Laptop batteries

Our technicians use the following diagnostic software for the assessment of batteries. They allow for the assessment of batteries that have been stored away for a long time. The results for batteries, that have been stored correctly: fully charged, in a dry place and not connected, can be quit surprising. Oftentimes they suffered no loss of quality. With the Tool BatteryMon you can, among other things, see how quickly your battery is being charged and how long this charge will last:

BatteryMon
AIDA64

No, not necessarily.

New batteries are usually shipped partially charged and should be fully charged before the first usage.

More information in the FAQ: "What do I have to consider with a new battery?"

• What do I have to consider with a new battery?

Batteries cannot be disposed of like normal waste, because they contain substances like mercury and lead. They have to be returned at the appropriate place for example in a store or a municipal collection point.

To calibrate your battery, you will first have to charge it completely, then discharge it and finally charge it again completely. When discharging the battery make sure your Notebook is not trying to conserve battery life or going into sleep mode. Calibrating your battery fights the so-called memory effect, which reduces your battery capacity.

It can also fix an incorrect representation of battery life in Windows.

If the battery from your laptop is causing problems, a battery reset can help.

To do this, first disconnect the AC adapter from the device and turn it off. Then you will find the "battery reset pinhole" on the back. Use a paper clip to press the hidden button for about 4 seconds. To ensure an undistorted result, leave the device without power for about 5 minutes. Now you have successfully reset the battery of your laptop.

• If you mainly use your laptop while it’s connected to mains, you should remove your battery and only charge it every one to two months.
• Don’t fully discharge your battery, because this can lead to a depth discharge. Charge the battery again, when between five and seven percent of charge remain.
• If possible charge your battery while the notebook is turned off. The optimal temperature for batteries is between 10 and 30°C, this range is usually exceeded in a powered-on notebook.
• If you have multiple batteries for your device, rotate between them.
• After being uncharged for a while, the battery needs about two to three complete charge cycles to reach its full capacity again.
• Avoid high temperatures for example due to direct sunlight or being left in a hot car. High temperatures increase the self-discharging rate.
• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries, which are found in nearly all modern electronics, have a limit of somewhere between 500 to 1000 charge cycles. However, turning your laptop on and off while plugged in is one charge cycle. This is why we recommend removing the battery when using the device plugged in for a longer time.
• Furthermore, it would be optimal to never fully charge or discharge your battery, but rather to keep it between 20% 80% charge.

Some manufacturers integrate a battery protection function in their notebooks. This function only allows charging up to 80% capacity to prolong he lifespan of the battery.

The so-called memory-effect of a Lithium-Ion battery can be disregarded in normal use, a complete charge after a complete discharge is not needed.

On the contrary for many modern devices the opposite is true, it is best to keep the charge between 20% and 80%. This is due to the sensitivity of Lithium-Ion batteries to depth discharge and overcharge. However, in most devices control electronics prevent the user from making any grave mistakes. For example, Apple implements a function which charges the battery as fast as possible up to 80% but charging slows down a lot after that. This conserves the lifespan of the battery at the cost of charge time.

One thing that should be avoided though is leaving your device plugged in for many days in a row. The battery should be discharged once in a while to move the ions inside.

Even if the notebook is turned off, there can still be a small current flowing, leading to a depth discharge of the battery. The battery will discharge between 0.5% and 1% per day. This can lead to a premature aging of the battery and in the worst case its defect.

• Usually a complete charge takes between 30% and 50% longer than a complete discharge.
• Of course, the charge time depends on the capacity of the battery. A 2200mAh battery takes only half as long as a 4800mAh battery to charge.
• With a 2200mAh or 2400mAh battery this would result in about 2 to 4 hours.
• There are also high-performance batteries with up to 9000mAh of capacity, that can take up to 7 hours to charge.

This is a question, that is hard to answer, because it depends on a lot of different factors such as CPU, Display, GPU. Usually a 15.6" notebook consumes about 20W when using the battery. A 17" unit can also use a bit more.

With these 20W a 60Wh battery would last for 3 hours. t = W/P = 60Wh/20W

The energy stored in the battery can be calculated as follows:

W = U * i* t for a 6-cell battery with 4400 mAh this would be 11.1V * 4.4Ah = 48,4 Wh

With the 20W of power consumption this battery would last about 2.5 hours.

If you wish to conserve battery life, the following tips might help you:

• Use the energy saving function in Windows found in the system controls und the power options
• Reduce the brightness of your screen since it consumes most of the power in a laptop.
• Turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when it is not needed.
• Disconnect external devices like hard drives when not in use.
• Deactivated unnecessary tools or programs, that are running in the background.

The life span of a Lithium-Ion or Polymer battery varies depending on usage between 500 to 1000 charge cycles (one and three years).

• How do I take care of and charge my battery correctly?

The cell count of a battery is actually not that important, because only the capacity and the voltage give information about the performance of the battery.

Usually the cell count is not specified on the battery but can be easily derived from its technical specifications.

First of all, one has to know, that batteries are normally offered with either 4, 6, 8, 9, or 12 cells.

10.8 Volt batteries contain at least 3 cells connected in series, and therefore their cell count has to be a multiple of three. With 14,8 Volt batteries it is the same, only with 4 cells in series.

Also, cells found in modern batteries usually have a capacity of 2200mAh or 2400mAh, rarely 2600mAh.

• How long does the charge of a battery last?
• Why have I been shipped a 10,8 Volt battery instead of a 11,1 Volt one?

There are some complicated rules on this issue due to flight safety. In general, however, they are on the safe side with their original notebook or mobile phone battery. Lithium-ion batteries with a maximum capacity of 100 watt hours can be easily transported. In case of uncertainty, we recommend contacting the airline to avoid complications on the day of travel.

New batteries are usually shipped partially charged.

• The battery should be completely charged before usage.
• Afterwards drain it down to 10% charge and fully charge it again.
• Now it is ready for use.

Rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries are the most commonly used energy storage and offer a high energy density.

A depth discharge usually damages the cells of a battery and, depending on the electronics used in the battery it cannot be recharged afterwards. Before a long period of not using the battery it should therefore be fully charged to avoid a depth discharge.

Manufacturers often print different capacity ratings on their battery to comply with different norms. We will quickly explain them on the basis of an Acer battery.

1. Design capacity: This value specifies the maximum of energy that can be stored in the battery. This value is used for statements on the runtime of the device.
2. Rated capacity: specifies the theoretical capacity of the battery according to IEC norm 61951. Afterwards charge still remains in the battery.
3. CE-capacity: complies with EU regulation 765/2008, usually the rated capacity.

You can use this battery in your Notebook without a problem. Both voltages are compatible with your notebook. Differences of up to one Volt between the rated voltage printed on the notebooks original battery and the replacement part are safe. Therefore 14,4 V batteries are also compatible with 14,8 V ones. However, the same is not true for 10,8V/11,1V with 14,4V/14,8V ones.

The difference is due to a different cathode material being used in the battery cells. Using Lithium-cobalt oxide will result in 3,6V per cell while using Lithium-manganese oxide will result in 3,7V per cell.

• How many cells is a battery made of?

The Battery Life Cycle Extension Function prevents the battery from being charged more than 80%, this should extend the lifespan of the battery. This function can be turned on or off in the BIOS.

The manufacturers cannot always print all replacement part numbers on their batteries that will be replaced. The same is true for the notebook models listed on the bill. Some batteries fit into more then 50 different devices.

Falls Sie Ihren internen Akku stromlos machen wollen, haben Sie dafür mehrere Möglichkeiten.

• Über das BIOS Ihres Mainboards. In unserem Blogbeitrag erfahren Sie, wie dies gelingt.
• Über den Schalter in der Service-Door.