Question Gateway E-475t battery charging circuit problem

[blackstoneengineering]

My Gateway E-475Mt laptop has a battery (3rd one so far) that I can install a new one, get the thing to 'learn' the battery (charges, discharges, then recharges thru bios menu) and will indicate 'fully charged'. BUT, after a few months the battery discharges fully - yet the laptop says 'fully charged' - when I remove the battery and check the built-in charge indicator on it, it says it is dead - plug it in and laptop says fully charged. I can remove battery while adapter plugged in and laptop runs so adapter is fine. I can shut it down and cut power (unplug adaptor) and it will keep bios setting for short time off, but when I shut down over night and cut power to adapter, its bios resets to default losing time settings and passwords (bios battery a bit weak probably but not the main problem - main battery should be keeping bios powered when unplugged and not be running on bios battery). With a new battery all is fine and it keeps bios settings overnight or for days while unplugged, but after a few months the battery drains, yet is 'charged' according to windows and linux and laptop indicators... when first boot, indicator light is red (chargng) for a few seconds then goes to blue (charged) as it boots up. Gone thru three batteries so far with this - each lasting a few months. I can try to 'learn' thru the bios with the dead bettery but it says battery is fine without going thru the charge-discharge-charge process. Charging circuit malfunction? I have to leave adapter connected to power constantly now.

 

[blackstoneengineering]

OK - so took out newest deader-n-heck battery (battery #3) and plugged-in previous battery (battery #2) while laptop was hibernating just for reaching for straws (w/o going thru bios menu battery 'learning')... well, darn if it stayed charging (laptop indicator red) and went from 0% up to 100% after 2 hours, and the indicator on the battery shows all four green lights (100%).

Not to be one to just stop there, I next tried it with the newest battery (battery #3) and it went from red to green in a few seconds saying 100% but really 0%.

SO, what the hell?!?

 

[rgd1101]

are they oem or 3rd party?

 

[blackstoneengineering]

STILL - one to explore further, I then switched battery #2 to the older-n-heck battery #1 - now ITS CHARGING!!!!!!!!!!!
However it does say 'Consider replacing your battery' on the windows charging icon (that battery #1 that came with the used laptop 'died' over two years ago ... still, charged ;-)

 

[blackstoneengineering]

are they oem or 3rd party?

battery #1 was a 'gateway' battery and did the same thing years ago - #2 and #3 are 'replacement batteries' <as Gateway is now 'gone' (or now 'ACER')>

battery #1 (Gateway) will do the learn thing, but out of it's 5200mAh it maxes at only 580mAh now (probably dead cell or two). It will charge though. battery #3 won't even charge - 'thinks' it's charged instead like battery #2 used to do. The replacements are only 4400mAh... might indeed be an OEM issue :-|

 

[blackstoneengineering]

the 'Smart Battery Auto-Learning Rev. 1.20' thing from the bios 'learning' enabled' menu may need upgrading?

 

[rgd1101]

there is no gateway anymore, no support

 

[blackstoneengineering]

there is no gateway anymore, no support

<as Gateway is now 'gone' (or now 'ACER')>

...website links now to ACER's site - but, so far Battery #2 is working fine as I DID NOT DO THE 'LEARNING' thing on the bios menu for it. Indicator on the battery shows all four green lights (100%). Boots up with red for a minute as it charges to 100% then goes blue ~ very happy camper