Is my battery dying?

Message

Sand · #1 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:33 am

My computer has been acting strangely the last few days. The battery indicator number goes up and down for no reason, it's plugged into power but battery still seems to be fluctuating and I am getting warning beeps of some kind. I did not know that the battery could do this as long as the computer wasplugged into the outlet. The black box, adapter? also gets hot. Could this be the battery dying, and also, I recently started using something called the Laptop Shield and wonder if this could affect it because it heats up the computer a lot. I feel like I'm losing it right now so better close.

Thanks, Sand

#2 Post by **jdhurst** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 9:03 am

It could be either the battery or the adapter. I have two client T30's just now that I am working on. One machine (A) was acting strange in terms of power and starting, so I put the battery from (B) into (A) and the problems went away. Both need batteries, so they are on order.

You don't say how old, but 3 years or so is the practical limit for a battery. ... JDH

Sand · #3 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:11 am

jdhurst,

My battery is 2 1/2 yo. After I read your message, the computer died altogether. I called IBM and tried to order a new B. but a recording said that if I ordered it this weekend it would cost me 399.00+the cost of the part.

Since then, I got the idea that maybe the computer, or adapter was overheated, so I turned it off and let it sit for awhile, and when I retried it, it started right up. It's up to 53% as I'm typing. But it's going up slower than I think is usual, and everything else is slower than usual. Uh-oh, it's starting to go down again.This is the kind of thing it's been doing last couple days. But the battery status symbol is green until it gets really low and then turns amber and blinks, also beeps.

My question is, I was told that IBM is the only place that I can purchase an IBM battery and I'm wondering if that is where everyone else gets there. I was sure that I saw online places that did offer them. Also, would you ever buy a refurbished one, or only a brand new one. Is IBM'S prices higher than others?

thanks,

Sand

2379DXU 2005

#4 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:17 am

You can buy new IBM batteries from many resellers - often for less than half Lenovo's price. Google the FRU part number for your battery. Click on the battery icon and go to Battery Information to get the part number. It should be something like 08K8193.

FWIW, I have purchased an IBM battery from MWave before.

#5 Post by **jdhurst** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 12:12 pm

Batteries are user-replaceable (dead simple) and even from IBM cost about $150, so either tell IBM to get real (they will) or follow GOM's advice. I just replace the battery in my T41 (40 months old) and purchased it from an IBM vendor in Toronto. ... JDH

Sand · #6 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 12:25 pm

Hi,

I went online and found so many different places & prices that it was very confusing. Some had the right number but I couldn't find a price. I called Fry's and they have one made by ATC, but the girl said it was IBM for T40's but it is not the same battery #08K8193. I find it so confusing I cannot even choose one. The MWAVE place did have a battery for other models but I didn't see any for the T42.

Could someone please just send me to a place that's the right number and best price?

Does Bill possibly sell battery replacements as well as computers?

My computer goes in & out like the power is going on & off and I hope I don't lose it entirely for the next few days.

Sand

Sand · #7 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:15 pm

I found a site called Mobile Tech and the battery is $89.00. they guarantee it to be as good or better than OEM. Does this sound like a good price and place to buy from?They only guarantee it for twelve months but I think that's all Lenova does too.

Also, does the battery have to be in the computer to use it even though it's plugged into power? I removed it just to try it and it seemed to start up but whenever I moved it or tried to use it, it went out. It's probably a dumb question, but I am not really that computer savvy. Guess I don't need to say it.

Thanks,
Sand

2379DXU T42

Sand · #8 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:20 pm

Forgot to post the site.

http://www.mobiletechpower.com

Sand

#9 Post by **bill bolton** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:53 pm

Sand wrote:Also, does the battery have to be in the computer to use it even though it's plugged into power? I removed it just to try it and it seemed to start up but whenever I moved it or tried to use it, it went out.

Your Thinkpad should run reliably on mains power without battery installed.

What you have described above sounds very much like you have a problem in the connection between the power brick and the ThinkPad. This could be due to a failure in the cable attached to the power brick, or a problem in the power socket in the ThinkPad.

If you have another power brick, try that and see what happens. If you still have the problem its almost certainly a fault in the power connector in the ThinkPad. This is, fortunately, not on the planar (motherboard) and can be replaced separately..... refer to the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your model.

Sometimes you can sort-of revive a flakey ThinkPad power connector by bending the spring contact... this has been covered in various messages here over time, so doing a search might find the relevant information.

Cheers,

Bill B.

Sand · #10 Post by **Sand** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 10:35 pm

Bill,

I'm sorry, I'm not into computerese; is the 'power brick' the ac adapter? It got very hot yesterday, unusual. And is the 'power socket' the yellow hole on the back where the cable plugs in? Also, please explain the 'power connector'?The cable that goes into the wall outlet?

In all the time I have been a member of this forum, I have spent considerable time doing searches first as I always try to help myself before I ask for help; but there are so very many posts that unless my problem is specifically mentioned in the subject line, I can never find an answer that way. But, I will try again.

Is newegg.com a good place to buy a battery and these other IBM parts?

Thanks again,
Sand

SHoTTa35 · #11 Post by **SHoTTa35** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:33 am

well the power brick is also called the AC Adapter as you mentioned so yeah. The yellow port on the back is also the connector. What Bill was saying is that the AC Adapter might have a bad connection to the laptop or some other problem (especially since you said it got unusually hot recently)

You can certainly get parts from newegg but there are other places too namely the forums here

When you're buying stuff for your laptop it is advisable to get IBM OEM stuff. Well for the batteries and drives and stuff like that. You can certainly get RAM from just about anywhere as well as other stuff.

Sand · #12 Post by **Sand** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:08 pm

Bill,

Thanks for your thoughts. I called IBM and ordered a new adapter ; it seems like it might be it and not the battery after considering the suggestions here on the forum. It it doesn't do it I will try your idea for the power port on the back. But I hope I don't have to get into that.

I wish I could find the best place to go when I do have to purchase other IBM parts as I need them instead of paying the OEM's prices. But I read on Microtech that when you buy parts at a discount that they were ones that sat on IBM's shelves awhile and didn't sell due to the higher price and so were vended out to these discount houses and even though they have never been used it's true, they still are not really 'new'. This makes it confusing to know which places would be the best to order from. I wonder if anyone here has a reliable source that they trust for quality batteries and such?

Thank you,
Sand

nichevo · #13 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:15 am

Warning, if it is the power connector on the t'pad, it means a new motherboard unless you get lucky bending whatever spring, etc., is involved.At my work when this happened (T20) they just swapped me into a T22. Lots of luck.

BTW, more ideas on battery vendors welcome. How about refurbs? Some say they have swapped the cells into an OEM IBM btty, some have a non-OEM, some are just used. Bought a t40 and a t20 btty from pcsurplusonline thru ebay; quickly lose charge. Green, yellow, red mean little.

If I could swap the btty cells myself I would try it.

Sand · #14 Post by **Sand** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:30 am

nichevo,

I have the new adapter and it seems to have solved the problem I was having with the battery being weak and would say that my problem was solved except for now the computer seems to be hotter than it used to be, also the new adapter. Don't remember either of them heating up before, although I've read of others having a problem with heat, mine didn't. But it is now so I'm wondering if the adapter is not all that was the trouble.

Would this power connector, motherboard cause this to happen? What are the symptoms of a power connector problem?

Thanks,
Sand

nichevo · #15 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:56 pm

Sand wrote:nichevo,

I have the new adapter and it seems to have solved the problem I was having with the battery being weak and would say that my problem was solved except for now the computer seems to be hotter than it used to be, also the new adapter. Don't remember either of them heating up before, although I've read of others having a problem with heat, mine didn't. But it is now so I'm wondering if the adapter is not all that was the trouble.

Would this power connector, motherboard cause this to happen? What are the symptoms of a power connector problem?

Thanks,
Sand

I surely believe the adapter is a possible cause and bless your heart if it worked for you. I only had that anecdote to offer: that is, if the connector is bad it is not fixable except perhaps by a skilled and lucky hobbyist; a certified tech will not do it for you.

Can't speak to the heat except it would seem to imply you are using more power. I wonder if your speed is better, screen brighter, if your PC is acting like it has more juice. But that seems a bit of a reach.

My symptom was: it would not charge, except that if I jiggled the DC plug in the socket it would sometimes go on and sometimes go off. I could hold it or prop it in place to make it work but of course it could not last.

I thought it might be weldable but they weren't having any. And since they were no longer authorized to spend more than $100 on a part, it was a "new" machine for me.

What occurs to me right now is that if docked or in a port replicator, it might be chargeable that.way. The dock doesn;t use the DC socket in back of the t'pad; it must charge through the dock connector. You might try plugging it into a dock or port rep. and see any difference, just to test this hypothesis.

Otherwise, if you swapped batteries and no difference, and you swapped adapters and got a difference, sounds to me like the adapter.

I would say, if it is really a "new" adapter, if it is under warranty, then you have an excuse to call IBM and badger them about all associated questions till they tell you what it (likely) is. (Just a shot in the dark there, I imagine you bought it used on ebay or the like? But if not, use that warranty for all it's worth.)

The only other thing, other than having a tech look at it (techs will have voltmeters etc etc etc), is to run the PC diagnostics for that model. PC-Doctor or the ACCESS button diags or whatever. That, and I suppose comb through your system logs to find any temperature or power messages.

Sorry that was so long and probably valueless. I do wish you good luck.

Sand · #16 Post by **Sand** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:23 pm

nichevo,

Yeah, with the old bad adapter I could jiggle the connector and it would start up momentarily, but it didn't hold very long. Now with the new one it is working fine. Maybe you're right about the extra power being used. Hope that's the answer.

I got the adapter from IBM because it was still under warranty, so it was new afaik. If I do have any more problems where I think it would involve the connector, getting the dock connector would be a whorthwhile purchase I think.

good idea to try the PC-Doctor. The ACCESS button told me the battery was Healthy. Don't remember how I found that though :p.

Anyway, don't think what you wrote was valueless at all; I have still a lot to learn and I have made progress with every problem encountered and overcome with all the help I always find here on this forum.

Thanks again,
Sand

nichevo · #17 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:41 pm

Sand wrote:nichevo,

Yeah, with the old bad adapter I could jiggle the connector and it would start up momentarily, but it didn't hold very long. Now with the new one it is working fine. Maybe you're right about the extra power being used. Hope that's the answer.

I got the adapter from IBM because it was still under warranty, so it was new afaik. If I do have any more problems where I think it would involve the connector, getting the dock connector would be a whorthwhile purchase I think.

good idea to try the PC-Doctor. The ACCESS button told me the battery was Healthy. Don't remember how I found that though :p.

Anyway, don't think what you wrote was valueless at all; I have still a lot to learn and I have made progress with every problem encountered and overcome with all the help I always find here on this forum.

Thanks again,
Sand

Glad to be of service. I repeat, owning an IBM part under warranty entitles you (IMHO) to ask them infinte questions during the warranty period. Any part in the system of battery-adapter-computer is suspect in these issues.

In paying for new IBM gear and not a generic piece or a five-year-old ebay part, you have already paid for this service. Describe your symptoms in max detail and let them figure out for you the problem. Ideally they would invite you to visit a service center.

When you speak of jiggling the part and seeing the problem come and go, this much implies a loose connection, whether on the PC or the adapter. Where exactly did you jiggle? On the brick itself, at the wall, at the t'pad? How did the loose part feel? Rubbery, or like it was clicking or grating? Did you hear a sizzle as if a circuit were making and breaking? Put your ear close to it.

What kind of machine is it again? I could sell you a port replicator or even perhaps a dock if your machine fits my gear. I think you said you had two of them, it was T30s, IIRC?

BTW is the problem identical/replicable on both? With all combinations of laptop, battery, adapter? You might examine the old adapter to find any hint of loose wires, etc.

Frankly - as long as you have a hot part - adapter or notebook - I say you have not just the right but the DUTY to your equipment, to call IBM and demand answers. If a bad adapter fried your machine, IBM will not thank you for your reluctance to bother them. Again, this gives you the right to take them thru the whole problem. They should understand 100%.

Excessive heat may or may not be crucial - I am finding some high heat conditions with my refurbed T41p - but I don't like it and I consider it a very kvetch-worthy symptom. Anything too hot to touch - too hot to sit or lean on - without a [censored] good reason is IMHO a red flag.

Plenty of battery recalls, etc., in the news; it is in no way silly.

nichevo · #18 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:54 pm

bill bolton wrote: If you have another power brick, try that and see what happens. If you still have the problem its almost certainly a fault in the power connector in the ThinkPad. This is, fortunately, not on the planar (motherboard) and can be replaced separately..... refer to the Hardware Maintenance Manual for your model.

Sometimes you can sort-of revive a flakey ThinkPad power connector by bending the spring contact... this has been covered in various messages here over time, so doing a search might find the relevant information.

Can you confirm, Bill? As I mentioned, on the T20 (this was according to the HP service tech, a competent man) it was not replaceable, but needed a new MB to fix. Do you say it is different on the T30 Sand has? Have you had hands-on?

As for the spring, tongue, whatever, I encouraged Paul (the tech) to check for something that, but no efforts availed. In Sand's next msg we may learn which connection is 'shaky.'

Naturally YMMV. And I suppose he could have wished to avoid work - but it seems unlikely if you knew him.

(Since the phrasing is odd and maybe hard to query, perhaps you could post a thread link?)

BTW, if Sand is not mechanical, perhaps to delegate this (repairs with bending metal) to someone handy is best

Sand · #19 Post by **Sand** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:29 pm

nechivo,

Sorry if I misled you somewhere, but I have only one T'Pad, the T42, 2379DXU. It's approx. 2 1/2 yo. It's my first and only laptop.

I'm not technical at all, but the thing I jiggled was the end part of the cable where it plugs into the yellow porthole in the back of the laptop. I don't know how it's supposed to feel when you jiggle it, but there seems to be a little play in the connection on the l'top, not the end of the cable but the (yellow) port itself. There is no sound when I move it.

Should the ac adapter get warm at all?Maybe what I am concerned about is perfectly normal, just didn't experience it before but others might say it is nothing to worry about. Certainly not too hot to touch, etc.

I know that keeping that LapShield radiation cover on made it heat up, and now I'm afraid to use it anymore. I complained to the company about it once already.

Since I rarely use the btty, should I just remove it? But the last time I did, (with the faulty adapter) the computer went black.

thanks,
Sand

nichevo · #20 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:00 pm

I would not pull the btty, it is not your problem, and will keep your laptop alive when intermitten power outages. OTOH you could pull the battery to test the power connection. --though the doo-dee, dee-doo tones should tell you when you have or don't have power.

Is the movement the same with the old and new adapter? Do you lose power while jiggling one or the other or both adapters?

At the risk of repeating myself this definitely seems worth a call to IBM: "why is power intermittent and the heat issue? is it this adapter or is the T42 power jack loose/broken?"

you might look into the hardware manual, see if you can ID the relevant part of the computer, see if it is in fact replaceable.

nichevo · #21 Post by **nichevo** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:05 pm

Also, Sand, how do you use this t42? is a solution where you depend on power thru a dock or replicator realistic 4 u? do you have this gear? you speak of pulling the btty so it seems you depend on an outlet.

i have one t42 port replicator and one dock. both as it happens come with their own power supplies. you can surely find these on ebay or naturally at lenovo.

it could get to the point where a new MB is cheaper than all the other stuff you would buy. It is interesting though that you say the problem seems alleviated when you use the new adapter (right?).

Sand · #22 Post by **Sand** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:00 pm

I don't remember if the faulty one was worse since I don't have it anymore. I had to send it back to IBM so I did that right away.But what I'm trying to say is that everything if fine now as far as the power being steady and battery being charged.

Yes, I mainly use the computer hooked up to power from an outlet and not wireless.

So maybe everything''s fixed now? But I guess I am expecting the btty to be going soon, the reason for the question where to buy one.

Thanks for your help,
Sand

#23 Post by **bill bolton** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:06 pm

Sand wrote:Should the ac adapter get warm at all?

Yes, that's normal.

Cheers,

Bill B.

Sand · #24 Post by **Sand** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:57 pm

Okay, well I'm going to call IBM as suggested and ask them why it's overheating. I closed the lid and when I opened it again about an hour or so later, it said it was going into StandBy (it always does this even though I turned that feature off) and I have to shut it down with the Power button, then Power on with Power button. But anyway, the computer was Very Warm. All over, bottom and lid and keyboard. After I rebooted it,everything cooled down. Do these symptoms describe anything? Another thing that happened when I restarted was a Screen that I never saw before was there. It was called a Diagnostic something. I didn't call for it so maybe the computer knows it's sick and is trying to tell me something. Anyway, I tried to use it but I couldn't follow it. It kept asking for a Disk that I don't have.

The plot thickens,
Sand