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| Thread ID: 57187 | 2005-04-25 23:34:00 | Laptop Power Problems | bluepoles (7281) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 348793 | 2005-04-25 23:34:00 | I have a laptop ECS i-Buddie A531 which doesn't have APM so it doesn't show the battery life or give any indication to it apart from when it goes flat and makes a very loud and annoying beep much like a BIOS post beep, is there anything I can do to make it give battery information to Windows, I have the latest BIOS version and infact it has a new motherboard cause the old one broke. | bluepoles (7281) | ||
| 348794 | 2005-04-26 05:08:00 | Unless it's built in, I don't think you'll have much luck. Am I right that it's a NiCd or NiMH battery? Lithium seem to be the only batteries with intelligent controllers which are capable of reporting their state. Some packs have status LEDs; some just communicate with software in the computer. (My Psion monitors battery use of its alkaline AAs ... but that's built in to the computer). |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 348795 | 2005-04-26 05:26:00 | Yes it is a Lithium battery not a NiCad or NiMH, I thought to get the time/life it went from the battery to the APM to the OS? Also it doesn't have a row of LED's. The only way you know of it's charge is when it's flat as it beeps loudly, also the beep doesn't go though windows at all. Because it does it even when windows is not loaded. If it helps the battery is also a good one lasting the full charge time. | bluepoles (7281) | ||
| 348796 | 2005-04-27 04:01:00 | This is all a bit mysterious. I would have thought that, since battery condition is a critical thing, all laptop manufacturers would have made it easy for you to know that. Have a good look at the BIOS for anything which might apply. Otherwise, have a look at the Windows Control panel. There might be a non-changeable BIOS battery monitor, just waiting for a Windows partner to be enabled to display it. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 348797 | 2005-04-29 02:36:00 | There is nothing about Battery in windows at all, as far as windows knows the computer is a Desktop not a laptop, there is also nothing in the bios. Like i have said it does keep track somehow cause it beeps (outside windows) just before it dies. | bluepoles (7281) | ||
| 348798 | 2005-04-29 03:22:00 | Umm . Google tells me that it's meant to be like a desktop . :( The i-Buddie series are referred to as "desknotes" . . . desktop components in a laptop case . The "optional extra" (external?) battery probably isn't connected in a way which gives information for proper monitoring . The beep is a "low battery alarm" which is presumably from a simple voltage comparison . Try "ecs i-buddie power" to Google, and have a browse . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 348799 | 2005-04-29 04:03:00 | Wondering if this was the one I considered buying from DSE, I had a look. Their support download page (search for "ecs a531", then more at dse.co.nz) shows a 128MB "utilities" ZIP file. That and the USB drivers (does the battery plug into the USB port?) might be worth a look. You've probably got both of those on the CD you got with the machine. | Graham L (2) | ||
| 348800 | 2005-04-29 04:44:00 | Yeah it is the one from DSE i have installed all drivers and it's an internal battery (removeable 4 cell 14.8v 1800mAh Lithium-Ion Model Number is EM-520L1) and I think it's definatly supposed to be a laptop being that it weighs only 2.6kgs | bluepoles (7281) | ||
| 348801 | 2005-04-29 23:37:00 | I was fiddling round on it last night and noticed that the beeping while during the post process is quieter that before the Windows XP boot screen appears when it gets here it becomes a lot louder, also I was looking through the Device Manager and under Non Plug and Play I found a device labled Beep I turned it off and it did nothing to stop the beeping although I'm not entirely sure whether it properly turned off would it be safe to completely uninstall it then try. Also slightly off topic I noticed that on the bottom of the notebook on the lable it has 19v but on the battey it has 14.8v how does this work out. | bluepoles (7281) | ||
| 348802 | 2005-04-30 00:17:00 | The power pack puts out 19v, hence the label states that as the input voltage. The laptop processes that 19v to charge and control the 14.8v battery. You have to have a suitable voltage higher than the battery voltage to allow the laptop power section to apply regulation and charge control to the battery. |
godfather (25) | ||
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