This is a static archive of the old Zorin Forum.

The information below may be outdated. Visit the new Zorin Forum here ›

If you have registered on the old forum, you will need to create an account on the new forum.

Battery reset

Bloggsworth

Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:21:25 pm

How would one "Reset" a battery under Linux? My old battery shows 100% charge then peters out after 20 odd minutes, my other, new, battery charges up to 61% and no further. I'm sure that there was a way of resetting a battery under windows, by running it down in command mode; can one do something similar in Zorin?

Wolfman

Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:31:10 am

Hi BW,

run your PC under battery power only and run it down completely, once it is completely depleted and you get the warnings about low battery power, switch it off, restart with the charger plugged in!.

If you are only using a laptop/notebook at home, you should deplete the battery and then remove it and run the PC on mains only, every time the laptop boots, it grabs at the battery and eventually reduces the battery life!. every few months, put the battery back in and charge it again and repeat delepletion routine!.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/lap ... tery-life/

http://www.wikihow.com/Extend-Laptop-Battery-Life

Bloggsworth

Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:06:41 pm

After 3 discharge/charge cycles the battery went up to 63%, after the 4th cycle it showed 36%! I was surprised to findt the charger very cool, so I dug out my trusty multimeter, wondering if the PSU was going down, but no, it showed 15.3V, very slightly higher than the rated 15V; so it's either the new battery, or the charger circuit/control in the computer itself.

Wolfman

Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:43:10 am

If you buy a replacement charger for laptops, you must make sure that the voltage matches the original as it can end up burning out the PC completely!, even a 0.1 MA increase in power can make a major difference!.

Bloggsworth

Mon Apr 28, 2014 9:20:08 am

Wolfman wrote:If you buy a replacement charger for laptops, you must make sure that the voltage matches the original as it can end up burning out the PC completely!, even a 0.1 MA increase in power can make a major difference!.


I would take issue with that assertion. Current is what can be drawn, if the computer, at any one time, only needs 2 amps, it will only draw 2 amps. If a computer, whose PSU is rated at 3 amps, and you use instead a PSU of the same voltage but capable of supplying 5 amps the computer will be fine if it is only drawing 2 amps, and OK up to 3 amps, but if you load it with peripherals and it starts to draw 5 amps, then it will be in trouble, as the internal circuitry would not be designed for that load. Over-voltage is, however, a problem.

The psu I am using is a Toshiba one rated at 15V @ 5A Max (75 Watts), the input is the same, the 15.3V I measured was not under load, I would expected it to drop when actually powering the computer. I suppose I could find a 15V torch bulb, or 10 LEDs in series, and see what the voltage is when under load.

After 10 hours charging overnight it is now showing 46%, and I could leave it plugged in all day and it wouldn't change, yet, run it down and recharge it and it might, tomorrow, show 36%, 46% or 60%, there's no way of knowing; "Erratic" make the problem more difficult to diagnose.

Wolfman

Mon Apr 28, 2014 4:56:53 pm

Hi BW,

I suppose it depends on what charger you buy, a real replacement or a generic one!:

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose ... dapter.htm

Bloggsworth

Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:04:03 pm

Wolfman wrote:Hi BW,

I suppose it depends on what charger you buy, a real replacement or a generic one!:

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose ... dapter.htm


I'm not planning on buying a charger, the symptoms are not those of a duff charger.