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DOCUMENT NUMBER: PH010403_CW01 REVISION: 1
Battery Troubleshooting Procedures
RELEASE DATE: October 2002
DESCRIPTION
Compaq has released a list of basic troubleshooting procedures to be used as a reference when dealing with Compaq Armada and Evo notebook battery issues under the battery warranty period.

SCOPE
All Evo N series and Armada E, M, V notebooks.
RESOLUTION
  • Battery life less than expected.
    • Is the system being heavily exercised during battery use. I.e., DVD movie, CDRW (CD-creation), Hard disk intensive diagnostics related activity e.g., NDD, CPQ Diags, Defrag etc; If so, low battery life is expected.
    • Verify battery calibration, and proper calibration procedures(*) have been performed. Frequent use of the battery that includes several partial charges and/or discharges may result in inaccurate calculations of battery fuel gauge, resulting in false capacity warnings etc..
    • Battery life deviates more than 20% (approximately 30 Min.) than the expected usage time.
    • Contact Compaq Technical Support.
  • System fails to power-up on battery power, charge status LED`s on battery are illuminated.
    • Contact Compaq Technical Support.
  • System fails to power-up on battery power, charge status LED`s on battery are NOT illuminated.
    • Attach AC power
    • Confirm/install, latest System BIOS(*), to determine if a failure exists in the notebook Charge Circuit. Systems with this failure will report a "103 charge circuit failure" during POST. If a "103" error is NOT indicated the Charge Circuit is fine.
    • Launch Compaq Power Management (Power Options) applet from Windows Control Panel and select the Power Meter tab. Verify if the battery icon indicates charging while AC is present and note if capacity increases as it charges.
    • If the latest System BIOS is installed and the battery icon fails to indicate charging while on AC power.
    • Contact Compaq Technical Support.
  • Power Meter indicates capacity above capability; e.g., 2000 hours remaining capacity.
    • Confirm/install latest System BIOS(*) and Compaq Power Management(*).
    • Verify calibration, and proper calibration procedures(*).
    • If the above has been applied, then replace battery. This problem should go away with a PM update.
  • Battery feels warm.
    • Is the battery presently charging? If yes, the battery should feel warm.
    • Is airflow under/around the notebook restricted? (e.g., notebook on pillow, legs, or soft surface). Lack of airflow will cause the heat to build in the battery area while the battery is charging or in use. Compaq recommends ONLY operating the notebook on flat open surfaces.
  • Battery never fully charges.
    • Verify calibration, and proper calibration procedures(*).
    • Confirm/install latest System BIOS(*) and Compaq Power Management(*).
    • Full battery capacity is considered 97% or greater. This problem has been identified as an industry wide issue with the current battery technology, and isolated to the fuel gauge algorithm used to compute the battery capacity readings. The computed amount will vary per charge. Users will seldom see 100% charge capacity. Additionally, when AC power is removed from the notebook, the battery gauge may drop 3-4% from the initial fuel gauge reading. Example: If the gauge reads 97% (fully charged) and AC power is removed from the notebook, the fuel gauge may report 93% or 94% capacity.

      NOTE: This does not reduce the actual run time of the battery. Compaq has updated the algorithm which reports to the battery gauge the charge of the battery. This update is included in the V55 Firmware of the battery.
    • Contact Compaq Technical Support.
(*) NOTE :

HARDWARE PLATFORMS AFFECTED: Armada E500, Armada E700, Armada M300, Armada M700, Armada V300, Evo Notebook N150, Evo Notebook N400c, Prosignia Notebook 170, Prosignia Notebook 190

COMPONENTS AFFECTED: Accessories, Batteries

OPERATING SYSTEMS AFFECTED: Non-OS Specific

SOFTWARE AFFECTED: Non-Software Specific

THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS AFFECTED: None

DOWNLOADABLE FILES: NONE

NOTICE: The information in this document, including products and software versions, is current as of the Release Date above. This document is subject to change without notice.

©Copyright 2001, 2003 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Hewlett-Packard Company shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Hewlett-Packard Company and the names of Hewlett Packard products referenced herein are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company in the United States and other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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