T520 suddenly turned black

[Kristian-770]

I got a T520 in pristine condition last week and quickly put Ubuntu 18.04 on it. Posting in this general forum as this might happen with other models as well.

Half an hour ago, as I was doing some mundane stuff (actually trying to log on a WiFi network), suddenly the computer shut down completely. I plugged it in and turned it on, and it's been smooth sailing since.

Right after, I checked the battery, which said "Fully charged". Seller claimed three hours on this battery (sounds about right) so I guess it's older -- maybe even the original one.

Here is some info:

Code: Select all

  native-path:          BAT0
  vendor:               LGC
  model:                45N1005
  serial:               45820
  power supply:         yes
  updated:              Sun 29 Dec 2019 11:06:31 AM CET (83 seconds ago)
  has history:          yes
  has statistics:       yes
  battery
    present:             yes
    rechargeable:        yes
    state:               fully-charged
    warning-level:       none
    energy:              51.44 Wh
    energy-empty:        0 Wh
    energy-full:         52.32 Wh
    energy-full-design:  56.16 Wh
    energy-rate:         0 W
    voltage:             11.43 V
    percentage:          98%
    capacity:            93.1624%
    technology:          lithium-ion
    icon-name:          'battery-full-charged-symbolic'

What should I do? I hope this blackout was a fluke, but I'd really like to know for sure.

[axur-delmeria]

Did it black out while the laptop was running on batteries?

[Kristian-770]

Yes.

I thought my problem was unique, but after some googling I see that it may not be.

Here is my BIOS info by the way:

Code: Select all

BIOS Information
	Vendor: LENOVO
	Version: 8AET69WW (1.49 )
	Release Date: 06/14/2018
	Address: 0xE0000
	Runtime Size: 128 kB
	ROM Size: 8192 kB
	Characteristics:
		PCI is supported
		PNP is supported
		BIOS is upgradeable
		BIOS shadowing is allowed
		Boot from CD is supported
		Selectable boot is supported
		EDD is supported
		3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
		8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
		Serial services are supported (int 14h)
		Printer services are supported (int 17h)
		CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
		ACPI is supported
		USB legacy is supported
		BIOS boot specification is supported
		Targeted content distribution is supported
	BIOS Revision: 1.49
	Firmware Revision: 1.36

BIOS Language Information
	Language Description Format: Abbreviated
	Installable Languages: 1
		en-US
	Currently Installed Language: en-US

[axur-delmeria]

When a laptop suddenly shuts down when on battery, I'm ready to blame the battery pack, especially on something as old as this. But If it shuts down white on AC, that's another story.

[Kristian-770]

Maybe my best bet is to get a new battery, and then take it from there.

I feel like a tool for not checking for a firmware update before ditching Windows, only BIOS.

[UMPC2024]

Do you happen to have another ThinkPad T#10-T#30 series that could test out this battery pack? The specs you wrote seem legitimate, 45N1005 is a 6-cell 70+ series battery. I believe that the T#20 series still shipped with 55+/55++ series, so it wouldn't be the original one that shipped with it. 3 hours is about what I get from a 6-cell battery on Windows 7.

Is the physical battery in good condition?

[RealBlackStuff]

Make a battery extension cord and test that battery in any other machine/model between T60 and T450/T550 series: viewtopic.php?p=680106#p680106

[Kristian-770]

Thanks for the input.

I did some very thorough research and pulled out the chord. The machine died instantly, even though the indicator in Ubuntu says "Fully charged". I also noticed that the battery on the top of the lid does not even light up when the chord is in.

Looks pretty much like a dead battery to me.

[UMPC2024]

That's too bad. Better wishes for a new battery and happy new year!