On-Board Circuitry for Dell Laptop Battery

The warranty is up

meaning if I turned power off my laptop stopped like there was no battery in it.

I specifically setup power schemes to cause the laptop to shutdown when the off button is pressed.

Remove battery and then press power button then replace battery...

Make sure you have a good connection at the power cord (where it plugs into the laptop) these things wear out over time and a short/bad connection could also throw the code.

Excessive heat and or humidity can cause...

Check the power configuration in control panel.

1. Let the battery run completely dead. (Make sure all your work is saved)

2. Fully charge battery (You may still have flashing lights but if you turn your computer on and enter BIOS you can see the charge level)

3. Once again run battery dead.

4. Remove battery and wait 5-10 minutes.

5. Replace battery and use in normal operation.


Also a note on why it sometimes does not fix even with a new battery. It seems that the battery is holding a charge but the level indicator is not properly communicating with the computer, therefore getting an error code. If you purchased a new battery, this process should clear the error.
Hope all works out for everyone.

Regards.

I like to add:

1.) I was also of this opinion that new batteries be chage & discharge cycles be done for 3/4 times to disable the "MEMORY" in Ni-Cd batteries but in a discussion few weeks before in reply to my question about the "Memory" in latest types of batteries being used in laptops & other appliances "Lithium Ion" , "Nickel Metal Hydride – NiMH" the reply was that "not in latest tpes"

2.) I have also experienced that if the "battery on board circuitry" in battery is faulty the battery is not connected to the system; neither in charging nor in load [to laptop].

I have worked n several such batteries. Individual cells or Cells Assy is OK & used these for other purposes like Raio, Flashlights etc and found giving a good service capacity & life.

The PCB inside the Battery is a sophisticated circuit & cannot be repaired as it is on a flexible PCD, all components of SMT [surface mounted Technology] and neither there is a source I could find for the PCB.

Open the Battery & check for cells condition. If are live then use as I am using or replace in another same ttpe having dead cells.

WARNING:

If you like charge these cells keeping in assembly with an external charger disconnect all the connection going to PCB to aviod damage to the PCB.

Have a fine day !!!!!

A note from an article:

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http://ezinearticles.com/?Types-Of-Laptop-Batteries&id=26358

Throughout the years there have been many technologies involved with notebooks, and laptop batteries are no different. There are actually three distinct notebook battery types on the market today. Knowing the difference between them will help you decide on exactly what to get when the time comes for a purchase.

In this article I will discuss the three different laptop battery types, as well as some of the advantages each one carries.

Nickel Cadmium

– NiCd batteries were actually the first rechargeable laptop batteries ever. Manufactures loved them because their cost was relatively low and they had a high output. You won't find Nickel Cadmium batteries being used anymore, due to them being heavier and not as efficient as the newer laptop batteries.

Nickel Metal Hydride

– NiMH batteries can still be found all over the place -- particularly for older model laptops. The rechargeable NiMH laptop battery was a big step up for notebook technology mostly in part because they were more reliable than the NiCd batteries, and they had an even higher output. The NiMH battery was also cheaper to produce, and safer to use.

The only issue with NiMH batteries is that they can have a memory effect. Basically, if you don't fully discharge the battery, it can remember this and leave you with a less than perfect battery output.

Lithium Ion

– LiON batteries are now used in most new laptops. Unlike the NiMH battery, LiON laptop batteries have no memory effect. LiON batteries are also lighter than both NiCd and NiMH notebook batteries. Both of these advantages equal out to the Lithium Ion battery being the most popular and most expensive among the various notebook power sources.

You are probably wondering which type of battery to get. Getting a Lithium Ion battery would be the best solution, and if you have the money that is what I recommend. If you cannot afford a LiON battery or your notebook is not compatible with one, then getting a NiMH battery is the next best thing.

Are you suggesting to replace the battery and use the old one for other purpose since the on board circuitry will prevent me from future use of this otherwise still good battery pack?

I know that HP used to program their plotter-cartridges so that after the use by date lapsed it prevented them from being used any further. (Later you could download a new software to enable to continue to use them with a warning....)

I suppose there's no such thing in this case, is there?

Regards.

Of course you have no option excet to get a new battery.

I have successfully renovated such batteries provided the PCB is OK & cells has either lost their capacity or reduced in capacity.

Note:

One thing I always found the individual cell voltage nearly 3.7V in Li-Ion battery assemblies.

Now I was looking for more info on batteries I found a new to me lithium_battery_breakthrough

in which it says "LiPo batteries 1 cell = 3.7 volts".

I think it may be this type or 3 Li-ion cells connected in series to make 3.7V

Now I will try to open one such cell to see what it is.

It's a Li-ion pack with six cells paralleled up in two then connected in series currently the total voltage is 11.73 volts as they are pretty much fully charged.

Each cell pair has a spot on 3.91volts within 10mv accuracy.

I suspect the on board circuitry because the battery tester never seemed to work, just like now. Whenever I keep pushing the test button it just doesn't work even if I link the switch.

That's what I always noticed.

It means you already have opened it.

Now I suggest:

1. connect wires with a 12v bulb, open ends finely solder to make a prod like points.

2. touch both prods to battery terminals [inside of battery on output connector.

and see how long the bulb runs.

NOTE:

a. lift up the 2 devices attached to battery cells, sensing thermister & resettable fuse,

b. if needed disconnect 1 or 2 wires conncted at taps of cells to monitor cells at different points.

Wish you best of the luck!

Do you know what rate can I safely recharge it?

I'm talking about a linear charger instead of switched mode power supply. It's a 4800mA li-ion pack and as I could work it out the on board PCB is faulty, not even the tester works on it.

Wonder if I could try to get that PCB bit from somewhere!

Rate of charge normally mentioned by manufacturers is:

Normal: C / 10 for 14 hurs &

Fast: c/5 for 7 hours.

Trickle: C/50 at this rate battery can be kept for long time without any damage.

I think this cutoff date thing is done in a lot of stuff to make us buy more. I have a Brother five in one that has been bitching about needing a drum forever, still prints just fine. Printers have counters for the ink that have to be reset or they get upset, too. You have to buy a twenty dollar toner cartridge to replace fifty cents worth of toner. It's a racket, all of it.

If you haven't wrecked your battery, try it in another dell, and try it's battery in yours.

Regards.

If the problem is in the Motherboard it may be working in the other Dell-laptop.

And if the PCB in battery is the culprit::

then::

I have tried it at least 3 times, but I should refer to an idiom popular in Bhaarat/Pakistan subcontinent in urdu meaning :

" Who is bad here is also bad in Lahore [one of the cities in Pakistan]"

جو ادھر خراب ہے وہ لاہور بھی خراب ہے

ha

Meaning if it's f....d here then it's f...d there too, am I right?

I would have tried it in somebody's laptop but I know nobody with Dell laptop.

Before the charge light started flashing orange for over 3 months I drained it, like I did a few times before, sadly after trying to charge it back up again it didn't work.

Since the on board tester doesn't work either hence I am less than convinced the cells are faulty because they still have excellent charge in them a can retain it also.

Yes.

Actually the light at the plug of charger will light blue or any colour if the battery is somewhat good & taking charge, but it has a little charge will not sustain any more.

If it was accepted by another laptop it means at least the battery PCB is intact & cells have drained their capavity.

In this battery if you carefully replace the cells I hope luck is with you.

Have a fine day hope you can do it

This is a little late response but, I have recently sorted my problem out by buying a new battery for £15.00 and is a 7200mA (Chinese) instead of 4800mA as the original Japanese.

When I took apart the original battery, after a while I found the culprits (TPC8107 FET).

As I found out, there's a russian programmer on youtube, who was forced to write a reset program for his printer coz manufacturers program many of their junks (oops! products) these days to barely last the warranty.

I guess this is the monetary-system at its best, wasting pressures minerals to build cheap junks not even to last long enough to recover their costs.