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Battery lasting only 10 Minutes

post #1 of 16
7/2/03 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
I purchased my 8886 computer in January of this year and now the battery lasts about 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes of use Windows XP enters hibernation mode with no warning. When I rebooted and paused the boot process with the (F8) key, the notebook beeped steadily and the battery LED also blinked. I did not have time see how long the notebook would stay on, I had to resume work with AC power.

I use my computer every day for at least 8 hours a day (using AC power). I have only used the computer without AC power about 8 times since I bought it. I was vary careful to completely depleted the battery each time I used battery power.

Is something wrong with my battery? Is the battery covered under warranty?

Thanks

Michael
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post #2 of 16
7/2/03 at 11:37am
You'd have to check with support on the battery warranty but I'd think it was covered. You probably didn't need to fully deplete your battery EVERY time, but I wouldn't think this had killed it either. You should be able to monitor the Power Meter via Control Panel\Power Options. I would disable Hibernate via the Hibernate tab and set Power Schemes to Always On so it never goes into Standby. See what the percentage is in Power Meter and see if you can get it to charge. Regardless, sounds like a gonner and you ought to get in touch with support. Good luck!
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post #3 of 16
7/2/03 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info, I have contacted support. When on AC power the battery will charge to 100%. But even at 100% it only lasts about 10 minutes when unplugged.

Thanks

Michael
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post #4 of 16
7/2/03 at 12:04pm
10 minutes is about as good as DOA. Hope they give you a new one.
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post #5 of 16
7/2/03 at 1:22pm
And please let us know what Sager says.
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post #6 of 16
7/2/03 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
No problem, I am waiting on a call back.

Michael
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post #7 of 16
7/2/03 at 2:15pm
From 100% does it gradually drop down ...99,98,97...1 or after a minute or so does it suddenly drops from 100% to say 20% or something?
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post #8 of 16
7/2/03 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
It would stay very high 98 or 97% and then suddenly, about 9.5 minutes later it would drop to about 9%. The notebook would start beeping and then hibernate.

I talked to a tech at Sager, they recommended that when you use battery power you should completly discharge the battery by leaving it at the BIOS screen and letting it run dead. Unfortunatly that is not allways possible for me. If my computer is on I am usually using it. I wish it had a discharge button like many cell phone and camcorder batteries.

Anyway, I am going to completly drain the battery and try one more time. If it does not fix it, I have an RMA number to send it back. I tried to get them to send me an advanced replacement but the wouldn't do that. They said that the notebook will work without the battery (using AC power) so I will send it in.

Michael
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post #9 of 16
7/2/03 at 4:35pm
Well here's my experience (from another thread)

Quote:
Originally posted by vanfanel
I had a similar problem with my battery. I would charge to 100%. I would unplug it and all of the sudden it would drop to about 70% in just a few seconds. From then on it would continue to diminish at a normal pace. I cycled the battery about 3 times and each time the "actual" max charge would go up. At about 85% (100% to 85% quick discharge) I tried something else. I unplugged the cord for about 5 seconds while the machine was on and plugged it back in. It would then charge for about 10 minutes and go to full. This time the charge was from 100% to 86% discharge. I did this continually until i reached about 95% and then I got tired of it But at 100% to 95% discharge I got a respectible amount of time on battery life. What I got out of all this was the battery and charger needs definite improvement.
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post #10 of 16
7/2/03 at 6:35pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Michael


I talked to a tech at Sager, they recommended that when you use battery power you should completly discharge the battery by leaving it at the BIOS screen and letting it run dead.
From my experience, this doesn't completely discharge it. I basically ran it until it wouldn't even start up. Afterwards I ran the cd player (using the controls up front) and still managed to play about 40 minutes of a CD which by that point I think completely drained my battery
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post #11 of 16
7/2/03 at 11:43pm
Mine is having a similar problem, but it just runs out of battery in more time, i can use it around 20 minutes before it starts beeping that is a 10% left, whats wrong with my 8886?
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post #12 of 16
7/3/03 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 
I don't really have time to baby the battery on my notebook. I don't mind using it in Windows until it goes dead but I don't really have the time to "jump through hoops" to make sure it is completely drained. I have seen the battery in Dell notebooks, that our support and sales staff use at work, last over a year with absolutly no regard to draining or discharging the battery and they are constantly using it on the road. I think somthing is wrong with this battery and I will probobly be sending it back. If the notebook does work without the battery then maby I should not put it in the notebook until I need to use it. Has someone used the notebook without the battery? I would like to verify that it will work without the battery.

Thanks for reading my rant,

Michael
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post #13 of 16
7/3/03 at 10:19am
You don't have to fully discharge Lithium Ion batteries, there is NO memory effect. They will recharge fully from a dead or a 90% full state to the same amount, and will stay that way.

Just because you unplugged the laptop for 10 minutes doesn't mean you have to then leave it unplugged for another hour.

What CAN get out of whack is the internal voltmeter calibration which is what detects the state of the charge of the battery, prevents undercharges, and overcharges.
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post #14 of 16
7/3/03 at 10:38am
Question for Adam along these lines:

Is the battery covered by the same 1 year warranty as the rest of the notebook?

I only ask because its common for some manufacturers to offer a shorter warranty on the battery.
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post #15 of 16
7/3/03 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by JeffL
You don't have to fully discharge Lithium Ion batteries, there is NO memory effect. They will recharge fully from a dead or a 90% full state to the same amount, and will stay that way.
I agree, I had thought that the memory effect went out with the old NiCd (sp?) batteries.

Quote:

Is the battery covered by the same 1 year warranty as the rest of the notebook?
Not according to the tech at Sager, it has the same 1 year warrently.
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post #16 of 16
7/4/03 at 1:33pm

I would not use Dell as an example

My previous laptop was an Inspiron 8000 and the battery went dead within 13 months (it would also last about 20 minutes). I took an extended warranty + complete care (3 years) but unfortunately the batteries are not covered by this.

I guess a battery is a battery, and you shouldn't expect more than 12 months of usage from them.
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