Laptop battery discharges

[trapper]

I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro 480CDT Notebook with Li-Ion Battery Pack model no: PA 2487U N.

Problem: Battery discharges when everything is shut down and Notebook is not in use. I replaced the battery recently but that didnt solve the problem. The battery does not discharge if I remove it from the Notebook and sit it on shelf.

I fully charged battery on Oct 10th and left it in Notebook. Today (Oct 24th) the battery was only 25% charged when I went to use it.

How can I fix this, short of buying new laptop?

[Mark Miller]

Since it really is less than 2 weeks from charge, [they all say not to keep unused battery in machine more than 2 week]. I would got to the Toshiba site and see if there any known issues or if your notebook is still under warranty or even if it's not call tech support. Maybe they will send you a free battery and help with the problem.
Mark

[BBS]

Rechargable battery discharge itself even though it is not used - does not matter whether it is installed in a switched-off device or left on a shelf. Discharge rate is usually higher if it is installed in a device because most of the electonic devices draw some power, if available, even though the device is switched off.

I am not sure how fast a Li-Ion battery discharges. Some of the rechargable battery discharge around 5% every day while it is on the shelf. As you still have 25% charge left after 14 days I don't see any problem with the battery.

Are you sure your battery will not discharge if taken out of your computer?

[trapper]

Originally posted by BBS

Are you sure your battery will not discharge if taken out of your computer? [/b]

Hi BBS:
Sorry for not replying sooner:

About 4 months ago I removed older battery and installed the newer battery. The older battery would just charge to 98% so left it on shelf since removing it.
Today I put the older battery in the laptop and it still had 98% charge.

On another forum I was told that batteries discharge when in laptops even when laptop is not used and is completely shut down. And, that it is normal and to live with it. ??

Thanks.

[PrntRhd]

not that I am aware of, unless it is in hibernate instead of OFF.

[BBS]

Hi trapper!

You could find some information on self-discharge <a href="http://www.allegromicro.com/techpub2/cadex/index321.htm" target="-blank"> High Self-discharge</a>

This article says, "The Li-ion battery self-discharges 3 to 5% in the first 30 days, after which it settles to 1-2% per month. In addition, the electronic circuit used to control the Li-ion can draw as much as 3% per month."

[john5211]

Hi Guys,

So let me point out that as to the initial question: yes, something is wrong with your battery/laptop if it discharges over 75% during a 2 week period while not being turned on ...

Were you reading the charge state off of the computer or the battery itself (sometimes a laptop will need a discharge cycle to calibrate the battery properly)? Does this happen consistenlty, or was it just once?

As to your other question: yes, all rechargable batteries naturally discharge over time, although the rate of discharge can vary substantially based on what kind of battery it is (e.g. NiCd vs. Li-Ion, etc.). A very good resource/primer on batteries can be found <a href="http://www.batteryuniversity.com/">here</a>. It explains how batteries work and also gives suggestions for how to maximize battery life.

John

[aloha]

About 6 months ago I replaced the Li-ion battery in my notebook computer. It was about three years old and not holding a charge, the indicator lights on the battery seemed to show a battery that wouldn't charge, no matter how long the battery was connected to AC power. Dell has a program (batrcal) on its site to download which will completely discharge and charge the battery and this process takes several hours, but seems to work with a battery that works as it should. That said, I finally replaced the old battery a few months ago, and the new one worked for about 4 months and now it will no longer charge? I use (used to) battery power regularly until it indicates that the power level is low and then I recharged the battery. But all of a sudden the battery will not charge. I tried the same [batrcal] program from Dell, but it's no use with this battery. The battery indicates 0% charge at all times now. The charge indicator lights on the battery itself do not light up, but the light on the front of the computer flashes as it normally would if the battery were working properly?
Is my computer draining the battery? or is the battery charging circuit not working? Any history about Dell's? My three year warranty expired last year

[Budfred]

Do you also have a warranty on the battery itself? If so I would use it...