Laptop Batteries Explained
Category : System
The most common chemistries used in laptop batteries are:
NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) - This is the oldest
technology and is the least commonly used
nowadays. NiCad batteries are prone to the
“Memory effect” and are heavier than the
newer technologies. NiCad is not
environmentally friendly chemistry as it
contains heavy metals, which cannot be
disposed of in landfill sites. Most
manufacturers have stopped producing
batteries of this type chemistry. As an end
user it will be increasingly difficult to
source these batteries. The best alternative
is external battery packs. This is an
external battery, with run times of
up-to 10hours and is compatible with most
manufacturers.
NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) - These
batteries are less likely to be prone to the
memory effect and have a much better power
to weight ratio than NiCad. This is a
commonly used chemistry. These batteries are
also being phased out by most manufacturers.
However, many have lithium-ion versions that
are compatible. Always consult the
manufacturer or a reputable
laptop battery supplier.
Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) - This is becoming the
dominant technology due to its excellent
power to weight ratio. Such considerations
are becoming more important as mobile
devices become smaller and lighter and
battery weight becomes significant. Another
plus point for Li-Ion is that it doesn't
suffer the memory effect at all. These
batteries do have a tendency to lose charge
quickly towards the end of their effective
life span. If this starts to happen the
battery must be replaced.
These three technologies are quite different
in the way they charge and therefore should
not be substituted unless the device has
been designed to take different chemistries.
The owner's manual will describe which
batteries are suitable. Lithium
Ion laptop batteries are available at
ComputerBatteries.co.uk
Laptop Battery Capacity
Laptop batteries are rated by, Voltage (V)
and Milliamp-hours (mAh). Voltage is the
rate at which energy is drawn from the
battery and Milliamp-hours represents the
capacity of the battery. The Milliamp-hour
rating corresponds to the run time of the
battery. A battery with a high Milliamp-hour
rating, has a relatively longer run time
than a battery with a low Milliamp-hour
rating.
Batteries with different Milliamp-hours can
be used on the same laptop provided the
voltage rating is the same. The voltage
rating has to match that of the original
battery or as recommended by the computer
manual. Using a battery with a different
voltage setting can seriously damage the
laptop. The power ratings of most
compatible/replacement batteries are higher
than the original manufacturers' batteries.
This will not damage your laptop, in fact,
it simply means that these batteries in many
cases last longer than original
manufacturers' batteries. Ask the experts
like PowerUp on
compatible replacement laptop batteries.
The run time of a laptop battery will vary
on individual notebook computers, based on
the applications being used (i.e. high
graphics, games), the number of times
something is saved or retrieved from the
hard drive and/or CD Rom drive, the memory
of notebook, and chemistry and capacity of
the battery. A ‘realistic’ average run-time
for a battery is 1.5 to 3 hours. Using
devices like a wireless adapter on the
laptop also drains the battery considerably.
The life of a battery under normal use is
around 500 to 900 charge-discharge cycles.
This is about one and a half to three years
of battery life for the average user. As the
rechargeable battery begins to fail, the
running time of the battery begins to
decline. See the
Laptop Battery & AC Adapter Information
page for advice from PowerUP.
Laptop Battery Care
Most laptop batteries when purchased are
sent out in a discharged state. The laptop
batteries require to be "run them in" to
achieve maximum performance and the best
service life. Simply insert the battery into
your laptop and allow it to charge fully and
then, fully discharge your battery (i.e. run
your laptop using battery power until it
switches off) then fully charge your battery
once again.
It is possible that when you first put the
new battery into your laptop it will show it
is fully charged almost straight away, but
it doesn't power the laptop for very long.
This does not mean the battery is faulty,
simply take out and reinsert the battery,
fully charge it once again and this should
solve the problem.
It may take some time for certain laptops to
recognize new batteries and you may have to
run a calibration program that you can
access through the control panel on your
laptop. If in any doubt please consult your
user’s manual for your laptop.
Make sure that you fully discharge your
battery from time to time, as this will
prolong the useful service life of the
battery. If you are not going to use the
battery for some time (perhaps a month or
more), remove it from your laptop in a fully
charged state and store it in a cool dry
place away from sources of heat and light.
Listed below are tips to ensure optimal
battery life:
- Use the AC adapter whenever possible.
- Set the Windows Power Management settings to maximum savings.
- Lower the brightness setting on the screen backlight.
- Disconnect any unused devices (e.g., modems) when not needed.
- Use power management freeware like Power Center 2.12.
- Disable Auto Insert Notification on the CD-ROM.
- Turn off Autosave features.
- Disable automatic formatters, spell checkers, and autorecalculate features.
- Use disk caching programs such as Norton Utilities to lower disk access time.
- Add RAM to lower disk access time.
- If you have a backup battery, use it in rotation with the current battery.
- Use the Suspend or Hibernate feature when taking a break.
- Fully drain and recharge the battery every couple of months.
- Minimize the number of programs running at the same time.
- Use smaller programs when possible (e.g., WordPad versus Word).
- Minimize game play and DVD viewing.
About the Author: Find more at http://www.computerbatteries.co.uk
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