Developer Forum

Hi everyone,

I have an IBM T40 laptop which I regularly remove the battery from while
it's on AC power, and switched on. Is removing the battery, or replacing it
while the laptop is on bad for the computer? I really can't be bothered to
put it to standby all the time I want to remove the battery... but would do
if I thought I was causing permanent damage.

Thanks,
Duncan.

In theory, WinXp and hardware support hot-swapping batteries and other
removeable devices (as usual, check the user manual for your laptop). I
never do it since I'm not into a one-person research project and, well,
don't have reason to hot-swap. IMO, putting the laptop into standby
does not really offer much protection since the laptop remains
electrically active much like it is running.

Q

I've been hot-swapping batteries in my 600 series (600's, E's & X's) for several
years now with no problems.

TJ



--
=========================================================================
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

"Capt. Wild Bill Kelso, USAAC" < XXXX@XXXXX.COM > wrote in




What is the purpose of swapping batteries? I can see removing an older,
less powerful one to replace it with a newer, more powerful one, but if I
were doing this it would be rare and I wouldn't mind turning off the
machine. It sounds to me like you're doing something that you do often
and don't want to waste time doing it. So my question is, why?

--
Gail Gurman XXXX@XXXXX.COM
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently on the lookout for an Oakland area paralegal internship or
part-time technical writing contract.

Because if you leave the battery in while it is on mains u will have a
shorter battery life. I don't fancy buying new batteries every year or so.

Dan

I discharge my T-40 battery down to about 60% and remove it to a cool place
after I've used it... I only use the battery once ever couple months or so
and I want to keep it away from the heat as much as possible to prolong the
life. I know the LiIon chargers don't trickle charge like the NiMH did..
but there is increased heat around the battery cmpt. This is enough to suck
the life out of Lithium Ion batteries at full charge.

Al...

> > I have an IBM T40 laptop which I regularly remove


It's time for the weekly battery debate. :-)

Some people like to remove the battery from their notebook when running on
AC power, because this makes the battery last longer. Others prefer to leave
the battery in, for the protection against power failure and the convenience
of being able to unplug from AC power at any time.

I'm in the latter camp. I don't have any quarrel with the folks who like to
remove the battery, but their priorities are definitely different from mine.
I move my ThinkPad several times a day, so it would be thoroughly
impractical for me to fiddle with the battery every time. I figure the
decreased battery life costs me about $5/month. That's cheap for the
convenience it buys me.

After all, if I wanted the most economical computer, I wouldn't have a
notebook at all. I pay extra for the value a notebook brings me, and the
battery in the machine is part of that value.

-Mike

Running the laptop on the charger, stick the battery in to roam thru the house.
If I sit for any length of time, I plug it back in, pull the battery. Turning
it off and on and off and on again and again is *** the components
heating/cooling.

TJ
=========================================================================
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

On Sun, 2 May 2004 17:48:14 +0100, "Duncan James Murray"



The main concern is laptop-pack contacts when packs are removed
during initial charging currents. Generally, during the first
hour of charge of a nearly depleted smart pack current is in the
1-2A range. The removal may not be electrically clean too.

Laptops with good smart packs handle clean insertion of an
undamaged pack into a running laptop since the charge circuits
check the pack condition and laptop operation mode before
supplying charge. But note the "clean".

You have also no doubt considered the following:
-Mechanical fatigue of the pack-laptop contacts due to any awkward
handling of the pack with an operating laptop.

-Hard drives, although rugged, are designed to be used in
orthogonal planes.

.

.