Acer ACERNOTE 950 Annexe 2

Operating on Battery Power

This chapter contains the information you need to know to operate the notebook on battery power.

2.1 Battery Pack

Whenever possible, use the AC adapter. The battery will come in handy when you travel or during a power f ailure. It is advisable to have an extra fully-charged battery pack available for back up. T he battery pack is ins talled in the power bay. Before removing the battery pack, make sur e that you turn off the notebook and close the LCD dis play properly. Place the unit in an upside-down position and unlock the power bay lock to release the battery pack as shown in Figure 2-1.

Chapter 2

Power bay lock

Battery pack

Figure 2-1 Removing the Battery Pack

If a CD-ROM drive / battery pack unit is inst alled in t he notebook, you need t o remove t he whole unit from the access ory and power bays. Then, detach the battery pack from the CD-ROM drive module.

Operating on Battery Power 2-1

Do not expose battery packs to temperatures below 0ºC (32ºF) or above 60ºC (140ºF). This may adversely affect the battery pack.

Currently, there is no defined standard for measuring battery life. Several factors have made it almost impossible to compare the battery life of different notebooks based on specifications alone. These factors include different implementations of power saving/management systems, applications in use, the user’s “usage pattern”, hard disk capacity and access frequency, LCD size and brightness, system form factor and weight.

If the system is to be stored for more than two weeks, we suggest that you remove the battery pack . Battery power (from a fully charged battery pack) depletes in roughly ten days with the notebook in standby mode. When the power switch is off, battery power depletes in one month.

2.1.1 Battery Pack Characteristics

The battery pack has the following characteristics:

Battery pack self-discharge

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may result in a low battery power condition after being stored for weeks.

Battery packs self-discharge s lowly, which

Memory effect

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third the normal charge time. This leaves the battery pack not fully charged due to inactive status after over-charging or long-term aging. This situation can usually be improved by conditioning the battery pack three times or m ore. Please refer to s ection 2.4.2 for details on how to condition the battery pack.

Battery-low indicator (icon)

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battery-low icon ( that the battery power is critically low. You can correct this situation by recharging the battery pack.

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This is a phenomenon wherein c harging f inishes in one-

When the battery level becomes low, the

) on the status LCD appears. This informs the user

2.1.2 Installing a Secondary Battery Pack

The notebook’s m odular design allows you to use two battery packs at the same time. T he primary battery pack is inserted into the power bay and a secondary battery can be inserted into the accessory bay when you need it.

When the Accessory Bay Houses a Diskette Drive

Follow these steps to install a secondary battery pack.

Make sure the system power is off.

drive by unlocking the accessory bay lock and pulling the drive out. Set aside the diskette drive.

2. Extend the battery cover plate of the secondary battery pack.

Remove the internal disk ette

3. Insert the secondary battery pack into the accessory bay and click it into place.

Operating on Battery Power 2-3

When the Accessory Bay Houses a CD-ROM Drive

When the 6-cell Li-Ion battery pack is installed in the power bay, do not install a secondary battery pack.

Follow these steps to install a secondary battery pack.

1. Make sure th e system power is off. Remove the CD-ROM drive / battery pack unit by unlocking the accessory bay lock and CD-ROM drive lock. Then pull the drive out. Set aside.

2. Insert the primary NiMH battery into the power bay.

3. Extend the battery cover plate of the secondary NiMH battery pack.

4. Insert the sec ondary NiMH battery pack into the accessory bay and click it into place.

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2.2 Charging the Battery

Place the battery pack inside the battery compartment and plug the AC adapter into the notebook and an electrical outlet.

The adapter has three charging modes:

Rapid mode

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The system uses rapid charging when the notebook (with a battery pack installed) is turned off and a powered AC adapter is connected to it. In rapid mode, a fully depleted NiMH battery gets fully charged in approximately two hours. The battery LEDs light up as it is being charged to indicate the level of charge.

Charge-in-use mode

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When the notebook is in use with the AC adapter plugged in, the notebook also charges the battery pack if installed. This m ode will take longer to fully charge a battery than rapid mode.

Trickle mode

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When the battery is fully charged, the adapter changes to trickle mode to maintain the battery charge level. This prevents the battery from draining while the system is in use.

Operating on Battery Power 2-5

2.3 Checking the Battery Level

The system features battery-low warning signals that are both audible and visible. When the batter y pack is low, the system em its warning beeps at regular intervals. You can turn off this feature by disabling the Battery-low Warning Beep par ameter in the Setup utility (refer to section 4.6.5) . In this situation, a battery-low icon (

There are two ways to check the battery charge level:

Onscreen battery gauge utility

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Battery-level LEDs on the battery pack

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Using the Battery Gauge

) appears on the status LCD.

To access the onscr een battery gauge, press displays:

(%) Empty 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Full

R-Pack

L-Pack Battery Disconnected

The onscreen battery gauge indicates the present battery level. R-pack refers to the primary battery installed in the power bay, while L-pack

refers to the secondary battery housed in the accessory bay.

-R. The following screen

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