Lithium Polymer battery dying fast

Hi everyone,

I bought an ultrabay slim battery for use with my z61t, and it seems to be losing capacity FAST.

The other day, I got a message saying that the battery's full charge capacity is now at 80% of the original, but I've only uesd it for 14 cycles (I got the battery about 4 months ago, but don't use it often). I've attached a screenshot showing the info about the battery; note today's full charge capacity and the original design capacity.

Is it odd that it is losing capacity this quickly? At this rate, it'll hold no charge at all in just a hundred cycles or so. Should I call tech support?

Thanks!

 

I think the "Sony" name says it all. Check and see if it is covered under the recall, and see if you can exchange it.

 

I already checked for the recall when Lenovo first announced it. It's not covered. :-/

So you're saying this isn't normal, right?

 

Correct. Something is very wrong with the battery and it should be replaced.

 

or it might blow up

 

Thanks a lot for the diagnosis, and for the ridiculously prompt replies, dietcokefiend! I guess I'll be calling Lenovo.

 

LiPol batteries have a high failure rate- apple had a lot of trouble with them when they introduced them as iBook/Powerbook batteries. I think your battery pack has suffered a premature failure, probably one of the internal cells isn't holding a charge. Talk to Lenovo, you should be covered for this kind of thing for a year after you buy the battery, since this is very likely a manufacturing defect.

 

Lenovo warranties the main battery for one year, I'd expect the same on the Ultrabay battery.

 

I'd contact them asap and get a replacement. It shouldn't be bahaving in that way, many recharge their battery on a daily basis and don't experience such deterioration for a while.

 

Hey bdonkey,

I purchased a z60m this summer with a slim bay battery, and I am having the same problem. In Power Manager my Second battery's condition is listed as "fair" (yellow), and the dialog box states "the battery 2 can store 57% of its original full charge capacity..." My slim bay battery is also Sony with a manufacture date of 2006-05-26 and first used date of 2006-06. This should give you a better indication of of how long it will last. I have used the Battery maintenance option a couple of times now and my tool bar power gauge once again lists 100%, but I suspect that the software is only adjusting to the new lesser capacity. Although I haven't yet been able to notice power drain difference yet when unplugged, but , again, I suspect that is only a perception issue. One thing is for certain, I am tired of Battery Maintenance because it take so #$%@ long. I thought these computers were suppose to be reliable?! There are other issues about Lenovo that make me skeptical about the companies reliability reputation, but I won't voice them here. Please keep me/us informed as to your dealings with IBM. This could vary well be another Sony defect issue.

Superfly

 

Hey bdonkey,

I recently bought the ultrabay battery for my z61m, and I did some research before purchasing. According to many users, the ultrabay battery losing capacity is a common problem. It lies in the fact that if you leave it in, the laptop completely drains the slim battery before movingon to the main battery. The slim battery is li-poly, so it doesn't like full discharges.

A common solution a lot of users have come up with is to monitor the drainage, and remove the battery before it reaches 0% charge. It's a little annoying, constantly checking power manager, but it will help.

As an example, my battery only has 6 cycles, but it still holds 100% of its design capacity. I've only drained it to 0% once by accident while watching a movie.

Also, everyone else is right regarding the 1yr battery warranty. Based on other's postings on forums, it seems like they have had really good service from Lenovo regarding replacement batteries.

Let us know how your experience with Lenovo gos if you ask to have your battery replaced!

 

It is my opinion that a product that needs constant attention is not a good product. When you buy a new car are you expected to check your oil level every time you stop for gas? Of course not, any car manufacture would announce an instant recall because companies know consumers don't like to hassle over their new purchase. It's bad business because the company's reputation takes a hit and the consumer is dissatisfied. If this is common problem then Lenovo should expect to replace the battery every 6 months, for free, for the life of the notebook. While this may seem unreasonable, remember Sony, Lenovo, and IBM have a responsibility to stand behind their product. That is the exact purpose of the warranty. If they are not willing to accommodate the warranty, then they should refund us our money. Just like bdonkey I expected a lot more cycles from my battery before any degradation. Alvin545, you imply that I should have known better before purchasing. While I don't think that was your intention, I non-the-less reject the implication. Not only did I research the Lenovo laptops months before purchasing and not come across this problem, but it is not enough for a company, or any one who else, to say I should have know better. Should Katrina victims have known better then to live in a town with inadequate levies? I'm an architect not an electrical engineer, so why on should I have known that the Li-ploy was a defective product? That raises the question, if it's defective why are they selling it? I bought a Lenovo/IBM because thought they had superior quality and battery life. I'm not so sure I believe that any more.

Superfly

 

Actually, that's exactly what the owner's manuals tell you to do (for German cars anyways, I don't know about American and Japanese cars)

Be that as it may, I do think that the computer ought to have been configured to use the main battery first, then the thinkbay battery.

BTW, Thinkpads are known for their superior battery runtime, not any especially superior battery longevity.

And they do have superior quality. Ever used the keyboard on a Dell laptop? Or seen how much a dell flexes? Or seen a Dell laptop after 3 years of use?

 

The IBM line of notebooks are superior in quality to Dell, experts agree.

 

Oddly enough, that's exactly what I've been doing; monitoring the charge, and pulling out the tab when it gets too low, so that it starts draining the main instead. But even then, it still lost charge...

I'm quite wary of calling Lenovo again (I'm on my 4th z61t in 4 months, since they kept shipping various replacements with various missing features until the 3rd try.), but I'll call tomorrow, and post what happens.

Thanks again to everyone for all the helpful comments!

 

I finally took out some time to call them today, and it was a very pleasant experience. I told them about how the battery was losing charge fast, and the technician immediately agreed that something was wrong with either the computer or the battery, and sent out a replacement (a Sanyo). They didn't even ask if I had tried battery maintenance.

I would advise you to call their tech support line, Superfly. And you're right, the software simply adjusts to the new, lower capacity, but the battery is still actually holding less charge now.

 

I did finally call them after realizing that I should stop moaning about it online and do something. I seem to have had a similar experience as you bdonkey. I told them the problem, and they immediately issued me two new batteries. It was a little too easy, which make me believe that they are fully aware of the problem. I also asked them if my 3 year extended warranty covered the batteries, it does not. It seem that you have to purchase separate warranties for each of the batteries. Once your batteries are out of the mandatory one year warranty you'll be out of luck in terms of warranty replacement. A long time ago I worked for Comp U.S.A. and the interesting thing I learn there was that computers sales were a very small portion of the stores revenue. The bulk of their revenue comes for accessories. Your printer cable, which you have to buy to make your printer run, costs a reseller company only a buck or two. They then turn around and sell it to you for 300 to 500% above their purchase price. There is nothing sinister about this practice, it's the way they do business. But you better believe that it is their best interest to sell you as many cables as they can. Back to Lenovo, it is in there best interest to sell you as many batteries as possible. That is why the batteries only come with the federally mandated one year warranty and they not covered under the general extended service plan. My advise is that if your batteries show the slightest degradation a month before the warranty expires, call them and get a replacement. I'm considering extending my batteries warranty (if possible), so I can do just that two and half year from now. Also FYI, Lenovo called me today to tell me that the batteries are on back order. And don't be afraid to them as many times as necessary, its your money. They need you more then you need them, you could have bought a Dell, Toshiba, Hp, Apple, Panasonic, Sony, Asus, etc... right!

 

that's why you never buy cables in-store. Internet is far cheaper.

 

That battery manager software available as a download for my Lenovo V100?

 

first off, newbie here, first post, and very appreciative of all the wisdom that are left to share on this forum.

according this guide to warranty, the length of the warranty is lengthened by a maximum of one year under purchase benefits of several credit cards. If that is so, then would the warranty of these batteries be extended as well?

There are 3 warranties at issue here:
1. General warranty on the notebook minus the battery (1+ year)
2. Warranty on the notebook's battery that came when you first purchase the notebook (max 1 year)
3. Warranty on additional batteries or ultrabay batteries (max 1 year)

Would it be correct to assume items 2 and 3 would be under the credit card warranty extension?

 

I believe the batteries themselves come with 1 year warranties from Lenovo; I think it was in the acquisition agreement, but I'm not sure.

As per my previous post, I called them yesterday, and the battery arrived this morning; pretty impressive. Unfortunately, they sent me a primary battery, and not the ultrabay slim battery that I requested. It even says secondary lithium battery on a yellow label on the package, but inside the box, it's one of those long primary batteries for the z61t series (among others).

I guess I'll have to call them again, but at least the service is speedy.