Expert: Jonathan Yaniv - 6/3/2006

Question
Before I run up to CompUSA for a new battery, can there be any OTHER reason besides failing battery that I should consider when my Thinkpad X21 goes from fully charged to 4% in under 5 min, with the message "Change to AC power immediately to avoid losing your work"? I've just been using it always plugged in since that began to happen several months ago, but once in a while I'd like to use it in the library where there's no outlet handy.

Answer
It seems your battery may need recalibration.

Try Recalibrating your battery using IBM Thinkpad Battery Maximizer.

New Batteries

When purchasing a new battery, you may find that the battery is at or near 0% capacity. This will be due to the length of time the battery has been in stock and does not affect the quality of the battery. If the battery is at 0%, it may take up to 12 hours of continuous charging.

Understanding the ThinkPad's Battery Indicator Light

The battery indicator light below the screen indicates your battery's status.
    When Using Battery Power    When Using AC Power
Solid Green    Plenty of battery    Battery fully charged
Blinking Green    NA    Battery almost charged
Solid Orange    NA    Charging
Blinking Orange    Battery low    NA

Checking Battery Health

For those machines that have the IBM ThinkPad Battery MaxiMiser and Power Management Features installed, you can verify the health of the system battery.

  1. Click the Battery MaxiMiser Gauge Icon on the taskbar and then click Battery Information . The Battery Information window will appear. (NOTE: If you do not have the Battery MaxiMiser Gauge Icon on the taskbar, run the Battery MaxiMiser Wizard and choose to "Show Battery MaxiMiser Gauge on Taskbar option.)
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  2. Click the Battery Health button to view the condition of the battery. You will need version 1.30B or later of the ThinkPad Battery MaxiMiser Utility in order for the Battery Tips button to appear.
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NOTES:

   * Status of the battery:
         o Green means good condition
         o Red means the battery needs to be replaced, if in warranty. All ThinkPad system batteries have a one year warranty.
   * More information is available in the battery information help guide, which can be accessed by clicking the Battery Tips button.
   * Remaining time is calculated based on the current remaining capacity divided by the average current battery consumption (wattage). Depending on the current battery wattage consumption, remaining time calculated can change. For example, with the system running at the Maximum Performance setting for the processor, the system consumes more battery power, so the remaining time is shorter. A good analogy would be driving a car. When you drive faster, you use more gasoline; slower uses less. If you speed up and slow down frequently, it is more difficult to estimate how much driving time you have left.

Maximizing Your Battery’s Life

The ThinkPad's Lithium Ion battery pack is an intelligent battery. It contains a microprocessor to monitor its capacity. Information about the remaining battery capacity is passed to the system from the battery pack, and the system indicates the capacity in 1% steps from 0% to 100% with high accuracy.

You can check the status of your battery using the Battery MaxiMiser Gauge in the taskbar tray.

The rate at which you use battery power will determine how long you can use the battery of your ThinkPad computer between charges. Because each computer user has different habits and needs, it is difficult to predict how long a battery charge will last.
There are two main factors:

  1. How much energy is stored in the battery when you begin to work.
  2. The way you use your computer: how often you access the hard disk drive, how bright you make the computer display, etc.

Follow these tips to maximize your ThinkPad's battery life:

   * Do not let the battery get completely discharged. (The only exception is if you are recalibrating it, as in the troubleshooting steps.)
   * Do not let your computer get too hot. For example, do not leave it in a car on a hot day, and do not set it on top of a heater.
   * Use the correct AC adapter with your computer.
   * Keep the computer plugged in as much as possible. The battery wears out after a certain number of recharge cycles, and keeping the computer plugged in when you can will keep you from wasting cycles.
   * Use the ThinkPad's Power Saving Modes.
   * Use the Battery MaxiMiser to disable devices you are not using. See Using the Battery MaxiMiser.
   * Decrease the LCD brightness - The LCD panel assembly contains a fluorescent lamp which illuminates the LCD screen. This fluorescent lamp consumes a substantial amount of power. Therefore, decreasing LCD brightness helps preserve battery power.

Power saving modes

Power saving modes are recommended when the system is not in use. These modes can be used any time to conserve power without having to first exit applications or save files. The following three power saving modes are available:
Mode    Explanation
Screen blank    LCD is turned off.
Suspend/Standby    All tasks are stopped and stored in memory. All devices except memory are turned off.
Hibernation    All tasks are stopped and memory data and current status of the computer are stored on the HDD, then the power is turned off.

To use Standby, Suspend or Hibernation mode, follow these instructions:
Mode    Instructions
Screen blank    Press the keyboard function key combination Fn + F3, or set the standby timer at power management at ThinkPad utility.
To turn the display on again, press any key or press the TrackPoint pointing stick.
Suspend/Standby    Press the keyboard function key combination Fn + F4, close LCD panel, set suspend timer at power management at ThinkPad utility, click suspend icon at battery meter.
To return from standby mode, press the Fn key.
Hibernation    There are three ways to hibernate the computer:

   * Press and hold down the keyboard function (Fn) key and press F12, then release both keys.
   * Click the hibernation icon in the battery meter
   * Set hibernation condition at suspend/hibernation/resume option in ThinkPad Features.
   * To resume your session, press the power button for no more than 4 seconds.

NOTE: In order for hibernation to work, Hibernation must be enabled. Also, hibernation uses disk space. See your User's Guide for details.

By setting the standby or the suspend timer, the system enters standby or suspend automatically when the system is not used for the time set by the timer.

When using Hibernation, you can select from several options for Hibernation from the Suspend/Hibernation/Resume icon in ThinkPad Features. For more information on those features, consult the User's Guide.

Troubleshooting ThinkPad Battery Problems

If your battery isn't working properly, try the following steps in order:

  1. Make sure your battery is fully charged
        1. Click on the Battery MaxiMiser icon and choose Battery Information.
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           Note: If the Battery MaxiMiser icon is not in the system tray, choose Start > All Programs > Access IBM > Battery MaxiMiser Wizard.
        2. If the remaining power is low, plug in the computer.
  2. Make sure you are using a battery-saving power profile.
        1. Click on the Battery MaxiMiser icon.
        2. If necessary, select a power saving profile.
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  3. Check the battery's health.
        1. Click on the Battery MaxiMiser icon and choose Battery Information.
        2. Click Battery Health.
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           If the battery health is not good, go to step 4 below.

           If the battery health is good, go to step 5 below.
  4. If the battery health is not good:
        1. “Deep cycle” the battery once by discharging and then fully recharging it.

           Sometimes the battery pack's microprocessor begins misreporting battery information, and deep cycling the battery pack can recalibrate the microprocessor.

           Important note: This is the only time you should deep cycle your battery pack, and you should only do it once. Unlike older ThinkPad’s batteries, which need to be deep cycled regularly, the current ThinkPad’s batteries work better if they are not discharged any more than absolutely necessary.

           To prolong the battery's life, keep the computer plugged in as much as possible. The battery wears out after a certain number of recharge cycles, and keeping the computer plugged in when you can will keep you from wasting cycles.
        2. Check the battery health again. If it is still not good, contact the Help Desk or fill out a Problem Report Form.
  5. Charge the battery fully, then unplug it from AC power.

     Does the battery indicator light start blinking orange immediately? If so, “deep cycle” the battery once by fully discharging then fully recharging it.

     Sometimes the battery pack's microprocessor begins misreporting battery information, and deep cycling the battery pack can recalibrate the microprocessor.
  6. If none of these steps help, contact the Help Desk or fill out a Problem Report Form.

Using the Battery MaxiMiser

The Battery MaxiMiser Wizard lets you disable devices you are not using, and create power profiles.

  1. Click on the Battery MaxiMiser icon and choose Launch Battery MaxiMiser Wizard.
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     Note: If the Battery MaxiMiser icon is not in the system tray, choose Start > All Programs > Access IBM > Battery MaxiMiser Wizard.
  2. Follow the steps in the Wizard to set battery options.

     Some especially useful settings are:

     Step 3: Viewing Battery Status. This screen lets you set the Battery MaxiMiser icon to appear on the Taskbar.
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     Step 6: Setting Power Schemes. This screen lets you choose a default power scheme.