In this blog, we are going to discuss the correct way to use a battery once it's installed within a laptop. We will also talk about the correct way to charge and discharge the battery to prolong the batteries working life and save money.
First use of your new battery.
Once the battery is installed within the laptop it's best to allow the battery to fully charge before using it without a charger. Dell batteries have extra communication channels that detect the authenticity of the battery, the ware/usage, the temperature, and the capacity of the battery. This allows the cells to stay active and enables the laptop to calibrate and optimize battery usage.
I installed my battery and It's saying it's not genuine
If you get an error stating your Dell battery isn't genuine. It could just be that the BIOS isn't up to date and the battery revision is newer than the BIOS.
You can get the BIOS update from the Dell Support Assist manager should be in your start menu, alternatively you can go to Support on the Dell website by entering your Dell service tag (service tag can be found on the base of your laptop) and following the instructions.
It can also be caused by the laptop not recognizing the battery correctly through a poor connection at the battery connection interface..
You may also need to reset the battery configuration, please use the following steps:
- Completely power down and the remove the AC Adapter.
- Remove the battery.
- Reconnect the AC Adapter and restart the computer, letting it boot into Windows.
- Shut down the computer and remove the AC Adapter again.
- Reconnect the battery, attach the AC Adapter and restart the computer.
Click here to buy a new battery from us with 12 months warranty.
Use promo code 5DELL for 5% OFF your first purchase. (Minimum purchase £25.00)
How to cycle a Dell laptop battery (ongoing health)
With lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries its best to top-up the charge and not allow the battery to drop below 20-30% too often, this is due to Dell batteries having a limit to the number of full charge cycles.
How to improve the overall life of the battery
Dell has safety data sheets (MSDS) and other documentation that not only covers the testing of a battery during and after the manufacturing process but details the storage and use of the battery but it can be very cryptic and difficult to read.
The documents state that:
Batteries shouldn't be exposed to extreme temperatures
The maximum working temperatures for Dell lithium-ion batteries are 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F) If your computer gets too hot, we would recommend getting it serviced as it can cause damage to the battery or laptop itself.
NEVER charge your laptop battery if the ambient temperature is 0°C (32°F) or below.
When using the laptop, do not use the laptop on soft furnishings such as bed or sofa. This can not only block the fans but it can also cause the dust to build up within the laptop and clog the fan. This causes a heat build up which again will impact the life of the Lithium battery cells.
Click here to buy a new battery from us with 12 months warranty. Use promo code 5DELL for 5% OFF your first purchase. (Minimum purchase £25.00)
Blog - How not to return an item - from humour to horror stories
At Black Cat PC we are lucky to have quite a low return rate. However, over the years we have had all sorts of products sent back in a range of conditions. Most customers are decent and return the items with care but others couldn't give a damn, or they return their old product back and still try and get a REFUND!.
Read more...