On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 9:58 PM, Perry E. Metzger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > "Deepa Mohan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > All you techies on this list.... > > > > I have an IQ (no, not what you think, it means, Ignoramus Question)...I > > bought a laptop, a Toshiba Satellite...the battery was lasting one and a > > half hours, within a year, though I regularly discharge the battery > > completely before charging it again, the on-the-battery time has come > down > > to one hour and now fortyfive minutes...what is it that I am doing wrong, > > and is there any way I can increase the on-the-battery time? > > 1) You only need to fully discharge nicad batteries before recharging > -- lithium batteries don't require that. > 2) Batteries have a finite number of full charge/discharge cycles they > can handle, typically on the order of hundreds. You've now > charged/discharged your lithium ion batteries a lot, so you've > lowered the amount of charge the batteries can take. > 3) FYI, you have to generally expect that, with time, lithium ion > batteries will manage less charge almost regardless of what you do > to them. Replacing the batteries every couple of years is pretty > much a requirement. > 4) It is possible to replace the lithium ion cells in battery packs on > your own (they typically look like "normal" cylindrical batteries) > without having to buy a whole new battery pack. Depending on how > cheaply you can get the replacement cells and how good you are with > tools, this might or might not save you a bit of money. Google > around for information on how to do it. > > Perry > -- > Perry E. Metzger [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Great, articulate, detailed answer Perry, thank you! :) Now how do I figure out if I have nicad or lithium batteries (god they sound deadly, and they probably are!)? Deepa.
