Fwd: [ltp] battery trouble

[Micha]

On Fri, 1 Aug 2008 23:21:30 +0200
"Hendrik-Jan Heins" <hjheins@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've contacted Lenovo support. They told me that that means my battery is
> dead. No waranty or anything (The machine is exactly one year and one month
> old).
> 
> Not really happy with this :-(
> 
> Isn't there any way to fix this or to bypass the circuit?
> 

Bypassing the circuit (at least the battery protection circuit) is really
ill advised on these batteries as it can cause the battery to burst. Not sure
what the issue is, didn't follow the whole thread. If its a problem that the
battery discharged too much and the protection circuit won't let it charge up
again, it may be possible to save it by opening it up and charging manually but
it is dangerous, requires special expensive equipment and knowledge and
requires a proper tools to open it up in the first place or you won't be able to
close it up again. If you have a access to such there is a description not long
ago someone generously supplied, but be foreworned, you are taking a risk (a
health risk ...)

I opened up a t31 battery not long ago thinking of trying instructions I was
given on this list but gave up trying as I managed to get my hands on a new
battery for 80$ so it was not worth the risk. You don't want to puncture the
battery (acid, nasty burns) or reverse the polarity or apply too much current
(flames/explosion) or disable the protection circuit (flames again).

> Hendrik-Jan
> 
> 
> 2008/8/1 Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@hmh.eng.br>:
> > On Fri, 01 Aug 2008, Hendrik-Jan Heins wrote:
> >> Unfortunatly, when I use your method, replug the battery and replug
> >> the ac connector it takes a couple of seconds more for the battery
> >> light to change from an orangy-green at plugging the ac connector to
> >> switching to blinking orange again.
> >
> > That's enough to know that whatever is wrong, is wrong with the battery
> > itself and it was not the thinkpad going weird on you :-)
> >
> >> Can the Windows suite do more than the pc doctor iso image? I'm asking
> >> as I currently have no windows installed on this machine...
> >
> > I am not sure.  The windows suite asks the SBS controller inside the battery
> > pack about its status, but there is a damn good hint that the controller is
> > signaling a battery fault to the EC, as it is doing the blink-orange dance.
> >
> >> The battery is an original. It came with the machine when I bought it.
> >
> > Then you should phone Lenovo right away, and tell them what you know of the
> > problem.  If it is something that a simple procedure like draining the
> > battery will solve, they will tell you about that.  OTOH, if draining the
> > battery is the ONE thing you shouldn't do, they will tell you that as well
> > :-)
> >
> > If the pc doctor iso image can read battery data, it is good to have it on
> > hand to talk to Lenovo.  In particular, if that serial number is wrong, it
> > means something went wrong with the pack's non-volatile memory.
> >
> > --
> >  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
> >  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
> >  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
> >  Henrique Holschuh
> >