Customer Service
What is the cut off time for orders?
All orders must be placed before 2:30PM Pacific Time
to guarantee same-day shipment of in-stock orders. All orders placed
after 2:30 PM will be processed the next business day.
How do I replace my PDA battery?
Instructions on how to replace your PDA battery should
be included with your Hi-Capacity battery or in your device’s user
manual. If you have additional questions please check the
Product
Manuals page or call (800) 848-6782 for more information.
Where can I recycle my battery?
Please contact the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Center
at http://www.rbrc.org/index.html for recycling locations in your
area.
Why is my battery not being recognized or charged by the notebook?
On some notebooks the battery may need to be 'calibrated'.
This function is not available on all notebooks. When available it
can be started either by going into the BIOS setup at startup or by
selecting the function using a software utility provided in the manufacturer.
Please consult your product manual to see if this feature needs to
be used when installing a new battery.
Will a Hi-Capacity battery, adapter or charger void my manufacturer’s
warranty for my device?
Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a manufacturer
may not require the use of any brand of replacement part (including
their own brand) unless the manufacturer provides the item free of
charge under the terms of the warranty.
Does Battery-Biz accept COD payment options?
To place an order with COD payment, please contact customer service
at (800) 848-6782 or info@battery-biz.com. There will be a $10 fee for COD orders.
What is your product warranty?
All Hi-Capacity products carry a full one-year warranty
against defects in material and workmanship. Non-defective products
may be returned within 90 days of purchase and are subject to a 15%
restocking fee. Logon to your account or call customer service to
receive a Return Merchandise Authorization prior to sending in any
products for replacement or return.
Voltage, Amperage and Chemistry
Does the voltage of the Hi-Capacity battery need to match the voltage
of the original battery?
While the voltage of the Hi-Capacity battery may not
be identical to the original battery, the voltages must be within
a reasonable range. In order to rate the voltage of a single cell,
a voltage value between 3.0 and 4.2 must be picked. The voltage that
is picked is called the "nominal" voltage, which means that
it is for naming purposes only, whereas the actual voltage of the
cell depends on the state of charge. Historically some manufacturers
picked 3.6V while others picked 3.7V to name the cell. The functionality
and performance of either cell is identical and cannot be differentiated
by the device.
The explanation above applies to a single Li-Ion cell
in series. When a battery has two or more Li-Ion cells in series,
the voltage is multiplied by the number of cells in series, as in
the table below:
Number of Li-Ion
cells in series |
Nominal voltage
|
Type of device |
| 1 |
3.6V or 3.7V |
Cell phones and Digital
cameras |
| 2 |
7.2V or 7.4V |
Digital cameras and
camcorders |
| 3 |
10.8V or 11.1V |
Laptops |
| 4 |
14.4V or 14.8V |
Laptops |
Thus,
A Li-Ion battery labeled 3.6V is the same as a Li-Ion battery
labeled 3.7V.
A Li-Ion battery labeled 7.2V is the same as a Li-Ion battery
labeled 7.4V.
A Li-Ion battery labeled 10.8V is the same as a Li-Ion battery
labeled 11.1V.
A Li-Ion battery labeled 14.4V is the same as a Li-Ion battery
labeled 14.8V. |
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What is mAh? How do I convert Ah to mAh?
The capacity of a battery is rated in mAh or Ah. If
the capacity of a battery is 4400mAh (Milli-Amp Hour), it means that
this battery can deliver 4400 mA (Milli-Amps) of current for 1 hour
at the rated voltage. The actual amount of current a notebook draws
depends on the usage. Things like LCD brightness, processor usage
and hard drive usage affects the amount of current required. Please
read the section on Run Time for more information.
To convert mAh to Ah, divide by 1000. To convert Ah to mAh, multiply
by 1000.
4400mAh = 4.4Ah
What are the different types of rechargeable battery chemistries/technologies?
Batteries in portable consumer devices (laptops,
camcorders, cellular phones, etc.) are principally made using either
Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
or Li-Ion Polymer (Li-Polymer) chemistries. Each type of rechargeable
battery chemistry has its own unique characteristics:
- NiCad and NiMH:
The main difference between the two is the fact that NiMH batteries
(the newer of the two technologies) offers higher energy densities
than NiCad batteries. In other words, pound for pound, NiMH delivers
approximately twice the capacity of its NiCad counterpart. What
this translates into is increased run-time from the battery with
no additional bulk to weigh down your portable device. NiMH also
offers another major advantage: NiMH batteries are less prone to
develop the memory effect and thus require less maintenance and
care. NiMH batteries are also more environmentally friendly than
their NiCad counterparts since they do not contain heavy metals
(which present serious landfill problems).
- Li-Ion:
Li-Ion has quickly become the emerging standard for portable power
in consumer devices. Li-Ion batteries produce the same energy as
NiMH batteries but weigh approximately 35% less. This is crucial
in applications such as camcorders or laptops where the battery
makes up a significant portion of the device's weight. Another reason
Li-Ion batteries have become so popular is that they do not suffer
from the memory effect at all. They are also environmentally friendly
because they don't contain toxic materials such as Cadmium or Mercury.
- Li-Ion Polymer (Li-Polymer):
This is a newer type of Li-Ion battery. It uses a solid polymer
electrolyte that looks like a plastic film. It contains a gelled
electrolyte which is less susceptible to leaking and uses a bag
type enclosure rather than a rigid metal case. This leads to a lighter
and thinner battery and it is considered safer because the gelled
electrolyte is less likely to leak. It is also more resistant to
overcharge.
Run Time
What is the run time of the battery?
Battery run-time on a laptop is difficult to determine.
Actual battery run 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 run 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 it was new.
Why does my battery run for only a short period of time?
Most rechargeable batteries are shipped with a partial
charge. You must charge the battery completely to get more run time.
When the battery is new it may need to charged and discharged a couple
of times to get the benefit of the full capacity. On some devices
the battery may need to be 'calibrated'. This function is not available
on all devices. When available, on some laptops it can be started
either by going into the BIOS setup at startup or by selecting the
function using a software utility provided in the manufacturer. Please
consult your product manual to see if this feature needs to be used
when installing a new battery.
Why won’t my new battery run for a very long period?
NiCad or NiMH batteries will need to be cycled completely
to get the benefit of the full capacity. To cycle a battery completely
charge it until the device indicates that it is completely charged
and then use it until the device shuts off. The battery is now fully
discharged. Recharge the battery again until it is fully charged.
Repeat this charge and discharge process at least two to three times.
During the life of your NiCad or NiMH battery it is important to run
this complete discharge and charge cycle every three to four weeks
to maintain the fullest possible capacity. It is also recommended
that you replace your battery in one to three years.
Computer Batteries
What are main batteries?
The main battery (also called the power battery) is
the battery pack which allows a laptop to operate independently of
an AC power source. These rechargeable batteries are designed to operate
the computer for a certain amount of time, generally 1 to 4 hours.
What are CMOS or clock batteries?
CMOS & Clock Backup batteries perform the same
function in desktop and laptop computers: when the computer is turned
off, the battery maintains the time and date, thus insuring their
accuracy when the system is once again restarted. More importantly,
the battery saves the computers BIOS setup configuration, which allows
the system to efficiently reboot once it is restarted. The computer
knows what type of hard drive it is dealing with, etc. Not surprisingly,
these batteries are known alternatively as CMOS batteries, Real Time
Clock (RTC) batteries, or simply internal batteries.
The most common CMOS battery chemistries are Lithium,
Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) and alkaline. They are usually somewhere in
the 3 to 7.2 volt range and either solder onto the motherboard or
plug in via a snap-in connector (depending upon the computer manufacturer’s
design).
In most cases, replacement of the CMOS battery is an
easy task. It is simply a matter of locating the battery on the computer's
motherboard, removing it and plugging in a new one. As a rule, internal
batteries should be replaced by the same type of battery which was
originally used in the machine or according to the manufacturer’s
specifications. The major exception to this rule are older PCs which
were manufactured with a NiCad battery soldered onto the motherboard.
These computers usually have a three or four pin male plug, with two
of the pins connected via a jumper (this is generally found in the
same area of the motherboard as the original battery). This plug gives
you the option of leaving the soldered battery in place and replacing
it with a plug-in lithium or alkaline battery. Removing the jumper
tells the computer to ignore the soldered battery and to look to the
pins for its power source. If the motherboard has this provision,
you can install a standard PC plug-in battery instead of removing
the soldered battery and re-soldering a new one (the standard PC plug-in
battery is Battery-Biz part number B-220 (lithium) or B-116 (alkaline).
These batteries are interchangeable). A word of warning: some computers
have 4 pins on the motherboard, whereas today's plug-in batteries
come with a 3 pin connector (one of the pinholes is closed in order
to prevent the user from inadvertently plugging the battery in with
reversed polarity). If this is the case, you should clip the pin from
the motherboard that corresponds to the sealed pinhole on the battery
plug. That pin is nonfunctional and by clipping it you ensure that
future batteries will not be installed on the motherboard with reversed
polarity.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
NiCad batteries are rechargeable, whereas Lithium and
alkaline batteries are NOT. Therefore, Lithium and alkaline batteries
must be replaced by equivalent batteries of the same type. Attempting
to replace these non-rechargeable batteries with a NiCad will result
in a nonfunctional battery because the computer lacks the proper charging
circuitry to charge the NiCad battery.
If a motherboard lacks the above-discussed male pins
for an external battery, the NiCad battery MUST be unsoldered and
replaced by a NiCad battery ONLY. Attempting to use an alkaline or
lithium battery in place of NiCad on such a board could be hazardous.
These batteries are not designed to be recharged, and an attempt to
do so may cause the battery to explode.
CMOS batteries generally last for two to three years,
although some (especially the lithium type) have been known to last
much longer. Ironically, the less the computer is used the faster
the CMOS battery will run out. This is because when the computer is
turned off the battery begins to function. It is recommended to replace
the CMOS battery approximately once every two years or when servicing
the computer. If the computer has been idle for an extended length
of time it is a good idea to change the battery. Changing the battery
is a relatively easy and inexpensive task, especially (as were sure
many of you out there know) when compared to trying to reboot and
configure a computer which has lost its BIOS settings.
What are RAM or Resume batteries?
Some laptops are designed with a dedicated battery
for backing up RAM (random access memory) functions when the machine
temporarily loses power from the main battery. This feature allows
users to change the main battery pack without losing the current applications
and settings residing in memory. This is called a "battery hot
swap" - switching the main battery pack without having to turn
off the computer.
Most RAM batteries are rechargeable NiCad or NiMH and
will last around 2-3 years. It is recommended that you replace your
notebook's RAM battery when replacing the CMOS battery. These types
of batteries are alternately known as bridge batteries, RAM batteries,
auxiliary batteries or resume batteries.
What is a "smart" battery?
Smart batteries have internal circuit boards with smart
chips which allow them to communicate with the laptop and monitor
battery performance, output voltage and temperature. Smart batteries
will generally run 15% longer due to their increased efficiency and
also give the computer much more accurate "fuel gauge" capabilities
to determine how much battery run time is left before the next
recharge is required.
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