Battery Hot Swap

ben_qld · 12th February 2008, 3:24 PM

Hello

I have a Vostro 1500, but 80% of the time it runs off 240v. I take the battery out of it to save some wear on the battery.

But there are times where I want to move it around, but because there is no battery in the laptop, and its plugged into 240v, I have to shut it down, put the battery into it, and then turn it on again.

Can I just plug the battery into the laptop while its plugged into mains ? ie are they hot swapable ? as the battery just clicks in and out with a few small levers.

Ben

DiGiTaL MoNkEY · 12th February 2008, 3:36 PM

Yes you can just plug in the battery when the laptop is connected to the mains power. I do it all the time when i need to go outside and not use mains power, saves me from shutting down.

ben_qld · 12th February 2008, 4:46 PM

thanks for that, I was worried that I may break something by doing it.

so I can plug it in, and pull it out, all while plugged into 240v with no issues ?

Ben

da_msta_chizz · 12th February 2008, 5:14 PM

Yes, i do it all the time too, just chuck the battery back in and away you go.
From my experiences, you can pull it out, and put it back in while it's plugged into 240, and it shouldn't affect it.

-=Alfonzo=- · 12th February 2008, 7:14 PM

Totally fine to do that. Enjoy your new found freedom

sanjay · 12th February 2008, 7:44 PM

well its a dell, so you may want to be careful you dont break something

nah, in all seriousness its fine. i tell my grampa to only ever have the battery in if he's charging it with an intention to use it on the battery, else leave it unplugged and sitting away from the laptop - 4 months later the battery still has 100% health

he often attaches and detaches it when the laptop is on because of the above. this is an HP laptop though

ben_qld · 12th February 2008, 8:03 PM

this is a handy feature to know !

How do I find out the health of my battery ?

Ben

da_msta_chizz · 12th February 2008, 8:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben_qld

this is a handy feature to know !

How do I find out the health of my battery ?

Ben

Compare how long it lasts when it's new, and then again after a few months.
My old NEC one would get about 30mins new, and today you are lucky if you get 5mins out of it.

woof · 12th February 2008, 8:11 PM

I have an old laptop battery. was 2 and a half hours. Now 30 seconds.
Needless to say its hard to call it a laptop anymore.

DiGiTaL MoNkEY · 12th February 2008, 8:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woof

I have an old laptop battery. was 2 and a half hours. Now 30 seconds.
Needless to say its hard to call it a laptop anymore.

ouch

did you just not use it for a while?? or just major wear over time.

woof · 12th February 2008, 8:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiGiTaL_MoNkEY

ouch

did you just not use it for a while?? or just major wear over time.

Probably a bit off both. Its an old laptop. Could be 7 years. Still works quite well though. Just not without the charger. I will be happy when I get a new one.

Edit:At one stage it couldnt even work when the battery was in. Must be because it couldnt hold a charge at all.

sanjay · 12th February 2008, 8:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben_qld

this is a handy feature to know !

How do I find out the health of my battery ?

Ben

google "notebook hardware control"

da_msta_chizz · 12th February 2008, 8:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanjay

google "notebook hardware control"

You could use that too, but if you run Vista it will just piss you off.

sanjay · 12th February 2008, 9:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da_msta_chizz

You could use that too, but if you run Vista it will just piss you off.

i only ever use it to check battery health - otherwise it stays off.

shame because with XP its a great tool to have running on your laptop. thankfully my NX8420 runs XP pro

DiGiTaL MoNkEY · 12th February 2008, 9:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da_msta_chizz

You could use that too, but if you run Vista it will just piss you off.

its a shame that it asked for the user to click "allow" all the time, wish they released a new version

12th February 2008, 3:24 PM	#1
ben_qld Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brisvegas Posts: 1,228	Battery Hot Swap Hello I have a Vostro 1500, but 80% of the time it runs off 240v. I take the battery out of it to save some wear on the battery. But there are times where I want to move it around, but because there is no battery in the laptop, and its plugged into 240v, I have to shut it down, put the battery into it, and then turn it on again. Can I just plug the battery into the laptop while its plugged into mains ? ie are they hot swapable ? as the battery just clicks in and out with a few small levers. Ben

12th February 2008, 7:14 PM	#5
-=Alfonzo=- Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Redland Bay, BrisVegas Posts: 7,191	Totally fine to do that. Enjoy your new found freedom __________________ successful trades \| car

12th February 2008, 7:44 PM	#6
sanjay Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lockleys, Adelaide, SA Posts: 10,320	well its a dell, so you may want to be careful you dont break something nah, in all seriousness its fine. i tell my grampa to only ever have the battery in if he's charging it with an intention to use it on the battery, else leave it unplugged and sitting away from the laptop - 4 months later the battery still has 100% health he often attaches and detaches it when the laptop is on because of the above. this is an HP laptop though __________________ My Ride: MY02 Mitsubishi Ralliart Magna Build #75 - 5sp Manual, 2.5" exhaust with Pacemaker extractors, 17" Enkei Alloys Over 120 Successful Trades on OCAU - Most Recent: dche5390, Rugal, Tornhelm, ummmz, darknight84, bumography, b4sk3tb4ll3r, marktadros, MoveIt, Maxknott, NoBooze, bnyboy, Stooge007, caddy, the_rick, Soupratt, Doktor, Logik47, KraniX, Talisman, start, gizmo_melb, Omarko, Arkanite, WooKiE_MaN, PM for full list

12th February 2008, 3:36 PM	#2
DiGiTaL MoNkEY Digitally Disturbed Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Posts: 20,849	Yes you can just plug in the battery when the laptop is connected to the mains power. I do it all the time when i need to go outside and not use mains power, saves me from shutting down.

12th February 2008, 4:46 PM	#3
ben_qld Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brisvegas Posts: 1,228	thanks for that, I was worried that I may break something by doing it. so I can plug it in, and pull it out, all while plugged into 240v with no issues ? Ben

12th February 2008, 5:14 PM	#4
da_msta_chizz (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Central Coast, NSW Posts: 842	Yes, i do it all the time too, just chuck the battery back in and away you go. From my experiences, you can pull it out, and put it back in while it's plugged into 240, and it shouldn't affect it.

12th February 2008, 8:03 PM	#7
ben_qld Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brisvegas Posts: 1,228	this is a handy feature to know ! How do I find out the health of my battery ? Ben

12th February 2008, 8:11 PM	#9
woof Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 570	I have an old laptop battery. was 2 and a half hours. Now 30 seconds. Needless to say its hard to call it a laptop anymore.