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2746
July 3rd, 2017 20:00
Dell Inspiron 1521 battery question
I have a Dell Inspiron 1521 laptop running Windows 10 64 bit which has been fine until a few days ago when I noticed the battery indicator on the taskbar showed 0%. I unplugged the adapter and the laptop powered off like I had a dead battery. I then went to BIOS and got the same 0% indication and on the battery health screen it showed the battery was operating normally. The battery indicator light would light up blue for maybe 20 seconds then go out.
Decided to check the battery voltage and it was correct so I then proceeded to connect a resistor across the battery and the current was at 1.21 amps. I did the test for 15 minutes and the current and voltage didn't drop.
I then proceeded to try the battery again and in BIOS I got up to 3% charge before the battery indicator light went out.
Tonight I loaded the battery for an hour and 15 minutes with a 5 ohm resistor. I didn't monitor the voltage and current, but the resistor was still very warm after that time period.
Tried it again and in Windows got 2 hours and 40 minutes till full charge, but the charge percent indicator would not move off 0%
After around the time it specified it shut off the battery indicator light and the time to full charge jumped up to something like four hours.
When I press the test button on the battery the light farthest from the button flashes twice.
Also even though the battery is fully charged I cannot run the laptop without the power adapter connected.
Any idea what the problem could be?
DELL-Akshatha M
2 Intern
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1.2K Posts
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July 4th, 2017 04:00
Hi jmcinvale,
What is the adapter type shown in BIOS? Can you check with another adapter or battery on this system? Does the light on the adapter stays on when un-plugged from the system?
Please click my DELL-username and send me a Private Message with the Dell Service Tag number and your email address.
jmcinvale
27 Posts
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July 4th, 2017 10:00
The adapter type is 90 watts and is a Dell adapter model number LA90PS0-00
The light on the adapter stays on when unplugged.
jmcinvale
27 Posts
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July 4th, 2017 22:00
There is only one blinking light.
Or is it that the number of times the light blinks indicates the amount of charge.
For some reason I seem to remember all lights coming on at full charge when the battery was fine.
Both AC adapter and battery are detected.
BIOS says battery is operating normally.
I may try doing a full discharge of the battery to the safe discharge voltage and see if that fixes it.
Now I do rarely use the laptop without the power adapter if that means anything.
Dell-SreejithR
6 Operator
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3.4K Posts
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July 4th, 2017 22:00
This seems to be an issue with the battery connector port or the DC in port.
Disconnect the power cord & remove the battery. Press & hold down the power button for 30 seconds (this will release the static). Wipe battery and the contacts on the inside of the battery compartment with a dry, anti-static cloth. Connect the battery & power cord back in & check if light on the adapter stays on when connected.
Check in bios to see if both AC adapter & battery is detected along with the version of BIOS installed.
The two blinking light on the battery indicates that there is at
least 40 % of battery life left
Dell-SreejithR
6 Operator
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3.4K Posts
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July 5th, 2017 20:00
Please try a battery calibration by following this link http://dell.to/2urPndI
To check battery charge, press the button and the number of lights that appear will tell you charge status. If all lights appear, you have a fully charged battery. Each light that appears accounts for approximately 20% charge.
To check the battery health, press and hold the status button on the battery charge gauge for at least 3 seconds. If no lights appear, the battery is in good condition and approximately more than 80 percent of its original charge capacity remains. Each light represents incremental degradation. If five lights appear, approximately less than 60 percent of the charge capacity remains, and you should consider replacing the battery.
It is always recommended to use the notebook on battery power once in a while so that the battery completes ample amount of charge & discharge cycle.
jmcinvale
27 Posts
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July 5th, 2017 20:00
So what does the single flashing light on the battery mean as it flashed twice after I press the button?
I cannot do the battery cal procedure as the laptop won't run on the battery.
I can do it manually by discharging the battery with a resistor and monitoring the voltage. What is the lowest safe voltage for the battery and how much current should I draw?