Thinkpads Forum

I just got my T60 yesterday and am liking it so far, except for the fact that the battery is terribly loose and shakes whenever I pickup or carry the laptop. I don't like the feeling this gives me.

I've read about this and searched around for older posts, but I do still have two questions:

1. Has anyone had success getting a replacement battery from lenovo for this problem (and sending back the loose fitting one)?

2. Has it been confirmed for sure which battery manufacturer has a (size 6) battery for the T60 that does not fit loosely?

thanks
jonathan

Most people fix the problem by adding layers of tape on the inner side of the battery.(Myself included)

I haven't seen any battery that fit snugly in any T-series laptop. The Sony batteries were best in the T4x, but were by no means tight. I've worked with about a dozen T60s including 14" and 15" screens, 6- and 9-cell batteries and I have yet to see one that wasn't terribly loose. The same is true of the Z-series which uses the same battery.

Cover the label with tape from end to end (may take 12-15 layers) and you shouldn't have any more trouble.

-darren

darrenf wrote:I haven't seen any battery that fit snugly in any T-series laptop. The Sony batteries were best in the T4x, but were by no means tight. I've worked with about a dozen T60s including 14" and 15" screens, 6- and 9-cell batteries and I have yet to see one that wasn't terribly loose. The same is true of the Z-series which uses the same battery.

Cover the label with tape from end to end (may take 12-15 layers) and you shouldn't have any more trouble.

-darren

Darren,

Thanks for the insight. I guess I'll be pulling out my tape.

hey darren... regular ol' scotch tape ok??

I personally had not loose battery problem with my T21 or my T42 -- I'll wait and see when my T60 arrives next week. There was enough "springiness" in the contacts as well as in the latch on those older machines (at least on mine). On the other hand, on the antique T600 I'm typing this on, the battery is indeed a tiny bit loose.

Here is a suggestion: If one piece of tape won't do the trick, rather than many layers of scotch tape you might go for a thicker material that has some give and spring to it. You could try a piece or two of those little sticky foam squares you can get at any drugstore, with only one side uncovered of course. The springiness of the foam is what you want. If that is too thick, try a piece of band-aid, the foam kind that is designed to flex with joints. If there is too much resistance, use a smaller piece so that the pressure is exerted on a smaller surface. You want to avoid putting any strong pressure on the latch. At the same time, be careful about where in the battery compartment you put your spacer(s). You don't want to do anything that might add spacing between the contacts in the compartment and the contacts in the battery.

claudeo wrote:I personally had not loose battery problem with my T21 or my T42 -- I'll wait and see when my T60 arrives next week. There was enough "springiness" in the contacts as well as in the latch on those older machines (at least on mine). On the other hand, on the antique T600 I'm typing this on, the battery is indeed a tiny bit loose.

Here is a suggestion: If one piece of tape won't do the trick, rather than many layers of scotch tape you might go for a thicker material that has some give and spring to it. You could try a piece or two of those little sticky foam squares you can get at any drugstore, with only one side uncovered of course. The springiness of the foam is what you want. If that is too thick, try a piece of band-aid, the foam kind that is designed to flex with joints. If there is too much resistance, use a smaller piece so that the pressure is exerted on a smaller surface. You want to avoid putting any strong pressure on the latch. At the same time, be careful about where in the battery compartment you put your spacer(s). You don't want to do anything that might add spacing between the contacts in the compartment and the contacts in the battery.

.... the theory being that something more springy like foam will prevent the battery from moving without putting too much pressure on the latch or other areas around there?

j

.... the theory being that something more springy like foam will prevent the battery from moving without putting too much pressure on the latch or other areas around there?

Exactly. At the same time, it allows for possible tiny dimensional variations due to time, temperature, aging of the plastic, whatever.

darrenf wrote:I haven't seen any battery that fit snugly in any T-series laptop. The Sony batteries were best in the T4x, but were by no means tight. I've worked with about a dozen T60s including 14" and 15" screens, 6- and 9-cell batteries and I have yet to see one that wasn't terribly loose. The same is true of the Z-series which uses the same battery.

Cover the label with tape from end to end (may take 12-15 layers) and you shouldn't have any more trouble.

-darren

The 6 cell Sony in my T60 is quite tight and the one or two times I've had to reinsert it I've had difficulty getting it to slide in. Once it's in, it's snug... I can put pressure on it and try to wiggle it but it doesn't wiggle. I don't understand why there would be differences in fit here, but in my case there's no way my battery will fit in with multiple layers of tape. Guess I got lucky.

Lenovo is pretty good about stuff like this. Give them a call...you have nothing to lose.

If you do call, let us know what they say.

try thin weather stripping or those little round cloth cushions for cabinet doors.

Badger wrote:

darrenf wrote:I haven't seen any battery that fit snugly in any T-series laptop. The Sony batteries were best in the T4x, but were by no means tight. I've worked with about a dozen T60s including 14" and 15" screens, 6- and 9-cell batteries and I have yet to see one that wasn't terribly loose. The same is true of the Z-series which uses the same battery.

Cover the label with tape from end to end (may take 12-15 layers) and you shouldn't have any more trouble.

-darren

The 6 cell Sony in my T60 is quite tight and the one or two times I've had to reinsert it I've had difficulty getting it to slide in. Once it's in, it's snug... I can put pressure on it and try to wiggle it but it doesn't wiggle. I don't understand why there would be differences in fit here, but in my case there's no way my battery will fit in with multiple layers of tape. Guess I got lucky.

My 6 cell is a Sony also. Argg... I think I'll give lenovo a call when I get a chance.

Electrical tape might be more effective than Scotch tape.

Got my T60 a couple of days ago. The battery is snug. YMMV