Thinkpads Forum

I have a couple of 2504 mini-docks that I use constantly for a couple of T60's I have. I normally have these machines in suspend with the battery removed, running on power from AC adapters. I can slide in the battery and remove one of these machines, and it remains in suspend and I can take it somewhere. Later, I can put the asleep machine back in the mini-dock. I'm wondering if there's a way to remove the battery once the machine is placed in the mini-dock?

It seems like to remove the battery you have to slide the latching mechanism, which is not accessible when the machine is attached to the mini-dock. If that's true, then the only way to get the machine back into the mini-dock and have the battery removed is to actually shut down the machine, remove the battery, place in the mini-dock, and only then start it from a shut-down condition. Am I missing something?

You're probably missing the fact that removing the battery while the machine is docked is not considered a normal usage scenario, so provisions have not been made to make that easy or possible at all.

Why would I want to have the battery inserted when the machine's docked? It would charge to the max and stay there, not optimal for battery life.

@Muse. You can adjust the charging threshold for the battery so it does not charge to 100% if you are using Windows and have Lenovo Power Manager installed. For example I have my T500 set to start charging when below 75% and to stop at 90%

Muse wrote:Why would I want to have the battery inserted when the machine's docked? It would charge to the max and stay there, not optimal for battery life.

Why you want or don't want something is, of course, your own business, but generally - that's how laptops are designed to work. They are designed to have the battery plugged in even when the machine operates on AC.

Your assumption that having the battery plugged in will negatively impact battery longevity is based on some information that's been circulating the internet, that's (a) about a decade and a half old, and (b) has never been actually shown to be true, by anyone. But because people repeat it a lot, other people start believing it's true, and then they repeat it a lot, and this is how this cycle of unfounded information grows.

And in any case, as emeraldgirl pointed out, if you are very very worried about the longevity of your battery and still believe there is some truth in the negative effect of charging to the max, you can adjust the charging thresholds on your Thinkpad. This feature has been around since the late T4x series.

I do similar to emeraldgirl08. I set my X220 to start charging at 85% and stop charging at 90%. There were threads on here several years ago where users who set charging thresholds to stop charging at a lower value than the default were getting somewhat better battery life compared to other users who did not.

I'm aware that you can customize your thresholds and I've been doing that on occasion. Thing is, I only occasionally remove this particular T60 from its docking station, maybe once every two months on average. If I left the battery attached, I figure it will become useless faster. For one thing it will be warmer than where it's sitting right now, which is in my refrigerator. It's not a huge inconvenience to shut down the machine before inserting in the docking station. I thought I'd post and see if there is a work around for me, and I guess there really isn't.

I figure there's some truth to the info I've seen recommending li-ion rechargable batteries lasting longer if stored at ~40% charge and refrigerated as opposed to full charge and unrefrigerated. That's not a major inconvenience if they are only used occasionally. Replacement batteries for T60/T61 aren't cheap. I've spent more than a little time researching such issues concerning various battery types.

Two things here:

a) Batteries are consumables and should be treated as such. A Panasonic battery will likely last 6-7 years in most usage patterns, while Sony/Sanyo will be hard pressed to get half of that lifespan.

b) ThinkPads are not designed to be used without the battery installed. You *will* experience severe CPU throttling if the machine is operating on AC adapter only under a heavy load.

You can pick up a cheap battery that will hold 10-15 mins charge for a few bucks just to have it instaled in the laptop when in use, and you can keep your good one in the freezer...

ajkula66 wrote:Two things here:

a) Batteries are consumables and should be treated as such. A Panasonic battery will likely last 6-7 years in most usage patterns, while Sony/Sanyo will be hard pressed to get half of that lifespan.

b) ThinkPads are not designed to be used without the battery installed. You *will* experience severe CPU throttling if the machine is operating on AC adapter only under a heavy load.

You can pick up a cheap battery that will hold 10-15 mins charge for a few bucks just to have it instaled in the laptop when in use, and you can keep your good one in the freezer...

So, you're saying that when using AC power I will get much better performance if there's a battery attached? I've never heard that before. Just pick up the cheapest compatible battery off eBay?

I hadn't noticed issues with battery removed and running on AC, but I don't typically push my machines hard, so who knows? You recommend having some kind of battery even "junk" attached when running on AC power?

ajkula66 wrote:You can pick up a cheap battery that will hold 10-15 mins charge for a few bucks just to have it instaled in the laptop when in use, and you can keep your good one in the freezer...

I do this exact thing for our home machines. I keep older "bad" batteries that don't last very long in all our machines at the house since they are virtually always plugged in. I also have at least one "good" battery for each computer that I keep at about 2/3 or 1/2 charge in a cool dry place. When I know we are going somewhere with a machine, I switch the battery the night before. It cuts down the number of cycles on the batteries. It's worked for me for a number of years.

Muse wrote:So, you're saying that when using AC power I will get much better performance if there's a battery attached? I've never heard that before.

Well, now you have. Do bear in mind that it's likely to make a perceivable difference under significant load only.

Just pick up the cheapest compatible battery off eBay?

I *never* recommend generic batteries regardless of the price point. Pick up a genuine, well-used one here on the forum for a few bucks and call it a day.

You recommend having some kind of battery even "junk" attached when running on AC power?

As long as it holds some charge, yes. Do not use a dead battery.

ajkula66 wrote:

You recommend having some kind of battery even "junk" attached when running on AC power?

As long as it holds some charge, yes. Do not use a dead battery.

Well, it will have the additional advantage of making it easier when going mobile and then going back to the mini dock. I won't have to shut down the machine, quite a hassle, especially if I have a lot of pages/tabs open in Firefox. Thanks for the info!

If you must swap a battery while docked you could always stick a battery in the ultrabay. That would be accessible for you.