Laptop charging question

[UniTyler]

To those who are knowledgeable about laptops:

"Hello, my name is Tyler and I've been virus free for two years."

Just joking...on with the non-virus related problem:

The past few days, when I use my laptop during the day I usually run the battery to about 20% left (not on purpose, that's just usually what it comes to when I'm finished). So, I put it on charge at night, but it never fully charges! The "battery light" will stay orange (as opposed to green, meaning charged), and when I turn it on and unplug the power, the battery is always at only 95% instead of 100% as you would expect after a night (12 hours) or more of charging. Do any of you have some insight on this? It's not a problem that effects the functionality, only having "lost" 5% of my battery, but it's just sort of bizarre. The laptop is a Gateway M305 with the stock Sanyo "OAL4$1" battery.

[gkmac]

The past few days, when I use my laptop during the day I usually run the battery to about 20% left (not on purpose, that's just usually what it comes to when I'm finished).
...
when I turn it on and unplug the power, the battery is always at only 95% instead of 100%Sounds like the battery needs re-calibration, which is as easy as fully charging the battery, then fully discharging it to zero, and then fully charging it again.

Next time you charge it up to 100% (or as near as you can get it to 100%) and then switch it on, go into the power management and turn off any "sleep" or "hibernate" functions. Once you've finished using the laptop, do not turn it off. Instead, just leave it on the desktop and let the battery run to zero, at which point the laptop will switch off.

As soon as this happens, charge it up to full again. Try and plan it so you're besides the laptop when it cuts off. A battery that is empty for a few days will never charge ever again.

I do this every 30 charge/discharge cycles or every six months, whichever happens sooner. If you haven't done this for about 60 charge/discharge cycles or for about a year, you might need to do it twice in a row before the fuel-gauge behaves itself.

Don't do a full discharge every time though!

If the battery is more than three years old, consider replacing it with a brand new one, not secondhand or clearance stock. Laptop batteries do tend to lose their capacity at about this time, regardless of how much charging/discharging it has been through. It's an age thing.

This page will tell you everything you need to know, and a bit more...
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

[UniTyler]

Alright, I'm running the battery down. It's at 45% right now, and going by how short my stupid battery life is (from the beginning, not from age or anything), it'll only be alive for another 30 minutes or so.

-Ty

[squirrel]

A battery that is empty for a few days will never charge ever again.


That must be what happens on a different planet than I live on....the batteries in our laptops end up draining all the way every now and then (because they get ignored for months at a time), and they always come back up just like they were before.

[gkmac]

That must be what happens on a different planet than I live on....so next time you visit Earth, please bring one of your batteries with you!:p the batteries in our laptops end up draining all the way every now and then (because they get ignored for months at a time), and they always come back up just like they were before.If you go to the page linked in my previous post in this thread and go to about half-way down, you'll see this...Some lithium-ion batteries fail due to excessive low discharge. If discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, the internal safety circuit opens and the battery appears dead. A charge with the original charger is no longer possible.Additionally I have personally witnessed a laptop battery discharged for two weeks that would never charge ever again. When I asked on another forum why it was dead I was directed to that page.

I don't know really how it takes to a discharged battery to become useless, but I took my own evidence of two weeks and shortened it to a few days for my advice above. Better to be safe than sorry.

[squirrel]

I don't know really how it takes to a discharged battery to become useless, but I took my own evidence of two weeks and shortened it to a few days for my advice above. Better to be safe than sorry.


Apparently its' not a problem with the Li Ion batteries two Dells we have, nor with the ones in the two Toshibas. Nor with the older ones I had that use nicads. I seem to recall having no similar problems with that Powerbook we used to play with, nor with the Micron from my wife's office.

I guess you just got unlucky and got one of the ones that goes bad? bummer. But it would be a good idea to play it safe if there is a known problem with the particular brand of laptop you have.

[UniTyler]

The photo speaks for itself. Thanks, gkmac!