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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Jane Masri on Wednesday 31 December 14 14:33 GMT (UK)
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My laptop battery has finally stopped working. As I use the laptop as a PC & is always plugged into the mains should I take the battery out or just leave things as they are?
Jane
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Safety wise it is not a problem either way (you'll find plenty of experts on both sides of the fence) ... BUT in some laptops the structure of the machine uses the rigid battery to provide structural strength to another wise relatively flimsy case.
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The second battery I've had in a now nearly nine year old Fujitsu packed up about three months ago. Most recently I've been using it to rip CDs to flac files, and it's had quite a bit of work to do but with no ill effects with the dead battery left in. I don't intend to replace the battery again, since the machine is technologically so old. If you prefer to take the battery out, Falkryn makes a good point about the structure of the machine, which only you'll be able to take a call on.
GRAHAM
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Thank you both for your replies. I shall just leave it in as it's not going to harm anything,
Jane
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Hello,
We have (2) HP Pavillion G6 Laptops, having purchased both about 2-3yrs ago.
We always use them on mains power, only use the batteries when the power goes off.
(This enables us to watch a DVD or listen to a CD, when we have nothing else to do, while the Power is out.)
We keep them fully charged in case of emergency.
If we are going anywhere we take the Laptop with us on battery, but usually try to run it on power while away.
We have also found that the batteries do not last as long as they should, only last about an hour or so.
However, they do retain the charge, when not in use.
Jeanette H.
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We have also found that the batteries do not last as long as they should, only last about an hour or so.
However, they do retain the charge, when not in use.
That could be because you leave them plugged in all the time. I believe that you should allow your battery to run out completely every so often as that prolongs its life.
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If your battery is finally refusing a charge, and you are leaving it in your laptop, you will need to inspect it every month. As you are using your charger with the battery in place, there is a possibility that the battery will eventually swell and burst. If this happens, and it turns out to be a serious leak, the alkali in the battery will attack the circuit board(s) and you will more than likely loose the laptop.
http://brokensecrets.com/2011/02/23/how-to-clean-up-a-leaking-battery/
Regards
Malky
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Hello,
Sorry if there is some confusion with what I meant, but I did not say that we leave the batteries in the Laptops all the time.
In fact, the batteries are removed when not in use.
The battery life is the same as when we first purchased the Laptops, perhaps this was a fault in the beginning.
Jeanette H.
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Mmmmm, doesn't sound good Malky :-\ perhaps I will take it out. Don't know what to do now :-\
Jane
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What is the number of the battery?
Regards
Malky
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Hello,
Sorry if there is some confusion with what I meant, but I did not say that we leave the batteries in the Laptops all the time.
In fact, the batteries are removed when not in use.
The battery life is the same as when we first purchased the Laptops, perhaps this was a fault in the beginning.
Jeanette H.
I've a HP Pavilion G6 which I purchased two years ago. Originally the battery life was c3hrs of "standard" use, ie, nothing to power hungry, but over time this has dropped to about 2 hours on a full charge. That said, it has lasted somewhat longer than my previous HP laptop battery which dropped to about an hour after only a year, but then battery technology has improved over the 8 years since it was purchased. I purchased several compatibles batteries for it over its lifetime and they tended to retain battery charge far better than the original one had.
As Groom has said, if you always use the laptop on the mains you will be affecting the life of the battery. Most instructions will say that it should be removed from the mains once fully charged, then use off the mains until it needs charging again. It doesn't have to be completely flat, although they do say the first time its used you should let it go completely flat as this helps to calibrate it, but as windows allows you to set alert levels, mine is set to 11% before it hibernates for low remaining battery level, I tend to start charging it between 13 and 11% remaining as the higher level is set as a warning in windows itself.
Unfortunately, using the laptop on the mains almost all the time will contribute to the eventually failing of the battery far earlier than if you didn't do this.
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Be aware a certain online seller has resellers who supply counterfeit goods like laptop batteries!
What do you expect for, 25pounds against the 70pounds from the manufacturer?
[I found out the hard way, getting replacement laptop battery which lasted just 12months and 2camera batteries. (camera batteries being too big for charger and camera slot)
Brian
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The last compatible laptop battery I purchased, for previous laptop, cost me £50 for a "heavy duty" one from an online retailer but not a certain auction site. Its lasted far better than the original HP one did, and HP tended to charge about £100 for an original, although when it came to purchasing the last one I couldn't have got an HP anyway as they'd stopped making them.
CL is correct, £25 is a bit too good to be true for a laptop battery. ;) £40 or £50 isn't that bad a price but again, choose your sellers carefully and look at who they state the manufacturer was. That's when google can become your best friend, a quick look for reviews can confirm or refute any concerns.
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Interesting discussion.
My first laptop battery lasted five years. As nobody had told me about running it down, this had never been done, and I used it almost exclusively on the mains (except for when I forgot to switch it on at the mains, in the morning). So this must have been a good brand (Toshiba).
Dawn M
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On a related note, it's also best not to switch a laptop off when the battery is fully charged. If you usually run it off the mains just simply unplug it ten minutes or so before you finish using it
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On a related note, it's also best not to switch a laptop off when the battery is fully charged. If you usually run it off the mains just simply unplug it ten minutes or so before you finish using it
Why's that?
Dawn M
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On a related note, it's also best not to switch a laptop off when the battery is fully charged. If you usually run it off the mains just simply unplug it ten minutes or so before you finish using it
Why's that?
Dawn M
It supposedly causes the battery to loose capacity (ie over time the amount of charge it holds will decrease). I don't know the hows and whys but this is what a friend who works in IT advised me so I've always done it.
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I use a laptop as my main computer for space reasons in the house. It is always plugged in to the mains for general use, except around once a fortnight when I run if on battery power to keep the battery conditioned. I replaced the batter last year after 4 years service. The principal reason for keeping a battery is to safeguard against power cuts and consequent loss of data.
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It supposedly causes the battery to loose capacity (ie over time the amount of charge it holds will decrease). I don't know the hows and whys but this is what a friend who works in IT advised me so I've always done it.
Not heard that one before and I've worked in IT Support for many years. :-\ I've often shut it down just after the battery has completed charging and not noticed any obvious loss of capacity, no more than you would expect from continuous usage anyway.
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It supposedly causes the battery to loose capacity (ie over time the amount of charge it holds will decrease). I don't know the hows and whys but this is what a friend who works in IT advised me so I've always done it.
Not heard that one before and I've worked in IT Support for many years. :-\ I've often shut it down just after the battery has completed charging and not noticed any obvious loss of capacity, no more than you would expect from continuous usage anyway.
Ditto all that except I've not worked in IT support for many years :P :P :P only used IT for many years. My first battery lasted 5 years without being fully discharged, too, as nobody had told me that wrinkle, till I picked it up on RC :) :) :)
Dawn M
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This thread has brought up different scenarios with regards battery life, some are confused some are dependant of the type of battery and some depend on the laptop or charger.
1 : Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) the earlier types of batteries used in laptops.
These require fully discharging and fully recharging for optimal battery life. If they are not fully discharge or fully charge the battery life will suffer.
If your Laptop uses these batteries you should remove the battery when running on mains voltage unless the battery requires charging.
2 : Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery the type used in most modern laptops. These do not need the above complete discharge/charge cycles and contain circuitry to prevent overcharging.
If you don't plan to use your laptop for long period of time, you can extend the life of the Li-ion laptop battery by storing it with a 50 to 80 percent charge.
Fully charged batteries discharge when they are left unused, which is why it is recommended to partially discharge the battery before storage.
A fully discharged battery left for a long period of time will lose its charging capacity.
If your Laptop uses these batteries you should keep the battery in place when running on mains voltage as this allows the inbuilt circuitry to keep the battery charged for optimum efficiency.
3 : Heat is the enemy of all rechargeable battery types, keep them cool if possible.
Cheers
Guy