Computer Gurus: HELP ME! Please?

[SpecialK]

I have an IBM Workpad z50. (Kinda like a laptop except smaller.)

In general, how long is a backup battery supposed to last on one of these things? (Not the regular battery, but the little AAAs that are hidden in a compartment on the bottom.)

I have had this Workpad (which shall be further known as the P.O.S!) for almost a year. I haven't used it much since the reason I bought it in the first place was to facilitate my writing.

It is my understanding that a laptop does not need to be plugged in to an electrical outlet unless you are charging the battery or connected to the 'Net, or doing some sort of battery-draining task. Is that not the basis of the technology of a laptop? That you can compute anywhere, without being restricted by a power cord?

Well, this P.O.S. seems to work fine, for a few weeks after you replace the backup batteries. Then, if you do not keep it plugged in, somehow, it drains the backup battery and not the main battery. I have lost countless irreplaceable stories off this P.O.S. that I had not had the chance to transfer to my desktop in a timely enough fashion. (12 F*CKING HOURS!)

I have sent the P.O.S. to IBM twice. I got it back today and I do not feel it is fixed. The technician replaced the backup batteries and added a note that 'cosmetics' were not under warranty but that the battery had a one-year limited warranty. WTF does that mean?! (I have translated this to mean that the tech thinks I'm a blithering idiot who cannot figure out how to replace the backup batteries.)

So, my question for all you computer savvy people out there is: How long should a backup battery for a laptop/ PC Companion thingy last? Surely I don't have to keep replacing backup batteries every 3 weeks! That's ridiculous!

Also, since I don't feel the P.O.S. fixed, and I'm just waiting until it breaks again to go postal on IBM, what are my available courses of action? Do I demand a refund, a replacement? What?

Thanks all! Sorry for the long post. I've been fuming since I took this thing out of the box and read the enclosed note. I needed to vent.

K

 

[Nobody Special's wife]

how old is your computer...

 

[Weird Harold]

So, my question for all you computer savvy people out there is: How long should a backup battery for a laptop/ PC Companion thingy last? Surely I don't have to keep replacing backup batteries every 3 weeks! That's ridiculous!

Actually, this is a hardware question more than a computer question.

I don't know what the "backup" batteries power in your machine. In most things that have a main battery and a "backup" battery, the backup ony powers the configuration information and functions like a clock that need power continuously. My short-wave radio, for example, has a set of batteries that power the receiver and amplifier functions, and a separate set of batteries for the clock and station memory functions.

If your backup batteries are only powering configuration and clock functions, I would expect them to last 6 months to a year. If they are powering the computer memory when the machine goes into an automatic shutdown mode or something similar, then the battery life will depend on how often you let it automatically poser down, and how much time is spent depending on the backup batteries.

From your description, it sounds more like the problem is with the rechargable battery. NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) batteries develop what is known as "charge memory." If they are frequently only partially discharged before recharging, then they start to "adapt" to the short periods of use and only hold enough charge to fulfill the short usage needs.

My cordless phone has developed this problem. When new, it was good for about three hours of continuous use. Now, it is only good for the 15-20 minutes of a typical phone call.

Check your phone book for a comapny that specializes in rechargeable batteries or "custom" batteries. They would be able to check your main battery for "charge memory."

The techs at IBM quite probably aren't familiar with "charge memory" and how to troubleshoot it. Especially if the symptoms are showing up as excessive use of the Alkaline backup batteries.

You should also turn to a top quality battery brand for the backup batteries. I personally prefer Duracel brand batteries for applications that require a long battery life. Energizer brand batteries are good also, especially their "long life" variant.

 

[SpecialK]

Thanks Weird Harold for your insight.

Incidentally, this computer is less than a year old. (Still under warranty until Feb 26th!)

Somehow I don't think this is a main battery problem either. :/ The main battery hasn't always lost its power when the laptop has crashed. On one occasion, the laptop went into suspend mode while I was talking to someone briefly. When I tried to get it back up (which is achieved by pressing any of the function keys, the power button, etc) it didn't do anything. I was able to plug it back in quick enough that I didn't lose any data that time, but when I plugged it back in, the main battery still registered as having 60% power left.

Now, you could be on to something with the backup battery being used for power needs when the computer is in suspend mode. And to be honest, I don't use my laptop that often. However, the backup batteries seem to go dead every 3 weeks, and without any warning. If I end up replacing the backup batteries every three weeks, that means I'll be replacing them 17 times a year. Somehow, that seems a tad excessive to me. <sigh>

K