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22708
battery capacity dropping fast
I got my XPS13 on 13-Aug-2013 and I'm loving it. Finally a laptop that runs Linux without spending endless hours fiddling and searching for drivers, settings, etc. My preferred distribution is Debian, but Ubuntu is close enough.
In the beginning, I could use it for about seven hours on one battery charge. Now the capacity of the battery has dropped significantly. The battery statistics show "Energy when full = 35.0 Wh" and "Energy (design) = 47.3 Wh". This means that the battery lost 26% of its original capacity within six months. I think that this is not sufficient and Dell should replace the battery under warranty. Did anybody else experience a similar battery problem?
Anyway, with this capacity the battery should still last about five hours. However, the battery lasts only about three hours now. I think I screwed some of the power savings settings up. Is there any way to find out what is consuming battery? Is there an easy way to verify the power savings setting and to compare it with the default settings?
cheers,
Werner
DELL-Jared D
350 Posts
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February 27th, 2014 10:00
Those numbers from the battery statistics are coming from the system itself (through ACPI I believe) so should be correct. A drop like that within six months (assuming you bought it new) doesn't sound like it should be happening, although how your battery wears is affected by the frequency and way in which you charge it. (Also, on the subject, remember to never leave something with a rechargeable battery somewhere like a hot car. That's bad for the battery's life.) My only suggestion is to look at this guide: http://ftp.dell.com/diags/r66243.htm
If that doesn't help, check your warranty and call Dell support.
Let us know how everything works out for you.
bageela
4 Posts
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February 27th, 2014 10:00
FWIW, I as seeing an alarming drop in capacity myself. Withing two weeks I was seeing 86% using the "upower -i ..." command .
But then I rebooted once later on & then the capacity is now in the high 90s. Its disturbing that the capacity is dropping so fast (~4% in 2 months), but at atleast its not 14% in 2 months.
Any other experiences?
Loving the laptop otw.