Replacement laptop battery

Etienne · 05-26-09, 02:50 AM

I am in a murderous rage. This post is a long and mostly uninteresting rant, so feel free to skip to the end.

I have a laptop. It's one of those gigantic Dell XPS thing. It's a little over a year old - Maybe 15 months or so. Since it's a huge power hog, I never run it on battery - it's too bulky to use comfortably on my knees, anyway, so it's alway on a desktop or something.

So anyway, earlier tonight, the battery status light starts flashing from blue to orange to blue (Three orange flashes for a blue, for what it's worth) So I check what I can, looks like it's fully charged, so what the heck. I pull the plug.

You ever pull the plug on a desktop? That's what happened.

Pop the battery out, make sure the contacts are free of dust, (I'm of the Nintendo generation, what can I say) slap it back in properly, plug the power cord, turn the unit back on. It comes back on, all happy and stuff.

The battery's at 0% and charging. It's been about 50 minutes, and it's still at 0%. I hit Google, I find this:

Quote:

Doesn’t hold much charge, maybe an hour (when it was NEW). Now that it is a year old, it holds ZERO charge. If I unplug my computer, the battery holds no charge and the computer crashes immediately. Poor quality, poor value.

Ok, let's all take a moment to reflect on the fact that there exist a blog about LAPTOP BATTERIES.

It's, like, rule 34b: If it exists, there is a blog about it. (Admittedly, this site looks like it's just hawking replacement batteries. None the less...)

The OEM replacement is about 200$, plus tax and shipping. I can order one from China on eBay for about 75$. Not feeling too confident.

Anyhow. I have a dead laptop battery. The laptop obviously still works, and since I only use the battery as a UPS, who cares, right?

Oh, wait, airport security...

tl;dr : I need a laptop battery so I can turn my laptop on for five minutes at a time five or six times a year. Will the chinese cheap-o fry my laptop? I have a feeling the Dell is only going to last me 15 months or so anyway.

Also, a blog about laptop batteries? SERIOUSLY?

Arclight · 05-26-09, 07:01 AM

I'd say as long as the specifications match the requirements (volts,amps). you should be good. Usually the cheapo replacements don't last as long, so they actually cost you more in the long run, but I doubt any replacement could do worse than what you have.

NeonSamurai · 05-26-09, 10:29 AM

Your battery didn't last very long as you used it plugged in all the time. The problem is that using it plugged in all the time drains the battery a fraction, then it gets recharged, and repeats. Lithium ion batteries don't take that kind of use very well (their lifespan is measured in how many times it was recharged). They are designed to discharge most of the way down then recharge back up.

Now you can use it as a UPS but you should manually disable recharging until the battery needs it, otherwise you end up with what happened.

P.S. The best way to store an unused battery is to fully charge it, seal it in a ziplock bag and stick it in a freezer.

Oh and on that link, most of the customers don't have a clue what they are talking about. Of course a 9 cell for isn't going to power a beast like a fully loaded 17" xps laptop for very long. Batteries will also be more prone to die early with that system due to the increased power demand from it, and that most people use it as a desktop replacement and leave it plugged in most of the time.

SteamWake · 05-26-09, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

I'd say as long as the specifications match the requirements (volts,amps). you should be good. Usually the cheapo replacements don't last as long, so they actually cost you more in the long run, but I doubt any replacement could do worse than what you have.

Well it has to physically fit too. There is a lot more to these batteries than just... well... batteries. There are overcurrent devices, taps at different voltages yadda yadda.

Be very careful when ordering one and make sure it fits. Also double check their return policys just in case it doesent fit.

Give these folks a try http://www.laptopbattery.net/?CMP=KN...r=GO2192524134

Yes leaving a laptop plugged in all the time is a good way to 'cook' the batteries. Run them down to zero and charge them up again then unplug it when not in use.

Etienne · 06-01-09, 01:47 AM

Epilogue:

I had a flashback to a circular letter we got at work a while back about life jacket batteries exploding, and the pictures associated with that.

So I went with the Dell battery instead of the chinese eBay special. I'm out 250 smackers and God only knows when the thing's gonna show up.

A fricking battery.

05-26-09, 07:01 AM	#2
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	I'd say as long as the specifications match the requirements (volts,amps). you should be good. Usually the cheapo replacements don't last as long, so they actually cost you more in the long run, but I doubt any replacement could do worse than what you have. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

05-26-09, 10:29 AM	#3
NeonSamurai Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Socialist Republic of Kanadia Posts: 3,044 Downloads: 17 Uploads: 0	Your battery didn't last very long as you used it plugged in all the time. The problem is that using it plugged in all the time drains the battery a fraction, then it gets recharged, and repeats. Lithium ion batteries don't take that kind of use very well (their lifespan is measured in how many times it was recharged). They are designed to discharge most of the way down then recharge back up. Now you can use it as a UPS but you should manually disable recharging until the battery needs it, otherwise you end up with what happened. P.S. The best way to store an unused battery is to fully charge it, seal it in a ziplock bag and stick it in a freezer. Oh and on that link, most of the customers don't have a clue what they are talking about. Of course a 9 cell for isn't going to power a beast like a fully loaded 17" xps laptop for very long. Batteries will also be more prone to die early with that system due to the increased power demand from it, and that most people use it as a desktop replacement and leave it plugged in most of the time. __________________ SH3 Newbie Guide Links and other helpfull stuff

06-01-09, 01:47 AM	#5
Etienne Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 695 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Epilogue: I had a flashback to a circular letter we got at work a while back about life jacket batteries exploding, and the pictures associated with that. So I went with the Dell battery instead of the chinese eBay special. I'm out 250 smackers and God only knows when the thing's gonna show up. A fricking battery.