HP 110, E700, m300, Compaq Evo n150 Reference Guide

WHITE PAPER

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May 2001

Prepared by

Access Business Group Commercial Notebook Division

Compaq Computer Corporation

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1

PRE-USE CONSIDERATIONS...2

BATTERY CHARACTERISTICS IN

SHIP MODE.................2

REMOVING THE BATTERY

SHIP MODE....... 2

FROM

BATTERY CALIBRATION

DEFINED..................... 3

CALIBRATION WITH THE COMPAQ POWER MANAGEMENT SUITE

....................................... 4

STEPS TO CALIBRATE

WINDOWS 95 /

UNDER

W

INDOWS 98 /

W

INDOWS NT.............4

STEPS TO CALIBRATE

WINDOWS 20004

UNDER

MANUAL

CALIBRATION...........6

WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, & WINDOWS NT 4.0

................................... 6

WINDOWS 2000.......... 6

FREQUENTLY ASKED

QUESTIONS................ 7

NOTICE....................... 8

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Commercial Notebook Batteries:

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Performance Optimization

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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The purpose of this White Paper is to communicate Compaq’s solutions for notebook

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battery optimization. Detailed in the document are pre-use considerations and

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recommendations on battery calibration.

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COMMERCIAL NOTEBOOK BATTERIES: PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION (cont.)

PRE-USE CONSIDERATIONS

Notebook batteries are shipped from the factory at approximately 30%-60% charge capacity in a low power state known as ship mode to minimize energy loss during shipment. Although the battery is not in use during shipment and storage, the control circuitry in the battery continues to draws power from the cells. Ship mode allows for a storage life of up to 1 year at room temperature ensuring that the battery is charged when it reaches the end user.

ATTERY CHARACTERISTICS IN SHIP MODE

B

 The charge capacity status LED’s on the battery will not indicate a charge.  In “Power Options Properties” in control panel of windows initially indicates 0% charge when

initially plugged into A/C power.

 If A/C power is not applied the battery will not power the notebook. The customer should not

mistake this for a defective battery.

R

EMOVING THE BATTERY FROM SHIP MODE

 Insert/attach the battery pack.  Connect the computer to A/C power

Compaq recommends leaving the computer connected to A/C power until the battery light turns off, which indicates that the battery pack is fully charged.

NOTE: You can charge the battery pack while the computer is powered on or off. After the battery pack has been fully charged, you can operate the computer; however, the battery gauge

may not accurately report the amount of charge until the battery pack has been calibrated. It is, therefore, recommended that a new battery pack be calibrated soon after purchase. For more information on calibration please refer to the information provided below.

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COMMERCIAL NOTEBOOK BATTERIES: PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION (cont.)

BATTERY CALIBRATION DEFINED

With the advancement in technology, the battery industry continues to provide solutions aimed at improving methods of accurately measuring a battery’s charge capacity. Inherent in today’s battery chemistry, the ability to store energy diminishes with each charge cycle. The Fuel Gauge that measures charge capacity is not able to account for the gradual diminishment in capacity. As a result, over time the gauge’s measurement becomes inaccurate. To maintain the measurement accuracy, Compaq recommends periodic calibration about every 90 days to reassess the energy storing capacity of the cells.

To complete the calibration of a battery, a full charge of the battery must be followed by a full uninterrupted discharge. Unless these two steps are completed together, proper calibration is not achieved and continued accuracy of the battery’s Fuel Gauge cannot be assumed. The more frequently the battery is subjected to partial charges and discharges, the more frequently the battery should be calibrated.

IMPORTANT!

Although the Battery Calibration tab displays all batteries installed in the system including those in the ArmadaStation, only those batteries installed in the computer battery bay or MultiBay can be calibrated

The battery can be calibrated using one of the following methods:

 Compaq Power Management Suite (PowerCon32)  Unattended Battery Calibration Utility  Manual Calibration

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