battery charged, but not working right

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Read your post as you answered your own question. Pitch the battery.


<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:1116141927.556889.81670@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I have a Dell type 4E369 battery module for the Latitude C400 laptop.
>
> When I put my finger on the test spot, it lights up as 80% charged. But
> when I put it on the computer, it instantly gives me a low battery
> warning.
>
> The computer is obviously recognizing that it exists, since it does run
> a little without the AC adaptor. But it won't use the power that is
> supposed to be available.
>
> Any ideas why it would do this? Anything I can do to fix it?
>
> I have two other batteries that work fine, so it shouldn't be the
> computer.
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Woody wrote:
> Read your post as you answered your own question. Pitch the battery.
>
>
> <friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
> news:1116141927.556889.81670@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >I have a Dell type 4E369 battery module for the Latitude C400
laptop.
> >
> > When I put my finger on the test spot, it lights up as 80% charged.
But
> > when I put it on the computer, it instantly gives me a low battery
> > warning.
> >
> > The computer is obviously recognizing that it exists, since it does
run
> > a little without the AC adaptor. But it won't use the power that is
> > supposed to be available.
> >
> > Any ideas why it would do this? Anything I can do to fix it?
> >
> > I have two other batteries that work fine, so it shouldn't be the
> > computer.
> >


Umm. Thanks.

I was hoping to see if there is a way to fix the battery, as in clean
the connections or something. It seems a shame to toss out a battery
that is charged and seems to be working. They are expensive to replace,
and there are times when I must go a whole day without a power supply.
If I toss this battery, I will be spending $99 + shipping to replace
it. I think it is worth it to try and figure it out.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

friesian@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
> Woody wrote:
>
>>Read your post as you answered your own question. Pitch the battery.
>>
>>
>><friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
>>news:1116141927.556889.81670@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>>I have a Dell type 4E369 battery module for the Latitude C400
>>
> laptop.
>
>>>When I put my finger on the test spot, it lights up as 80% charged.
>>
> But
>
>>>when I put it on the computer, it instantly gives me a low battery
>>>warning.
>>>
>>>The computer is obviously recognizing that it exists, since it does
>>
> run
>
>>>a little without the AC adaptor. But it won't use the power that is
>>>supposed to be available.
>>>
>>>Any ideas why it would do this? Anything I can do to fix it?
>>>
>>>I have two other batteries that work fine, so it shouldn't be the
>>>computer.
>>>
>>
>
>
> Umm. Thanks.
>
> I was hoping to see if there is a way to fix the battery, as in clean
> the connections or something. It seems a shame to toss out a battery
> that is charged and seems to be working. They are expensive to replace,
> and there are times when I must go a whole day without a power supply.
> If I toss this battery, I will be spending $99 + shipping to replace
> it. I think it is worth it to try and figure it out.
>

Primary failure mode is increased cell series resistance. The charge is
in there, but you can't get it out at a voltage that the laptop can
tolerate.
You have two options:
1) throw it out
2) mess around with it for as long as you care, then throw it out.

Turns out that a laptop COULD be designed to tolerate somewhat higher
cell resistance, but that would negatively impact extremely lucrative
battery sales.
mike

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

mike wrote:

> Primary failure mode is increased cell series resistance. The charge
is
> in there, but you can't get it out at a voltage that the laptop can
> tolerate.
> You have two options:
> 1) throw it out
> 2) mess around with it for as long as you care, then throw it out.
>

I'm really confused. How can the battery be running at a different
voltage, so that the computer can't accept it, but this battery *does*
run the computer.

Perhaps, I will see how long it runs, but it does run. It just gives me
a warning instantly. Im not sure if it will boot with this battaery - I
will have to check that. But it definitely runs. I had the extended
battery in it yesterday, and it ran low enough that the screen went
black. I tooked it off and put in this one, and the screen popped on. I
saw the warning and dug out my other battery and switched it out.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

BillW50 wrote:

> But batteries from time to time does go bad. While I haven't ever
> heard that a Li-Ion going bad from higher resistance (Lead-Acid
> batteries this is very common if unused after a many months), but I
> won't discount that it couldn't happen with Li-Ion either.
>
>

This is a Li-ion battery. Do you have any suggestions on what else this
could be?

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"mike" <spamme0@netscape.net> wrote in message news:4287F927.2080404@netscape.net...
Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 18:36:39 -0700

... Turns out that a laptop COULD be designed to tolerate
somewhat higher cell resistance, but that would negatively
impact extremely lucrative battery sales.

Hi Mike... While I have no problems with the lucrative battery sales
part, but the ability to tolerate higher cell resistance does
trouble me. As the higher the internal resistance of a given
battery, the less output current it will provide before the voltage
output starts to drop.

And typically many laptops will use anywhere from an amp to 4 or
higher amps. And lets say we have a 12 volt battery. To pull off an
amp, the internal resistance can't be any higher than say 1 ohms. To
pull off 4 amps, the internal resistance can't be any higher than
much less than 1 ohm.

But batteries from time to time does go bad. While I haven't ever
heard that a Li-Ion going bad from higher resistance (Lead-Acid
batteries this is very common if unused after a many months), but I
won't discount that it couldn't happen with Li-Ion either.






Cheers!


________________________________________________________
Bill (using a HP Pavilion AMD 1.2GHZ under Windows 2000)
-- written and edited within WordStar 5.0

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

BillW50 wrote:

> I'd be very curious how this battery was previously treated? Like
> did you use the battery power a lot? Or just left it on AC for like
> forever? TTYL
>
>

Unfortunately, I do not know. I bought the computer used back in
February, and it came with these 3 batteries. I had only tried this
partiucular one before, and I thought it was just dead and put it
aside. Later, when I got the manual, I learned about the test thing
where you put your finger and the dots light up. So, when I realized it
was charged, I put it back in the bag and assumed I just hadn't put it
in the computer properly.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message news:1116216114.056508.27630@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Date: 15 May 2005 21:01:54 -0700

BillW50 wrote:

> But batteries from time to time does go bad. While I haven't ever
> heard that a Li-Ion going bad from higher resistance (Lead-Acid
> batteries this is very common if unused after a many months), but I
> won't discount that it couldn't happen with Li-Ion either.

This is a Li-ion battery. Do you have any suggestions on what
else this could be?

Well if it were any other type of battery (especially a lead-acid
type), I'd say just keep charging and discharging. And if this isn't
working, then the battery is junk. But since I've never had a Li-Ion
battery increase its internal resistance before, I have no clue what
you should do with it.

I'd be very curious how this battery was previously treated? Like
did you use the battery power a lot? Or just left it on AC for like
forever? TTYL




Cheers!


__________________________________________________
Bill (using a Toshiba 2595XDVD under Windows 2000)
-- written and edited within WordStar 5.0