Conference akocoa::decpc_portables

    Dan,
    
    I appreciate the situation you are in. Trying to come to a deal with
    the manufacturer, in this case Toshiba, is next to impossible as I have
    experienced myself some time ago when I looked for a solution for
    Hinote Ultra batteries. 
    
    However I may have a solution for you which will take much less time to
    realise. Recently I finished the development of a battery tester. This
    tester can test many types of bateries and when possible revive them.
    There is a preliminary description on the internet page of GSO
    Engineering. When the photographs of the "Universal Battery Tester"
    will be finished the page will be updated with the latest description.
    You can find the information when you connect to "Europe GSO Homepage"
    at http://piper7.jgo.dec.com, then select "GSO European
    Engineering Homepage", "Products & Services", "Test & Diagnose
    Tools", "Personal Computer" and finally "Mobiles". 
    
    We also have a service here at JGO to test batteries. So this could be
    a relieve path for youre immediate needs. 
    
    
    Kind regards,
    
    Jos Lenssen

    re: .1 by JGODCL::LENSSEN
    re: battery tester
    
    Jos,
    
    That's the kind of initiative and engineering-based solution that
    this company needs!  Keep up the good work!
    
    Cheers,
    
    /Bill

    When my battery pack quits taking a charge, I slam it down on a tile
    floor on the flat top/bottom several times.  Usually it will take a
    charge after that.  Something about a crystal growing internal to the
    battery shorting it out and the physical blow breaking said crystal. 
    
    The other thing I've read, many years ago, was in Scientific American. 
    They were charging up a large capacitor and placing a ni-cad cell
    across it.  The electrical jolt would vaporize the crystal short inside
    the cell.
    
    John

    For what it's worth, there are several places out here in Silicon
    valley (and there may be places like this near you!) that will take ANY
    laptop battery and re-build it with off-the-shelf parts inside. Most of
    these battery packs if you peel the plastic away, are just made of a
    multiple of individual NiCad or NiMH cells. Usually, 1.2 volt jobbers.
    A 7.2V pack will have 6 of these in parrallel and elegantly encased in
    plastic. If you need the pack fixed, you slice open the plastic and
    replace these general-purpose cells and then seal it up again.
    
    The places out here charge $50 to do this. I think Fry's even contracts
    out this service for their customers.
    
    Mark

    Hi,
    
    This battery has a digital p/n as well: 30-43051-02.
    
    Regards,
    Ton.

Thanks to all for the various suggestions.  However, after beating my 
battery on the floor, with no apparent change in its condition, I think 
I'll try ordering the part as suggested in -1.  By the way, the 
replacement P/N is 4A-43051-02.  Let's see if they are available.

Dan

>Thanks to all for the various suggestions.  However, after beating my 
>battery on the floor, with no apparent change in its condition, ...
    
    Good to hear you don't have to rewax.
    

>    multiple of individual NiCad or NiMH cells. Usually, 1.2 volt jobbers.
>    A 7.2V pack will have 6 of these in parrallel and elegantly encased in
>    plastic.

Nit: the six cells are connected in a row (or whatever the proper word is - can
someone tell me, please ?), but certainly not parallel.

Hans.

    LS,
    
    In reply to the entry John made titled "physical abuse sometimes
    helps", I would like to comment following.
    
    It is probably out of frustration that John took to banging the
    (fill in your preferred adjectives here) battery. However it is not
    good engineering practise. John's battery has some sort of contact
    problem but certainly it is not due to crystal growth that the battery
    is not chargeable. Battery cells are build up with concentric cylinders
    or folded foiles from positive electrode/separator/negative electrode.
    The structure is very compact. The crystals grow on the electrodes and
    not between them as I think John is thinking. These crystals cover the
    electrodes preventing the chemical reaction, that exchanges ion's, to 
    take place. 
                                               
    The second point John makes seems from a different movie. However it is
    possible to overcome the internal resistance of a battery cell by
    applying a higher than normal voltage to its terminal. This technique
    is called "High Impedance Charging". With a high voltage, current is
    forced through the cell and hence helping the chemical recombination
    of the active elements. Slowly the formed crystals will, in part,
    desolve and so the usefull life of the battery is increased.
    
    Kind regards,
    
    Jos  

    re:.10
    
    ##possible to overcome the internal resistance of a battery cell by
    ##applying a higher than normal voltage to its terminal. This technique
    
    What sort of voltage 220-240V AC :-)
    
    Seriously though what sort of DC voltage are you speaking of? 
    
    Basically I've got 2 dead batteries for my Sony Diskman which cost
    about 25 pounds each ouch [luckily only need 1 at a time]! And there's
    also my Hinote battery...
    
    Dave

    RE: .last few
    
    I've seen NiCad reconditioners on the market for years and even tried a
    few at times. Never happy with the results. In some cases, a 'dead'
    battery appears to come back to life, only to find it's power storing
    capability was greatly reduced, and hence the battery life was
    terribly-short at best. Some batteries wouldn't even take this
    reconditioning, some that did failed, NONE of them worked like a
    brand-spankin' new battery!
    
    Suggestion: Buy new batteries. Enjoy life.
    
    Mark