Battery woes

[heiowge]

I have an eeepc 904HA that I've had for about 2 and a half years. I like it. Works great. Until recently...

My power adaptor gave up the ghost, so I got another from ebay. Did the job for about 4 months then with a pop it overheated and broke. The company sent me a replacement that has worked fine so far...

Recently I noticed that my battery indicator has been losing bars. I checked. I turn it on, and run it for a while and it doesn't lose or gain even 1%. I turn it on the next night and it's 1-2% lower. This has gone on for a little while now. I'm at 44% and falling.

I never use it on battery mode. It's plugged in 24/7. I can cope if the battery flattens completely as long as it'll run off AC, but I'd like the option of using the battery occasionally.

My main worry is that it'll hit a low percentage and shut down and I'll not get it back up running.

I could stretch the funds and get a new battery, but if I do that, I'd want only an official battery, not a knock off, and an official charger to match. Problem is I can't see them on the ASUS site.

Any ideas on any of that? Cheers.

[nelz]

You don't have to go for an Asus branded battery, just a decent quality one from a reputable, UK-based supplier, not some dodgy Ebay outfit. I bought a very good Eee PC battery from Clove Technology, it outlasted the netbook.

I see Amazon sell them too, real Amazon that is, but there are also plenty on the Amazon Marketplace.

[heiowge]

Thanks. Clove don't seem to be stocking eeepc batteries anymore. I found 2 on amazon that'd do. This is a link for the cheaper one by Laptopmate. The more expensive one is by Anker, but the fineprint says Anker is a trademark of Laptopmate, so I guess they're the same except cost. Any opinions on the brand?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptopmate-870A ... 994&sr=1-3


I know this is off topic, but while browsing for batteries I found this charger. Anyone else think it's a tad overpriced at £1000?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005 ... =&v=glance

[nelz]

More like an overcharger

[johnhudson]

If you leave the battery in 24/7 and never use battery mode, that is the answer to the problem. If you don't use the battery, remove it and then put it back in periodically and use the machine in battery mode until it runs down completely, then recharge it and remove it. Repeat periodically and your battery will last four or five years - maybe more.

If you need the safety of uninterrupted supply get a UPS; don't use the battery for that purpose.

[heiowge]

I ordered that battery as well as an official charger to go with it. Cost me about £44 inc shipping total.

[towy71]

If you leave the battery in 24/7 and never use battery mode, that is the answer to the problem. If you don't use the battery, remove it and then put it back in periodically and use the machine in battery mode until it runs down completely, then recharge it and remove it. Repeat periodically and your battery will last four or five years - maybe more.

If you need the safety of uninterrupted supply get a UPS; don't use the battery for that purpose.

This information should be boldly shown in any documentation, I've killed one battery, once bitten twice shy