My original 9 cell Lenovo battery pack dropped from 3 hrs to 2 hrs capacity after a couple of years. So when it stopped working, "battery not detected", I thought it was forced into retirement due to low capacity. In fact I opened the pack and all cells were within millivolts and were good to at least 2 Ah which made me very unhappy. I get an aftermarket 9 cell pack, and it arrives with zero volts. eBay seller quickly sends me another. But the W540 cannot detect it. I order two 6 cell packs from two other vendors. None are detected by the W540.
So it strikes me maybe there is something wrong with the connector, and not that the handshakes had failed by these aftermarket manufacturers. Lo and behold, the two positive pins on the laptop were bent, and so was the plastic tongue. It turns out that you can gently force in the battery and hear the double click of the lock, and due to misalignment, this would bend the pins. No connection will be established if the male pins on the laptop are bent. After straightening them, which breaks the plastic tongue guide, I was able to insert the battery and the battery is now recognized.
So if you get a "battery not detected" error, before suspecting the cells or the pack, you may want to check the male connector pins on the laptop and make sure they are all straight. Also check the female connector on the pack as that can be bent, or the female connector pushed into the pack. I believe the alignment of the battery connector is a bit off with respect to the battery, and that is causing this bending of the pins. It just goes to show that Lenovo has not designed the battery connection properly, or is failing in QC.
Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
W540 warning - bad battery connector
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
W540 USB overcurrent diags failure
by basscleff » Sat Oct 14, 2023 5:38 pm » in ThinkPad W530/W540/W541/W550 Series - 0 Replies
- 3025 Views
-
Last post by basscleff
Sat Oct 14, 2023 5:38 pm
-
-
-
NEW FHD IPS SCREEN FOR W540
by kiterunner » Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:37 am » in ThinkPad W530/W540/W541/W550 Series - 0 Replies
- 35 Views
-
Last post by kiterunner
Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:37 am
-
-
-
*WARNING: LARGE PIC* Battery FRU 02DL023 (61++)
by kdoshi8 » Wed Nov 08, 2023 11:36 pm » in ThinkPad T430-T490 / T530-T590 Series - 2 Replies
- 22983 Views
-
Last post by kdoshi8
Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:21 am
-
-
-
X131e Bad CMOS Battery - Unresponsive
by PinkFloydEffect » Sat Feb 17, 2024 1:29 am » in ThinkPad X100e/X120e/X130e/X140e Series - 2 Replies
- 738 Views
-
Last post by PinkFloydEffect
Sat Feb 17, 2024 2:28 pm
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests