery. If your laptop battery is more than 2 years old it may have already experienced its life of 300-500 recharges. In a similar fashion, car batteries predictably wear out after the stated monthly service use. It is not possible to revive a spent rechargeable battery. The battery cells must be replaced.
How can I extend the Lifetime of my laptop battery?
Li-ion laptop batteries will wear out slowly over time, providing ever shorter battery run times. You can extend the life of your battery by providing some basic ongoing maintenance.
How to care for your new laptop battery
Condition your new laptop computer battery for optimum performance. A new laptop battery must be conditioned to operate at its full capacity. New replacement laptop batteries are shipped in a discharged state and must be fully charged when you receive your new battery. Charging your new battery overnight is sufficient to give your new battery a full charge. A new laptop battery must be partially discharged and fully charged at least five times in order to reach its full capacity. This is done simply by unplugging the laptop from the power cord and letting the battery operate the laptop for 30 min. to 1 hour. It is important not to let a brand-new battery discharge completely to empty or the battery pack may not be able to be recharged by the laptop. This can effectively destroy your brand-new battery. The conditioning process should be completed within the first month you receive your new battery. The conditioning process can be completed during the first week of receiving your new notebook battery.
Keep your battery from wearing out prematurely due to lack of use.
Many people assume that the battery is being used when the laptop is plugged in. This is not the case. When your laptop is plugged into the wall, your laptop runs on it's primary power source, electricity from your ac adapter cable. While plugged into the power cord, your battery is in a "stand-by state". Your battery will only power your laptop once you unplug from the electrical cord. If your laptop is plugged in for extended periods of time, your laptop battery is literally withering on the vine from lack of excercise. It is true that the battery will loose a small portion of it's charge each day and the ac power cord will "top-off" the battery, but this is not enough exercise to keep your computer battery in top form. Running on battery power for 30 minutes to an hour once a week is sufficient to keep your notebook battey active. This is perhaps the most common cause of why computer batteries wear out prematurely.
Don't run your laptop battery all the way to empty
The second most common reason why laptop batteries fail prematurely is that they are frequently discharged all the way to empty. Research shows that Lithum-ion batteries have the longest useful life when they have shallow discharge and recharge cycles. It does not harm the battery to only use it for 5-10 minutes and then plug it back in to the power cord. People often confuse today's Lithium batteries with the older NiCad batteries found in power tools. With NiCad batteries, you did want to run a battery all the way to empty to avoid shortening the battery life through the "memory Effect". Try to keep your battery from discharging all the way, running your battery to a low level when you use your battery will significantly shorten the life of your battery.
Discharging your laptop battery all the way can effectively kill your battery
If a computer battery is discharged past the critical 3% level, the battery may not be able to be recharged again. This effectively kills the battery. A laptop battery needs a small amount of power in it in order for it send communication back and forth with the latop to recharge the battery. A battery in a "weakened state" is a good candidate for this fatal mistake. When batteries are brand new or inactive for more than 2 months, they are in a weakened state and must be conditioned with 4-5 partial discharge and recharge cycles to bring them up to full capacity again. A new battery may cause the battery power icon on your computer to indicate you have a low battery condition. We recommend that you let the battery charge overnight in your notebook computer. It may be necessary to remove and replace the battery and restart your computer with the battery installed in order for the computer's start up sequence to properly recognize your new battery. Rechargeable batteries will self discharge when not in use over a period of time.
Is it normal for a battery to produce heat while it is being used and while charging?
It is normal for notebook batteries to produce heat when they are being charged and also when you are running on battery power. As energy is transfered within your battery cells, heat is a natural byproduct.
Why does my laptop battery lose power over time?
Over time, laptop batteries lose their ability to hold a charge. This is a normal occurrence and is common to all rechargeable laptop batteries. Most notebook batteries today are made with advanced materials that hold their charge much longer than earlier technologies used just a few years ago. Even so, the life of a laptop battery today will be approximately 500 recharges. For most users, 2- 3 years is a typical life expectancy of a laptop battery.
What do the power ratings mean - mAh, Volts, and Watts?
MAh (Milliamperes) represents the amount of stored energy in your battery. 1000 Milliamperes = 1 Ampere. The more mAh capacity - the longer your battery will last. Several batteries have higher mAh ratings than your original battery brand. This does not mean that the battery is not the correct replacement, but rather it is a longer lasting battery. Voltage in a battery refers to the "volume" of electricity that is delivered to your computer. The amount of energy that comes from your wall outlet is far in excess of what you need to operate the tiny circuits of a computer. Hence your power adapter contains a "brick" or bar like box that decreases the energy to a much lower voltage rating. Each computer manufacturer designs their computers for the appropriate voltage requirement. Your battery pack will then be engineered to match the voltage of the power AC adapter. Laptop battery packs are composed of several battery cells that are wired together in series. By combining the cells in this fashion, higher "volumes" of energy can be delivered to your laptop computer. For laptop computers, each battery cell has a voltage rating of 3.6 & 3.7 volts. (3.6V & 3.7V are used interchangeably and refer to the same amount of voltage.)
| Cells |
Voltage/Cell |
Forumula |
Nominal Voltage |
| 1 cell |
3.6V or 3.7V |
1 cell x 3.6 or 3.7V |
3.6V or 3.7V |
| 2 cell |
3.6V or 3.7V |
2 cell x 3.6 or 3.7V |
7.2V or 7.4V |
| 3 cell |
3.6V or 3.7V |
3 cell x 3.6 or 3.7V |
10.8V or 11.1V |
| 4 cell |
3.6V or 3.7V |
4 cell x 3.6 or 3.7V |
14.4V or 14.8V |
Watts measure the amount of energy a device uses. This is a rating that will be found on your monitor and laptop PC, not your battery.
What kind of replacement battery for my Laptop computer should I buy?
It is not necessary to purchase a name brand battery for your laptop computer. If you own a laptop made by XX Computers it is not necessary to pay the extra money to get a battery with the XX Computers logo on it. Check on the internet for third party battery manufacturers and they will have a complete compatibility chart for you to reference. If you can match up your laptop with one of their part numbers then that battery is compatible with your laptop computer. The chances are very good that the third party battery manufacturer makes the batteries for XX Computers anyways, so you're saving money.
Troubleshooting
Error Message: The installed battery may not be properly connected to the computer or may not be compatible with the computer
The problem may be with the computer BIOS and an update is required for the laptop to recognize and fully charge the laptop battery. The current software in your system is only set up to read an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) battery. If your BIOS has not been updated, and you have only used OEM batteries in your laptop, it can cause the replacement battery not to communicate correctly with the software in your system.
Check your manufacturer website for possible system BIOS upgrades for your laptop model. Some laptops have been prone to reject third party batteries if they have an old BIOS version installed. Once completing the BIOS upgrade, please recharge your battery for 12 hours and use as normal.
*Please consult with your laptop manufacturer prior to configuring your BIOS as incorrect BIOS configuration may cause your laptop to not function properly.
This error message is common with Sony Vaio laptops when a new laptop battery is installed. Here are the steps to eliminate this error message:
Click "OK" to enter Hibernate mode, and remove and reinsert the battery.
Follow these steps to fix this problem.
- Power off the notebook and remove the battery.
- Make sure only the AC adapter is connected and power on the notebook.
- Click the Start button, click All Programs , click Accessories , and then click Run.
- In the Run window, type MSCONFIG and then press the Enter key.
NOTE: If prompted for an administrator password or a User Account Control prompt is displayed, type the appropriate password, click Continue or click Yes.
- In the System Configuration window, click the Startup tab.
- On the Startup tab, click to uncheck the box in front of ISB Utility.
- Click the OK button.
- In the System Configuration window, click the Restart button.
- Power off the notebook; reconnect the battery and power back on.
Laptop Battery stops charging whenever it reaches 96-98%
You might need to recalibrate your laptop for the new battery. You can easily recalibrate your laptop properly via the Windows Power Management.
With Windows XP, you can change the battery settings by navigating to Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options. Once you find it change the "Power Schemes" to "Always On". Under "Alarms", uncheck "Low battery alarm" and "Critical battery alarm". Under "Hibernate", uncheck "Enable hibernation", and then click on Apply.
This is the only time that we recommend taking the battery all the way down to zero %. You should also unplug the ac adapter and let the battery drain all the way down until your laptop shuts off. After that, plug the ac adapter back and charge it to 100%. You may need to repeat this process about 2-3 times before it actually reaches 100%.
My battery shows that it is fully charged, but it is not working
This is known as "False Peak" and is very common condition during first time battery use (or using a battery that has been discharged for several months). The charger light may go out after only 10-15 minutes, indicating that it is fully charged when it is not. Should this happen, simply leave the battery on the charger for about an hour. Remove it, and return it to the charger immediately. The battery will resume normal charging and the charger light will indicate when the battery is ready for use. This may happen several times during the first battery charge. Don't worry; it's perfectly normal.
Battery stops charging before it is fully charged
New batteries come in a discharged condition and must be fully charged before use. It is recommended that you fully charge and discharge the new battery four to five times to allow it to reach its maximum rated capacity. It is generally recommend an overnight charge (approximately twelve hours). It is normal for a battery to become warm to the touch during charging and discharging.
After troubleshooting, I'm still having problems with my battery.
If you have taken the necessary troubleshooting steps and it still does not work, your battery may be defective or it may not be compatible with your particular notebook revision.
Approximately 99% of the batteries we sell will be compatible with your advertised model number. However each laptop is coded with a specific identification code, and your particular model "revision" may not be compatible. If your model is not compatible as advertised, please contact us at paseoebay@gmail.com for a replacement or refund. |
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