Battery options and power configuration [T420]

[Quardah]

Hello!

I am running a T420 ThinkPad using Arch linux. So far so good, i really appreciate the configuration and the stock 6 cells battery gives me a good average 4 to 5 hours of casual usage.

Right now i am stuck into a dilemma which i would require experience users (you guys) to help me with. I wish to update my power configuration to a longer lasting one. Sadly, i am a little confused with everything written up on the internet with the new battery and such. Therefore, here are my questions :

First; i read that the T420 can have an ultrabay battery. Sadly, some sites says the ultrabay module is incompatible with the T420 (works only on "s" versions of thinkpads), others state it will work. Can you guys confirm that the ultrabay battery module would work?

Second; what's the deal with slice battery? Is it worth it or too expensive? Also, can i use my dock while the slice is on?

Third; Should i go with a 9 cell battery (replacing my 6 cells) or should i go with a slice battery to combine both? (your opinion)

Fourth; am i missing something to your knowledge? Is there any more battery options available for the T420?

Last of all, as a Bonus : currently running "acpi -i" in terminal i get that my current 6 cells battery is designed for 4147mAh. Reading about Lenovo's new battery (http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd024285) we can see 94Wh on 11.1V dc (which gives us about 8468mAh). Does that mean i should expect about twice the power time using this new battery?

Thanks!

[Hans Gruber]

The T410 and T420 both use the same battery. The T420s uses a different battery than the T410. I have not yet seen a T420s but I suspect the 3 cell battery is the same on the T410s and T420s. I think the T420s uses a slightly different 6 cell battery than the T410s. With the T420, your best bet is the 9cell battery. I have only one 9 cell battery myself. They last up to a couple hours longer than the 6 cell variant.

[Quardah]

The T410 and T420 both use the same battery. The T420s uses a different battery than the T410. I have not yet seen a T420s but I suspect the 3 cell battery is the same on the T410s and T420s. I think the T420s uses a slightly different 6 cell battery than the T410s. With the T420, your best bet is the 9cell battery. I have only one 9 cell battery myself. They last up to a couple hours longer than the 6 cell variant.

Cool! Which 9cells do you have? The 55++ or the 70++?

And how long average time do you have using laptop at about 50% brightness?

Thanks!

[Hans Gruber]

The T410 and T420 both use the same battery. The T420s uses a different battery than the T410. I have not yet seen a T420s but I suspect the 3 cell battery is the same on the T410s and T420s. I think the T420s uses a slightly different 6 cell battery than the T410s. With the T420, your best bet is the 9cell battery. I have only one 9 cell battery myself. They last up to a couple hours longer than the 6 cell variant.

Cool! Which 9cells do you have? The 55++ or the 70++?

And how long average time do you have using laptop at about 50% brightness?

Thanks!

70++ FRU P/N 45N1173
If the Thinkpad Power Management software is accurate. It has a cycle count of 9. I just got it today in the mail.

[Quardah]

Cool!

I was really checking out the 70++ as well as i believe it should double my total battery life!

Also i found this : http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads ... it.568716/

for the ultrabay battery. Now i'm pretty sure it would be compatible yet i would like to know if there's any official ultrabay battery for the t420. Because this looks cheap and terribly horrible while my current laptop is 100% clean with no fuss or crap. I would like to avoid using foam tape just to keep it very good looking.

Thanks

EDIT : I've also found on wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo_UltraBay that the T420 Serial Ultrabay Enhance would fit any Slim Ultrabay device with a 3mm gap. That being read, i can only say that i will defenetly give it a shot and remove the useless cd drive and swap it with a fresh new 43 battery.

[Hans Gruber]

I have several T410s models. It sounds like you want to go for the 8 to 10 hour battery life. I think the 9 cell is good for 6-7 hours. Those are conservative numbers. I am testing out using a ultra bay SATA caddy for a secondary HDD right now.