- Laptop battery basic knowledge
(1) A cell battery used in a notebook computer is one in which a plurality of single cells called cells are connected and stored in a battery pack. Besides the cell, a charging circuit and a protection circuit are stored. For connection of multiple cells, there are serial type and parallel type.
Lithium ion is adopted as the operation principle of the cell battery, and the shape of the cell to be stored is various such as a cylindrical shape.
(2) Lithium ion batteries use electricity-bearing atoms and molecules (lithium ions). It is immersed in the electrolyte solution inside, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode are partitioned by a separator.
Since the lithium ion battery has no “memory effect”, it is safe to replenish the battery. * Memory effect is a phenomenon that stores the level as the maximum value when replenishing the battery.
- The operating principle of a lithium polymer battery is the same as that of a lithium ion battery.
However, the electrolyte is in a gel rather than a liquid state.
Gel-like electrolyte is less likely to leak, so battery molding is free. Because it is possible to design such as thin type according to PC products, it is often adopted for batteries for tablet PC etc.
- Battery operating time
The unit representing the battery capacity is “Ah”, which is the current value that can be discharged for 1 hour.
However, the battery capacity has a description about “standard value or minimum value”. The actual amount of electric power (W) that can be used depends on V (voltage) in addition to A (current). That is, since the voltage varies depending on the device, it can not be determined that the battery driving time is long only with the unit “Ah” representing the battery capacity. The amount of electric power is a measure of the driving time.
The amount of electric power that can be used in one hour is expressed in “Wh” unit. W (watt) can be calculated by “A (current) x V (voltage)”.
(5) Battery deterioration
It seems that deterioration is progressing if I feel that “battery holding is bad” from the early days. Battery degradation is due to internal chemical changes
【1】 Repetition of charging and discharging, degradation by cycle
During discharging, lithium ions on the negative electrode side move to the positive electrode, but the positive electrode material (cobalt) undergoes a chemical change to form a film. This hinders the movement of lithium ions. This chemical change is deterioration due to cycles.
【2】 Degradation of full charge storage
Degradation tends to proceed if the battery is stored for a long time under full charge condition. Full charge is a state where stress is applied to the cell, so it is not good to leave it with full charge. Although some applications recognize about 80% as full charge, even if it is the original full charge, it is said to be “no problem” if it is to be used immediately.
Conversely, since over discharge is not good, if you do not use it for a long period of storage, it is good to set as much as 50% of the remaining amount. Overcharge will also damage the battery, but since the protection circuit is installed in the battery pack, there is no need to think overcharging severely.
【3】 Degradation at high temperature storage
Since the battery is weak to high temperature, the lifetime becomes shorter as the storage temperature is higher. Since there is no “memory effect” in lithium ion batteries, there is no worry about deterioration even when replenishing charge, but if you feel that it is “degraded by replenishing”, it may be deterioration due to high heat preservation.
- How long does a battery last?
Under normal conditions, the laptop battery life is about 1.5 to 3 years. When the rechargeable battery starts to die, the user notes that the battery runs down or the time decreases.
- Cause and remedy when the laptop can not be charged
(1) Check the connection of the power cable and the AC adapter
(2) Reseat the plug and insert it into another outlet
(3) Restart the PC
(4) Check the battery charge lamp
(5) Check battery connection
(6) Discharge (Turn off the power supply, leave all peripheral equipments and leave for a while)
(7) Refresh the battery
(8) Cause of battery life
(9) Use genuine charger (AC adapter)
- If you can not charge the battery while the AC outlet is connected with a laptop, contact failure or battery deterioration may be considered.
(1) Check the connection of the power cable and the AC adapter
Make sure that the power cable and AC adapter are properly connected.
If you are using a table tap or extension cable, check that you can charge the power cable directly into the wall outlet.
If you can not charge while the power supply is normally supplied to the PC, check the following.
(2) Check the battery charge lamp
Check the status of the main unit’s battery power light. Usually the orange lamp lights up.
If the lamp is off, the power is not connected or the charging is completed.
(3) Check battery connection
Charging may not be possible due to poor contact between the battery pack and the main unit.
If the battery pack can be removed, please remove and install it several times and check whether it improves.
(4) Refresh the battery
Degradation occurs when the number of times the battery is charged increases. Please use “Battery Refresh & Diagnostic Tool” to diagnose battery refresh and malfunction.
If you can not solve the problem by using the above countermeasures, it is conceivable that the battery life, failure of the power cord or the contact part of the AC adapter, etc.
- If the battery deteriorates and the drive time becomes short, you need to replace the battery.
Battery is expendable, gradually deteriorating by repeating charging and discharging shortens the driving time.
The progress of battery degradation will vary depending on the number of times charging, time, operating environment, etc.
If the battery deteriorates and the driving time becomes short, it is necessary to replace the battery.
Batteries used in laptop computers can be purchased by checking the model number of the battery.
- How do I purchase a correct battery for my laptop?
(1)Check the model number or part number of your battery
(2)Check the model number or part number of your laptop
(3)If you do not know how to check the model number of the battery or laptop, please contact us freely.
- Four ways to prolong battery life
(1) Do not store for a long time with full charge
For lithium ion batteries, full charging is the most loaded state. I think that there are many people who will save for a long time with full charge in case you want to use it immediately, but ideally it is best to charge the battery at the stage when you use up to 50% of the battery.
Also, even if you do not use it for a while, discharging to about 50% will lighten the load and the battery replacement time can be extended.
- Avoid high temperature conditions as much as possible
Lithium ion batteries have the property of being weak to high temperature, so please be conscious of the temperature during use or storage not to be high temperature.
The inside of the car in summer will be very hot. Let’s leave a laptop in a car on such a day, so avoid damage as it is a big deal.
Also, I think that there are many people doing this, but it is actually NG to use while charging. In the state of full charge, and because it becomes a double punch called temperature rise by charging, it will advance the battery replacement timing earlier.
- Utilize the battery maintenance application of each manufacturer
Most laptop computers contain applications for battery maintenance by each manufacturer. Toshiba’s “TOSHIBA eco utility” and the like are provided as individual applications such as when it is provided as a function of Mac OS, etc. Although the form is various, the functions are generally similar.
These services have a mode to make the battery last longer, so you can extend the life of the battery by using it.
- Adjust the brightness of the monitor with OS function
Because the monitor consumes a lot of power, adjusting the brightness of the monitor reduces power consumption and reduces the burden on the battery, so that the replacement time can be extended as a result.
- What is an AC adapter?
AC adapter is a power supply used for small electric appliances such as notebook computers, smart phones, televisions and audio.
Many electric appliances operate using Direct Current power supply, but commercial power supplied by electric power company is Alternating Current. Therefore, in order to use electric appliances, it is necessary to convert alternating current once to direct current. In the case of large electric products, the power supply is built in the product in many cases, but in the case of small electric products it is lighter and it is independent only by the power supply unit for downsizing. This is the AC adapter. (An AC adapter may be used to prevent generation of heat or noise even for large products)
By the way, AC adapter generally refers to an adapter that converts from AC to DC, but there is AC – AC adapter that does only transformation. In addition, although it may be called “charger”, it is the purpose of sending current to the charging battery built in the equipment, the charging control circuit etc is not built in the AC adapter itself .
There are two types of AC adapters, “Transformer” and “Switching Type”. Both have the same purpose of converting the voltage from AC to DC, but because the transformer uses a large coil, it is large and heavy in that it is a big feature. The structure is simple correspondingly, there is the merit that it is less noise and less expensive. Since the switching type switches the switch by switching at high speed, it is easy for noise to enter, and the feature is that the circuit is complicated and relatively expensive. There is an advantage that it is efficient accordingly, miniaturization is easy and it is easy to lighten it. Switching type seems to be mainstream now from the viewpoint of energy saving and the background that it is required to reduce the size and weight.
The type of AC adapter is determined by the input voltage, output voltage, current, and terminal type. If this is the same, there is compatibility.
- What is the cause of AC adapter failure?
(1) The rated output does not work
You will not be able to charge your computer. Also, it will not be able to start up
(2) Cable internal wire disconnection
There will be times when you can or can not charge. In the meantime, the PC will suddenly fall.
(3) Connector breakage
When touching the connector part, a sound is heard, the brightness of the liquid crystal is changed, and the battery icon and the outlet icon are switched.
If the AC adapter fails, replace it with a commercially available connector. Of course we have to exchange for the same thing.
- What to do if the AC adapter cannot charge your laptop?
(1) Remove the power plug several times and plug it in another outlet
Unplug the laptop’s power plug, wait a few minutes and plug it into the outlet of another room. Depending on the notebook PC, there is a report that there is a case that the connection with the power supply is temporarily cut off in order to protect the power adapter from a problematic power supply.
If it is a detachable type battery, unplug the power plug and remove the battery. Press and hold the power button of the notebook computer for 2 minutes, then install the battery and plug the power cable into another outlet
(2) Check the power cable
Confirm that there are no ripping, denting, wearing off of the cover of the power cable. If you find something wrong, the adapter is deformed, or the plastic smells like a burned plastic from the adapter, you probably have a defect in the power cable. You will need to purchase a new power cable.
Let’s check the warranty before replacing any parts. In some cases, exchange fees may be guaranteed.
(3) Check the power cable connection
If the connection between the power cable and the laptop is staggering or feeling loose, there may be problems with the connection. Unplug the power cable, remove dust with a thing like a toothpick, remove dust deposited with an air duster and so on.
Pin bending and other damage are type specific problems. Let’s take a laptop computer and power cable to the repair shop. You can find the repair procedure suitable for your laptop type on the Internet. However, repair may be difficult without proper tools. Also, repairing yourself may invalidate the warranty.
(4) Turn off the notebook computer and restart it (remove the battery in the meantime and reattach it)
Turn off the computer, unplug the power cord, and remove the battery. The battery is usually on the bottom of the laptop. If the battery is locked, you can release it by turning with a coin or lifting the lever. After leaving the removed battery for 10 seconds, attach it to the notebook computer and restart it. Wait for 10 seconds after plugging the power cord into the wall outlet and check if the battery is charged.
It is not always possible to easily remove the battery with all the computers. If you are not sure where to remove the battery, let’s just reboot without removing the battery.
(5) Cool the laptop
Touching it, if the battery seems to be very hot, excessive heat may be interfering with charging. Let down the notebook computer, leave it for a few minutes and wait for the heat to go down. If you have not cleaned the exhaust port of the notebook computer for a while, let’s blow air duster at an angle to the exhaust port (short, several times) to remove dust.
Since there is a risk of damage to the cooling fan, let’s not blow air directly to the exhaust port without angle.
If there is no resistance to disassembling the notebook computer, you can blow off the internal dust directly with an air duster. Before starting work, confirm the disassembly procedure of your model and work on a large table with no extra items on it. If you disassemble yourself, the warranty may be invalid.
(6) Start the laptop computer without battery
Turn off the notebook computer, remove the battery, and connect the cable. In this state, if the laptop computer does not turn on, you may have to replace the power cable. If the power turns on, there is a problem with the battery, there may be a problem with the exchange between the battery and the laptop. There is a possibility that the problem can be solved by the following method. Otherwise, the battery may need replacing due to its lifetime.
If you are using a type of laptop that can not remove the battery, skip this step and try the method outlined below before bringing your laptop to a repair shop.
(7) Replace charger
There may be cases where the power adapter (the square part attached to the power cable) is broken or looseness of the adapter connection part can not be improved by all means. Let ‘s borrow a charger from a friend, and check the operation of the charger at the PC shop. If there is a problem with the charger, let’s purchase new ones from our shop.