Thinkpads Forum

i just got my T60 a couple days ago and it was charging fine to 100%. Now, it will only charge to 98% regardless of how long i leave the charger in. It does not have an estimated time for recharging like it usually does when it is in the static 98% charge. Does anybody have a solution to this?

Sounds like it is time to reset the battery.

The charge thresholds have to be calibrated by "resetting" the battery (a full cycle charge) so that the power manager logic in the Thinkpad knows the correct limits of the battery. Over time, the battery's ability to hold a given amount of charge will decrease, hence the recalibration option in the Power Manager.

i just got the battery less than a week ago though, i don't think that should be happening so quickly right?

dontaskme316 wrote:i just got the battery less than a week ago though, i don't think that should be happening so quickly right?

I have seen it happen, even for "fresh" batteries. The thing is, there is always a bit of tiny variation in all the batteries that get shipped, even from the factory. You can always check the harder stats of the battery and compare it to the listed specs with the Power Manager and/or NHC (there are other battery monitor programs out there as well).

It could also be part of the trickle-charge system where, if activated, it tapers off charging once the battery reaches a certain high threshold to preserve the battery's lifetime while the system runs on AC line power for an extended period of time. By default, the threshold value is pretty high (around 95% or so).

christopher_wolf wrote:

dontaskme316 wrote:i just got the battery less than a week ago though, i don't think that should be happening so quickly right?

I have seen it happen, even for "fresh" batteries. The thing is, there is always a bit of tiny variation in all the batteries that get shipped, even from the factory. You can always check the harder stats of the battery and compare it to the listed specs with the Power Manager and/or NHC (there are other battery monitor programs out there as well).

It could also be part of the trickle-charge system where, if activated, it tapers off charging once the battery reaches a certain high threshold to preserve the battery's lifetime while the system runs on AC line power for an extended period of time. By default, the threshold value is pretty high (around 95% or so).

You are right, its below 96%. Its not actually a tricle charge setting, but the way it works is this. If your battery is genuinely at 98%, then it is above the charging threshold, and will not charge. If you let it get below 96% (by unplugging it), then it will charge back up to 100%, and then run off of AC until you unplug it. It should stay at 100% until unplugged, even though it isnt charging.

Yeah, it is a threshold setting. When it gets below a certain threshold, it starts charging, above it and it stops charging. That will keep you, within a certain small error range, around a steady-state charge percentage equal to the set threshold; much like a simple control system.

Try the newest BIOS, that may help fix the issue version 1.09a

ITS OUT!