Battery UK

Static electricity seems pretty harmless in everyday life. Perhaps you walk across a carpeted floor, touch a metal light switch, and get a minor shock, but this is generally nothing more than a minor annoyance. When it comes to computers, however, static electricity can be extremely harmful to the sensitive components that make up a desktop or laptop. Let us take a look at why static electricity is harmful, and what you can do to prevent damage.

Static electricity, like any electricity, is an exchange of electrons. When you rub your feet against a carpet or other material, one object is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. When you touch another object with the opposite charge of your body, or an object that is neutrally charged, the electrons flow into the new object. The voltage of static electricity can actually be extremely high, up to 12,000 volts, which sounds very dangerous. In reality, voltage is less threatening to humans than amperage, and the amperage is very low.

Computer components, however, are much more sensitive to these voltages. In fact, a component can be damaged by static electricity with a voltage as low as 400 volts, while a human won’t likely feel static electricity until it is around 3500 volts. In other words, you could damage a component with static electricity and not even know it. In some cases, the component may not fail immediately, but the static electricity weakens it and causes it to fail much sooner than it would have otherwise, and consequently leading to a repair in most cases.

The most thorough solution to static electricity damage is to use an anti-static wrist strap. These straps plug into the AC ground of a wall socket or connect to the chassis of the computer to dissipate any static that builds up. You can also use additional measures such as grounded pads to add even more protection. With a little preparation, you can avoid damaging computer components with static electricity and save yourself a lot of time and money.

Laptop battery technologies have continued to improve over the years, and the result has been lighter, smaller batteries that provide more power and charge more quickly. Here, we will take a look at the current technologies of laptop batteries, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Lithium-Ion

The most popular laptop battery technology in use today is lithium-ion. Li-ion batteries provide power when the lithium ions carry current from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. Ions move in reverse when charging. The main advantages of Li-ion batteries are their low price. It is one of the least expensive battery technologies to make. The batteries also have a very high power to weight ratio, which allows lightweight batteries to still provide a lot of power. Another advantage of Li-ion laptop batteries is they don’t suffer from the “memory effect” common in earlier battery technologies.

Lithium Polymer

As a subset of lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer uses a special polymer composite to hold the electrolyte that can be molded into almost any shape and still retain its functionality. This makes it easy to design a battery to fill the available space, and therefore provide more power. It carries most of the same characteristics of lithium-ion batteries, just in a more flexible format.

Nickel-Metal Hydride

Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are less common today, and have largely been replaced by Lithium-Ion technology. NiMH batteries are very rugged and resistant to damage and were used in laptops in previous years for this reason. Unfortunately, manufacturing a laptop NiMH battery is expensive, so it is less economical.

Nickel-Cadmium

Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries are also very rugged and resistant to damage. While this made them a good choice for laptop batteries, they often exhibited the “memory effect” in which they would lose capacity if not charged and discharged correctly, which made them a poor choice for laptops as users typically are inconsistent in how they charge and discharge their batteries. It has also been replaced by lithium-ion technology.

Battery technologies continue to evolve, as laptop manufacturers, repair shops, and part retailers continue to look for lighter, more reliable and less expensive solutions to power their computers. While new technologies such as lithium polymer show great promise, others may be just around the corner, and consumers will continue to benefit from these innovations.

Laptops are made for portability and ease of use, so the battery is one of the most essential components, providing power when away from a wall outlet. Here we will look at how a laptop battery works.

The most laptop batteries use Lithium-Ion technology, or Li-ion. They are so-named because the movement of lithium-ions from a negative to a positive electrode as they travel through a non-aqueous electrolyte. This discharges the battery and releases the energy to power the laptop components.

The inside of a Lithium-Ion laptop battery consists of an anode made from carbon, a cathode made of metal oxide, and an electrolyte, which is a lithium salt in an organic solvent. The reaction is contained within multiple “cells” inside the battery. Batteries with larger capacities (and longer battery life) usually contain more cells. Some very large Toshiba laptop batteries can contain up to 12 cells. Some Sony laptop batteries contain as few as 3 Cells due to the ultra portable design of some of their machines. These will provide less battery life, but will keep the machine small and lightweight.

There are a number of chips in most batteries to control the charge and discharge, as well as a number of safety features. Many batteries have a chip which shuts down the battery in the event of extreme overheating to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

Charging the battery essentially works in the reverse of discharge. The power coming in through the AC adapter and the charging circuit actually provides a higher voltage than the battery’s normal operating voltage. This causes the lithium ions to move from the positive to the negative electrode and they are deposited in a porous material and stored for later use.

The outside of the battery is usually constructed of rigid plastic or metal, depending on the laptop model. The outer case usually incorporates vents to allow heat to escape, as heat can be very damaging to a battery. Most laptop batteries are color matched to the plastics of the notebook for aesthetic reasons.

The one disadvantage of Lithium-Ion batteries is that they tend to lose capacity over time. This is caused by deposits that form in the electrolyte of the battery. This begins to inhibit the battery’s operation and results in less charging capacity. Once the capacity gets low enough, the battery should be replaced.

While Lithium-Ion laptop batteries are currently the most popular, newer technologies such as lithium-polymer are stretching the boundaries of current laptop battery design. As laptop batteries continue to evolve, engineers will undoubtedly be able to provide more power, longer battery life, and reduced charge times to improve the portability of the laptop computer.

Laptop and battery manufacturers are constantly working to improve battery life and cut down on the time it takes to recharge a battery. A new material known as Graphene could help manufacturers improve both.

Graphene is a material being developed by a company called Vorbeck. They say it could result in laptop batteries that charge more quickly and also have a longer life than current lithium-ion technology used in batteries for HP laptops as well as others. As an example, a cell phone battery which uses Graphene could potentially charge in around 10 minutes instead of two hours.

Since current lithium-ion batteries transfer ions between electrodes, for power, it can take a long time for them to charge, and they are not necessarily efficient at storing power. Graphene could potentially improve on these points. It can store more ions, which could greatly increase battery life, and its high conductivity makes it easier and faster to move ions, which accounts for its faster recharge times.

Safety and overall battery life may be improved as well. Since Graphene is more conductive, it produces less heat, and batteries operate at lower temperatures. This is good for the battery and the device, promoting safer operation and is less likely to cause damage from excessive heat. The lack of heat is also what allows the batteries to charge more quickly, as current batteries are often limited to recharge rates to avoid creating too much heat. For most laptop batteries, like those used in Compaq laptops, it is standard to have a thermal sensor to read the internal battery pack temperature and adjust the charging voltage accordingly for safety.

Graphene batteries are potentially more rugged than current lithium-ion batteries. The materials are able to swell and flex without breaking down, unlike current technologies, which slowly lose capacity. This could lead to a much longer usable battery life before the battery needs to be replaced.

As better technologies continue to improve, companies like Vorbeck have the potential to revolutionize battery technologies with better materials that offer multiple improvements. Only time will tell if laptop manufacturers and retailers will adopt Graphene as the standard for future battery technology. It certainly shows promise in an area that is in need of improvement for laptop usability.

Outside of actual machine performance, battery life of a laptop is a huge selling point. After all, what is the machine worth if it lasts less than an hour off the charger? One way to increase the battery life of your notebook is to simply well, increase the size of the battery itself. However, size isn’t the only factor when it comes to buying a new battery.

The first thing you should look at is actually not the laptop’s battery. Take stock of your machine. Are you using a netbook, a notebook, or a desktop replacement PC? A netbook will usually have a fairly miniature screen, approximately 10 inches. A notebook will have a 14-15 inch screen, and entertainment notebooks or desktop replacement PCs will generally have 17 inch or larger screens. This is not conclusive, as the type is more defined by specifications and hardware, but it is a good general rule as it applies to power consumption. Smaller screens take less electricity to power, and a smaller machine also generally has smaller, less energy demanding hardware. A netbook battery like the Toshiba NB205 6 cell battery can last three times as long on the same capacity battery in a standard notebook under the right conditions; this is mainly due to the scaling down of the parts in the Toshiba NB205 versus that of a full sized notebook. Some entertainment notebooks and the like are not made to function for extended periods on batteries, rather they are meant to spend most of their time on their adapters, only functioning on backup power rarely as needed.

Once you know what you’re working with, assess where you need to take it. If you’re just typing papers for school on the machine, chances are you can find an outlet in your library or somewhere at home or on campus. However if you’re taking notes throughout all your classes, you may have less reliable access to outlets, and you will potentially be on battery power for a few hours at a time.

When purchasing an upgraded or replacement battery for your machine, the cells will be what indicate potential longevity. Three cell batteries aren’t widely used as they last for nearly negligible amounts of time off AC power. Six cell batteries and nine cell batteries are progressively more expensive, but they will power your machine two and three times longer than a three cell battery, respectively. They are also the most common sizes of battery purchased by consumers. Twelve cell batteries are available for heavy users, but can become sizably more expensive than others.

Keep in mind also that nine and twelve cell parts become progressively larger, adding bulk and weight to your machine and making it that much less portable or easy to take with you on the go. In these cases, you may want to consider simply carrying a second battery. Whichever choice you make on your laptop battery purchase, use a knowledgeable and high quality laptop battery supplier to be sure you get a fully compatible battery.