Desktop computers, which were incredibly widespread in their time, are gradually starting to recede more and more into the background, and modern people are increasingly using specialized portable devices such as netbooks and laptops. However, given the constant movement and conditions of use of such equipment, various components often break down in it, and in particular, you have to do your own laptop battery repair.
When should it be repaired?
The main advantage of laptops is that they are mobile, but this merit completely disappears if for some reason the battery has completely exhausted its resource. Once a mobile device, it eventually turns into an ordinary desktop computer, which has much lower characteristics compared to those that a PC with a similar price has. Trying to find a brand new battery in the vast majority of casesend up with either such devices no longer being produced at all, or their price is approximately 25-30% of the total cost of the device. Buying from the hands is also not the best option, because the battery you bought could already have run out of its own resource.
It is for this reason that do-it-yourself laptop battery repair is a much better option, because it is not only economical, but also quite a quick solution.
How to prevent possible malfunctions?
Today, the use of specialized nickel-metal hydride batteries, as well as lithium-ion devices, is very, very common, while it is the latter that are most often installed in modern laptops due to their higher capacity, as well as in them there is no so-called "memory effect". But this option also has its drawbacks, and in particular this refers to vulnerability to high temperatures, deep discharge or too high charging current. At the same time, the capacity decreases significantly over time, and it is almost impossible to try to pump such a battery to its previous parameters, even if you thoroughly understand how to repair a laptop battery with your own hands.
What does the manufacturer take into account?
In order to ensure long battery life, a specializeda microcontroller that carefully monitors voltage, temperature data, eliminates the possibility of overcharging or severe discharging. Such microcontrollers use many special algorithms in their work to ensure the long-term operation of various batteries. For example, such options are often supported by Energy Star laptops, which maintain the battery charge at 70-85%, not allowing it to reach the boundary value, and also completely turn off the device after it is discharged to a level of 5-9%. That is why the owners of such devices are much less likely to need the information needed to repair laptop batteries with their own hands.
What should the user consider?
Users should pay attention to the fact that in the process of working with various multimedia applications or demanding games, modern laptops begin to generate a fairly large amount of heat, which negatively affects battery life. In other words, if you actively develop the resource of your computer, then in this case you may need to repair the laptop battery with your own hands much earlier. HP, for example, releases gaming laptops that have specialized protection against such consequences, but in reality they are not able to provide the desired result.
The best thing you can do for your own battery when using your laptop in standard PC mode is to completely unplug it and plug it in.back only if you really need it. In this case, you do not have to often repair the laptop battery with your own hands. Sony, for example, uses specialized batteries in its laptops, which, if disconnected from the device, can last an especially long time.
How to store it?
The self-discharge of such a battery is approximately 4-6% every month, but this figure can be reduced if the battery is stored in the temperature range from +5 to +8 оС, and at This will provide protection from light as well as all other sources of heat. Thus, you can significantly increase the durability of your battery, as a result of which it will be able to work for you up to 10 years without the need for regular do-it-yourself laptop battery repairs. Toshiba has released a number of laptops in its time that have even surpassed this threshold.
How to repair?
First of all, you need to completely discharge your battery, that is, turn off the power and wait until it is completely discharged. Now you can disconnect the battery and start disassembling it.
At first glance it may seem that this is a monolithic piece of plastic, but in reality it is far from being the case. There are a lot of fastening screws that need to be unscrewed and then gently tap on the device with a hammer on the seam. It should be noted that the hammer should be wrapped in a soft cloth, because inotherwise, you can split the case, in which case you can hardly count on the benefit of this do-it-yourself laptop battery repair. Acer often release laptops with batteries that have a weak case, so this is very important to consider. You can help yourself with some thin screwdriver or a knife blade. The main thing is to do everything very carefully so as not to damage the electrochemical elements or the controller board itself.
Testing
Now you will need a multi-tester, with which you can easily find the element that is broken. This is done by standard measurement of the voltage of all components of the battery, since a strong dip in it clearly indicates a malfunction of the element. Of course, you will immediately have a desire to replace only this element, but in fact this is also far from the most optimal solution. With such a replacement, you will need to calibrate the charge controller very carefully, which is almost impossible to do if you do your own laptop battery repair at home. Asus is especially notable for this feature, so the entire set of elements must be replaced at once.
Power batteries today can be bought in almost any store that sells various computer components. You can also order all these items online.
Helpful tips
There are some important things to dotake into account when buying components in specialized stores:
- All cells must have the same capacity and type, which must exactly match the original cells in the disassembled battery. Ideally, you should buy items from the same batch to increase the chance that they will have the same internal characteristics.
- Components must be extremely close internal resistance. Checking this is quite simple - you need to charge each of the elements to a voltage of 3.8, and then do the following procedure with each individual element: connect the load, the resistance of which is 4 ohms, and the power dissipation is 10 watts, and then measure the voltage. The voltage drop should eventually be the same for each individual cell.
- All elements to be installed must have the same voltage. Few people know that the overwhelming majority of components are sold half-charged, since a deep discharge is fatal for them, but components can only be installed in the battery if they have been previously discharged to 3.1V.
If you immediately install the cells directly from the store, there is a possibility that the controller will consider them to be faulty, as a result of which it will either completely refuse to charge them or charge them incorrectly, which may eventually cause overheating or even an explosion of the battery.
Finishing work
After youreplace all batteries, you will need to carefully solder the contacts, as well as the final assembly of the battery to its previous state. The battery must be put on charge, while you yourself must control this process and do it very carefully. In the event that the temperature of the battery starts to rise too much, and at the same time you start to hear a crack, which is not typical for the normal operation of the device, you should immediately turn off the external power and remove the battery from the computer.
After carrying out such manipulations, you will need to measure the operating time of the laptop before it is completely discharged. In this case, you will need to understand how quickly the device is discharged during operation, and if this time has grown from several minutes to several hours, you can congratulate yourself, because you have successfully repaired the laptop battery with your own hands. Samsung and some manufacturers often provide users with detailed instructions on how to carry out such procedures on their own, but in any case, they recommend contacting specialists.
