Thinkpad Replacement Batteries

[ronbo613]

There are a few things I've learned about replacement batteries for an IBM Thinkpad, what I've learned might help should you need to replace yours.
There are three basic choices for a replacement battery; an original IBM battery, an "aftermarket" battery and having the cells replaced in the battery pack you have.
The original IBM battery is probably the safest choice, however it is, by far, the most expensive. At least you are pretty sure the battery will work with your Thinkpad and it comes with a one year warranty. Buy these directly from Lenovo.
"Aftermarket" batteries, often advertised as "OEM compatible batteries" or "OEM replacement batteries" are very inexpensive, about a third of the cost of an IBM battery. This type of battery usually has good quality cells, but may not have the internal circuitry in the battery pack to work correctly. Because the computer and battery pack do not interface correctly, charging and discharging cannot be correctly monitored and can cause overcharging of the battery and unregulated discharge which can cause the computer to crash and also causes the battery to overheat. These batteries will not display correct information with Thinkpad and Windows battery management software. Because this type of battery is so inexpensive, it is very tempting to use these batteries, and they may work fine in other brands of computers, but for Thinkpads, especially the older ones, you are really taking a chance, not only on wasting your money, but damaging your computer as well. Many vendors advertise "original IBM batteries" when in fact, they are these "OEM replacement" batteries. In my search for Thinkpad batteries, I found very few vendors that sold actual IBM batteries.
The third option is having your battery refilled with new cells. In my opinion, this may be the best way to go. You keep the original IBM battery circuitry and you get fresh new batteries. This is a very cost effective way to replace the battery. The only disadvantage is that you need to exchange your battery. If you only have one battery, you'll have to plan ahead.
A good place to have your batteries refilled is BatteryRefill.com. They offer reasonable prices, prepaid shipping to exchange your battery and money back guarantee the battery will work. I was in a jam, only had one battery and needed a replacement battery quickly, they said they would ship a rebuilt battery and I could send them my old one when the rebuilt one came, so some good customer service as well.
I bought a couple batteries on eBay from BestCompu.com who advertise "100% OEM compatible" replacement batteries. The batteries for my T30 were cheap Chinese units that did not charge correctly, showed no information on battery management sofware, caused my computer to crash without warning after a few minutes and got really hot. None of the batteries I purchased from them ran more than ten minutes before crashing the computer. When you return batteries like this to the vendor, they test them with a voltmeter that shows the correct voltage, they claim the battery is good and you are left to try and get your money back.
As far as buying OEM replacement batteries on eBay, I went 0 for 3 in getting a working battery from vendors with feedback ratings as high as 99.5%. Would not recommend buying a battery on eBay to anyone. As far as OEM replacement batteries in general, while they may appear to be a great deal, you are really taking a gamble with your computer and your money by using one.

[rkawakami]

Thanks for taking the time to detail your experiences with hunting down batteries. I would like to expand on a point you brought up...

batteryrefill.com offers three services when it comes to selling you a re-fill battery pack:

- The "exchange" service: you buy a pack already re-filled by them and when you receive it, you send them your depleted pack. This one is generally the cheapest and allows you to continue using your existing battery. It seems like for popular systems, they already have a stock of re-celled batteries to offer this option.
- The "re-fill" service: you send them your pack, they install fresh cells and then return it to you. This one can take the longest time from the point of view of NOT having any battery at all. A little more expensive than the "exchange" service.
- Outright "purchase": you basically buy a "new" battery from them and you get to keep your old one. The most expensive option. Personally, if they offer the "exchange" or "re-fill" services for the same type of battery, I don't know why you would consider this option. You would be stuck with a dead/dying battery. I suppose you could try selling it on eBay if you think you could get more for it than the difference between batteryrefill.com's "purchase" and "exchange" or "re-fill" services.

Note: I am not affiliated with them; only a happy customer of some 600 series batteries. I will have to say that the downsides of re-celled batteries are that they look like Frankenstein creations and some people have had long delivery times with any one of their services.

An outlet for batteries on eBay (at least for 600 and T2x systems), is the seller xreplay (aka getgoingstores). They sell genuine IBM batteries, all of which have been checked in a system and usually have the remaining charge capacity and number of cycles written on them. I know that because I've been to their "store" and watched the owner hand-pick four T2x batteries and plug them into a laptop and read what the Battery MaxiMiser program reported. That information is generally in the auction description. If not, then contact Tony to clarify exactly what the charge and cycle count is. So far all of the auctions I have seen to date from them are "Buy it Now" or "Best Offer". In other words, you don't have to worry about getting into a bidding war. To my knowledge, they do not sell re-cell packs, only new or slightly used ones. Again, I am not affiliated with them other than being a happy (and repeat) customer (batteries, keyboards, disk drives).

(ref: current inventory of IBM batteries offered by xreplay)

[vincentfox]

I would counter this with my own experience.

I sent a Thinkpad battery to BatteryRefill.com a year or so ago. I got quick acknowledgement of receipt of the old battery. They were quick to charge my credit card but very slow on delivering. I would email them weekly requesting status and get no reply. A couple of times I got replies that it would ship "real soon now" when it didn't. Several months later I got my battery back after I had about given up and ready to file fraud charges with AmEx. Performance of the refilled battery has been no different than the Chinese-made battery I picked up off EBay.

If you check with some consumer reports of BatteryRefill.com you will find they have a very poor reseller rating. I like the theory, however the only company out there that seems to be attempting it on a large scale, has the worst customer service experience I've had yet with an online company. They are listed as eBattery on resellerratings.com, and you will find about 50% of comments have complaints about long unexplained delays and chronic problems with answering phone or an email.

[ronbo613]

After going through the replacement battery minefield for the past month, I hope that any information in this thread will help someone else. It's tough to make a definitive call on all replacement batteries from all the vendors because there are so many models of computers and batteries.
One thing I think makes it tough to buy Chinese OEM replacement batteries is internal SMBus, the internal circuits inside the battery pack. The Chinese-made OEM replacement batteries I purchased were completely incompatible with my T30, but based on reviews for the company I bought the batteries from, the OEM batteries worked fine in Dell and Toshiba laptops. These batteries displayed no information in either Windows or Mobilmeter info screens and would crash the computer with no warning at all after 5-10 minutes. Kind of scary. It took about the usual time to charge the 4400mah packs but because of the interface problems with the T30, I figure the cells are good but the SMBus circuit is bad.
I realize these battery importers can't check every battery, and I most certainly hoped a $50 battery would do the job, but the "you get what you pay for" mantra applies here. After all, LiIon battery packs for a sophisticated laptop are not the same situation as soldering a few NiCads together for your R/C car.
I sure hope BatteryRefill.com comes through. I realize it takes time to take apart a battery and rebuild it, we have battery packs made for our movie cameras, it always takes longer than we want it to. The way they explained it to me, the "new" battery option is a battery that they have rebuilt, kind of like getting a rebuilt starter or alternator for your car and not having a "core" part to give them, so you pay extra because you don't have a part to exchange.
Why go through all this battery crappola? Because when you buy an original battery from Lenovo, it costs an arm and leg. I am leaving on a trip soon and I must have a battery, so I bought one from Lenovo; $160 for a T30 battery. I will be eating Top Ramen for the next two weeks.

[kulivontot]

I will be eating Top Ramen for the next two weeks.

Why not Maruchan? I feel they have superior noodles.

[ronbo613]

I received a factory battery from Lenovo. According to the paperwork, the battery was manufactured 2006-07-08 in Shenzhen, P.R.C, but the Country of Origin is Japan.
Lenovo charges $150 for a battery manufactured in China, they are making a killing selling these batteries.

[schen]

I bought a couple batteries on eBay from BestCompu.com who advertise "100% OEM compatible" replacement batteries. The batteries for my T30 were cheap Chinese units that did not charge correctly, showed no information on battery management sofware, caused my computer to crash without warning after a few minutes and got really hot. None of the batteries I purchased from them ran more than ten minutes before crashing the computer. When you return batteries like this to the vendor, they test them with a voltmeter that shows the correct voltage, they claim the battery is good and you are left to try and get your money back.
As far as buying OEM replacement batteries on eBay, I went 0 for 3 in getting a working battery from vendors with feedback ratings as high as 99.5%. Would not recommend buying a battery on eBay to anyone. As far as OEM replacement batteries in general, while they may appear to be a great deal, you are really taking a gamble with your computer and your money by using one.

I had a very different ebay experience, although I have to admit that it's very hit or miss. My T22 battery was dieing so I started looking around for a replacement. I found an ebay listing that clearly stated that it was a used OEM IBM ThinkPad battery that was guaranteed to be at least 50%. It was cheap and here in North Texas so I took the chance. It arrived and had maybe 25% capacity, so I emailed the guy up in Bonham. He email back that he'd send me a replacement, and apologized. 2 days later, a box showed up with 2 batteries. 1 had 0 cycles and one had 33 cycles on it and they both gave me 100% capacity! I guess you never know.

[ronbo613]

I agree the eBay battery experience is hit or miss. Unfortunately, I hit all the misses this time around.
It's pretty clear that all the batteries, even the ones from Lenovo, are made in China. Probably the same factory putting different stickers on the same batteries. The big difference is the SMBus circuitry. Since Lenovo offers a one year warranty, I bet they test most, if not all of the batteries made for them to make sure they work. The QC on the "OEM replacement" models may not be as good.
I did notice the Lenovo battery had a much better fit than the OEM replacements. You could tell by looking at the OEM knockoffs that they were poorly constructed(the terminal on the battery that connects with the computer was crooked), I had to push down pretty hard to get the thing in and it did not have a "click" when it locked in.
Still waiting for the batteryrefill.com guys to come through.
I did not realize it would be so much hassle to find a crummy battery, certainly did not expect to have to buy one from Lenovo for $160. Live and learn, I guess.

[RealBlackStuff]

I think I posted this already in a similar thread, but here goes again: I got a very good new battery for my T30 from eBayer campus111
http://stores.ebay.com/CAMPUS111-COM-OUTLET
Good communication, battery shows all the proper info for mfg, date, cycles, etc.

[ronbo613]

Any information on good vendors for someone who might be searching this forum for input on buying a replacement battery for their Thinkpad will help.

[rek]

I have had a positive eBay experience when it came to buying an Ultraslim battery for my X60s.

This is the seller: http://stores.ebay.com.au/shengz3-elect ... esstQQtZkm

The battery was brand new (no cycles) and a good price; and most importantly it was a genuine IBM part. The manufacture date in the onboard chip is Feb 2006, but it doesn't seem to have mattered much; the full charge capacity is 30.25Wh (the normal design capacity is 28.80 Wh)

[thedguy]

I am not affiliated with them; only a happy customer of some 600 series batteries. I will have to say that the downsides of re-celled batteries are that they look like Frankenstein creations and some people have had long delivery times with any one of their services.

Any pictures of these creations? I'm a bit tempted to go this route since my X22 battery just went completely dead.

What about these ones claiming to put in longer lasting cells. Battery refill.com calls it a "super capacity battery." Anything to worry about with those? Or are those the "Frankenstein creations"?

[rkawakami]

Sure. I've already posted some pictures of a 600X battery here:

http://www.rkawakami.net/ibm_600x/image ... efill1.jpg
http://www.rkawakami.net/ibm_600x/image ... efill2.jpg

I specifically asked them (batteryrefill.com) if they used Sony batteries. They don't.

And.. Welcome to thinkpads.com!

[Rob Mayercik]

Intersting pics - looks to me eye like someone did that with a toothpick and/or popsicle stick. Somewhat disappointing that they're not doing a slightly more professional-looking job with the glue (surely a better-dressed result could be achieved by something as simple as wiping the excess off while the shell is clamped together during the glue's initial setting period), but if it didn't fail and allow the shell halves to separate, I'd be able to live with the slight cosmetic imperfections in this case.

Besides, with the 600 series who's going to see that when the thing's actually docked in the computer anyway?

[dcouzin]

The cheapo I bought from JustDeals.com did not work, for control reasons.
The cheapo I bought from House of Sales Ltd on Ebay did work.
I guess there's more than 50% chance that the next one bought from the first place won't work, and more than 50% chance that the next one bought from the second place will work, but who knows?
Weigh the expense and hassle of returning non-working batteries against the time and hassle of refill services.
Computer damage from a bad battery is avoidable by watching the battery management console at the start.

[smidgley]

I've bought several dozen batteries from Justdeals.com and only one has been bad - it went to yellow very quickly but seems to have stayed there. There does seem to be a +/- 5% variance from the rated specification on the maximum charge level out of the box.

[Temetka]

I feel that I should chime in here as I bought a "refurb" battery from an e-bay seller. Shipping was extremely quick, they included a manual (more than likely a photocopy from Lenovo, but still it's nice) and the battery works 100%. Battery maximizer sees it along with cycle counts, voltages, charge rates etc. I am very pleased with my purchase. I had contacted the seller and asked them about compatibility with my machine and they called me back to discuss what I was looking for. I told them I wanted OEM performance and stability without the OEM price. The rep was very knowledgeable friendly and answered all of my questions.

By now you are probably wondering where I got the uber battery from and I will not disappoint you. Let me just state that I get an average of 4 hours from this battery.

Battery goodness is here.

[Robbyrobot]

In the meantime, I've accumulated a "stock" of no less than SEVEN dead/non-rechargeable Li-Ion Thinkpad bateries: three 76x batteries, two for a 770E, and two for a 600X. That's easy to do if you buy older Thinkpads, as I do.

Originally, I had the hope and impression that these could be rejuvenated by simply replacing dead cells, but the characteristics of the Li-Ion cells and the non-resettable (for anyone except well-equipped professionals) "intelligence" built into the batteries effectively squashes that idea. Not to mention the exhorbitant prices for the cells themselves and the difficulty of even finding a source.

Li-Ion batteries are doubtless real fine, no memory effect and plenty of capacity... when they work. But what do you do with the thousands of them that doubtless go bad every year? From an environmental standpoint alone - ignore the cost - it must be a minor catastrophe having to dispose of defectives.

NiMH cells, on the other hand, are cheap, readily available to the public and much less dangerous to work with than Li-Ion cells. They have less capacity and suffer a memory effect - but are cheaply and easily replaced if they go bad.

So what I'm wondering is whether it wouldn't be possible to take a "step back", open a defective Li-Ion battery and replace the cells with NiMH cells appropriately connected. Then just "tack" the cell back together with a couple of drops of hot melt to make it easy to open it again if necessary to replace a NiMH cell, and use it in the computer.

Naturally this wouldn't be ideal, but it would avoid total replacement every few years if not less, and would permit cheap, simple replacement of defective cells instead of the entire battery.

Has anyone else ever considered this or even made an attempt? If so, I'd like to hear what became of it.