[goodbye kitty]

My laptop battery appears to have died. It's a few years old and I don't think it has ever been changed. My laptop only works with the adapter at the moment.

My laptop is a IBM T22, it's a good few years old. Where can I buy a battery from?

Sorry I'm such a techno-phobe!

[jimbo]

wanchai computer centre is as good a place as any.
quite a few shops there that could sell you one.

[sarawesi]

If your computer is "a few years old" you may find the resale value of your computer is the same as the cost of a new battery...you might be looking at $1K...seriously! Think about backing up the info you want, wiping the hard-drive clean then going for the plunge and buying a new lap top...perhaps just keep your old one as a spare if it's not worth selling.

If you don't know much about "techo" stuff...best bet is to go to good old Fortress and buy a mid range lap-top, maybe around 5 or 6K:

http://www.fortress.com.hk/en/produc...ook/index.html

To give you an idea of comparison and what you can get for a certain amount of cash you might check also dell:

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/defa...k&l=en&~ck=geo

[discobay]

Certainly do not buy a brand new battery as it really is too expensive. As Jimbo says WCC has a number of shops selling reconditioned batteries for most models. I'm fairly sure that any computer centre will have them too like Windsor House, Golden Arcade blah blah blah.

[Oman Mercenary]

Originally Posted by discobay

Certainly do not buy a brand new battery as it really is too expensive. As Jimbo says WCC has a number of shops selling reconditioned batteries for most models. I'm fairly sure that any computer centre will have them too like Windsor House, Golden Arcade blah blah blah.

Whilst I concur that an IBM replacement battery from IBM will co$t an arm & a leg -- and then some..... I got a replacement $800+ Dell battery for a mere $400 from "Cameron Sino Technology. WWW.cameronsino.net

Talk to "Longman" on 2426-9811. See if his exporting agency has a replacement for that IBM, or seek out "Battery Supply" [I think it is called] in SSPo's Aplui St, or under the Canal Road flyover in CWB. I got a "600" model from their outlet in Apliu St several years ago at a much more reasonable price than IBM's.

Anyway, the thing to drive home here is : Don't just use you Laptop on the mains with the battery permanently charging and charging and charging [ad nauseum].

My daughter's T43 operated like this for 12 months, and a test revealed that because of this continuous charging it had destroyed 20% of the capacity. i.e. even though the battery showed 100% charged, its ability to run the computer till too discharged to continue had been reduced by 20% ---- and that's ONLY after one year of use with the mains power to the computer only "ON" when the computer was being used.

I hope that I've sufficiently driven home this point to her, 'cos now she is using a Lenovo T60P with a very expensive battery pack.

As for buying an "Off Brand" battery replacement, I would suggest that it is a "Good Idea" - albeit a bit of a drag - to take along the computer and ensure that the battery is a "good fit" *&* can easily be removed again. That was a problem with my Pseudo-Dell battery - but hey - I saved over $400 !!

[discobay]

Originally Posted by Oman Mercenary

Anyway, the thing to drive home here is : Don't just use you Laptop on the mains with the battery permanently charging and charging and charging [ad nauseum].

This is a known problem. The normal way to use laptops and notebooks is to leave them plugged into the a/c when possible. The problem is with the charging circuits which should disengage once the battery is fully charged. That aside, it is advisable to unplug the battery when you intend to leave the unit plugged ino the a/c - yes a real pain.

[KnowItAll]

There is a battery shop in Wanchai Computer Center (I think it is on the first floor towards the back) which just does second hand batteries / power supplies. They also "repair" batteries by changing the cells.

Worth taking a look.

I agree on the cost of replacement .. can be pretty high.

I just replaced the power supply, hard drive and DVD rom on an old toshiba, over a period of 6 months and it set me back about 5K. Worth it though .. a similar spec'ed notebook would still cost me about $16-18K.

[Oman Mercenary]

Originally Posted by discobay

This is a known problem. The normal way to use laptops and notebooks is to leave them plugged into the a/c when possible. The problem is with the charging circuits which should disengage once the battery is fully charged. That aside, it is advisable to unplug the battery when you intend to leave the unit plugged ino the a/c - yes a real pain.

Unfortunately - this "known problem" is not *well known* to users.

It certainly isn't, as far as I can recall, even mentioned in the user manuals coming with the computers, and I've had many different brands.

Yes, it would be "nice" if the batteries ceased being charged at 100%, but it doesn't ever happen as far as I can ascertain.

It seems to me that - so long as the battery lasts out the 12 month warrantee period *&* doesn't catch fire / explode - the maker looks forward to further sales for batteries that have been charged & recharged till they are destroyed by all this unnecessary charging.

My view? A boot up the bum should be aimed at the Laptop makers for seeking "Windfall Profits" by their failure to advise of the destructive nature of continually charging Laptop batteries!

[TheAsianCentury]

Originally Posted by Oman Mercenary

Whilst I concur that an IBM replacement battery from IBM will co$t an arm & a leg -- and then some..... I got a replacement $800+ Dell battery for a mere $400 from "Cameron Sino Technology. WWW.cameronsino.net

Talk to "Longman" on 2426-9811. See if his exporting agency has a replacement for that IBM, or seek out "Battery Supply" [I think it is called] in SSPo's Aplui St, or under the Canal Road flyover in CWB. I got a "600" model from their outlet in Apliu St several years ago at a much more reasonable price than IBM's.

Anyway, the thing to drive home here is : Don't just use you Laptop on the mains with the battery permanently charging and charging and charging [ad nauseum].
My daughter's T43 operated like this for 12 months, and a test revealed that because of this continuous charging it had destroyed 20% of the capacity. i.e. even though the battery showed 100% charged, its ability to run the computer till too discharged to continue had been reduced by 20% ---- and that's ONLY after one year of use with the mains power to the computer only "ON" when the computer was being used.

I hope that I've sufficiently driven home this point to her, 'cos now she is using a Lenovo T60P with a very expensive battery pack.

As for buying an "Off Brand" battery replacement, I would suggest that it is a "Good Idea" - albeit a bit of a drag - to take along the computer and ensure that the battery is a "good fit" *&* can easily be removed again. That was a problem with my Pseudo-Dell battery - but hey - I saved over $400 !!

Are his bats original ie Dell IBM etc? Also looking for one. If not original do you have an opinion on whetehr a cell replacement is better or getting an off brand bat? Concerned about explosions/implosions!

[Oman Mercenary]

Originally Posted by TheAsianCentury

Are his bats original ie Dell IBM etc? Also looking for one. If not original do you have an opinion on whetehr a cell replacement is better or getting an off brand bat? Concerned about explosions/implosions!

Who can tell who the maker of the cells are! In fact, I saw the strange shaped "squashed" cells for the Dell in Sun Cheong shop in Aplui St - @ $25 a cell. I think that the shop labelled them as "Sanyo" (but don't quote me).

In normal circumstances - I would have bought the cells & reconstructed the battery pack - but the links needed to be "welded" and no soldering iron could ever have "serialised" them for use.

I have "cracked open" several Laptop battery packs - and successfully rebuilt over the years.