[ltp] Almost dead battery

[Bret Waldow]

 Many of the users of Thinkpads want to use older models, and there are many users.
Quite a few of the older Thinkpads used cylindrical cells - like 18650s.  Some older and many newer don't, but those are usually very thin and might benefit from a Thinkpad-sized flat external battery pack - there are some on the market now.
For us with older Thinkpads, I wonder about a case that permits user replacement of the cells... a business opportunity.
    On Wednesday, 20 April 2022, 05:50:12 am AWST, Stefan Monnier <monnier at iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:  
 
 > The shop cuts open the plastic battery case, solders/welds
> replacement cells to the original circuit board, then
> seamlessly repairs the cut.  The battery looks "original"
> to X-Ray and visual inspection, so that airport security
> doesn't complain when you fly with your Thinkpad.

I think it's generally called "battery refill".
An Internet search for "laptop battery refill" turns up a small number
of candidates.

> Perhaps one of you already knows of such a source.

I've used such a service here in Canada some years ago for a battery for
my thinkpad X30 (and it worked great), but they stopped offering
the service.

IIUC the problem is a mix of various problems:

- It's a dying market (with batteries getting less and less standard and
  harder and harder to take out and replace).
- It was not cost-competitive: lots of expensive (and somewhat
  dangerous) manual work by skilled individuals.
- It was not reliable: apparently in many cases the battery's charging
  controller IC refused to work with the new cells.
- It was based on "send your battery and we'll return it refilled" which
  means spending several days without your battery.
  In practice that meant that I first bought a second battery and only
  when that second battery seemed to get near its end of life did
  I send my first for a refill.  Of all the users of laptops, there are
  sadly few who keep them long enough to need a third battery.

It's hard to make a living in those conditions.

:-(


-- Stefan

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