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    Why is My Battery LED Flashing?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by Hyperion, Aug 27, 2005.

  1. Hyperion

    Hyperion Newbie

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    Well,

    I'm new to laptops and just got myself a lovely 9300 :)

    All is well except for something which I see as strange but may in fact be normal! :eek:

    So I have noticed that sometimes my battery LED will flash as if the battery is charging but windows and the BIOS indicate the battery is at 100%. Any idea why this might be happening? Is this normal, for example is the battery being "topped up" or maintained in some way? I checked the documentation and all it mentions is that this indicates the battery is being charged.

    Evrything else seems normal, the laptop is working fine, the battery is maintaining its normal charge and the laptop works just fine when running on battery power only.

    This "problem" cropped up again this morning as I was using my laptop even though I hadn't made use of the battery and was on a/c power all the time.

    Any comments would be welcomed so I could put my mind at rest.

    Thanks
     
    Hyperion, Aug 27, 2005
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  2. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    u sure it's the battery indicator and not the HD?
     
    drumfu, Aug 27, 2005
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  3. JustJimDelany

    JustJimDelany Notebook Consultant

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    I noticed mine flashes for a little while when the battery is actually not quite charged. It stops when the electronics decide the battery is fully charged. I never see it flash when using the computer while plugged in with the battery fully charged.

    I think the software computation is probably mostly right but not completely right the battery must be something like 99.5% charged when it says 100% and the battery is still trickle charging a little. I am assuming this is normal. It seems to stop eventually
     
    JustJimDelany, Aug 27, 2005
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  4. Hyperion

    Hyperion Newbie

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    I'm sure it wont be the HD light and I reckon it would be just a trickle update as it went off not long after I posted the original message. I was just wondering if this normal.
     
    Hyperion, Aug 27, 2005
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  5. ccbr01

    ccbr01 Matlab powerhouse! NBR Reviewer

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    mobmeter can actually tell you if it is charging or now
     
    ccbr01, Aug 27, 2005
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  6. Tiberus

    Tiberus Notebook Enthusiast

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    It's normal. Every Dell laptop I've ever owned has done that. The battery light will go on for a second maybe every 15 seconds or something like that. I think it's just telling you it's trickle charging to keep the battery at 100% (batteries will very slowly lose their charge even if you don't use them).
     
    Tiberus, Aug 27, 2005
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