IBM 600 Series Laptops and Flaky Batteries?

netdemonboberb asks: "I don't know where else we should turn, because no site will write articles on [this subject] and IBM is denying that their IBM 600 series laptops have flaky batteries. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute distributed these laptops to freshman students in 1999 and almost everyone I knew in my class had this issue. Ralph Levien's page has suggested it appears to be an issue with the 'Smart Monitoring' circuitry. I'm writing this article to get the issue out in the open so IBM can no longer deny it. These batteries are expensive, and I have had to replace mine 4 times already. Can anyone who reads/maintains slashdot help or provide any advice on getting resolution for this?" I must say that from personal experience, I've wondered if this might be the case as well. I have an IBM Thinkpad 600e laptop and I've already gone through 2 batteries. The laptop is currently inactive as it must be tied to the wall if it is to be used. Has anyone else experienced shorter-than-average battery life using these laptops? Were you able to do anything to improve the battery life?

Comments

Betteries don't last forever.

[TheCrazyFinn]

These laptops are 3-4 years old. Laptop batteries last 1-2 years under moderate use, less if you recharge more often (Heavily used ones last under 6 months sometimes).

Where's the problem?

Re:Betteries don't last forever.

[msgmonkey]

Thinkpads use lithium ion cells which have an average cycle life of only 500. You can get ones which reach upto 2000 cycles but they tend to be very specialized.

Re:Betteries don't last forever.

[cobbaut]

I don't know what you mean by average use. Back in 2000 we had about 18 of those Thinkpad 600 laptops, some owners are developers, other are sales, other are managers. ALL of the batteries were replaced within one year, and again most of them a second time within the next year.

I still have this laptop (Pentium 2-266), attached to the power. I'm not buying a third battery for it, it really is too expensive.

On the other hand, nothing but good comments on the Thinkpad series!

cheers from Belgium

Re:Betteries don't last forever.

[darkwiz]

Ok, once again I feel compelled to add something to a battery discussion.

First: The single worst thing you can do for a normal battery pack is to run it all the way down. You'll almost certainly reverse some of the cells, which will KILL the overall battery life (one bad cell in the group will cause a dramatic shelf effect on the available current).

Leaving it on the charger continuously is generally believed to be a bad thing as well (causing things like crystalline growth), but exercise, not exhaustion, is a good practice.

The main problem here is that no two cells are alike. If the cells discharge asymmetrically, they'll recharge asymmetrically as well. You end up with a cell or two in the pack that is still not completely charged when the rest are. Since the voltage is still not at the peak, the charger continues dumping current in which damages the full cells. If you take it off prematurely, the cells with more charge will damage the cells that didn't completely charge.

The problem is : as long as the cells are charged and discharged in series - this is basically unavoidable. You'll get the best cell life out of charging and discharging them in parallel. However, this is more expensive - and therefore no manufacturers use it.

Shorter than average life

[moc.tfosorcimgllib]

I would suggest contacting the Better Business Bureau to get these complaints addressed.

Define "average"?

[Maeryk]

I have deployed and supported both Thinkpad 600 and 600X configurations, and Dell Latitude 366 and 300 MHZ models, and they all seem to have batteries that last just over a year.

Literally, to the point that we will get a sudden surge.. six or so a week, of stone dead batteries. A little digging on my part led me to believe that the six came in together as well, and they usually died a little bit over a year after purchase. (Note, this is a "little bit" after the warranty.. batteries are warranted for one year from date of purchase of the LAPTOP not the battery, at least here.)

Now, the IBM's have a charging circuit that keeps the battery "conditioned". Would this kill a battery in a year? Probably. WHat I know a lot of people do is ONLY put the battery in if they are going to use it off AC. Charge it for an hour before you need it, and run it down. When you get back to your desk, pop the battery out, and dock without the battery.. that seems to be the "rage" as rumored by our customers who have traveled to Japan, where they claim people do this.

YMMV, but as a tech who supports about 1K of these things, yeah.. the batteries die in a year, and yeah, the IBM party line is "this is normal".

Maeryk

Re:Conditioning...

[jakedata]

Ack! NO!!!! Not for lithium cells!

If you actually managed to fully drain a lithium battery, you would run the risk of polarity reversal. That is BAD! Part of the reason lithium battery packs have a microchip is to shut them off before they fully discharge. The chip also regulates the charge cycle so they don't grenade from overcharging.

NiCD batteries develop a charge memory and must be conditioned. NiMH batteries do to but to a much lesser extent. Lead acid batteries are the exact opposite, keep 'em charged up at all times.

Just remember, who's lap it's on top of.

Re:What is average life?

[swordboy]

IBM actually distributes a "maintenance and care" flyer with their new Thinkpad's. It clearly states that the battery is a consumable item with performance tapering over the useful life. As far as I am concerned, the 600 series batteries lasted much longer than the Compaq's or Dell's, which go bad after about a year.

Since the battery warranty is only good for one year, it helps to simply call it in for repair at this point. Or get the Best Buy 4-year service contract. I've had them replace a stack of 600 series batteries over this kind of time frame.