Knowledge about batteries

There are three main types of batteries currently used in laptop computers: 1. Nickel-cadmium batteries, 2. Nickel-metal hydride batteries, and 3. Lithium batteries; they are generally expressed as: nickel-cadmium NI-CD, nickel-hydrogen NI- MH, lithium battery LI. When purchasing or replacing laptop batteries, “battery cells” may be unfamiliar to many users. First of all, it should be stated that cells and batteries are two different concepts. A battery is composed of several small units that are slightly larger than your thumb, cylindrical, about 7.8 cm high, and have a voltage of 3.6v. The professional name is 18650. Sanyo and Samsung are the largest manufacturers of battery cells. Just like small batteries, after being connected in series, they become the batteries we see. Next, let’s talk about how to judge the number of cores of a battery: One way: pull out the battery and look at the number of contacts. The number of contacts indicates the number of cores. But this is the "minister's" approach. Let's take a look at how "Cao Chong" is "scaled": take a look at the nominal V of your battery, such as 14.4v, and then divide it by 3.6 to get 4, which proves that 4 batteries are connected in series. Then look at the capacity of the entire battery, such as 4400mAh, which proves that there are two sets of series-connected battery packs mentioned above, because those small batteries have a capacity of 2000-2200mAh or even more, and the two sets must be combined to reach 4400mAh. According to these two judgments, this battery is 4×2=8 cells.

Edit this paragraph The composition of a laptop battery

A laptop battery is composed of a casing, a circuit board and a battery core, and is a lithium-ion battery. Generally speaking, the battery cell refers to the number of cells in the battery, and mAh refers to the capacity of the laptop battery. The circuit board is mainly composed of two parts: a protection circuit (or secondary protection circuit) and a capacity indication circuit, which manages the charge, discharge and safety of the notebook battery. The standby time of a laptop battery is mainly determined by the mAh value. Generally speaking, the more cells there are, the greater the mAh value and the longer the standby time. The life of a laptop battery is mainly measured by the number of charges and discharges. Products with qualified quality are generally 500-600 times. Therefore, the effective service life of a laptop battery is less than 2 years. Expired batteries will age and the standby time will drop sharply, which will affect the mobility of the laptop.

Edit this section of laptop battery usage tips

In fact, when a laptop battery is fully charged, it basically only lasts about two hours. How to make good use of the laptop battery and how to extend its battery life? Issues such as usage time and service life are undoubtedly a problem that troubles the majority of notebook computer users. There are many methods and techniques for using notebook computer batteries, which require us to learn and apply more in daily use.

(1) Quickly enter hibernation state

In order to save battery energy when the laptop is not used temporarily, we can set the power management scheme to make the system enter hibernation state after a period of time. , but this may take a few minutes. Is there any way to put the laptop system into hibernation immediately? A simple way to quickly put the laptop system into hibernation is to directly turn off the display. Simply pressing the display screen will put the laptop into sleep mode immediately, effectively saving battery energy. When you need to use it again, just open the display and the system will automatically return to the state before operation.

(2) Screen power-saving methods

The TFT screen is the most power-consuming component in laptops. In order to reduce the power it consumes when using the battery, laptop manufacturers have come up with unique solutions. However, generally speaking, the method is to reduce the screen brightness or even turn off the screen. The brightness of the screen can be customized in the power management settings of some laptops. Most laptops can adjust the brightness of the screen through specific shortcut keys. Generally, there are 6 to 8 levels of brightness adjustment.

(3) Configure energy-saving settings

Desktop computers use alternating current. Most people may not pay much attention to the energy-saving function of computers, but for notebook computers that need to be powered by batteries, Therefore, the use of energy-saving functions should be taken seriously.

How to design computer hardware to be more energy-efficient is not a problem that users have to solve. What users can do is effectively use energy-saving options on their computer settings. There are two energy-saving settings that require user adjustment: First, there are energy-saving settings in the computer's BIOS setup program; the most important thing is that there are many energy-saving settings and operations in the operating system. When the microcomputer system is actually executed, the energy-saving settings in the Windows system should take priority over the settings in CMOS. 1. Energy-saving settings in BIOS In the CMOS settings, there is usually a "Power Savings" item, in which you can select multiple options such as "Maximum Battery Life" and "Maximum Performance". "Maximum Battery Life" is the default power saving mode setting. There are several states of notebook computer energy-saving mode, such as Idle Mode, Standby Mode, and Suspend Mode. The reason why these settings on the laptop can adjust the power consumption is mainly to timely shut down some system devices that are not needed after the computer enters the energy-saving state. For example, when in the waiting state, turn off the monitor and hard drive; after entering the hibernation state, in addition to turning off the monitor and hard drive, you can also save the contents of the memory to the hard drive. The entire computer system basically remains closed. Once the computer is activated or restarted, the desktop Will restore to the exact state before hibernation. The energy-saving settings in CMOS mainly set the Standby Timeout time from Idle Mode to Standby Mode, and set the Suspend Timeout time from Standby Mode to Suspend Mode. Most laptops use Phoenix BIOS. Different BIOS energy-saving settings may be different, and you should read the on-screen prompts carefully. 2. Energy-saving settings in Windows For ordinary users, energy-saving management in Windows systems may be clearer and simpler. In the Windows Help file, under the entry "Managing Hardware and Software", there are two items related to energy saving on laptops: "Managing Energy Consumption" and "Managing Power on Laptops" in "Using Laptops". You should read these before making Windows energy-saving settings. In the Windows "Control Panel", click "Power Management" to open the "Power Management Properties" dialog box. In the "Power Management Properties" dialog box, you should set the "Power Usage Scheme" to "Portable/Laptop" and arrange the options such as "System Wait", "Turn Off Monitor", "Turn Off Hard Disk" and so on. There will be some differences in the options that can be operated by different computers. Newly manufactured computers and the latest software will have more operable options. Detailed settings should be based on the functions of the computer itself and the Windows help file. In addition, if your laptop has a built-in infrared port, disabling it when not in use can also extend the battery life of your laptop.

(4) Alarm settings

Setting the battery power alarm function can prompt users to save information in time. The method is to click to open the "Control Panel", double-click the "Power" option, and click the "Alarm" menu bar. The "Low Battery Alert" bar is 10 by default in Windows 98, and the "Critical Battery Shortage Alert" bar is 3 in Windows 98 by default. Appropriate modifications are required. Click the [Alarm Response] button of both, select both "Audio Alert" and "Display Message", and "Power Level" can be unchecked. In this way, when the battery reaches the alarm limit, a warning window will automatically pop up, and the buzzer will sound an alarm to remind the user to save the information in time. Finally, click the [OK] button to exit the power management settings.

(5) Turn on the energy-saving function

As we have already introduced in the section "Technology for Extending Laptop Battery Life", the energy-saving function is a technology used by the CPU, which allows It will achieve the best balance between the laptop's performance and its battery life. Most new models of laptops have support for CPU energy-saving technology in the BIOS. It is enabled by default. If it is not enabled, just enter the BIOS and turn on the support option.

(6) Use third-party software to monitor the battery usage status

In addition to the built-in power management function of Windows, there are many tools and programs that can monitor the battery usage status. For example, PowerCenter is a power monitoring tool that can be downloaded for free (/TimothyBug/powercenter/index.htm). Only 800KB, it is a software specially designed for laptop computers. In addition to displaying the battery percentage, PowerCenter also displays the actual usable time in hours and minutes. PowerCenter*** has 3 display modes. (1)FullDisplay: Display detailed information in the opened window, including whether to use battery or AC power, remaining battery percentage and available time, etc. (2) CompactDisplay: Always displayed at the top of the window during use. (3) MinimizeDisplay: Make PowerCenter shrink to the Windows taskbar, and the information displayed is relatively simple. PowerCenter is also equipped with a control center that can make up to 6 warning prompts. When the battery drops to a certain level, the user is warned in time and the file being processed is saved. In order not to waste power and CPU resources, PowerCenter automatically detects changes in battery status.

(7) Deliberate use of batteries

Use batteries regularly to ensure full charging. If you need to completely use up the power in the battery, the specific method is: in the Power Management dialog box, select the specific power mode of Battery Drain, and set all three Running on Batteries options to Never, so that the notebook will Keep running. Select that mode, then go to the Alarms tab and uncheck the Low Battery and Critical Battery warning checkboxes (so the machine doesn't go into pause when the battery gets low). Next, let the computer run tasks that take up a lot of CPU time. For example, the computer automatically runs some complex 3D demonstration programs. This will quickly use up the remaining power in the battery. Of course, don’t forget to unplug the AC power when doing these things. plug.

(8) First activation of laptop battery

Most laptop manufacturers state when the products leave the factory that newly purchased laptops should be fully discharged three times. Fully charge/discharge the battery, preferably more than 14 hours. It is this sentence that makes the majority of notebook computer users have a wrong view. In fact, laptops will activate the battery in the product before leaving the factory. In order to avoid natural loss affecting battery performance, a small amount of electricity will be included. Since the laptop battery will automatically stop working after a full charge, there is no need to keep the charging time to 12 hours. Generally speaking, a newly purchased laptop only needs to be activated according to the normal charging/discharging method.

Edit this section on how to repair laptop batteries

(1) Causes of battery damage

Laptop batteries often become undercharged after being used for a long time , or even shows that the battery is damaged. The specific manifestation is that the internal resistance becomes larger and the voltage at both ends rises faster during charging. In this way, it is easy to be judged as full by the charging control circuit, and the capacity will naturally decrease.

Because the internal resistance of the battery is relatively large, the voltage drops greatly and quickly during discharge, so the system can easily mistakenly believe that the voltage is insufficient and the battery is insufficient. When you find that the battery working time is relatively short, you should take appropriate measures.

(2) Use the battery refresh program to restore the battery’s discharge time

Most brand laptops have battery refresh programs, which we can use to repair the battery. For example: an IBM Thinkpad 390/262650 notebook computer is equipped with a nickel metal hydride (Ni-Mh) battery. Due to improper charging and discharging at ordinary times, the discharge time of the battery is getting shorter and shorter, with only less than 5 minutes remaining. If It is very inconvenient to carry a laptop to work outside. Is there any way to restore the battery's discharge time? In response to the above situation, we can use the battery refresh program launched by IBM to refresh the battery and restore its discharge time. The specific method is as follows . (1) Use AC power to power the laptop. First go to ftp://fip. pc. ibm. com/pub/pccbbs/mobiles/isbr01ww． exe download the TP390/390e/390x series laptop battery refresh program provided by IBM. (2) Restart the computer, press the F8 key to enter the boot menu, and select safe DOS mode. (3) Enter the directory where the file you just downloaded is located, execute the battery refresh program isbr0lww, exe, read the warning message, insert the floppy disk as required, and then press the Enter key to perform the self-extracting operation. (4) Use this floppy disk to boot the computer, and StartingPC-DOS will appear on the screen. ． ． Prompt information. (5) Unplug the AC power supply as prompted, and the program will automatically discharge the Ni-Mh battery. After the discharge is completed, the system will automatically shut down. (6) Since the battery temperature is high at this time, you should not turn on the phone immediately. Let the battery cool down for a while before plugging in the AC power supply. (7) Boot the computer with a floppy disk, this time Autoexec. The bat file will automatically run the refresh program and ask the user whether to proceed. After selecting yes, press Enter. (8) At this time, the refresh program begins to refresh the battery, and the process is very fast. When you return to the DOS prompt A: gt;, it means that the refresh has been completed. (9) Turn off the computer and charge the battery until the indicator light turns green. (10) Repeat the above process 3 times to get the best results. In addition, many lithium battery failures are caused by the failure of a certain cell in the battery pack, which is unavoidable. Because the cell properties of each battery cannot be exactly the same, some of poorer quality will begin to age after being used for a long time, destroying the overall (after series connection) discharge curve. Readers who are interested and capable can try to open the battery pack, and with the help of a multimeter, they can quickly find the damaged battery cell (abnormal voltage). If conditions permit, just replace the qualified product according to the corresponding parameters of the battery core.

Edit this paragraph about laptop battery maintenance

1. When there is no external power supply, if the card in the PCMCIA slot is not temporarily needed for the current working conditions, it is recommended to remove the card first to extend the battery life. 2. Room temperature (20-30 degrees) is the most suitable operating temperature for the battery. An operating environment with too high or too low temperature will reduce the battery life. 3. When using the laptop in an environment that provides stable power, removing the battery can extend battery life. As far as ASUS laptops are concerned, when the battery is fully charged, the charging circuit in the battery will automatically shut down, so overcharging will not occur. 4. It is recommended to perform battery power calibration once every three months on average. 5. Minimize the number of times the battery is used. The number of times the battery is charged and discharged is directly related to its lifespan. Every time it is charged, the battery is one step closer to retirement. It is recommended that you use an external power supply as much as possible, 6. The battery should be removed when using external power supply. Some users often plug and unplug the power supply multiple times a day, and the laptop is equipped with a battery. Doing so will cause greater damage to the battery. Because every time the external power supply is connected, it is equivalent to charging the battery once, and the battery life will naturally be shortened.

7. Recharge after the battery is exhausted and avoid charging for too long. Whether your notebook uses lithium battery or nickel metal hydride battery, be sure to charge it after the battery is exhausted (the battery is lower than 1). This is the best way to avoid the memory effect. . Lithium batteries also have a memory effect, but its memory effect is smaller than that of nickel metal hydride. 8. Precautions for daily use: During daily use, avoid exposure to the sun, moisture, chemical liquid erosion, and contact between battery contacts and metal objects.

Edit this paragraph about notebook battery cells

At present, notebook batteries are mainly divided into 3-cell, 4-cell, 6-cell, 8-cell, 9-cell, 12-cell, etc. To put it simply, a 4-cell battery can last for 2 hours, a 6-cell battery can last for 3 hours, and so on. Of course, the larger the number of cells, the longer the battery life, and of course the higher the price, but the stability will be worse than that with fewer cells. Ordinary home users are recommended to use the number of cores that come standard with their computers, such as 3-core or 4-core, because they are mainly used at home and have a stable power supply. Ordinary office users recommend using 6-cell and 8-cell batteries because the standby time is relatively long, making your office more convenient. If you have high mobile office requirements, you can consider 9-cell and 12-cell batteries. These batteries are too heavy to carry and are not as stable as 6-cell and 8-cell batteries. In fact, 6-core and 8-core are enough, because 6-core and 8-core can last more than 3 hours in normal office use, but it is different if you play games.

Edit the parameters of lithium batteries used in laptops in this paragraph

First of all, let’s introduce the 18650 batteries used in laptops. The usual capacity is 2200mAh (milliamp hours), which can be interpreted as: 3.7 V voltage, 2200mA (milliamp) current power supply, can be used for 1 hour (hour). Higher specification capacities are 2400mAh and 2600mAh (most Sanyo batteries are used, and most Sony notebooks use 2600mAh specifications). The following takes the common 3.7V/2200mAh battery cell as an example. 1. The commonly referred to three-cell battery is a battery pack formed by three 18650 cells connected in series. The final marked parameters of the battery pack are 11.1V/2200mAh. 11.1V=3.7V×3. When connected in series, the output current remains unchanged at 2200mAh. There are also ones marked 10.8V, that is, a voltage drop occurs in a single cell, resulting in a reduction in the total voltage. Most of the popular netbooks on the market now have battery packs with this specification. 2. There are two situations for four-cell batteries: four in series and two in series and two in parallel. The final marked parameters of the four series-connected battery packs are: 14.8V/2200mAh. 14.8V=3.7V×4. When connected in series, the output current remains unchanged at 2200mAh. Two series and two parallel means that four batteries are divided into two groups. Two pairs are connected in series and then in parallel. The final marked parameters of the battery pack are: 7.4V/4400mAh. 7.4V=3.7V×2, the output current is 4400mAh=2200mAh×2. Nowadays, most medium-sized notebooks (12.1-inch, 13.3-inch, etc.) on the market have battery packs of this specification. Three and six-cell batteries are generally three in series and two in parallel, that is, the six cells are divided into two groups of three, three in series and then in parallel. The final marked parameters of the battery pack are 11.1V/4400mAh. 11.1V=3.7V×3, the output current is 4400mAh=2200mAh×2. Some high-end laptops use six-cell batteries. Of course, there are also batteries with six or more cells, such as nine-cell batteries.

Edit this paragraph: How to check the battery capacity of a laptop

After reading so much, friends who buy laptops will ask, how to check the battery capacity? Four-core batteries in series (14.8V/2200mAh) and two in series and two in parallel (7.4V/4400mAh) are the same. Why does one say 2200 and the other 4400? Here is a concept. Everyone knows that the power consumption of home appliances is calculated in "degrees", 1 degree = 1000Wh (watt-hour). However, the battery power of laptops is small, and it is obviously unreasonable to measure it in "degrees", so the internationally used one is "mWh" (milliwatt-hour, that is, one thousandth of a degree).

Friends who have studied physics know that W (watt, power unit) = V (volt, voltage unit) × A (ampere, current unit), so you can calculate that the 18650 battery cell capacity is 3.7V × 2200mAh = 8.14Wh , thus knowing that the three-cell battery capacity is 8.14×3=24.42Wh, the four-cell battery capacity is 8.14×4=32.56Wh, and the six-cell battery capacity is 8.14×6=48.84Wh. These data are exactly equal to the product of the marked parameters of the battery pack. Taking six-core as an example, 48.84Wh=11.1V×4400mAh. Seeing this, everyone should know how to look at the battery capacity of a laptop, not by looking at the mAh at the back, but by calculating Wh. Now major notebook computer manufacturers are clearly marking the battery capacity Wh on the battery pack in accordance with the aviation law.