Batteries Tips

For Dell Latitude C CP CPI CPX Li-ion Battery and Dell Inspiron 2500 3700 3800 4000 8000 Li-ion Battery , they are produced by using new version firmware, so they probably are not compatible to notebooks with old BIOS. If you find the battery doesn't hold charge at all, please get the latest version BIOS for your notebook model at dell.com, update your notebook BIOS, then the battery will work fine on your notebook.
We have carried out the testing on the following models and BIOS version:
1) Latitude CPi A with BIOS A15 (latest) charges and discharges the battery without problem
2) Latitude CPx H with BIOS A14 (latest) charges and discharges the battery without problem
3) Latitude C600 with BIOS A21 or A23 charges and discharges the battery without problem
Service Tag Latitude CPi A : WHKXK
Service Tag Latitude CPx H : 1LFQ201
Service Tag Latitude C600 : 49SH611
You can obtain BIOS from the following URL:

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

* BIOS cannot be updated if the battery is fully drained or not installed
1. Are your batteries old or refurbished? What is the meaning of "Third Party"?
Most of our batteries are brand new third party products. Brand new means new case and new cells. Third party means they are not original batteries, but we fully guarantee our batteries meet or exceed OEM specifications, since our batteries also use Japanese cells and some items have more capacity than original ones.

2. Why are your prices lower than other companies?
To maintain our good relationship with manufactures, we must keep high sales volume everyday. That's the reason we have the most competitive prices in current battery market.

3. How to care and use battery?
Your new battery comes in a discharged condition and must be charged before use. Upon initial use (or after prolonged storage period) the battery may require two to three charge/discharge cycles before achieving maximum capacity.
If the battery is not going to be used for more than a month, it is recommended that it be removed from the device and stored in a cool, dry, clean place.
It is normal for a battery to become warm during charging and discharging.
A charged battery will eventually lose its charge if unused. It may therefore be necessary to recharge the battery after a storage period.

4. What should I pay attention to?
Do not short-circuit a battery. A short-circuit may cause damage to the battery.
Do not drop, hit or otherwise abuse the battery as this may result in the exposure of the cell contents, which are corrosive.
Do not expose the battery to moisture or rain.
Keep battery away from fire or other sources of extreme heat. Do not incinerate. Exposure of batteries to extreme heat may result in an explosion.

5. What is the "Memory Effect"?
Ni-Cad batteries suffer from what's called the "memory effect" This means that if a battery is continually only partially discharged before re-charging, the battery "forgets" that is has the capacity to further discharge all the way down. To illustrate: If you, on a regular basis, fully charge your battery and then use only 50% of its capacity before the next recharge, eventually the battery will become unaware of it's extra 50% capacity which has remained unused. Your battery will remain functional, but only at 50% of its original capacity. The way to avoid the dreaded "memory effect" is to fully cycle (fully charge and then fully discharge) your battery at least once every month. Batteries can be discharged by unplugging the device's AC adapter and letting the device run on the battery until it ceases to function. This will ensure your battery remains healthy. Ni-Mh and Li-Ion batteries do not suffer the memory effect.

6. Can I upgrade my current battery to a newer Chemistry?
NiCad, Ni-Mh and Li-ion are all fundamentally different from one another and cannot be substituted unless the device has been pre-configured from the factory to accept more than one type of rechargeable battery. The difference between them stems from the fact that each type requires a different charging pattern to be properly recharged. Refer to your owner's manual to find out which rechargeable battery types your particular device supports.

7. My New Battery Isn't Charging, what's going on?
New batteries are shipped in a discharged condition and must be charged before use. We generally recommend an overnight charge (approximately twelve hours). Refer to your user's manual for charging instruction. Rechargeable batteries should be fully charged and then fully discharged 2 to 4 times initially to allow them to reach their full capacity. (Note: It is perfectly normal for a battery to become warm to the touch during charging and discharging).
New batteries are hard for your device to charge because they have never been fully charged and are therefore unformed. Sometimes your device's charger will stop charging a new battery before it is fully charged. If this happens, simply remove the battery from your device and then re-insert it. The charge cycle should start again. This may happen several times during your first battery charge. Don't worry; it's perfectly normal.
* If your battery still does not work well after you try the above steps, we strongly suggest you update your notebook's BIOS. Our battery is generic, every battery is compatible to lots of notebook models and produced with latest version of firmware, so the battery has no way to work well on notebooks with old version of BIOS. In most cases, updating the notebook's BIOS will solve the problem.

8. How can I maximize battery performance?
Breaking In New Batteries
New batteries come in a discharged condition and must be fully charged before use. It is recommended that you fully charge and discharge your new battery two to four times to allow it to reach its maximum rated capacity.
Keep Your Batteries Clean
It's a good idea to clean dirty battery contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol. This helps maintain a good connection between the battery and your laptop. Exercise Your Battery
Do not leave your battery dormant for long periods of time. We recommend using the battery at least once every two to three weeks. If a battery has not been used for a long period of time, perform the new battery break in procedure described above.
Power Management
To get maximum performance from the battery, fully optimize the notebooks power management features prior to use. Power management is a trade off: better power conservation in exchange for lesser computer performance. The power management system conserves battery power by setting the processor to run at a slower speed, dimming the screen, spinning down the hard drive when it's not used and causing the machine to go into sleep mode when inactive. The notebook user's guide will provide information relating to specific power management features. It may also be necessary to update the BIOS of the notebook in order to achieve maximum performance especially if the original battery has a lower power capacity (mAH). Please visit the notebook manufacturer's website for information regarding BIOS updates.

9. What are battery ratings?
There are two ratings on every battery: Volts and Milliamp-hour (mAh). The voltage of the new battery should always match the voltage of your original. Some of our batteries will have higher amp-hour ratings that the original battery found in your device. This is indicative of a longer run-time (high capacity) and will not cause any incompatibilities. Remember: in some cases, the voltage will differ from the original battery. This often happens when both a Li-Ion battery and a Ni-MH battery are available for the laptop.

10. How long is the battery life?
The life of a rechargeable battery operating under normal conditions is generally between 500 to 800 charge-discharge cycles. This translates into one and a half to three years of battery life for the average user. As your rechargeable battery begins to die, you will notice a decline in the run time of the battery. When your two-hour battery is only supplying you with an hour's worth of use, it's time for a new battery.

11. How long will the new main battery power the laptop?
Battery run-time on a laptop is difficult to determine. Actual battery running time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. The use of the screen, the hard drive, and other accessories results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing its running time. The total run-time of the battery is also dependent upon the design of the equipment. Generally, a new Hi-Capacity battery will run 30% to 50% longer than the old battery did when is was new.

12. I have performed all the steps above but the laptop still will not charge the battery. What next?
There is a possibility that either the notebook or the battery is defective. The best way of determining which one is by comparing either the battery or the notebook to a known good one. For example: If the battery does not charge at all, yet another battery charges and discharges properly in the same notebook, then we can assume that the battery is defective. Or: If the battery works fine on one notebook but not the other, then it is the notebook that is defective and will need servicing.

Battery Care Instruction
Battery Do's
A new battery comes in a discharged condition and must be charged before use (refer to the devices manual for charging instructions). Upon initial use (or after a prolonged storage period) the battery may require three to four charge/discharge cycles before achieving maximum capacity.
When charging the battery for the first time the device may indicate that charging is complete after just 10 or 15 minutes. This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable batteries. Remove the battery from the device, reinsert it and repeat the charging procedure.
It is important to condition (fully discharge and then fully charge) the battery every two to three weeks. Failure to do so may significantly shorten the battery's life (this does not apply to Li-Ion batteries, which do not require conditioning). To discharge, simply run the device under the battery's power until it shuts down or until you get a low battery warning. Then recharge the battery as instructed in the user's manual.
If the battery will not be in use for a month or longer, it is recommended that it be removed from the device and stored in a cool, dry, clean place.
It is normal for a battery to become warm to the touch during charging and discharging.
A charged battery will eventually lose its charge if unused. It may therefore be necessary to recharge the battery after a storage period.
The milliamp-hour (mAH) rating of the Hi-Capacity battery will often be higher than the one on the original battery. A higher mAH rating is indicative of a longer lasting (higher capacity) battery and will not cause any incompatibilities. A Hi-Capacity battery will, in most cases, outperform the original by 30% to 50%.
Actual battery run-time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. In the case of notebook computers, screen brightness, the use of the CPU, the hard drive, and other peripherals results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing the battery's run-time. The total run-time of the battery is also heavily dependent upon the design of the equipment. To ensure maximum performance of the battery, optimize the computer's power management features. Refer to the computer manual for further instructions.

Laptop battery life
When it comes to laptop batteries life, there are plenty of rumors as to exactly how you should charge and discharge them. Everyone seems to think that a laptop battery will last a certain amount of time, but this time can vary greatly depending on whom you are talking to. Fortunately, there are facts out there to help set the record straight on exactly what the situation is.
When it comes to how long your battery will last, the typical lifespan of a battery is 500 to 800 complete charge cycles. Depending on how often you use your battery, this should generally be about three years or so of fairly frequent use. Of course, some batteries last longer or shorter than others, but this should give you a good idea of how long a typical laptop battery life is.

How to Extend laptop Battery Life
When youre talking about short-term battery life, as in how long a battery will last before needing to be recharged, its a whole different story. There are many different kinds of rechargeable batteries, and the type of battery your laptop uses will determine what your typical battery life will be. Depending on the type of battery you use, there may be another issue you need to take into account as well: battery memory.
Certain types of batteries will lose their charging potential if they are frequently used and charged only halfway. Its always a good idea to drain the battery completely before charging, and charge to full capacity as well. This will ensure that your battery can always be charged to its full potential, ensuring the longest possible battery life for your laptop battery .
With the latest portable PCs, working on the move has never been easier, but laptops are still slaves to the National Grid.

You can do practically anything on a modern laptop, but their advanced features drain battery life to the extent that you can only get a couple of hours out of your laptop before it turns up its toes.

While battery life is a chief cause of mobile moans, it's possible to get significant improvements by simple good practice and a few software tweaks. To help you get the most from your laptop battery, here are seven easy ways to make it last longer.

1. Dim your screen
The screen is one of the most power-hungry parts of the laptop. It takes serious amounts of battery power to keep your display looking clear and bright. Saving this power is simply a question of turning the brightness down. The screen brightness button is usually located as a second function of one of the F keys, and is represented by a little sun symbol with up and down icons. To use it, just hold down the correct function key and then choose up or down.

2. Change power settings
Windows Vista comes with some great power features, which enable you to eke out the best performance when you're plugged into the mains, and optimise battery life when on the move. Type power options into the Start Search box and choose Power saver from the list. The Windows Mobility Center has more methods for saving battery life. These include settings for powering off the monitor and kicking into sleep mode more quickly.

3. Switch off Wi-Fi
One of the biggest battery sappers is the wireless networking capabilities built into most laptops. Wi-Fi drains the battery by constantly drawing power from the battery and, when not connected, looking for networks. When you're using your laptop away from the grid, the likelihood is you're away from wireless networks, so you can turn this device off. Many laptops have a function button that enables you to turn off the wireless adaptor manually to save yourself the unnecessary waste, but older laptops often don't have this. If this is the case, just go to the Control Panel, access the Network Connections menu and disable your wireless connection manually.

4. Turn off peripherals
Using USB peripherals can put a big drain on your system, because your motherboard has to power them, so unplugging everything saves juice. USB sticks, mice and webcams are common offenders, so copy all your information across and eject your devices as soon as possible, and put up with laptop track pads over your USB mouse. Many laptops have function buttons to turn off the built-in webcam, which drains the battery if given the chance.

5. Eject your disc drives
Having a disc spinning in the drive is a huge drain on resources, and many programs constantly do this. Simply eject your discs before you switch to battery power to gain vital extra minutes from your working day.

6. Invest in some hardware
Good practice can go some way to extending your battery life, but if you need to use your laptop throughout your working day, you're going to need some help. Most laptops come with a six-cell battery, but many manufacturers offer eight- or even 12-cell optional upgrades, which can double your power. The alternative to expensive laptop batteries are products such as the Philips Portable Power Pack, which gives you valuable extra hours for all your devices. The Philips is a compact battery unit that has adaptors for most laptops and mobile phones, which is portable enough to be placed in a bag and has enough capacity to double the length of your charge.

7. Disable features
Windows Vista has some handy built-in features, but many put demands on your system that are unnecessary when working on the move. Take the simple measure of turning off Windows Aero and the Windows Sidebar when you're on the move to make your laptop more efficient.