CF-29 Media Bay Battery

Hi all, I'm new to Toughbooks and just got my first CF-29 a little over a week ago. Since I will be using it a lot when sailing and I don't always get a chance to charge things, I purchased the media bay battery(CF-VZSU1428) and just got it today. Now I put the battery into the Media bay and it doesn't show up, I've restarted the computer and tried reinserting the battery but it still doesn't show up. I'll admit now that I don't know all the in and outs of the PC and I'm a bit of a Mac guy but Macs just are not rugged enough for an ocean and outdoor environment....and I happen to like this Toughbook a lot. So any help you can give would be great.
Thanks

 

Welcome!!!! I can tell you that for sure it will eat the juice from the media pack first AND THEN eat the juice from the primary battery after the media pack is depleted... as to why it isn't showing up I don't quite know.

Where did you get this battery from (a trusted source?)

Was it new or used?

How much did you get it for?



With the answers to these questions I might be able to guide you in the right direction as to weather or not you got ripped off (which happens more with Toughbooks than any other type of notebook unfortunately)

 

Also, what model is your laptop? I remember talk of certain 28's (maybe even early 29's) needing a patch/update to run the media bay battery.

 

It basically starts on page 2, but it appears it was only the 28 that had MBB problems. You might have a dead one. Why do you think its not working again?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=160669&highlight=media+bay+battery

 

I got the battery on eBay from trifectasales, it was listed as "UNUSED GOVT SURPLUS" and I got it for $73. I thought it wasn't working because when I put it in, it did not show up in the Power Meter or when I pressed F9 for battery levels. Now I did put it in right after I pulled it out of the box so maybe it just needs a charge, but I would think it would show up. The model number is CF-29CTKGZKMBKB. I read through that thread and didn't see anything about needing a driver for a CF-29. Thanks again for all your help guys, I'm glad I'm not by myself trying to figure this out.

 

Hmmmm.... Does your floppy and/or CD/DVD Rom show up in the bay when you boot up? Make sure that all the contacts are clean. Some of the Toughbooks can get kind of dirty inside. You'd be surprised what I find inside when I open them up! Cat hair, dog hair, desert sand, dirt, candy, donut crumbs, coffee that has been solidified, etc. There is an external charger that is available for the Toughbook batteries... It works with the regular charger. You plug the charger in the wall then the end into the external box then the box into the battery. It is not a common part but they do come up on ebay from time to time.... But you should just be able to plug it in the side and have it work.

One thing though... Some of my customers call me to say that their DVDs don't work when they put them in. I tell them to push the caddy in until it sticks out about two inches from the side and then slam it in the laptop. This won't hurt anything because you can't get enough speed up to do harm... But it WILL ensure that you have properly seated the battery. Some people push them in a little too gently to have them seat properly.

Just a thought...

 

My media bay battery came with the admonition to fully charge it before using the first time.

If I recall correctly; the main battery pack will charge fully before the MB battery starts to charge. That's the reverse of how they are depleted.

 

Good point Pappy.... Good to see you around!

 

Well I feel a little dumb...hooked the battery up to the external charger and let it charge over night, now it works great. Should have just put it on to charge in the first place. Thanks to everyone for all the help, I'm learning more and more from all of you every day.

 

That's what were here for! Were were all where you are now at one point... The more you do.. The more you learn!