How long should a laptop battery hold a charge?

13 years ago

This Acer I've had since Dec '09 seemingly used to hold up for 2 hours; lately it's been around one, even though it is charged completely. I guess they can wear out. If I were to buy a replacement would that make a difference? Thanks for any help!

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Comments (5)

grandms
13 years ago
Yes, eventually they do wear out. Much depends on the rating of the battery in amp hours. A replacement should help, especially if you buy one with a higher rating (if available for your Acer model).
Cricketm
13 years ago
Laptop Recalibration

As a laptop gets older, it starts to slow down a little. You may notice that pages load slower, videos take longer to start playing, and general slowness of the machine. Unfortunately, thousands of people a year replace their laptop batteries without performing any monthly recalibration on it at all. If you want to get the best performance out of your laptop, here are a few steps to follow.

- Charge your laptop's battery all the way to 100%.

-Once the laptop is fully charged, unplug it and let the battery drain. Feel free to use the laptop during this period, as it will help it drain more quickly. Once you see that the battery is almost empty, save your work and close any open pages. Then let the laptop shut itself off.

-Let the dead battery sit for about 5 or 6 hours, or overnight. This will help eliminate any leftover charge the battery may have, and lets the battery start over from zero.

-After you've let your laptop sit, plug it back in and let it charge all the way to 100% before using it again.

Battery maintenance is an important process that many people neglect. Recalibration should be done monthly if possible to ensure best results. If done on a regular basis, you should notice greatly extended battery life on your computer, and hopefully postpone the purchase of any replacement parts.
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There are a couple of things that could be going on here. First, how old is this laptop? I'm guessing it is maybe 8 years old or so and it's possible that it's not dual voltage. You should contact Acer tech support to find out whether or not it is, and to determine how to best approach this. If it's not dual voltage, then you should be able to buy a voltage converter so it can charge properly. If it's not dual voltage, I would worry about having it plugged in right now and causing damage to the computer (although the lower U.S. voltage may be less of a concern than if it were the reverse situation.) Secondly, I believe there are at least two kinds of European plugs that both have the round pins and look almost the same, but aren't. Sometimes if you have the wrong plug end adapter, the pins might not make proper contact inside the plug end converter. (Also, is this a 2 blade plug, or a grounded, 3-blade plug?) If you are convinced that power is coming from the receptacle, and to the original transformer, then that is not the problem. In that case, there could also be a break in the cord running to the computer, or something wrong with the little plug that inserts in the computer. Give Acer a call and then report back, please.
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Hi debi, I was told that you should let the battery completely discharge through use from time to time. Here's some information which says you should do exactly that - but ... I've also been told that that is not necessarily the case so it seems that opinions differ : 'Permanent capacity loss is greatest at elevated temperatures with the battery voltage maintained at 4.2V (fully charged). For maximum storage life, batteries should be stored with a 40 percent charge (3.6V) at 40Â°F (refrigerator). Perhaps one of the worst locations for a Li-ion battery is in a laptop computer when used daily on a desktop with the charger connected. Laptops and portable devices typically run warm or even hot, raising the battery temperature, and the charger is maintaining the battery near 100 percent charge. Both of these conditions shorten battery life, which could be as short as 6 months to a year. If possible, remove the battery and use the AC adapter for powering the laptop when the computer is used on a desktop. A properly cared for laptop battery can have a service life of two to four years, or more.' This info was obtained through link below if you are interested. Donna Here is a link that might be useful: Battery Maintenance
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Read your manual. It probably has the guidelines best suited for 'your laptops design and its circuitry . Toshiba here was first time ever taken out of the factory box about mid December 2007, so its 1.5 yrs old, I don't know how long it sat on shelf - its battery right now shows a 6% wear level, 44000 mWh design capacity new / currently 41151 mWh at 100% of charge. Probably more than 99 percent of the time its on the AC adapter and runs 24/7. Sleeps after 100 minutes of non use which really doesn't happen every day like I should. I should force sleep for it & then maybe I'd force more normal sleep on me too ;) Battery is under the left palm rest where I feel no heat. It would be rare for me in the things I do to shut down windows before moving the laptop while the on battery. Only have the one ac adapter, meant to buy another for a second location but price always makes me dizzy.
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genes
13 years ago
When they say a battery is good for x number of hours, it depends upon what you are doing and how bright you have the monitor etc set while on battery...if doing something high intensity and full brightness, the battery will not last that long...if playing solitare on a dimmed monitor, it will last a heck of a lot longer...as mentioned re-calibration sometimes helps and if replacing the battery, see about a replacment with more cells..maybe mention what model you have a we could help
beanwabr
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all. I didnt't know about the recalibration. Will give that a try this evening!

genes: it is an Aspire 5515.
genes
13 years ago
Looked around the net for an extended life battery for that model but didnt see one..Not to say they are not there..if you have time look around..Good luck

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How long should a laptop battery hold a charge?

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grandms

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How long should a laptop battery hold a charge?

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grandms

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