Jeff_LazerWolf_Bristol@cup.portal.com (04/02/88)
. I have a problem with a Hewlett Packard 110 Portable that perhaps someone can help with. . It seems that the internal battery has a problem with its memory (I am just guessing but really know nothing about the battery or how it functions). The problem started about a year ago when the battery would get down to about 70% and would warn of "low battery" and then shut off (as if the battery were completely gone). As time went on, the problem got worse and worse until now the battery can only go down to 98% before it automatically shuts off! This is after a full recharge! . Is there a way to 'reinitialize' the battery or is the problem with the computer? The computer does no good to me as a 'portable' with this problem. . Jeff Bristol
hals@hpuecoa.HP.COM (HAL SHEARER) (04/04/88)
>/ hpuecoa:comp.sys.hp / Jeff_LazerWolf_Bristol@cup.portal.com / 1:38 pm Apr 1, 1988 / . >It seems that the internal battery has a problem with its memory (I am >just guessing but really know nothing about the battery or how it >functions). The problem started about a year ago when the battery >would get down to about 70% and would warn of "low battery" and then >shut off (as if the battery were completely gone). As time went on, >the problem got worse and worse until now the battery can only go down >to 98% before it automatically shuts off! This is after a full recharge! . >Is there a way to 'reinitialize' the battery or is the problem with >the computer? The computer does no good to me as a 'portable' with >this problem. . >Jeff Bristol The problem is that the battery is just too old. I've been using a 110 for 2-3 years and after that amount of time my battery did the same thing. Our local 110 guru said that occasionally a battery will simply 'get tired' and not hold the charge properly anymore. This does not seem to happen very often, out of approx. 50 110s he supports, he's only seen it happen a couple of times. He suggested that I not let the battery get so low as often, something that I had been doing with the old battery. Hal Shearer hpuecoa!hals
clay@hpficad.HP.COM (Clay Scott) (04/05/88)
Jeff, I had the same problem with a 110. It was the battery pack. The 110 shuts off when the battery voltage gets too low. The % indication is just a rough estimate of use remaining and can't compensate for a weak battery. I won't swear to it, but I bet a new battery pack would give a lasting "cure". Clay Scott clay@hpfcla
bill@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Frolik) (04/06/88)
> functions). The problem started about a year ago when the battery > would get down to about 70% and would warn of "low battery" and then > shut off (as if the battery were completely gone). As time went on, Try replacing the battery; it probably just won't hold a charge. The fuel gauge in the HP110 and Portable Plus doesn't actually measure battery voltage or current -- it's controlled by a separate microprocessor that monitors time and system configuration (Is recharger plugged in? Is serial port turned on? Is display turned on? Is system running, or asleep? How about that modem?) and then looks up average subsystem current drains in a ROM table. Even though this scheme seems kind of kludgy, it works fairly well if the battery is in good shape. But if your battery won't hold a charge, or if some part of the system is drawing an abnormally large amount of current, the fuel gauge won't track along properly since the only thing it measures is time. The system also contains a circuit that watches for the low-battery condition (voltage drops below a certain threshold) and generates an interrupt if it ever occurs. The system then issues the "low battery" warning and eventually shuts off to prevent the battery from becoming too deeply discharged. Bill Frolik / hplabs!hp-pcd!bill Hewlett-Packard / Corvallis Workstation Operation / Corvallis, Oregon
dsmith@hplabsb.UUCP (David Smith) (04/07/88)
In article <290001@hpuecoa.HP.COM>, hals@hpuecoa.HP.COM (HAL SHEARER) writes: > He suggested that I not > let the battery get so low as often, something that I had been doing > with the old battery. Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. NiCads develop a memory for how low they have been discharged. If a battery has not been allowed to discharge very low for a long time, it will take a set and never discharge very low in the future. You should discharge a NiCad all the way down every three months to maintain its capacity. David Smith
van@hpislx.HP.COM (Van Walther) (04/07/88)
>> He suggested that I not >> let the battery get so low as often, something that I had been doing >> with the old battery. >Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. However, the battery in the 110 is a sealed Lead-Acid battery. The best way to keep it alive is to keep it charged. I keep mine on the charger except when using it portable. Van Walther Hewlett-Packard Measurement Systems Operation
bw@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Wilhelmi) (04/07/88)
> >Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. NiCads develop >a memory for how low they have been discharged. If a battery has not >been allowed to discharge very low for a long time, it will take a set >and never discharge very low in the future. You should discharge a NiCad >all the way down every three months to maintain its capacity. > > David Smith The battery in the HP 110 and the Portable PLUS is a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery does well if the recharger is left plugged in as much as possible. If you ever let the battery get below about 20% without immediately recharging it, you may snuff the battery for good. I have seen many 110s and P+ units where that was the case. It has happened to my P+ also. NiCads on the other hand need to be drained before recharging, as mentioned above. The 9114 disc drive uses a lead-acid battery but the HP-IL ThinkJet printer uses a NiCad. You therefore need to treat those batteries differently. Don't let your Portable's battery discharge all the way. You'll be sorry! As far as replacing the battery in your Portable, the do-it-yourself method is not for amateurs. You need to send the unit to the nearest HP Field Repair Center. The documentation for the Portable (in an appendix, I think) tells you where you can get your Portable repaired. Bill Wilhelmi Hewlett-Packard Company Corvallis Workstation Operation Corvallis, Oregon ______________________________________________________________________________ UUCP:{ihnp4|cbosgd|allegra|decvax|gatech|sun|tektronix}!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!bw Internet: bw%hpcvlx@hplabs.hp.com USnail : 1000 N.E. Circle Blvd., Corvallis, Oregon, 97330, USA
scott@hpcvca.HP.COM (Scott Linn) (04/08/88)
>Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. NiCads develop >a memory for how low they have been discharged. If a battery has not >been allowed to discharge very low for a long time, it will take a set >and never discharge very low in the future. You should discharge a NiCad >all the way down every three months to maintain its capacity. > > David Smith ---------- Ah, but the 110 has a lead-acid gel-cell gates battery. It is *not* good to discharge this type of battery. It is best to keep it trickle charged. Scott Linn HP - Northwest IC Division
johne@hpvcla.HP.COM (John Eaton) (04/08/88)
<<<< <> He suggested that I not <> let the battery get so low as often, something that I had been doing <> with the old battery. < <Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. ---------- It's actually a 2.5 Amp hour 6 volt Lead-Acid battery. Lead acid do not like to be deep discharged so it helps to have a automatic cutoff to protect the battery after it is discharged. Nicads can take a deep discharge better than lead acid. On the other hand Nicads don't like to be overcharged for long periods of time. That is why Nicad equipment normally recommends that you recharge it and then disconnect the recharger. Lead acid are far more tolerant to overcharge. John Eaton !hpvcla!johne
dennett@kodak.UUCP (Charlie Dennett) (04/08/88)
In article <4646@hplabsb.UUCP> dsmith@hplabsb.UUCP (David Smith) writes: >In article <290001@hpuecoa.HP.COM>, hals@hpuecoa.HP.COM (HAL SHEARER) writes: >> He suggested that I not >> let the battery get so low as often, something that I had been doing >> with the old battery. > >Presuming that the battery is a NiCad, that is bad advice. NiCads develop >a memory for how low they have been discharged. I was under the impression that the batteries in the 110 were gel-cell bateries. Is this so? Do they have the same memory problem that Ni-Cads do? I've also seen the charge meter get out of sync with the actual charge level on the batteries. It's been a while but i think the solution is to let the batteries sit on the charger long enough so that you are sure they are at peak charge. Then push a button that is somewhere on the back of the 110. This will reset the charge meter back to 99%. I no longer have access to an HP110 but I do remember reading about this procedure in the manual. (All this was at least two years ago.) -- Charlie Dennett | UUCP: ...!rutgers!rochester!kodak!dennett Eastman Kodak Company | Voice: 716-726-4480 901 Elmgrove Road | Company Mail: Dept 420 Tech. Support B-2/F-1 Rochester, NY 14650 | Company DECnet: VXMM07::DENNETT
Jeff_LazerWolf_Bristol@cup.portal.com (04/14/88)
Thanks to all the people who helped out with my HP 110 problem and especially to Bob Kunz of Everett WA. All is solved and I'm back on the road. I ended up using the part numbers given to me for Gates Batteries to order 3 new lead-acid 2 volt batteries. The batteries were $6.95 each. I then took the batteries to an electronics store and they installed them for me for $10.00. If anyone else has this problem, I would encourage you to do the same thing and save yourself a bunch of money. This was my first REAL query on the network and I am amazed at what a great response I got! Thanks again! Jeff Bristol
Jeff_LazerWolf_Bristol@cup.portal.com (04/21/88)
I had a request for the part numbers for the Gates batteries that I put in my HP 110 portable, here is the information I received. Hope this helps, Robert. (I couldnt seem to get through to you via E-Mail) |The battery is a lead-acid sealed cell (it is 3 "D-sized cells in series) |and as such does not suffer from the nickel-cadmium memory problem. The |correct way to use the 110 is to keep it fully changed, in fact plugged |in when you can and do not drain the battery to the point where the 110 |decides to power down. | |The battery is not "user-replaceable", but is easy enough to do anyways. | |We sell the battery at an exhorbitant fee because it has a custom connecting |system. The cells are from Gates. You can remove the battery and replace |the individual cells if you like. The Gates number is 0810-0004. It is a |2 volt 2.5 Amp-Hour cell (you'll need 3). You'll need to solder the new |cells in place after clipping the old ones out. You can also buy the cells |put together from Gates with their PN 0810-0216 and re-use the plastic piece |from your old batteries. The HP part number for the battery pack is 1420-0329. | |>From your desciption the battery is indeed dead and you cannot revive it. |It has lived it's life and should be retired. | |Bob Kunz hplsla!bobk |Hewlett-Packard AT&T 206-335-2135 |Lake Stevens Division |8600 Soper Hill Rd. |Everett, WA 98205 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Bristol