HP Laptop battery problem, anyone know why?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around issues related to the performance and lifespan of Li-ion batteries in HP laptops, particularly the HP Pavilion zv5000 model. Participants share personal experiences with battery failure, symptoms observed, and potential solutions or causes for the problems encountered.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their HP laptop battery dying suddenly despite showing a full charge, raising questions about whether the issue is solely the battery or possibly the charger.
  • Another participant suggests that similar symptoms indicate an aging battery, typically under two years of life, unless there are visible damages or extreme conditions involved.
  • A participant mentions a personal experience with a battery that has significantly reduced capacity, indicating a need for replacement.
  • There is a discussion about the potential causes of battery failure, including physical changes within the battery cells, and the suggestion that refurbishing may not be practical.
  • One participant warns against deep discharging Li-ion batteries, contrasting them with NiCd batteries, which can tolerate such treatment.
  • A link to an external resource on prolonging lithium-based batteries is shared for further reading.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that various unrelated factors could be blamed for battery issues, ultimately recommending the purchase of a new battery.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the causes of battery failure and the best course of action, with no clear consensus on whether the issue is solely due to battery age, physical damage, or other factors. Multiple competing perspectives on battery maintenance and replacement exist.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various symptoms and experiences with battery performance, but there are limitations in understanding the specific conditions leading to failure, as well as the potential for different failure modes in Li-ion batteries.

chingkui
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Hi,

I have an HP Pavilion zv5000 for about 1 1/2 to 2 yrs. Lately, the battery just die suddenly. I can use the laptop if I connect it with AC power, but I just run a test, while the power meter show that the battery is charged to 100%, when I unplug the power cord and let it run on the battery power, the laptop shutdown without warning within 5 minutes. All along, I was checking the power meter, and the power meter actually show that the battery is 97% full at the time it shut down itself. I could only reboot the laptop with the AC power attach, and after rebooting, when I check the battery, it shows that there is only 3% left. it is even more puzzling than that: I tried to test how long the battery takes to charge up, and I see the battery slowly charged from 3 % to 4%, then 5% to 6%, at that point, the battery power meter suddenly report the battery is charged to 100%. Is this problem familiar to anyone? Is this solved if I replace my battery with a new one? or is it a bigger problem than battery (e.g. charger)?
The battery is a Li-ion battery.
Thanks.
 
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I've had similar issues with old batteries which I've interpreted as being "near death". Replaced, if the problem has come over a period of time would think it's old age (the symptoms are identical to what I've had) ... unless the battery shows some damage or has been subjected to extreme conditions or something like that. I think Li-ion battery life is "typically" somewhat under 2 years, and has been such at least with my laptops.
 
I have heard of this problem too.

mine is a year old, so I guess i can look forward to this problem soon.
 
I spent many years in wireless with NiCd and Li batteries. We used to do a trick with the NiCd. We would put a taillight on the connections to drain the batter down to nothing because it was a memory issue...or a cell that went bad. Do you think it might work to save a laptop battery?


I have an HP Pavilion zv5000 for about 1 1/2 to 2 yrs. Lately, the battery just die suddenly. I can use the laptop if I connect it with AC power, but I just run a test, while the power meter show that the battery is charged to 100%, when I unplug the power cord and let it run on the battery power, the laptop shutdown without warning within 5 minutes. All along, I was checking the power meter, and the power meter actually show that the battery is 97% full at the time it shut down itself. I could only reboot the laptop with the AC power attach, and after rebooting, when I check the battery, it shows that there is only 3% left. it is even more puzzling than that: I tried to test how long the battery takes to charge up, and I see the battery slowly charged from 3 % to 4%, then 5% to 6%, at that point, the battery power meter suddenly report the battery is charged to 100%. Is this problem familiar to anyone? Is this solved if I replace my battery with a new one? or is it a bigger problem than battery (e.g. charger)?
The battery is a Li-ion battery.
Thanks.[/QUOTE]
 
I sincerely doubt it. Usually if a battery comes into that state, it is because of physical changes within the battery like different cells becoming inactive or corroded or something; I'm no chemical engineer (EE actually ), but to my knowledge if your battery is that far along generally only companies that have the proper machinery to refurbish batteries can fix that.
 
My laptop has done exactly this. It is about a year and a half old and the battery is now reporting as "damaged, 40.6% life remaining". So it's down to only being able to hold 40% of it's original capacity. Not good.

Especially now as it's getting worse and can't even run the laptop for more than a few minutes.

Looks like I need a new battery for about £45.00.
 
The problem is, one or more of the cells in the battery pack have died. This could be due to a number of failure modes. Solution: replace the battery pack and recycle the old one. You can have batteries rebuilt but its usually not worth the hassle.

cfrompcola said:
I spent many years in wireless with NiCd and Li batteries. We used to do a trick with the NiCd. We would put a taillight on the connections to drain the batter down to nothing because it was a memory issue...or a cell that went bad. Do you think it might work to save a laptop battery?

Absolutely not. Deep discharging LiIon batteries kills them. Nickle-Cadmium and Lithium batteries have two very very different chemistries.
 
I have similar problems with children, which I call the "near death". Replace you think of when the problem would come over age (the symptoms are identical to what I had) ... when the battery is damaged or exposed to extreme conditions or something. I think the Li-ion is "generally 'a bit less than 2 years and at least with my laptop.
 
  • #10
Cosmic rays, solar flares, mayan prophesies, its all the same. Just buy a new battery.
 

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