Thinkpads Forum

I've got 4 batteries that fit a 600x I have, and none of them will take a charge. Is there any way to revive them, or should I just pitch the entire lot?

I have heard (well, read actually...) that some people have been able to take apart the battery pack, isolate the one cell that has gone bad, replace it, and revive it. If that's not your cup of tea, then you can try one of the re-celling services that will install higher capacity cells, effectively going up to 4400mAh, for about $50. The one I have personally used is:

http://www.batteryrefill.com/laptops/ib ... 00_d.phtml

You pay for the 'new' battery, wait about 2 weeks for them to arrive, then when they do, ship them your old batteries so they can re-cell them and sell them to somebody else. The only problem I have with them is how they are glued back together. The shell next to the battery terminal is slightly loose but it does maintain contact once it is installed into the laptop. Battery life is around 2.5 hours with the system being used most of the time (i.e. screen is on and hard drive is spinning).

edit: BTW you may want to check this thread:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=25817

I don't know how much use this info will be to you (you're in the US and I'm in Australia), but I have had very good dealings with a Chinese guy here in Sydney, who specialises in batteries, especially laptop batteries. He has a web site, but I have met him personally, and I found him to be very knowledgeable, indeed!

He can also get batteries "repacked," i.e., new cells put into them, which costs less (IIRC) than buying new batteries. (I'm not really exactly sure on that). He deals with another guy in Brisbane (that's about 500 miles north of Sydney, in another state), who specialises in repacking the batteries. It's not something you can do yourself unless you have the right skills.

A TP600 battery (I'm not sure if it's the same as a 600X battery) has four cells, each about double the length and thickness of a standard AA-size battery. They have to be hard-wired in a special way to a small circuit board inside the battery casing. It is that circuit board which regulates the charging process and tells the computer how much charge is remaining.

You could have a look at the laptop batteries web site and you can email him through his web-based email interface. His name is James Huang. I can't remember the name of the battery repacker in Brisbane, but I think he would probably tell you if you ask.

Even if it's not worthwhile for you to deal with an Australian company, (because of the distance involved), I think he would probably be able to point you towards a suitable dealer in the US.

Anyway, the website is:

http://www.laptopbattery.net.au/

Hope this helps. Good luck with it!