|
YOUR
LAPTOP BATTERY
The
life of a laptop
battery will vary with
the type of computer
and its usage. For
most users, it is not
uncommon to experience
differences in battery
life, of anywhere from
just under 1 hour to
over 3 hours in each
sitting. If you are
experiencing shorter
battery life cycles,
say 10 to 15 minutes,
it still may not be
time to replace the
battery.
There are several
factors to look at
when determining if
its time to replace
your battery. All this
may also apply to a
new battery that you
may have bought, that
has been giving you
problems. The two
things to consider
when troubleshooting
battery problems are
how you use your
computer (working the
CD drive) and Battery
Memory. We will cover
both, but first, let
us look at what you
should expect from
your battery's life
cycle.
NiMH batteries usually
last anything from1.5
to 2.5 hours.
LiION batteries
usually last anything
from 2.0 to 3.5 hours.
These are just average
results and battery
life will vary
depending on your
system's power
settings, the
temperature your using
it in and the climate
that you are operating
your computer. As a
general rule, your
Lithium Ion battery
will last much
longer than your
standard Nickel Metal
Hydride battery.
Now let's look at the
various usage habits
to consider when
talking about your
laptop's battery. The
more you use the CD
Drive, Floppy Drive or
Hard Disk the more
electricity required
to operate them, thus
the more of the
battery's power you
can expect to
use. The devices that
create a biggest power
drain are the hard
drive, the floppy
drive and the CD-ROM.
When the computer is
able to use its RAM to
store information, it
will use less of the
battery, since the
process is mostly
electrical in nature.
However, when the
processes you are
using exhaust the RAM
available to your
system, Windows
will turn to virtual
memory to continue the
process at hand.
Virtual Memory is
designed to extend the
computer RAM by saving
data to swap file on
the hard drive, and
then transfer needed
information between
the hard drive and the
computers RAM as and
when needed. Your hard
drive far more power
than your RAM. If your
hard disk light is on
often, then you can be
sure that it’s
because your system is
short of RAM for the
work you are doing.
Other devices that
cannot be left out
here, are sound and
display devices. As
far as sound devices
are concerned,
speakers require power
to run and the
software that is
responsible for
producing the sound
does so by processing
information. The
display panel consumes
power, try and turn
the brightness down as
this will have a major
effect on the life of
your battery.
Battery Memory is a
really strange thing.
Battery memory is
where the battery
becomes conditioned to
last less time than it
is designed to last.
Say for example, you
run your computer off
its battery for an
hour each day, and
then you recharge it.
The battery will
become conditioned to
run for only an hour
before it runs out.
To correct a battery
memory problem, you
must completely drain
the battery and
recharge it. To
completely drain your
battery, you must go
into your Windows
Control Panel and
select Power. Turn
“Power Management”
Off. Next, you must go
into your BIOS and
make sure that if
there is a power
management setting
there, that you turn
it off as well.
When you have turned
off the power
management in both the
BIOS and the Operating
System, you must
unplug the computer,
turn the computer on
and let it run until
it completely runs out
of electricity. Then
you should charge the
battery for 12 hours.
At the end of the
charging cycle, then
run the computer again
until the battery is
dead and drained yet
again, and then charge
the battery for a
further 12 more hours.
You should repeat this
process 4 or 5 times,
before returning the
computer to its
original power
management settings.
As far as battery
usage goes, it is
recommended that you
should use the battery
once every two weeks,
and keep the battery
in the system so that
the AC adapter can
keep the battery
charged at all times.
It is also recommended
that if you don't use
the battery for more
than two weeks, you
should completely
discharge the
battery and store it
at room temperature,
check your computer
manual for more
details.
|