Battery Tips

 

Battery Glossary

Battery: Two or more cells connected together

Cell: An electrochemical system that converts chemical energy into electrical energy.

Capacity: This is amount of energy a battery cell or battery pack actually provides. The higher the capacity the longer the equipment will run on battery power. Usually measured in Amp hours (Ah) or Milliamp hours (mAh).

Battery Charge: This is the process of passing electricity into the battery pack so the pack can be used to provide power when the user is away from mains power

Li-ion: Lithium Ion. This is one the newest battery types available. It can offer the same power as a Ni-MH battery in a smaller and lighter package. This type does not suffer from 'Memory Effect' but it is expensive to manufacture.

Ni-Cd: Nickel Cadmium. This is one of the oldest battery technologies that are still in use. Usually found only in older equipment or applications that require a high power drain. Very prone to 'Memory Effect'.

Ni-MH: Nickel Metal Hydride. This battery type has virtually replaced the Ni-Cd batteries. This type offers higher capacities, around 30% more than a Ni-Cd cell of the same physical size. This type is also reported to suffer less from 'Memory Effect'.

Battery Float Voltage: A unit for measuring electrical pressure. All batteries provide DC (Direct Current) electricity. It is important to ensure that the equipment you are powering is being provided with the correct volt or else damage may occur.

Battery Cycle: Cycle life is measured by the amount of times a battery may be charged and discharged. Every time a battery is charged and discharged, it uses one cycle. Cycle life is very important in battery applications such as laptop batteries and emergency light batteries. A Ni-Cd battery has a cycle life of 500-1000 or more cycles.

Memory Effect: Ni-Cd batteries, and to a lesser extent Ni-MH batteries, suffer from what's called the "memory effect". What this means is that if a battery is repeatedly only partially discharged before recharging, the battery "forgets" that it has the capacity to further discharge all the way down. To illustrate: If you, on a regular basis, fully charge your battery and then use only 50% of its capacity before the next recharge, eventually the battery will become unaware of its extra 50% capacity which has remained unused. The battery will remain functional, but only at 50% of its original capacity. The way to avoid the dreaded "memory effect" is to fully cycle (fully charge and then fully discharge) the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Batteries can be discharged by unplugging the device's AC adapter and letting the device run on the battery until it ceases to function. This will ensure your battery remains healthy.

 

How to choose the right laptop battery and laptop ac adapter

1. Choosing the correct Laptop Battery Pack

Batteries have two main ratings on them: Volts and Amps. Because laptop batteries do not carry a very large amount of power when compared to larger batteries such as car batteries, most companies show their ratings with Volts and Milliamps. One thousand Milliamperes equals 1 Ampere. When buying a battery, always go for the battery with the most Milliamperes (or mAh).

 

Once you have selected you Brand and Model from the Laptop Batteries Search Wizard it will display the compatible batteries under the product column. Once you have clicked on the battery you will be redirected to the page displaying alllt he informationa about the battery. Ensure the battery is the same shape as your original and most importantly the Voltage is within 10% of you original batteries specified Voltage.

 

2. Choosing the correct AC Adapter

Before purchasing an AC Adapter you need to make sure make the AC Adapter will give you the correct voltage and suitable current output.

 

To find out the voltage & current, turn your laptop over and look for a label, sticker or writing which shows the voltage and current, it should look something like the examples below. The voltage figure will have a "V" after the number i.e 19V and the current will have a "A" or "mA". i.e 3.15A. You can also find these shown on your original AC adapter if you have it. The Voltage must be within 10% of your original AC Adapters Voltage. The Amps may be higher but they cannot by lower.

 

If you are purchasing a universal Power Adapter or Car Charger you will need to work out the Watts of your original AC Adapter and select the universal AC Adapter or Car Charger with the same Watts or next highest Wattage. You can work out the Wattage by multiplying the Voltage by the Amps i.e 20V X 3A = 60 Watts. There is no 60 Watt AC Adapter so you will need to select the next step up which is the 70 Watt AC Adapter.

 

PLEASE NOTE: If the wattage requirement for your laptop is lower than the 60W or 90W output of the adapter, it will not damage your laptop, your laptop will only take the amount of power it requires. I.E. If your laptop needs 45W, then either the 60W or 90W will work OK. If your laptop needs 80W then you will need the 90W one as the 75W one will not be powerful enough.

If in doubt please email us on our contacts page.

 

Once you have selected you Brand and Model from the Laptop Power Adapters Search Wizard it will display the compatible AC Adapters under the product column. Once you have clicked on the battery you will be redirected to the page displaying alllt he information about the AC Adapter. Click on the photo of the AC Adapter to enlarge the image and view the tip dimensions to ensure they are similar to your original AC Adapters tip dimensions.

 

 

How to Extend laptop Battery Life

To help you get the most from your laptop battery, here are seven easy ways to make it last longer.

1. Dim your screen

The screen is one of the most power-hungry parts of the laptop. It takes serious amounts of battery power to keep your display looking clear and bright. Saving this power is simply a question of turning the brightness down. The screen brightness button is usually located as a second function of one of the F keys, and is represented by a little sun symbol with up and down icons. To use it, just hold down the correct function key and then choose up or down.

 

2. Change power settings

Windows Vista comes with some great power features, which enable you to eke out the best performance when you're plugged into the mains, and optimise battery life when on the move. Type power options into the Start Search box and choose Power saver from the list. The Windows Mobility Center has more methods for saving battery life. These include settings for powering off the monitor and kicking into sleep mode more quickly.

 

3. Switch off Wi-Fi

One of the biggest battery sappers is the wireless networking capabilities built into most laptops. Wi-Fi drains the battery by constantly drawing power from the battery and, when not connected, looking for networks. When you're using your laptop away from the grid, the likelihood is you're away from wireless networks, so you can turn this device off. Many laptops have a function button that enables you to turn off the wireless adaptor manually to save yourself the unnecessary waste, but older laptops often don't have this. If this is the case, just go to the Control Panel, access the Network Connections menu and disable your wireless connection manually.

 

4. Turn off peripherals

Using USB peripherals can put a big drain on your system, because your motherboard has to power them, so unplugging everything saves juice. USB sticks, mice and webcams are common offenders, so copy all your information across and eject your devices as soon as possible, and put up with laptop track pads over your USB mouse. Many laptops have function buttons to turn off the built-in webcam, which drains the battery if given the chance.

 

5. Eject your disc drives

Having a disc spinning in the drive is a huge drain on resources, and many programs constantly do this. Simply eject your discs before you switch to battery power to gain vital extra minutes from your working day.

 

6. Invest in some hardware

Good practice can go some way to extending your battery life, but if you need to use your laptop throughout your working day, you're going to need some help. Most laptops come with a six-cell battery, but many manufacturers offer eight- or even 12-cell optional upgrades, which can double your power. The alternative to expensive laptop batteries are products such as the Philips Portable Power Pack, which gives you valuable extra hours for all your devices. The Philips is a compact battery unit that has adaptors for most laptops and mobile phones, which is portable enough to be placed in a bag and has enough capacity to double the length of your charge.

 

7. Disable features

Windows Vista has some handy built-in features, but many put demands on your system that are unnecessary when working on the move. Take the simple measure of turning off Windows Aero and the Windows Sidebar when you're on the move to make your laptop more efficient.

 

Battery FAQs

Is it Possible to Upgrade the Device's Battery to a newer Chemistry?

Maybe. NiCad, NiMH and Li-Ion are all fundamentally different from one another and cannot be substituted unless the device has been pre-configured from the factory to accept more than one type of battery chemistry.

Please refer to your manual to find out which rechargeable battery types the particular device supports or use our Battery Quick Finder Wizard to find all the compatible battery for your device. It will automatically list all of the battery types supported by the your specific device.

 

How do I charge my batteries?

Our Ni-MH chargers are fully automatic. Plug your charger into an A/C (or D/C power source for the Powered MH-C204F-DC) and place your batteries into the charger in matched pairs of two or four batteries to begin charging. Red lights indicate charging in progress. The lights will turn green when charging is complete and the charger will automatically switch to a trickle charge. The trickle charge will keep your batteries fully charged and ready for use. Refer to our Charger Manuals page for more detailed operating instructions for your model charger.

 

What's the reason that causes battery with no voltage or low voltage? How to avoid this problem?

1)Reason
a.No voltage.
b.External shot circuit or overcharge, anti-charge
c.Cells expansion and short circuit caused by direct anode contact and continuous high efficiency electric current overcharging.
2)Solutions:
a.Check if the battery is without voltage or electric current.
b.Avoid short circuit.
c.Avoid collision and pressure among batteries.
d.Charge the battery after it automatically powers off , then full charge the battery.

 

How long do typical batteries last?

The life of a battery under normal use is around 500 to 900 charge-discharge cycles. This is between one and a half to three years of battery life for the average user. Of course, a more avid user might obtain less of a life span due to the frequency of charge-discharge cycles. As the rechargeable battery begins to fail the running time of the battery on a full cahrge will begin to decline. When a battery supplies thirty minutes or less of charge, it is time for a replacement.

 

Can I recycle my old battery? How?

Yes, we can assist in battery recycling. Please view the information that is provided under our "Battery Recycling" option.

 

How long will my new battery run?

Battery run-time on a laptop is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive, and other accessories results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment.

 

What is a "smart" and "dumb" Battery?

Smart batteries have internal circuit boards with smart chips which allow them to communicate with the notebook and monitor battery performance, output voltage and temperature. Smart batteries will generally run 15% longer due to their increased efficiency and also give the computer much more accurate "fuel gauge" capabilities to determine how much battery running time is left before the next recharge is required.

 

 

Laptop battery Do's & Don'ts (to maximize performance)

Do's:

1.Properly "condition" (fully charge/discharge for first 3 cycles) the laptop battery when it is new.

2.Keep the laptop battery and the contact terminals clean.

3.Avoid exposing the laptop battery to extreme heat and cold.

4.Use the laptop battery. If possible, avoid letting your laptop battery sit dormant for long periods of time.

5.Use only the phone options and accessories that you really need.

6.Charge and re-condition a laptop battery after an extended idle period.

7.A new laptop battery comes in a discharged condition and must be charged before use (refer to the devices manual for charging instructions). Upon initial use (or after a prolonged storage period) the laptop battery may require three to four charge/discharge cycles before achieving maximum capacity.

8.When charging the laptop battery for the first time the device may indicate that charging is complete after just 10 or 15 minutes. This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable batteries. Remove the laptop battery from the device, reinsert it and repeat the charging procedure.

9.It is important to condition (fully discharge and then fully charge) the laptop battery every two to three weeks. Failure to do so may significantly shorten the laptop battery's life (this does not apply to Li-Ion batteries, which do not require conditioning). To discharge, simply run the device under the laptop battery's power until it shuts down or until you get a low laptop battery warning. Then recharge the laptop battery as instructed in the user's manual.

10.If the laptop battery will not be in use for a month or longer, it is recommended that it be removed from the device and stored in a cool, dry, clean place.

11.It is normal for a laptop battery to become warm to the touch during charging and discharging.

12.A charged laptop battery will eventually lose its charge if unused. It may therefore be necessary to recharge the laptop battery after a storage period.

13.The milliamp-hour (mAH) rating of the Hi-Capacity? laptop battery will often be higher than the one on the original laptop battery. A higher mAH rating is indicative of a longer lasting (higher capacity) laptop battery and will not cause any incompatibilities. A Hi-Capacity?laptop battery will, in most cases, outperform the original by 30% to 50%.

14.Actual laptop battery run-time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. In the case of notebook computers, screen brightness, the use of the CPU, the hard drive, and other peripherals results in an additional drain upon the laptop battery, effectively reducing the laptop battery's run-time. The total run-time of the laptop battery is also heavily dependent upon the design of the equipment. To ensure maximum performance of the laptop battery, optimize the computer's power management features. Refer to the computer manual for further instructions.

 

Don'ts:

1.Toss, drop, or otherwise abuse the laptop battery as this may result in the exposure of the cell contents, which are corrosive.

2.Short-circuit the laptop battery, A short-circuit may cause severe damage to the laptop battery.

3.Open and expose the cell contents.

4.Modify the laptop battery casing and/or housing.

5.Allow the laptop battery to be exposed to rain or excessive moisture.

6.Incinerate a laptop battery. Properly dispose of a used laptop battery.