Question about battery life

I have finally bought a thinkpad r52 today and i gotta say it is a pretty decent notebook..

but i have some doubt with the battery. When I was checking the laptop in the computer shop, I switched on the laptop found that the battery life has been down to 61%, is it normal not to be fully charged when it just come out from the manufacturer?

Then I went back home and tried to fully charge the laptop and the battery meter is dropping quite fast, 10% per 15 mins. it can never be reached to 3.5 hrs as claimed.

I just wanted to know is it normal or I have been cheated by the computer shop, who might have changed the old battery and disguisesd as the new ones?

Thanks guys.

--
Ed

 

10% for 15 minutes means it will last around 2.5 hours, which isn't a lot, but overall normal, I think. If you turn off the wireless radio and tone down the screen brightness, it will last longer.

 

check the battery full cap. it should be 52k something, and make sure you put the processor to lowest. it will last for 4 hours.

 

My battery did not come fully charged. I had to charge it right out of the box. As for the 4+ hours of battery life, I have never had a notebook that meets the stated expectancy of battery life (unless you do the many tweaks to manage the power). One of the biggest drains to battery is the screen brightness but who wants to work from a dull screen? I would suggest getting IBM's bigger battery from newegg.

 

Notebook makers tend to be optimistic when estimating battery life. You could get the modlar battery for extra time. Runs around $100 on pricegrabber.

 

I have checked it with mobile meter and found out that my battery has 1% of wear, is it normal consider I have charged 2 times since i bought my laptop yesterday.

What would be the best way to maintain ur battery in a good form? I would love to know.

Thanks guys

 

Take a look and read throught the articles at the Battery University for "Lithium Ion"-batteries and you will know...

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo.htm

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo.htm

 

imo it is not normal.

and i do have 4 hours batt. time with -1 from max brightness, mostly it fluctuates between high 3 - low 4 hours.

 

Well.. I checked it today and try to lower the cpu performance and tune down the brightness to 6. the battery somehow can sustain more than 3 hours. I am just curious why my battery have already worn out 1% consider it's a new one.

but the mfg date is on 6/2005 and the full capacity is only like 46.96 Wh

Anyway, I am not a intense mobile user, it shouldn't be a too much problem to me.

 

i bought mine 1 1/2 mth ago, the mfg date is 08/2005. you should call them, there is only one year warranty on battery.

 

Ha, checked with ibm today and they said its really nothing to do with the mfg date of the battery and seriously, they said 3 1/2 hrs of the battery life are rather opstimistic under a normal usage.

Well I don't know, I will figure it out but i gotta say, I love my Thinkpad so much. It's just a beauty.. and the feeling of the keyboard is just amazing..

 

i mean you should ask for a replacement.. it shouldnt be worn out just after 2 usages.

what is your model type? i have the thai keyboard, but i still think it still needs a "deeper" bounce. what do you think of the screen? i personally dissapoint with it everytime i play a dvd but i also do not want a screen as bright as a glass that it even reflects background light.

 

Ah. i have asked for a replacement, but the guy told me that it cannot be replaced at the moment. Have to wait the battery completely worn out. I told him that I have used the mobilemeter to check the worn out status, apparently he didnt' even know there's such a program existed.

How is the IBM/Lenovo customer services in the states? I'm in Hong Kong, I find out it's only above average..

Anyway, I bought a R52 (1858-2VH)

PM 1.6 Sonoma
1 GB DDRII RAM PC4200
14.1 XGA
40GB HDD
CDRW/DVD COMBO

Come with ard USD1100

Yeah, the keypad can be a bit deeper, but it's much better than Acer and Sony.. the screen is alright, nth spectacular, I was choosing among DV4000, Aspire 5021 and IBM R52. After using my friend's Sony Vaio, I just can't stand the reflection of the glossy screen although it looks really fine when playing DVD and picture viewing.

Really have to say the TP's built quality are definitely on really top notch.