Z60m stopped using its battery

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Tygur · #1 Post by **Tygur** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:34 pm

My ThinkPad Z60m suddenly stopped using its battery. At the time this started, the battery strength percentage was in the 30's. Since then, it's been dropping very slowly, so that now it's at 18% weeks later. If I unplug it, it shuts off instantly. So it's as if there is no battery at all. It does notice that it's plugged in (the correct led lights up, and everything else indicates that it's on ac power). Even so, battery strength has been gradually declining, even though it is usually plugged in, and won't power on at all when it isn't.

After this started, I took the battery out, and discovered that something sticky had gotten in between the battery and the rest of the laptop. I've since cleaned it off, but I'm concerned that it got inside a gap that I noticed. In the gap, I can see the edge of a circuit board of some sort.

Is it likely that I can replace something inside this laptop and get it working again?

sarbin · #2 Post by **sarbin** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 1:17 pm

how many cycles does the battery show in either battery maximiser or power manager?

Tygur · #3 Post by **Tygur** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:07 pm

904
How many is a lot?

sarbin · #4 Post by **sarbin** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:10 pm

904 certainly qualifies as "a lot".

how old is the battery?

Tygur · #5 Post by **Tygur** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:59 pm

The manufacture date is given as 2005-10-24, and the first use date is given as 2005-12, which sounds about right. So yeah, it's from around December 2005.

I've been doubting it's the battery, though, because isn't it supposed to gradually fail, rather than suddenly, as in my case? I didn't notice any problem, and then suddenly the battery's completely ineffective (as if it's not even there), and not charging up anymore, even though everything indicates that it does have a charge, though it is losing it, and nothing (else) is telling me that the battery itself is failing. The condition is given as "Good".

#6 Post by **richk** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:49 pm

400 charge cycles are a lot. 900 cycles are A REALLY BIG LOT

Tygur · #7 Post by **Tygur** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:59 am

Well, I'm off to order a battery. I hope you're both right, and I'm wrong. I'll update when it comes.

Tygur · #8 Post by **Tygur** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:42 pm

New battery arrived today, and is working. As you suspected, it was the battery, and I was thinking wrong. Thanks to both of you for telling me what was apparently so obvious to you.

Z60m stopped using its battery

Z60m stopped using its battery

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