Laptop battery not charging

[Gareth Magennis]

Hi,

this looks a little strange:

My laptop battery today has stopped charging. If you connect the PSU, it
will charge for about 20 seconds, then stop, but the machine then runs on
the battery, not the PSU.
Every time you remove the PSU cable and re-insert it, it will again charge
for about 20 seconds before stopping and again running on the battery.

It is not the PSU socket, as the same thing happens if you remove the PSU's
mains supply instead.
I have tried another PSU, exactly the same.

I have removed the battery, and the laptop is happily running on the PSU.


Why would the laptop run on the (faulty?) battery rather than just switch to
the PSU?
It was saying it was charged to 60%.

Any tests I can do to see if it is is the battery, or something in the
laptop?



Cheers,



Gareth.

 

[Gareth Magennis]

Oh, its an Acer Aspire E1 running Windows 8.



Gareth.

 

[mike]

On 6/1/2014 8:31 AM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

Hi,

this looks a little strange:

My laptop battery today has stopped charging. If you connect the PSU,
it will charge for about 20 seconds, then stop, but the machine then
runs on the battery, not the PSU.
Every time you remove the PSU cable and re-insert it, it will again
charge for about 20 seconds before stopping and again running on the
battery.

It is not the PSU socket, as the same thing happens if you remove the
PSU's mains supply instead.
I have tried another PSU, exactly the same.

I have removed the battery, and the laptop is happily running on the PSU.


Why would the laptop run on the (faulty?) battery rather than just
switch to the PSU?
It was saying it was charged to 60%.

Any tests I can do to see if it is is the battery, or something in the
laptop?



Cheers,



Gareth.

I had a laptop that did that. Sorry, don't remember the make.
When the battery thinks it's abused or exceeded some preset limit,
it has mechanisms to force you to get a new one.
Mine would run on AC if I removed the battery.
It would charge if it was off.
If the battery was installed, it would only run on battery.
Searched, but never found a way to reset it.

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"mike" wrote in message news:lmfjeg$heq$1@dont-email.me...

On 6/1/2014 8:31 AM, Gareth Magennis wrote:

Hi,

this looks a little strange:

My laptop battery today has stopped charging. If you connect the PSU,
it will charge for about 20 seconds, then stop, but the machine then
runs on the battery, not the PSU.
Every time you remove the PSU cable and re-insert it, it will again
charge for about 20 seconds before stopping and again running on the
battery.

It is not the PSU socket, as the same thing happens if you remove the
PSU's mains supply instead.
I have tried another PSU, exactly the same.

I have removed the battery, and the laptop is happily running on the PSU.


Why would the laptop run on the (faulty?) battery rather than just
switch to the PSU?
It was saying it was charged to 60%.

Any tests I can do to see if it is is the battery, or something in the
laptop?



Cheers,



Gareth.

I had a laptop that did that. Sorry, don't remember the make.
When the battery thinks it's abused or exceeded some preset limit,
it has mechanisms to force you to get a new one.
Mine would run on AC if I removed the battery.
It would charge if it was off.
If the battery was installed, it would only run on battery.
Searched, but never found a way to reset it.





Didn't think to check, but I think this one is charging with the machine off
too.

Well, an orange LED is lit with the battery present and not when it isn't.




Thanks,

Gareth.

 

[N_Cook]

On 01/06/2014 16:31, Gareth Magennis wrote:

Hi,

this looks a little strange:

My laptop battery today has stopped charging. If you connect the PSU,
it will charge for about 20 seconds, then stop, but the machine then
runs on the battery, not the PSU.
Every time you remove the PSU cable and re-insert it, it will again
charge for about 20 seconds before stopping and again running on the
battery.

It is not the PSU socket, as the same thing happens if you remove the
PSU's mains supply instead.
I have tried another PSU, exactly the same.

I have removed the battery, and the laptop is happily running on the PSU.


Why would the laptop run on the (faulty?) battery rather than just
switch to the PSU?
It was saying it was charged to 60%.

Any tests I can do to see if it is is the battery, or something in the
laptop?



Cheers,



Gareth.

Are there any pics in wwwland where someone has broken into the same
battery type and found exactly where the supervisor chip lurks?

 

[William Sommerwerck]

The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it "really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge, and the battery's
voltage is at the level that cuts off the charge cycle.

I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then (after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

 

[mike]

On 6/1/2014 9:48 AM, N_Cook wrote:

On 01/06/2014 16:31, Gareth Magennis wrote:
Hi,

this looks a little strange:

My laptop battery today has stopped charging. If you connect the PSU,
it will charge for about 20 seconds, then stop, but the machine then
runs on the battery, not the PSU.
Every time you remove the PSU cable and re-insert it, it will again
charge for about 20 seconds before stopping and again running on the
battery.

It is not the PSU socket, as the same thing happens if you remove the
PSU's mains supply instead.
I have tried another PSU, exactly the same.

I have removed the battery, and the laptop is happily running on the PSU.


Why would the laptop run on the (faulty?) battery rather than just
switch to the PSU?
It was saying it was charged to 60%.

Any tests I can do to see if it is is the battery, or something in the
laptop?



Cheers,



Gareth.

Are there any pics in wwwland where someone has broken into the same
battery type and found exactly where the supervisor chip lurks?

Your question suggests that you have info on some chips.
Spill...
We know where the chip lurks. But WHAT chip might be relevant.

I've taken apart a bunch of laptop batteries.
Most older laptops that have been sitting in the closet for years
have problem batteries.
Many can be made to work if you take 'em apart and charge the cells
individually. Once the voltage is up, they often work, but may never
calibrate. I'd have to turn off the battery management. They'd run
for an hour or more after the gauge hit zero, then quit suddenly.
If you can tolerate that behavior, it's all good.

Some of the Dell's flash a code on the battery test leds when you push
the button and on the led on the laptop, but work fine.

Others won't come back at all. Rumor is that they started putting the
config info in RAM. Once power is lost, they ain't coming back without
a lot more knowledge and equipment than I have.

I've been able to fully recover ONE. It had a PIC controller
and I hit the reset pin. It worked.

There was a software suite that you could use if tapped into the
middle of the battery's controller on the second bus. It cost WAY
more than a new battery, so impractical for a typical user.

There are significant safety issues when doing this stuff.
I charge 'em on a surface that won't catch fire easily.

And I'd NEVER sell a laptop with a battery that I'd tampered.
A fire caused by any means would bankrupt me by the time the
lawyers got into the fray...even if it was unrelated to what I did.

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message news:lmfoln$n1l$1@dont-email.me...

The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it "really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge, and the battery's
voltage is at the level that cuts off the charge cycle.

I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then (after
a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.





I've just watched over 2 hours of TV on demand from the battery that claimed
less than 50% charge, before it quit.

From experience with this machine, I would say that the battery capacity is
good, and the reported charge is accurate.

The problem being the laptop will not use the PSU power if the battery is
installed, and won't charge it, unless the laptop is turned off.



Re-installing the battery just now showed the laptop will charge it for some
20 secs or so, then quit, then try to use it instead of the connected PSU as
before.



Gareth.



Gareth.

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"Gareth Magennis" wrote in message news:MULiv.301580$aZ2.280405@fx07.am4...



"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message news:lmfoln$n1l$1@dont-email.me...

The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it "really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge, and the battery's
voltage is at the level that cuts off the charge cycle.

I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then (after
a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.





I've just watched over 2 hours of TV on demand from the battery that claimed
less than 50% charge, before it quit.

From experience with this machine, I would say that the battery capacity is
good, and the reported charge is accurate.

The problem being the laptop will not use the PSU power if the battery is
installed, and won't charge it, unless the laptop is turned off.



Re-installing the battery just now showed the laptop will charge it for some
20 secs or so, then quit, then try to use it instead of the connected PSU as
before.



Gareth.





I left the battery in overnight with the PSU connected and the battery did
not charge.



Gareth.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 1 Jun 2014 16:35:25 +0100, "Gareth Magennis"
<gareth.magennis@ntlworld.com> wrote:

Oh, its an Acer Aspire E1 running Windows 8.
Gareth.

Many newer laptops/ultrabooks have a feature where the battery is only
charged to about 50-60%. Your description roughly describes how the
laptop operates when this feature is enabled. I recently delivered a
Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 with that feature as the "Battery MaxiMiser". If
the laptop is being used as a desktop replacement, where it's plugged
into the charger continuously, it's highly desireable to reduce the
charge level to about 50% to improve battery lifetime:
<http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries>
I did some Googling on the Acer Aspire E1 but didn't find any
reference to such a feature. Look for some kind of battery manager
application running in the system tray.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

Thanks.

I was abut to post about that, concerning a Gateway P series. I have a few of them. The batteries have not been abusede, but they really haven't been used. I only take the thing out once a month if that. both laptops we acctually do run, say perhaps 40 %, Not Charging in the tray icon.

Recently I took the one out and while I wasn't watching I guess it charged because instead of loike 40 %, is says 99 %. Or did. I just checked right now and it say 89 % Not Charging.

So these things learn to not bother charging the battery ?

Would we be better off just getting a can full of dry cells to run these things ? Ten C cells really would not cram my style. When I take it out i got a case (and this is a wide body bog screen, ans laptops go) with a cooler sitting underneath and aall kinds of other shit in there, USB drives, books, a charger of course. Damn right a real mouse, I can't stand those touchpads. A few blanl CD/DVDs, net cable, hmm. I should probably keep an audio cable in there as well eh ? sometimes I have the NTSC convertor in there as well so I can plug into a regular TV, but that is no longer all that useful. It was nice though to just be able to play a movie or whatever, when someone didn't have an HDTV.

But anyway, one of these dayds I might be in a situation where it is to my advantage to take a bus or rapid (the name we sue for something like the subway here) and it would be nice to have the laptop at least last the ride. But that is not now so it is not a big issue.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

wrote in message news:b1130299-9d60-4f89-9345-94323d1fb2ac@googlegroups.com...

> So these things learn to not bother charging the battery?

Some are designed that way. My HP won't charge the battery if (it thinks) the
charge is 95% or above. This prevents the battery from being overcharged. You
get a "full" charge only if the battery is below 95% when the power supply is
plugged in.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:27:57 -0700 (PDT), jurb6006@gmail.com wrote:

But anyway, one of these dayds I might be in a situation where
it is to my advantage to take a bus or rapid (the name we sue
for something like the subway here) and it would be nice to
have the laptop at least last the ride. But that is not now
so it is not a big issue.

My new $150 Acer 720 Chromebook battery lasts about 8 hrs of
intermittent operation. I haven't timed it, but it easily lasts all
day without a charge. That seems to be the trend in ultrabooks and
tablets these days, where the battery is something like 75% of the
volume of the device.



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[dave]

On 06/02/2014 04:46 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:27:57 -0700 (PDT), jurb6006@gmail.com wrote:

But anyway, one of these dayds I might be in a situation where
it is to my advantage to take a bus or rapid (the name we sue
for something like the subway here) and it would be nice to
have the laptop at least last the ride. But that is not now
so it is not a big issue.

My new $150 Acer 720 Chromebook battery lasts about 8 hrs of
intermittent operation. I haven't timed it, but it easily lasts all
day without a charge. That seems to be the trend in ultrabooks and
tablets these days, where the battery is something like 75% of the
volume of the device.

Lithium Ion cells discharge unevenly, some cells supply more current
than others and the inverse is true for charging. Something must be done
to "equalize" them, kind of analogous to series silicon diodes in a
power supply. My friend has a high tech lithium battery for his Harley,
it has a computerized charger that balances the cells. The battery will
still start the bike on an alternator charge, but the battery is peaked
out by the computer charger. Not all battery packs are equal.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 03 Jun 2014 06:38:33 -0700, dave <ricketzz@earthlink.net>
wrote:

On 06/02/2014 04:46 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:27:57 -0700 (PDT), jurb6006@gmail.com wrote:

But anyway, one of these dayds I might be in a situation where
it is to my advantage to take a bus or rapid (the name we sue
for something like the subway here) and it would be nice to
have the laptop at least last the ride. But that is not now
so it is not a big issue.

My new $150 Acer 720 Chromebook battery lasts about 8 hrs of
intermittent operation. I haven't timed it, but it easily lasts all
day without a charge. That seems to be the trend in ultrabooks and
tablets these days, where the battery is something like 75% of the
volume of the device.

Lithium Ion cells discharge unevenly, some cells supply more current
than others and the inverse is true for charging. Something must be done
to "equalize" them, kind of analogous to series silicon diodes in a
power supply. My friend has a high tech lithium battery for his Harley,
it has a computerized charger that balances the cells. The battery will
still start the bike on an alternator charge, but the battery is peaked
out by the computer charger. Not all battery packs are equal.

Very true. The RC (radio control) industry figured that out long ago.
Almost all the available chargers are the "balance" charger flavor,
where each cell is individually charged (at the same time).
<http://www.rcheliwiki.com/Balance_charger>
<http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/RC_PRODUCT_SEARCH.asp?strSearch=balance+charger>
They even standardized the charging connector. Maybe some day the
laptop industry will do the same, although they're probably making too
much money on replacement batteries to worry about improving the
product.

One oddity is that the RC industry stuffs rectangular prismatic cells
into cylindrical shaped (aerodynamic) vehicles, while the laptop
industry insists on stuffing cylindrical cells into rectangular boxes.
It boggles the mind, but such tradition and stupidity are difficult to
cure.

Incidentally, I've rebuilt a few NiMH battery packs for power tools by
replacing the cells with LiIon and charging them with RC model balance
chargers. Mostly, I just buy the fairly cheap 11.1v 3S1P battery
packs and cram them into the gutted plastic battery case. Something
like this (which I had hanging around):
<http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14987__Turnigy_1300mAh_3S_20C_Lipo_Pack_US_Warehouse_.html>
Notice that it comes with the standard connectors. I've only done two
battery packs so far, but my initial impression is favorable.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[whit3rd]

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42:10 AM UTC-7, William Sommerwerck wrote:

The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it "really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge...
I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then (after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

Yep, that's the most likely scenario. There are a few charge anomalies that can
be fixed with updates to firmware (it never hurts to check with the laptop
manufacturer).

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"whit3rd" wrote in message
news:35b83284-f4a9-47f1-af66-2d428b40d0a1@googlegroups.com...

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42:10 AM UTC-7, William Sommerwerck wrote:

The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it
"really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge...
I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then
(after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

Yep, that's the most likely scenario. There are a few charge anomalies
that can
be fixed with updates to firmware (it never hurts to check with the laptop
manufacturer).



Clearly you haven't read the thread.



The laptop, suddenly, over the course of one day, stopped charging the
battery for more than 20 seconds after repeated reconnection of the PSU
(charger).

I noticed this problem at around 60% reported charge.

The laptop refused to use the PSU, but instead kept using and not charging
the battery, yet worked fine on the PSU if the battery was removed.

I watched about 2 hours of TV on demand on the now 50% charged battery
before it ran out, so clearly the battery itself was OK, it was the charging
process that wasn't working.

This is consistent with my experience of the machine quite capable of at
least 4 hours running on a full battery.


I fail to see how any firmware settings can direct the laptop to use a non
charging battery in preference to the connected PSU.

Clearly something here is broken.



Gareth.

 

[N_Cook]

On 05/06/2014 00:20, Gareth Magennis wrote:

"whit3rd" wrote in message
news:35b83284-f4a9-47f1-af66-2d428b40d0a1@googlegroups.com...

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42:10 AM UTC-7, William Sommerwerck wrote:
The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it
"really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge...
I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then
(after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

Yep, that's the most likely scenario. There are a few charge anomalies
that can
be fixed with updates to firmware (it never hurts to check with the laptop
manufacturer).



Clearly you haven't read the thread.



The laptop, suddenly, over the course of one day, stopped charging the
battery for more than 20 seconds after repeated reconnection of the PSU
(charger).

I noticed this problem at around 60% reported charge.

The laptop refused to use the PSU, but instead kept using and not
charging the battery, yet worked fine on the PSU if the battery was
removed.

I watched about 2 hours of TV on demand on the now 50% charged battery
before it ran out, so clearly the battery itself was OK, it was the
charging process that wasn't working.

This is consistent with my experience of the machine quite capable of at
least 4 hours running on a full battery.


I fail to see how any firmware settings can direct the laptop to use a
non charging battery in preference to the connected PSU.

Clearly something here is broken.



Gareth.

Assuming its more than 2 lines between battery and laptop. Can you fudge
a multiway linkage between them so the battery can be outside its
rightful place. Then try jumpering in a single charged cell in the
power line and genearally monitor what happens to operation and the
other control lines

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lmp3sn$cqh$1@dont-email.me...

On 05/06/2014 00:20, Gareth Magennis wrote:


"whit3rd" wrote in message
news:35b83284-f4a9-47f1-af66-2d428b40d0a1@googlegroups.com...

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42:10 AM UTC-7, William Sommerwerck wrote:
The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it
"really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge...
I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then
(after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

Yep, that's the most likely scenario. There are a few charge anomalies
that can
be fixed with updates to firmware (it never hurts to check with the
laptop
manufacturer).



Clearly you haven't read the thread.



The laptop, suddenly, over the course of one day, stopped charging the
battery for more than 20 seconds after repeated reconnection of the PSU
(charger).

I noticed this problem at around 60% reported charge.

The laptop refused to use the PSU, but instead kept using and not
charging the battery, yet worked fine on the PSU if the battery was
removed.

I watched about 2 hours of TV on demand on the now 50% charged battery
before it ran out, so clearly the battery itself was OK, it was the
charging process that wasn't working.

This is consistent with my experience of the machine quite capable of at
least 4 hours running on a full battery.


I fail to see how any firmware settings can direct the laptop to use a
non charging battery in preference to the connected PSU.

Clearly something here is broken.



Gareth.


Assuming its more than 2 lines between battery and laptop. Can you fudge a
multiway linkage between them so the battery can be outside its rightful
place. Then try jumpering in a single charged cell in the power line and
genearally monitor what happens to operation and the other control lines

I've some teeth to pull out first, maybe I'll try that later



Gareth.

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"Gareth Magennis" wrote in message
news:7LOdnTIi6tOsrw3OnZ2dnUVZ8jmdnZ2d@bt.com...


"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lmp3sn$cqh$1@dont-email.me...

On 05/06/2014 00:20, Gareth Magennis wrote:


"whit3rd" wrote in message
news:35b83284-f4a9-47f1-af66-2d428b40d0a1@googlegroups.com...

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42:10 AM UTC-7, William Sommerwerck wrote:
The battery's charge is what the computer thinks it is, not what it
"really"
is. It's possible the battery is actually at full charge...
I would operate the computer on the battery until it runs down, then
(after a
rest) recharge it and see what happens.

Yep, that's the most likely scenario. There are a few charge anomalies
that can
be fixed with updates to firmware (it never hurts to check with the
laptop
manufacturer).



Clearly you haven't read the thread.



The laptop, suddenly, over the course of one day, stopped charging the
battery for more than 20 seconds after repeated reconnection of the PSU
(charger).

I noticed this problem at around 60% reported charge.

The laptop refused to use the PSU, but instead kept using and not
charging the battery, yet worked fine on the PSU if the battery was
removed.

I watched about 2 hours of TV on demand on the now 50% charged battery
before it ran out, so clearly the battery itself was OK, it was the
charging process that wasn't working.

This is consistent with my experience of the machine quite capable of at
least 4 hours running on a full battery.


I fail to see how any firmware settings can direct the laptop to use a
non charging battery in preference to the connected PSU.

Clearly something here is broken.



Gareth.


Assuming its more than 2 lines between battery and laptop. Can you fudge a
multiway linkage between them so the battery can be outside its rightful
place. Then try jumpering in a single charged cell in the power line and
genearally monitor what happens to operation and the other control lines

I've some teeth to pull out first, maybe I'll try that later








Just tried another battery from another laptop.

It's the laptop that's faulty, not the battery.



Gareth.