AC Adapter killing batteries?

I know there have been a few threads on this issue, but has anyone had MULTIPLE problems with the Sony batteries in their SZ notebooks?

After the first one died, I purchased a new one and now that one is dead too (as in "battery no present" dead). I've been on the phone with Sony and they won't send me a new battery even though my computer is still within warranty, so I've been trying to figure out ways to solve this problem on my own. I saw that someone had posted this info on another thread:

>Turns out the issue is the AC adapter not being grounded. If you
>speak to Sony, they will replace the 2 pronged adapter with a 3
>pronged adapter and if >your battery has been killed by the
>adapter like mine had been, they will replace it.
>
>That is the cause of the dead batteries and the tingling in the
>palm rest...the new adapter fixes all.

Is there anyone else who can verify this information? If so, I guess I'll purchase a new battery and a new AC adapter, or get one from Sony (unless they hang up on me after putting me on hold for 2 hours again).

Sorry for the bitterness, btw.

 

I would consider calling your credit card company and getting some type of chargeback if Sony continues to hang up on you. They screwed it up, they should fix it...for free.

That grounded AC adapter problem was also the cause for a few other issues, such as the mousepad shocking people.

 

just say you want to speak to the manager, people work in sonystore or the phone answering had NO Basic computer knowledge, probably they just graduated from high school.

 

The adapter that came with my TXN 15 P/B only has two prongs. Should I be worried?

 

bump to top. I have SZ460N (premium).
So I have an issue with this now. I've had a slight tingling palm rest but thought it was a static-carbon issue (and I still think it is) but now my AC adapter keeps dying. I'll plug it in and the light will go out. A few minutes later if I plug it in again it works, kind of like there is a breaker that resets itself. Are our AC adapters that advanced?

But anyway, it shouldn't go out in the first place so does anyone have any experience with this? Maybe it has to do with the grounding? Can I call Sony and will they send a 3 prong adapter? Thanks for the help.

 

Just to share a little technical side of the issue.

When AC power is used, avoid attaching the battery as constant charging generally shortens battery-life. This is the case for all notebook brands. Nevertheless, if what you are working on is of unusual importance, an attached battery serves as a UPS should AC power fail.

On the whole, an unuse battery still needs to be charged 2 times a year (i.e. every 6 months) to keep the battery in working condition.

As for the plug, please go for the 3-pin variant for added ground protection.


rgds.

 

Agreed. Back on the days of NiCd and NiMh batteries they had a 300 charging cycle lifetime, so do the maths. It gives you a couple of years for a cell phone or half a year for a laptop in a twice daily charge. And they had memory issues that were solved in the NiMh.

I had my compact with a complete half an hour for almost 4 years, since I always dettached it. But most laptop users gave me "that" look when I suggested them to do it. Theyr loss, and its much lighter to carry arround.

Lithium ions technology should theoretically be imune to memory issues, but I never researched the cycle lifetime issue. So I neglected doing that and after half a year use I have noticed some drawback. Good suggestion, won´t hurt so I remooved the battery and the CD unit so its very lightweight again.

CD unit has a cover. It´s a petty there is none for the battery. Or is there one for sale?

 

I believe this is not due to the charge cycles, as a full charged battery in your laptop won't continue to be charged. The real issue with Li-ion batteries is degradation, where the rate of degradation is strongly affected by the temperature of the battery, and the charge of the battery. If you use your battery a lot, additional to cycling, it also spends more time at a low-charge state, where the degradation rate will be much higher. Also, if you leave your battery plugged into your laptop, even though it's not being charged/cycled, it tends to heat up quite a lot. Keeping your battery cool slows the degradation process significantly. I saw some graphs on this stuff a while back, but I can't find it. I'll throw this Wikipedia quote in for a suporting argument:

"At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. However, a battery stored inside a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures than 25 °C, which will significantly shorten its life."