Battery Life question

I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes after a
complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles per day.
I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked this
before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is this true? Is
the company reliable and are the batteries good quality?? Their prices are
about $99. compared to about $140 for Dell. I can get it for about $50-$80
on Ebay. Should I even consider buying to on Ebay (I figure even with a good
feedback rating the batteries could be inferior and I'd need a new one in 6
months). Opinions please

Mel

"MZB" wrote in message

I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes
after a complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles
per day. I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked
this before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is
this true? Is the company reliable and are the batteries good
quality?? Their prices are about $99. compared to about $140 for
Dell. I can get it for about $50-$80 on Ebay. Should I even consider
buying to on Ebay (I figure even with a good feedback rating the
batteries could be inferior and I'd need a new one in 6 months).
Opinions please

Oh Mel! Laptops overcharge the batteries to 4.2v per cell in general.
Thus the batteries will only last about 2 years in this state. It is
great for capacity and all from the start. Charging them only to 4.1v
they will last twice as long. Better yet, just charge them once a year
(remove them) and they will last 10 years or more.

Use it on AC most of the time? Then listen up if you are worried about
losing power. Buy an UPS! As a bonus, you can run a light, cordless
phone and your laptop (and gosh who knows what).

--
Bill

Hi Bill:

I've enjoyed your posts (see my just-made posts on that).

I do have a UPS on my Dell Dim 2400 system (which works just fine).

Like you, I don't need the latest/greatest stuff. But I am willing to pay
for convenience (eg: I have had a cable modem for a couple of years-- more
expensive than dialup, but so much faster -- ). Likewise, I know I'm paying
for the convenience of just using the laptop on battery power. In my
situation, it's less confining!

Mel



"BillW50" wrote in message
. com...
"MZB" wrote in message

I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes
after a complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles
per day. I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked
this before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is
this true? Is the company reliable and are the batteries good
quality?? Their prices are about $99. compared to about $140 for
Dell. I can get it for about $50-$80 on Ebay. Should I even consider
buying to on Ebay (I figure even with a good feedback rating the
batteries could be inferior and I'd need a new one in 6 months).
Opinions please

Oh Mel! Laptops overcharge the batteries to 4.2v per cell in general. Thus
the batteries will only last about 2 years in this state. It is great for
capacity and all from the start. Charging them only to 4.1v they will last
twice as long. Better yet, just charge them once a year (remove them) and
they will last 10 years or more.

Use it on AC most of the time? Then listen up if you are worried about
losing power. Buy an UPS! As a bonus, you can run a light, cordless phone
and your laptop (and gosh who knows what).

--
Bill

No problem Mel. As long as you know what you are getting, that is all
that is important to me.


"MZB" wrote in message

Hi Bill:

I've enjoyed your posts (see my just-made posts on that).

I do have a UPS on my Dell Dim 2400 system (which works just fine).

Like you, I don't need the latest/greatest stuff. But I am willing to
pay for convenience (eg: I have had a cable modem for a couple of
years-- more expensive than dialup, but so much faster -- ).
Likewise, I know I'm paying for the convenience of just using the
laptop on battery power. In my situation, it's less confining!

Mel



"BillW50" wrote in message
. com...
"MZB" wrote in message

I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes
after a complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles
per day. I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked
this before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is
this true? Is the company reliable and are the batteries good
quality?? Their prices are about $99. compared to about $140 for
Dell. I can get it for about $50-$80 on Ebay. Should I even consider
buying to on Ebay (I figure even with a good feedback rating the
batteries could be inferior and I'd need a new one in 6 months).
Opinions please

Oh Mel! Laptops overcharge the batteries to 4.2v per cell in
general. Thus the batteries will only last about 2 years in this
state. It is great for capacity and all from the start. Charging
them only to 4.1v they will last twice as long. Better yet, just
charge them once a year (remove them) and they will last 10 years or
more. Use it on AC most of the time? Then listen up if you are
worried
about losing power. Buy an UPS! As a bonus, you can run a light,
cordless phone and your laptop (and gosh who knows what).

--
Bill

Lithium batteries have a limited number of cycles before their lifetime
is gone. Although the number is indefinite, it's in the mid hundreds.
So you have pretty much "shot" your battery.

Why are you using any cycles per day? Are you traveling, or are you
just leaving the battery in the machine when you are plugged in (for no
reason).

There was just a thread on this subject within the past two weeks here
on this site. I don't want to repeat it (probably 40 to 60 posts), but
look it up.

The battery can last a decade if you don't use it that much and you
remove it from the laptop. But if you cycle it daily, OR if you just
leave it in the laptop all the time, you will probably get less than 2
years from the battery.


MZB wrote:
I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes after a
complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles per day.
I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked this
before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is this true? Is
the company reliable and are the batteries good quality?? Their prices are
about $99. compared to about $140 for Dell. I can get it for about $50-$80
on Ebay. Should I even consider buying to on Ebay (I figure even with a good
feedback rating the batteries could be inferior and I'd need a new one in 6
months). Opinions please

Mel

Barry:

If the battery is, say, fully charged, does it matter if it is in the
computer while the computer is plugged in?

But, yes, I rarely remove the battery

Mel
"Barry Watzman" wrote in message
...
Lithium batteries have a limited number of cycles before their lifetime is
gone. Although the number is indefinite, it's in the mid hundreds. So you
have pretty much "shot" your battery.

Why are you using any cycles per day? Are you traveling, or are you just
leaving the battery in the machine when you are plugged in (for no
reason).

There was just a thread on this subject within the past two weeks here on
this site. I don't want to repeat it (probably 40 to 60 posts), but look
it up.

The battery can last a decade if you don't use it that much and you remove
it from the laptop. But if you cycle it daily, OR if you just leave it in
the laptop all the time, you will probably get less than 2 years from the
battery.


MZB wrote:
I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes
after a complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles per
day. I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked this
before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is this true?
Is the company reliable and are the batteries good quality?? Their prices
are about $99. compared to about $140 for Dell. I can get it for about
$50-$80 on Ebay. Should I even consider buying to on Ebay (I figure even
with a good feedback rating the batteries could be inferior and I'd need
a new one in 6 months). Opinions please

Mel

Yes, it matters. Leaving a battery in a plugged in laptop destroys it
in most cases (slowly, over 6 months to 2 years, but it the result is
the same).


MZB wrote:
Barry:

If the battery is, say, fully charged, does it matter if it is in the
computer while the computer is plugged in?

But, yes, I rarely remove the battery

Mel
"Barry Watzman" wrote in message
...
Lithium batteries have a limited number of cycles before their lifetime is
gone. Although the number is indefinite, it's in the mid hundreds. So you
have pretty much "shot" your battery.

Why are you using any cycles per day? Are you traveling, or are you just
leaving the battery in the machine when you are plugged in (for no
reason).

There was just a thread on this subject within the past two weeks here on
this site. I don't want to repeat it (probably 40 to 60 posts), but look
it up.

The battery can last a decade if you don't use it that much and you remove
it from the laptop. But if you cycle it daily, OR if you just leave it in
the laptop all the time, you will probably get less than 2 years from the
battery.


MZB wrote:
I have an Inspiron 2200.
I've had it about 16-17 months.

The battery is showing signs of dying (it now lasts about 75 minutes
after a complete charge -- it used to last 2.5-3 hours).

I pretty much go through an average of 1 1/2 charge/recharge cycles per
day. I guess I have two questions:

1) Is this lifespan about right??

2) Regardless, I will need to replace the battery soon. I've asked this
before and it sounds like Pacific Battery is a way to go? Is this true?
Is the company reliable and are the batteries good quality?? Their prices
are about $99. compared to about $140 for Dell. I can get it for about
$50-$80 on Ebay. Should I even consider buying to on Ebay (I figure even
with a good feedback rating the batteries could be inferior and I'd need
a new one in 6 months). Opinions please

Mel

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 19:48:58 -0500, Barry Watzman
wrote:

Yes, it matters. Leaving a battery in a plugged in laptop destroys it
in most cases (slowly, over 6 months to 2 years, but it the result is
the same).

I guess I have been amazingly fortunate with my batteries. I always
had both modular bays of my Inspiron 4100 with the batteries in them,
and they seemed to hold their charge. Same with the 600m, and D505,
and ... the larger screen one ... Inspiron 8600 I think.

journey wrote:

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 19:48:58 -0500, Barry Watzman
wrote:

Yes, it matters. Leaving a battery in a plugged in laptop destroys it
in most cases (slowly, over 6 months to 2 years, but it the result is
the same).

I guess I have been amazingly fortunate with my batteries. I always
had both modular bays of my Inspiron 4100 with the batteries in them,
and they seemed to hold their charge. Same with the 600m, and D505,
and ... the larger screen one ... Inspiron 8600 I think.

Thats because leaving a battery in a laptop does not destroy it as Watzman
stated. In some poorly designed system the life will be shortened a bit by
excessive heat but thats not the norm. Laptops don't overcharge batteries.

"Eugene" wrote in message

journey wrote:

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 19:48:58 -0500, Barry Watzman
wrote:

Yes, it matters. Leaving a battery in a plugged in laptop destroys
it in most cases (slowly, over 6 months to 2 years, but it the
result is the same).

I guess I have been amazingly fortunate with my batteries. I always
had both modular bays of my Inspiron 4100 with the batteries in them,
and they seemed to hold their charge. Same with the 600m, and D505,
and ... the larger screen one ... Inspiron 8600 I think.

Thats because leaving a battery in a laptop does not destroy it as
Watzman stated. In some poorly designed system the life will be
shortened a bit by excessive heat but thats not the norm. Laptops
don't overcharge batteries.

Do you sell Li-Ion batteries Eugene? Of course laptops overcharge the
batteries! Manufactures do this to get the maximum capacity out of the
cells. So they can claim long run time with very less weight.

Laptops charge the batteries to 4.2v per cell. That is indeed
overcharging them! If they stopped at 4.1v per cell, they last twice as
long. But they would also have lower capacity. I bet if they only charge
them to 4.0v per cell, they would even last so much longer.

I also did an experiement that had taken place for 5 years. I have
identical Toshiba 2595XDVD laptops ('99 era). One I used and plugged
into the AC all of the time with the battery installed. The other one
sat unused plugged in with the battery installed. And both laptops had a
shot battery in 2 years. The batteries that sat on the shelf are still
working just fine.

My Palm IIIc ('99 era) also uses a Li-Ion battery. Luckily it stops
charging when the cell reaches only 4.1v per cell. And this Li-Ion
battery lasted for 5 years. So of course laptops overcharge the
batteries. Why would you believe that they don't for? If they didn't
overcharge them, they would last 5 or more years.

--
Bill