Advice about buying a new battery?

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Jeff85 · #1 Post by **Jeff85** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:48 am

I'm looking to buy a new battery for my T41. After about 2 years of use my 6-cell battery lasts a little less than an hour while just browsing the web via wi-fi. The battery health info says it's maximum capacity is 21.26 Wh with a design capacity of 47.52 Wh. I used it very frequently with the AC plugged in, so I think it got kept charged at 100% too often.

Assuming there's no way to significantly restore the battery capacity, I'm considering purchasing a new battery and would like any advice anyone has to offer, such as whether buying one off E-bay is just as good as getting it from Lenovo, or how much longer a 9-cell battery would give me compared to a 6-cell one, and what a decent price for one would be.

I'm also curious about people's battery maximisers. I've read some people say they've set theirs not to charge the battery under AC if the charge is 70% or above, or using a improve battery health option, but my maximiser (v1.38) has no such options, at least none that I can find.

Thanks for any info,

#2 Post by **tomh009** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:55 am

I've had good luck buying batteries from eBay, as long as you have a reputable seller (good feedback, >1 year registered) and you buy a new battery rather than a used one. Used ones generally are just gambling, you may end up with one that only lasts 30 minutes, unless the seller provides detailed info about the condition (most do not).

_erazor_ · #3 Post by **_erazor_** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:29 pm

Jeff85 wrote:
I'm also curious about people's battery maximisers. I've read some people say they've set theirs not to charge the battery under AC if the charge is 70% or above, or using a improve battery health option, but my maximiser (v1.38) has no such options, at least none that I can find.

Thanks for any info,

The T41 does not support that.

The features you mention are possible from T42 and upwards only.

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:57 pm

I, and others here as well, have purchased "re-filled" batteries from Batteryrefill.com and have been satisfied with their performance (the battery, but sometimes not the company). Currently the price for a re-filled T41 battery is $45. You buy the battery from them and when you receive it, you ship your old battery back to them so they can refurbish it and sell it someone else. The re-filled battery will usually have indications that it has been "tampered" with. Since they have to crack open the battery case to replace the cells, you can expect to see either glue or cracks along the seams. Done properly, you wouldn't know the difference when the battery is installed in the laptop. They have had some complaints before about delivery times and communications but I have not encountered any of those problems in the three transactions I have had with them.

You can always go the eBay route but ask the seller for the following information about the battery:

- date first used
- cycle count
- FULL charge capacity

All of this information, taken together, should give you a good idea as to the runtime duration you can expect from the battery. My T23's original IBM battery (not a refill) was first used 6/2000, has a cycle count of 21 and has a full charge capacity of 39.14Wh. The design capacity is 38.88Wh. So even though the battery is 6.5 years old, it can still run my system for just over 2 hours. This particular battery was purchased off of the eBay seller "xreplay" for $18 (I bought four of them in a lot and picked up locally). They do not appear to have any T41 batteries right now so you may want to contact them and ask if they handle those systems.

Jeff85 · #5 Post by **Jeff85** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:24 am

Thanks for the info, everyone. A few more questions.

Looking at batteries on ebay, I've noticed a lot of offers state the battery is either OEM or a generic replacement. Does OEM in this case refer to genuine IBM / Lenovo batteries? And are genuine ones necessarily better?

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:57 am

OEM, if the sellers are using it in the proper context, would mean that the battery is "branded" with an IBM logo and FRU number and is identical to what IBM sells itself. The generic replacements would say "made for" or "for use with" IBM equipment or they may not say anything at all.

With the original IBM battery you should be guaranteed that they contain the proper charging/monitoring circuit that IBM designed into the battery pack. With a generic battery, there would be no guarantee (from my standpoint) that it has the correct electronics or that it operates identically to the IBM factory's version.

BTW, can you take a moment to update your profile to show your location? It can help if you let us know that so we can provide answers suitable to your area (some advice may not apply if you are outside the U.S., for example). You may even end up getting a referral to a local dealer/store in your area from another forum member who is near you. Thanks!

coreman · #7 Post by **coreman** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:00 am

My .02 on batteries and observations from Asia, I recently replaced a (6) cell for my T41 with a (9) cell. Brand new the (6) cell was giving me ~ 2.5 hours and the (9) cell about 4.5 hours. This was with the wireless on and backlight on setting 6/7.

I had a no name battery destroy my Motorola Timeport cellphone a few years back, it was a cheap, aftermarket lithium battery.

During charging, the battery got very, very hot (didn't burst into flame though). I put a second, fully charged, battery in and phone still wouldn't work.

Considering what happened with the Sony battery recall, my cell phone and having seen some of the corners cut over here on aftermarket equipment, there is clearly a reason why the aftermarket batteries are so cheap...

Personally I won't buy aftermarket batteries for my laptops until they are old enough to have little value. I have a T30 with it's original battery. However I keep that one hooked up to AC (with battery removed) and use it as a spare. If I were to decide to buy a new battery for the T30, I would consider a non-IBM one...statistically the odds are against my getting a bad battery and in my favor...

But for my T41, only IBM this go 'round...maybe in a couple of years I'll make a different decision...

toad · #8 Post by **toad** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:54 am

Hi,

I've got the same problem with my T41 battery and am thinking about getting 6600mAmp battery rather than the bog standard 4400mAmp once. Thing is, I checked on ebay (I'm based in Germany) and you can't even get them! Neither in the UK...

I also checked the refill site (thanks for the link) and they only offer the service for 4400mAmp batteries.

Seeing that 6600mAmp batteries are so hard to get hold of, are they new/legal/etc. and do they work on a T41?

Advice about buying a new battery?

Advice about buying a new battery?

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