[ltp] Battery memory issue

[Ted Frater]

John Jason Jordan wrote:

>Thinkpad T61, about a month old, Gutsy amd64.
>
>My Thinkpad came with a 6-cell battery. One of the first things I did
>was to test it to see how long it would last under ordinary use. For
>me, "rodinary use" means running OOo Writer, surfing the net (with
>wireless), listening to streaming radio (wireless again), and
>miscellaneous things. Except for listening to radio, none are done
>simultaneously. I found that the 6-cell battery gave me about 3 hours
>use.
>
>A couple weeks ago I ordered a 9-cell battery, which all the literature
>said should give me six hours. Of course, the literature also said the
>6-cell battery would give me four hours, so I expected about five hours
>from the 9-cell battery. Today I tested it for the first time. After
>about three hours right-clicking on the battery icon in my gnome panel
>said I had about 1:15 left. About five minutes later I was suddenly
>staring at a black screen. No warning. And it would not restart. I
>reseated the battery, but it was totally dead. So my new 9-cell battery
>gives me about 3:05 hours, roughly the same as the original 6-cell
>battery.
>
>I have heard that batteries have a "memory," but I have no ken of how
>it works, except that apparently it has something to do with breaking
>in a new battery. The new 9-cell battery arrived 95% charged up, and
>was immediately charged to 100% where it sat (connected to the
>mini-dock) until today when I went to the university and discovered
>that it lasted only a little over three hours.
>
>There are two problems: 1) Why does my new 9-cell battery give me only
>a little over three hours and, 2) Why did Gutsy give me no warning
>before the battery died?
>
>Any suggestions and observations welcome.
>  
>
An excellent descriptive outline, but Id need a few more facts
You say your thinkpad is only a month old.
I presume its a month from new,
also the 6 cell battery is a genuine IBM.
Now, is the 9 cell also a genuine IBM?
or an aftermarket one?,
This will make a difference in a no of ways.
For example,
we have here an A21P, yes an old laptop but still a super one.
It had an IBM battery init that came to the end of its life.
this Thinkpad had the latest Bios on it.
I have a supplyof aftermarket batteries that are fine .
We put it into the Thinkpad and it wouldnt show it was being charged. 
Running Ubuntu Gutsy.
Now I have the same thinkpad with thesame battery running Slackware 10 
BUT with its original bios. from 2000.
We put the new baterry in my Thinkpad and it worked fine and showed 
proper charging data.
So in our case the latest bios had some code to deliberately obscure the 
aftermarket battery functions.
Wedowngraded the bios to the 1st version and it then worked fine
Now in your case it could be that yor 6 cell is exceptional and the 9 
cell is a poor one.
youd need to try several anothers to be sure if its a faulty battery.

Await your further info.
.