The Battery News.com » Sony http://www.thebatterynews.com All about laptop batteries and power supplies Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:58:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Camcorder Batteries – Prevent Your Recordings from being Cut Short http://www.thebatterynews.com/camcorder-batteries-prevent-your-recordings-from-being-cut-short/ http://www.thebatterynews.com/camcorder-batteries-prevent-your-recordings-from-being-cut-short/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:49:21 +0000 admin http://www.thebatterynews.com/?p=481 Few things in life are more annoying than seeing the alarming “low battery” light right at the point that you are capturing a once-in-a-lifetime moment of a friend or family member.  Once this light blinks to life, you must have a spare battery on hand and install it quickly before the camcorder turns itself off.  If this does not disrupt the special moment you are recording, little else will.  What you need more than anything is to invest in camcorder batteries that have long life spans.  Also, be sure to plan ahead, charging it fully before the event occurs that you wish you capture on film.

Camcorder Ni-Mh Battery

Lithium-ion camcorder batteries are the portable energy source of choice because they are lightweight, recharge quickly and have the longest lifespan when compared to older kinds of batteries.  In as little as ten minutes, you could have battery life to last a few hours of recording.  Lithium-ion batteries are also less susceptible to the memory effect where batteries “forget” how much power they can really hold.

Sony Camcorder Battery

Be sure that you take good care of your camcorder batteries to help them last as long as possible.  This includes keeping them out of the sun and heat along with avoiding cold temperatures and moisture.

Depending on the year and model of your camcorder, the type of battery you want and its predicted life, your investment in camcorder batteries could be anywhere from about $20 to $70.  Online is a popular place to look where you can easily compare prices and specifications of different models from multiple retailers.  Even if you consider yourself a casual camcorder user, you will certainly appreciate having at least one extra battery for moments like the one expressed above.  You will know what kind of battery to buy if you match up the camcorder model with the battery you are examining.

Camcorder Battery

As with any electronic investment, it is wise to look into any guarantees that are offered along with return policies if the camcorder batteries you choose end up being the wrong kind.  There is nothing like a reliable camcorder battery to make you pleased with your investment in this electronic device.  Though they can be expensive, as long as you take proper care of your camcorder batteries, they will not fail on you when you need them most.  Also, by having a spare, you ensure you will never miss those important moments.

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]]> http://www.thebatterynews.com/camcorder-batteries-prevent-your-recordings-from-being-cut-short/feed/ 0 Laptop Battery Troubleshooting http://www.thebatterynews.com/laptop-battery-troubleshooting/ http://www.thebatterynews.com/laptop-battery-troubleshooting/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:30:08 +0000 admin http://www.thebatterynews.com/?p=471 If you are having trouble with your laptop battery because it will not charge, it is not necessarily time to buy a new battery yet. There are several reasons behind why this could be happening, and here you will learn useful laptop battery troubleshooting when you battery refuses to charge. Before you begin troubleshooting your notebook computer, make sure the outlet is not the problem. Try a few outlets to see if the problem still exists. If so, continue on to these laptop battery troubleshooting tips.

Gateway Replacement Battery

Is the AC adapter bad? Detach the battery from the laptop and turn on the computer with only the power plug connected. If the laptop does not respond, secure another AC adapter and try again. If the problem persists, your motherboard may have a fried circuit. A computer technician can help you further.

Is the battery defective? If the computer turns on with the second AC adaptor, you know this is not the cause of the problem. Replace the battery and see if the problem is resolved.

Is it a software-related issue? If a replaced battery does not solve your problem, the next laptop battery troubleshooting tip is to explore the possibility that the software is malfunctioning. If the battery status is not being displayed correctly, the software could be causing the problem rather than the battery.

Is there a “hiccup” in the system? To power reset the system, or ensure that the motherboard is denied all power, unplug the machine and remove the battery. Hold down the power button for a full minute. Next, reattach the battery and AC adapter and attempt to restart the computer again.

Does the laptop need to be recalibrated? When a new battery is installed, it may fail to charge to a full 100% anymore. If your battery stops charging itself at about 97%, you need this laptop battery troubleshooting tip. Begin the recalibration process by preventing the computer from going to sleep when the battery is low. If your operating system is XP, go to the Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options and set the power scheme to “Always On.”

  • Where it says “Alarms,” uncheck the boxes by “Critical battery alarm” and “Low battery alarm.”
  • Where it says “Hibernate,” uncheck the box by “Enable hibernation.”
  • When finished, click “Apply.”

Now the computer can fully drain the battery and when you charge it again, it should reach 100%. It may take two or three times to completely reach 100%.

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]]> http://www.thebatterynews.com/laptop-battery-troubleshooting/feed/ 0 How to Calibrate Laptop Battery http://www.thebatterynews.com/how-to-calibrate-laptop-battery/ http://www.thebatterynews.com/how-to-calibrate-laptop-battery/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 20:03:41 +0000 admin http://www.thebatterynews.com/?p=254 A few days ago, my laptop battery started to give up on me. The power indicator would flash and create a weird “buzzing” sound while the computer’s plugged into outlet power. Also, it seemed as if the power wasn’t connected at all sometime.

Samsung P10 Battery

My solution to that? Calibrating the battery. I explored Google and a variety of other sources to calibrate or recondition laptop batteries. To no avail, I stopped my search there and referred to the HP manufacturer’s handbook.

Dell Inspiron B120/B130 Battery

Surprisingly, it offered some really helpful laptop battery calibration and maintenance tips, which I’d like to share with you:

Calibrating a Battery Pack

When to Calibrate

  • Even if a battery pack is heavily used, it should not be necessary
  • to calibrate it more than once a month. It is not necessary to
  • calibrate a new battery pack before first use. However, make sure
  • that the battery pack is fully charged,
  • especially if it is the only
  • power source.

Calibrate the battery pack under the following conditions:

  • When the battery status display seems inaccurate.
  • When you observe a significant change in normal battery
    run time.
  • When the battery pack has not been used for one month
    or more.

How to Calibrate
To calibrate a battery pack, you must fully charge, fully discharge, and then fully recharge the battery pack.

Sony VGP BPS2A Laptop Battery

Charging the Battery Pack
Fully charge the battery pack when the notebook is in use. To
charge the battery pack:

  1. Insert the battery pack into the notebook.
  2. Connect the notebook to external power through an AC adapter. (The battery light turns on)

The battery light turns off when the battery pack is fully charged.

Discharging the Battery Pack

Disabling Hibernation
To fully discharge the battery pack, disable Hibernation temporarily.
To disable Hibernation:

  • Select the Power Meter icon on the taskbar or access Power Options > Hibernate, and clear the Enable Hibernate support check box.

Discharging the Battery Pack
After the battery light turns off, which indicates that the battery
pack is fully charged, begin discharging the battery pack.

To fully discharge the battery pack:

  1. Select the Power Meter icon on the taskbar, or select Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options > Power Schemes.
  2. Write down the 3 settings in the Plugged In column and the settings in the Running on Batteries column, so you can reset them after calibration.
  3. Select the drop-down lists and set all 6 options in both columns to Never.
  4. Select the OK button.
  5. Disconnect the notebook from the external power source, but do not turn off the notebook.
  6. Run the notebook on battery power until the battery pack is fully discharged.

The battery light begins to blink when the battery pack has discharged to a low-battery condition. When the battery pack is fully discharged, the power/Standby light turns off and the notebook shuts down.

Recharging the Battery Pack

  1. Connect the notebook to external power and keep the notebook connected until the battery pack is fully recharged and the battery light turns off. You can use the notebook while the battery pack is recharging, but the battery pack will charge faster if the notebook is turned off.
  2. Select the Power Meter icon on the taskbar or select Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Power Options > Power Schemes.
  3. Reenter the 3 settings you wrote down for the 3 options in the Plugged In column and for the 3 options in the Running on Batteries column.
  4. Select the OK button.

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