DIY lenovo laptop battery repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of lenovo laptop batteries from a real wizard for the site my.housecope.com.

Over time, the laptop battery loses its original capacity, which affects the battery life of the device. If your laptop operates on a full charge for about an hour or stops turning on at all without a connected power adapter, do not rush to purchase a new battery, in some cases it is possible to restore the laptop battery yourself.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

If your battery starts to drain too quickly, try calibrating it first. The most reliable way is to use a special utility, which is called differently depending on the manufacturer. For example, for Lenovo laptops it is Energy Management, for Aser it is Aser Care Center. The point is that it is necessary to start a mode through the utility, which first completely discharges the battery, and then fully charges it. During calibration, do not unplug the power adapter, cut off the power supply, or use a laptop. The process can take from 2 to 10 hours. In some cases, calibration can help restore the former autonomy of the device.

If the calibration does not give the desired results or, as described earlier, the laptop does not operate on battery power until the power adapter is connected, it is time to start repairing the battery.

  • breadboard knife;
  • multimeter;
  • a soldering iron with a power not exceeding 40 W;
  • several car bulbs with a power of 21 W;
  • cyanoacrylate glue.

Since laptop batteries are made non-separable, you will have to use a breadboard knife or other sharp object to open its case. Find the seam on the battery and cut it carefully. Do this carefully so as not to damage the internal components.

Video (click to play).

Before proceeding with the further steps, be sure to determine the type of your battery, as this will affect the recovery process. If the laptop is new, then most likely you have a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, and if the laptop is older than 3-4 years, then you probably have a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery.

If the described method does not bring results, you will have to change all the batteries at once. Sanyo's 2,100 mAh NiMH batteries are perfect. When replacing, do not use a soldering iron to chain the batteries. Instead, make contact holders and solder the connecting wires to them.

These batteries are dangerous, so use extreme caution when repairing. Make sure the battery is completely discharged before starting.

  1. determine the nominal battery voltage by counting the number of batteries and multiplying the resulting value by 3.7;
  2. solder the bulbs to the extreme outputs of the series-connected elements;
  3. check the voltage - if it corresponds to the nominal, then go to the fifth point (note, if the laptop does not work on battery power, the controller is most likely out of order);
  4. if the voltage is less than the nominal, it is necessary first of all to unsolder the controller, and then all the elements from each other and check the voltage of each separately, while all elements with a voltage significantly less than 3.7 V should be replaced with new ones;
  5. use a light bulb to discharge all batteries to 3.2 V;
  6. then glue the battery case, insert it into the laptop and carry out the full charge process.

Another problem that occurs with lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries, if they have not been used for a long time, is the voltage drop to a level below the threshold at which the safety controller is triggered. In this case, the battery is not charged, and the voltage on its contacts is zero. To solve the problem, it is necessary to connect the laptop power supply to the serial chain of battery cells through a 5 W light bulb and charge the battery to a voltage of 3.4 V per cell.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

At the present stage, portable devices in the form of laptops are gradually replacing large desktop computers. Their main advantage is that they can be easily moved from place to place, using without a network connection: all good laptops are equipped with high-capacity batteries. However, sooner or later, the time comes when the life of a lithium-ion battery comes to an end, the battery loses capacity, and the laptop risks turning into a gadget completely dependent on the power grid. New laptop models are constantly on the market, and finding new batteries for older laptops is becoming more and more problematic. Therefore, there is an optimal way out: restoring the laptop battery.

However, before disassembling the algorithm of actions necessary in order to carry out the repair of batteries, it will not be superfluous to understand how to prevent their premature failure.

There is a special program for laptops, BatteryCare, designed to monitor the processes occurring in the lithium-ion battery of the device. Of course, it is impossible to prevent a natural decrease in their capacity, but it is quite possible to control the consumption of the electric potential of the battery. This program is designed so that the user can get complete information about the battery. It conducts a detailed analysis of the running processes and in time stops those that are characterized by the greatest energy consumption for the battery.

The program is remarkable in that it displays complete information about the state of the battery. It not only shows the battery charge level, but also records the percentage of its wear and capacity. If the battery controller fails, you can use the program to calibrate the laptop battery.

Also, the BatteryCare program monitors the charge-discharge cycles of the laptop battery, records its discharge in cycles and, upon reaching a certain number of cycles, notifies that a complete discharge is required. This prevents premature deterioration of the battery potential and the need to repair it prematurely.

In order to repair an Asus laptop battery, you will need a breadboard knife (or screwdriver), a multimeter, a soldering iron, a small car light bulb, and cyanoacrylate glue.

It is often difficult to remove batteries from the plastic box in which they are packed with these cheaper PCs made in China. The main thing is not to damage the fragile contents of the battery pack with a screwdriver. To open the case, you need to find a seam on it, dividing it into two halves glued together. Disconnect them carefully and open the battery. The halves are often glued very firmly, so you have to tinker with them pretty much.

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Usually inside there are six standard "cans" and a board with a fuse (controller). Asus models have very thin wiring with which the controller is connected to the battery pack, and the board itself is often not fixed properly. This requires extra care in handling it.

It is important to reset the battery voltmeter (or controller) before restoring the battery pack itself.This is a special tester inside the battery, which regulates the process of its charging, and when the voltage in the "banks" reaches 4.2 V (the maximum allowable value), the controller gives a signal that the battery is fully charged. However, over time, the controller can "get lost" and give inaccurate readings. Therefore, it should be corrected by updating the indicators to zero.

Now you can start restoring the laptop's battery itself.

The battery must be completely discharged before the recovery process.
Then, using a multimeter, the voltage at the terminals of each "bank" is sequentially measured. All batteries, the output voltage of which, when measured, was less than 3.7 V, are discarded and replaced with new ones, similar in nature.

After the battery test, it is important not to rush to start charging right away. Before that, it is imperative to "equalize" the voltage indicators in all the batteries in the compartment, discharging each one to 3.2 V. This is done with the help of car bulbs. When the voltage of each battery is 3.2 V, you can start charging the battery pack.

This is done to ensure accurate operation of the controller with previously updated indicators: in this case, it will charge the battery "from scratch" and will not be mistaken in determining the true charge level in the battery compartment.

The two halves of the plastic battery compartment must be glued with cyanoacrylate glue and wait a while until it dries. You can now insert the battery back into your computer and finally start charging it. Read how to charge a laptop battery without a laptop here →

In principle, this is one of the easiest ways to restore the battery, which can be applied not only to an Asus laptop, but also to any other model, taking into account its specifics. Such repairs are quite simple and do not require deep skills. More sophisticated methods for restoring a laptop battery involve the use of specialized chargers and are mainly used in workshops that repair battery packs. For an independent attempt to bring the battery into working condition, it is the method with replacing the batteries and monitoring the voltage using bulbs and a multimeter that is more suitable.

As you know, Samsung has long been specializing in the manufacture of lighter gadgets in the form of tablets and smartphones. Full-fledged Samsung laptops are now practically not found on sale and are becoming, in a way, a rarity, along with their batteries. Therefore, restoring the performance of such a laptop with your own hands can be a real salvation for him.

You can try to recover the battery from Samsung using the same procedure. It should be borne in mind that disassembling an old battery pack from this company may be even more difficult than any other. The case of such batteries was often made of very thin plastic, which, unfortunately, can be easily damaged with a screwdriver if opened carelessly. Battery cases from small Samsung netbooks are especially fragile. P Therefore, do not use a sharpened screwdriver when opening the case or removing batteries from the compartment.

An additional obstacle for Samsung can be the disconnection of the batteries from the case due to the fact that they used a very strong silicone glue, which over time could turn into an almost solid mass. But if you work patiently, then there is an opportunity to disassemble such a block without causing serious harm to it.

Thus, it is quite possible to carry out self-recovery of the battery. It is important to carry out all manipulations in a well-ventilated area, because processes such as soldering and gluing involve the inhalation of harmful chemicals by a person.If someone is going to conduct their first experience of bringing an old battery back to life, for the first time it is better to take that battery pack on which you can practice, not regretting in the future that he was accidentally "killed" due to inexperience.

Laptop batteries are expensive hardware, so if you have an old laptop that works fine but needs to be replaced, then before considering discarding your dead laptop battery and replacing it with a new one, you'll want to know how you can still revive. a dead or dying battery if it is at least 60% of the total capacity. Fortunately, there are many ways to help restore a dead battery, some of them are technical in nature, some of them are beautiful and there are some strange ones.
But before you go any further, you should also know, it entirely depends on the battery and the factors that led to its death, although the process may or may not work. But, it is worth giving a try to revive the battery using these methods before buying a new one.

It actually sounds ridiculous that freezing a dead laptop battery can bring it back to life, but it's true. You can freeze your laptop battery and therefore extend its life. To do this, follow this procedure, how to do it:

Step 1: First, take out the battery and place it in a sealed bag or plastic bag.
Step 2: Then place the bag in the freezer and let it sit for 12 hours. (You can also leave it for a longer period, but not more than 24 hours)
Step 3: Once you remove the battery from the refrigerator, remove the plastic bag and let it warm up to room temperature.

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Please note: as soon as it gets warm, make sure you wrap it in a towel and wipe off the condensation.
Step 4: insert the battery and charge it fully.
Step 5: Once it is charged, disconnect it from the mains and let the battery discharge until it is completely discharged.

Then repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 4 times, fully charge the battery and then discharge it completely.

Note: this process is performed only on NiCd or NiMH batteries. Avoid trying this method on a lithium battery as it will only make the battery worse. Unfortunately, there is no way to repair a lithium battery, but it might help to extend the battery life. We follow method 2.

If you have a lithium-ion battery installed, you can extend its life by cooling your laptop. In case you have a laptop that does get hot during use, it can damage the battery and shorten the battery life.

I have personally tried this method on my Sony VAIO laptop and has greatly increased the battery life of the laptop.

This process is not necessary for a new battery, but if the battery dies, it is a fairly old battery. So, in this case, the intertesting test will be beneficial for her. Battery recalibration is done because in some cases the OS cannot figure out how much power is left in the battery. This happens when the laptop is always plugged in or if the battery has never been removed from the laptop.

If your battery does not charge up to 100%, and let's say only up to 95%, or if the OS says that you are experiencing 35 minutes of battery charge, but the car dies sooner or much later, then your laptop battery needs to be calibrated. There are many calibration tools available online for your particular laptop model to do the process automatically, but if you need to manually calibrate your battery, follow the process below.

Step 1: First, charge to 100% or to the maximum value that the battery can reach and then leave it to cool for 2 hours.
Step 2: After that, cut off the power and let the battery run down. You can do this in two ways, first, let the battery drain while the laptop is running and then set it to sleep or hibernation at about 3 to 5%. In addition, you must ensure that the display stays on until it either turns off or goes to sleep.
Step 3: next, let the machine be off for 3 to 5 hours> then turn on the laptop again and charge to 100%.

Hopefully after that, your laptop should be able to give you a more accurate reading of the actual battery capacity.

If your laptop has a removable battery, then try removing the battery while plugging in. You need to check how the laptop will function normally with the battery removed. Although, if the laptop is working fine and is connected to a power source all the time, you can simply remove the battery.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

Chemical reactions continue to occur in the battery whether it is installed in a laptop or not. But, it can increase battery life as the battery is cool when connected.
But, you also need to make sure that the operation of the laptop will not shorten its lifespan, otherwise the laptop will die immediately and this can lead to data loss. But if you haven't found this method worthwhile, then follow the last best method.

In this method, you need to charge the battery to 100% and then disconnect the laptop from the mains and when it dies (less than 5%), then connect it to the computer and charge. On the contrary, it will shorten the battery life on a new lithium-ion battery; therefore, in this case, the level cannot be allowed to fall from 35% to 45%, and then charge it from 75% to 85%. This will apparently aim for better battery life, as this method will not use as many charges and recharge cycles.

Many users of computer technology ask one question: how to repair a laptop battery with your own hands? The question is quite justified, since the breakdown of such a component makes the computer device itself useless. Without a battery, it is impossible to turn on a laptop without using a cable, which negatively affects the main task of a laptop - mobility. In a service center, such work will cost a lot, and buying a new item will be even more expensive. Today we will look at the most popular instructions and deal with the existing causes of breakdowns and incorrect operation.

During operation, the battery of the device loses its original capacity of energy, which directly affects the duration of the device in autonomous mode. If your laptop only works for an hour after being fully charged, or has completely stopped turning on without using a cable, then you should not run to the first store that comes across and buy a new component, since some cases allow you to repair the part yourself at home.

How to get your laptop battery repaired and where should you start? Let's pay a little attention to diagnostics.

If the battery begins to discharge very quickly, then you should first calibrate this component. The most convenient and reliable way is to use third-party software from any of the manufacturers:

  • If you are the proud owner of a laptop from the manufacturer Lenovo, then there is the Energy Management utility for you.
  • For Acer owners - Care Center.

Important! Detailed information about the program can be found on the Internet, indicating the model of your device.

The bottom line is that you just need to run the utility through the functional mode, in which your battery is completely discharged and charged again.

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Important! Remember that during calibration it is not recommended to unplug the power supply and power out, or use the laptop for your own purposes.

The process itself takes about three to four hours. Some problems can be rectified by this calibration, and the battery will return to its original performance immediately. If these procedures did not bring you the desired result, then we recommend that you familiarize yourself with other methods.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

How do I fix a laptop battery? You can try to interfere with the design of the device if the calibration failed to give you the desired result. First, you need to prepare a little and get the following tools:

  • Special breadboard knife.
  • Measuring device. An ordinary "TSESHKA" or any other multimeter is perfect for such tasks.
  • Soldering iron with power parameters no more than forty watts.
  • Several bulbs for a car with power parameters of 21 watts.
  • Special technical cyanoacrylate adhesive.

As you may have noticed, batteries for all laptop models are not intended for disassembly, so you will need to resort to using a dummy knife or other sharp object in order to pry and open the case. Next, you need to follow the following algorithm:

  1. Find a seam on the surface of the battery and carefully cut it. Be careful not to damage the internal components in these steps.
  2. Next, determine what type of battery your battery belongs to, as this information will greatly affect the course of work:
    • In new models, lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion) are most often installed.
    • If your device is older than three years, then there may be a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery inside.

The following steps depend on the type of battery installed.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

How to fix a Ni-MH laptop battery? The following detailed instructions will help you:

  • Determine the exact number of power components inside the device case.
  • Multiply this number by a factor of - 1.2 to select the nominal battery voltage.
  • Use a soldering iron to solder car bulbs to the battery terminals that are connected in series.
  • Use a multimeter, setting the measurement limit to twenty volts. Check the voltage values ​​on the lamps. If the parameter values ​​correspond to the nominal, then you can proceed to the next paragraph of the instructions. If the values ​​are less than the nominal, then it is best to set the limit on the measuring device to 2 Volts and check the voltage values ​​on all individual elements.

Important! It is best to make marks with a marker on those elements, the voltage on which is less than 1.1 Volts. If you find such elements, then they will need to be replaced in the future.

  • Take a few more bulbs and attach them to each element. Solder the wires and leave the entire structure for 12 hours to fully discharge the battery.
  • Now use the laptop power supply and one lamp that is connected in series to the battery cells. Set the voltages for each component to 1.1 volts, then fully charge the battery.
  • Discharge and charge the part two more times.
  • Now glue the case and check if the job was done correctly by connecting the power device to your laptop.

Important! If you did not manage to achieve the desired result, then you will have to resort to replacing all the elements at once.

Image - DIY Lenovo Laptop Battery Repair

Can I get a different laptop battery repaired? Let's take a closer look at the answer to this question.

Important! Working with such batteries is dangerous, so use extreme caution when handling such parts. Make sure the battery is completely discharged before starting work.

To recover, you need to do the following:

  1. Determine the exact number of batteries and multiply the resulting number by a factor of 3.7.The resulting value is nominal.
  2. Connect the bulbs to the outermost terminals of the elements that are connected in series. To connect, you will need to use a soldering iron.
  3. Note the voltage level. If this value corresponds to the nominal, then you can immediately go to the fifth paragraph of the instructions.
  4. If the values ​​are less than the nominal, then unsolder the controller and all contacting elements, using a measuring device, check the values ​​of each separately. If the measured number is less than the nominal, then leave a mark with a marker for subsequent replacement.
  5. Discharge all cells with car bulbs to 3.2 Volts.
  6. Collect the battery and charge it fully.

If all actions were performed correctly, then the laptop should work without a cable.

Important! Let's not lose sight of another problem when the power supply elements have not been used for a very long time. If you have not used the battery for a long time, then the threshold voltage level on it will decrease, at which the protective controller is activated. In this case, the component will not be charged, and at its terminals the output voltage corresponds to zero.