X41 Charging/Battery problem...

[Investinwaffles]

Ok, for the last year or so, my laptop has thought it was charging all the time (it always thought the AC power was plugged in). Ive been having battery issues for a long time, the replacement I had seemingly failed a few months ago. It would not charge, but it would hold a charge (until it ran down completely).

About a week ago, I was cleaning out my closet and found it. Popped it in to discover that it was not only charging, but that my computer's charging status confusion was corrected.

Ive wanted to get this issue fixed for a long time, but I have been busy/lazy about it. Anyway, now the problem is that the power meter is completely incorrect (the laptop dies when the meter says 50%. Notebook Hardware Control thinks the battery is also at 50%).

How can i fix this? My battery wear level is 6% according to NHC.
What do you guys think caused it to begin with? My computer makes a faint electronic
"hissing" noise when on battery power but it has since I have owned the computer if I recall.

[Temetka]

I wish I could help, but you know what?

My X41T thinks it is charging all the time too.

I've got the latest EC and BIOS and I did the battery reset in Windows and still no luck.

I am not sure if the problem lies in the DC circuitry in the machine or in the battery. All I know is that it is driving me bonkers.

[Temetka]

Also I have found that when removing the battery and putting it back in while connected to AC will cause the machine to recognize that it is charging and the battery light will change from green to orange.

I am not sure which circuitry controls this and at the moment I do not have the cash for a second battery to test my theory that it's the micro-controller in the battery that is at fault.

I am using an 8-cell battery, what kind is yours?

[Investinwaffles]

Well, I wish I could tell you what fixed the problem but I have no idea myself.

I tore down the laptop for no reason a long time ago, and it started its charging confusion about a month later so i think they may be linked. If I recall correctly, I lost one or two screws when I was putting it back together. I may have forgotten a screw on the mobo causing a grounding issue or something.

I think im going to tear it down over Thanksgiving break and get a screw kit off of ebay or something.


I have 2 batteries, the original IBM 8-cell which is worn past 60%. The new battery is an "AGPTek" branded battery I got off ebay. It does it with both batteries, but when I tried the off-brand one after not using it for a long time, it fixed the charging issue. And removing-replacing the battery while its on AC power didn't help anything.



EDIT:
What is/how do i do the battery reset? I am on XP Pro right now but will move to W7 after I buy an SSD (next few weeks).

[Temetka]

If you have the lenovo power manager software installed you should be able to open it up and under bettery health there should be a button to recondition or reset the battery. Basically it drains it totally then recharges it.

I'd know what the button is called if I wasn't booted into Linux right now.

[teetee]

I have a similar but kind of opposite issue.
Whenever I plug my X41 tablet in, 50% of the time the computer recognizes the AC adapter and start charging the battery but the charging rate is 0mW. In other words, the computer thinks it's charging the battery but it's not ( even when the battery is low ).

Also with only the AC adapter (battery removed), I can't power the system up. It's as if the AC adapter nor battery is present.

The same AC adapter and the battery were tested working on the other X41 tablet, so I guess it's something faulty on the motherboard.

[serek]

Hi,
Any luck finding the cause? I seem to have exactly the same problem with my x41 tablet. To make matters worse recently my battery died (it remains at 0% all the time) yet it doesn't shut down immediately after unplugging Oo' My sis also has the same thinkpad, but everything's ok with it. I tried using her battery and it works fine except for the 'allways plugged in' problem. Her laptop also doesn't charge my battery.
Oh, one thing I've noticed is that I started having problems around the time when I fiddled with undervolting CPU. Did you do something particular when those problems started to occur?

[Investinwaffles]

Hi,
Any luck finding the cause? I seem to have exactly the same problem with my x41 tablet. To make matters worse recently my battery died (it remains at 0% all the time) yet it doesn't shut down immediately after unplugging Oo' My sis also has the same thinkpad, but everything's ok with it. I tried using her battery and it works fine except for the 'allways plugged in' problem. Her laptop also doesn't charge my battery.
Oh, one thing I've noticed is that I started having problems around the time when I fiddled with undervolting CPU. Did you do something particular when those problems started to occur?

Nope, I bought a new battery and all is well now. Your battery has most likely failed by your description. I dont think undervolting caused any of this, because it was doing it before I undervolted the CPU. It was only after i completely tore-down and rebuilt my laptop that it started.

I may do a re-build of it soon. Re-apply arctic silver, blow all the dust out, thoroughly clean it, and fully re-assemble it.

[Harryc]

Where did you pick up a new battery?