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General discussion

My tablet's battery stopped taking a charge, have computers become that expendable?

May 1, 2015 9:59AM PDT
Question:

My tablet's battery stopped taking a charge, have computers become that expendable?


I'm a bit frustrated and I think full disclosure is needed at the point of purchase regarding the device battery replacement policy/capability. My ASUS SLATE eee121's battery stopped taking a charge after 4 years, which is when I discovered it has to be returned to an ASUS service center for replacement. My wife tells me her Apple iPad is the same. What's going on? Have computers become that expendable? Is this on purpose so that companies can make a buck or is it the nature of batteries themselves? Are there best practices I should be doing to extend the life of these types of batteries? My fingers are crossed over what I get back from Asus and when.

Thanks for your help.

--Submitted by Chris H.

Discussion is locked

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Real reason for using Torx head screws
May 8, 2015 12:05PM PDT

darrenforster99 speculates as to the reason forusing Torx head screws, and thinks it started out as a security thing. Actually, no, it wasn't anything to do with security. If you want security, there are better screw designs readily available.

Torx head screws have two major benefits in manufacturing. (1) They can take more torque than standard phillips head screws, allowing machinery to tighten things down with a bit more power, and reducing waste from either heavy handed assemblers, or over-strong robots stripping out the heads. (2) The screwdriver doesn't slip out as easily as a phillips head, making it more reliable for automated assembly. In short, when you are putting a lot of screws in with automated, or semi-automated human assisted machinery, Torx head screws reduce your costs by being more reliable on the assembly line.

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Screwdriver Slippage
May 9, 2015 9:05AM PDT

Agreed. And another issue when you are making a product that is supposed to look really nice is to not have screwdrivers slipping and scratching the fine finish of the device.

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Laptop Battery
May 8, 2015 12:07PM PDT

I've had a HP laptop for 8 or 9 years. I rarely power it with battery power. I've removed the battery [ very easy to do ] and power the machine from the AC charger. Approximately, every two months I plug the battery into the laptop and notice it's at 94 or 95% then recharge it and again remove it from the machine. When I do need to use the battery it's ready and in great shape.

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Tablet's battery stopped taking a charge
May 8, 2015 12:47PM PDT

What I say is, the manufactory need to make extra profit if you need new battery. I have no idea how many times and charge before the battery will go dead, but my last cell phone last for only two years before I had my LG, but still, I have no idea how long it could last.

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Two Years is Good
May 9, 2015 9:10AM PDT

Three or Four years would be even better. My g/f and I got our iPhones at the same time. She leaves hers in the charger most of the time and hers had a battery that swelled up and we got a free phone from Apple because it became a "safety" issue. The phone never stopped working. Mine hasn't had the problem but I only charge at night most of the time. Both iPhone 5's are over three years old. I think the next release after the iPhone 6 is when we will upgrade to a newer model.

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You don't always have to return the battery
May 9, 2015 12:04AM PDT

It would be nice if you could include the links to such information, even though one can google it.

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You can do it yourself
May 2, 2015 12:15PM PDT

I've found I can replace batteries for sealed electronic equipment pretty easily by using the internet. Write the name of the device and the word battery in the search box, and chances are you'll get what you need. Many sites sell the batteries I've looked for, provide instructions, and give you whatever special tool you need to take the thing apart in order to access the battery -- usually just a little plastic throw-away piece that can pry the front and back apart . I've done this with iPods and Kindles, and in my experience, the seller also has included a You Tube link showing how to take the equipment apart. My first foray into DIY battery changing in sealed devices was several years ago, when I found it would cost $100 + postage to send a Kindle to Amazon for battery replacement. I thought that was pretty outrageous. I should add that you have to be bold in taking some of these things apart. You have to be careful not to sever wires and connections, but the videos cover potential pratfalls and how to avoid them pretty well.

I assume the companies that make these devices seal in the batteries with the intent of making customers pay again to keep whatever they've already bought up and running after a few years. It seems awfully greedy to me, and it also puts consumers at risk of having their privacy invaded. There's no tablet or other computer-related product I've come across that could not be made without an easily accessible battery compartment. I'd like to see consumers start pressuring manufacturers to make these things so buyers can take care of the little things without having to continue shelling out big bucks.

Note: This post was edited by its original author to fix content on 05/05/2015 at 10:30 AM PT

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You're right! Just about anyone can replace these batteries
May 8, 2015 11:30AM PDT

Just google your device along with the words, "replace battery." You will find several Youtube videos that show you exactly, step by easy step, how to do it. I just looked up the one for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1" Tab. The battery, along with the two tools it takes to replace it, costs less than $40 and it takes anyone who has ever done anything similar maybe 5-10 minutes to do the job. If you know how to operate a screwdriver, you can do it. If you've never tried it before, it might take you 15 minutes, just so that you are super careful with each step. The Big Secret with any of these devices is to be gentle. If a step in the process doesn't go exactly as shown on the video, don't just use more force! Look at the video again, carefully, and see how you might have just been prying on the wrong part! I'm sure the manufacturers would rather not have us be able to do this, but we are so few in numbers that they probably don't care.

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Battery LIfe
May 8, 2015 11:03AM PDT

Batteries in cell phones, laptops, and tablets etc. are not made to last. I have the Nokia Lumia 920, a great solid phone that I really like, it is packed with so many apps and has a great camera, however, after 2 years, the battery does not hold a charge as long as it used to. so I will be forced soon to get a new phone. This is all by design.

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You don't HAVE to
May 8, 2015 11:16AM PDT

you really don't HAVE to get a new device, you CAN replace the rechargeable batteries. It's just difficult for the consumer, so take it to a shop. They can pry the old device apart without damage, de-solder the old battery (if needed) and replace it.
The manufacturers don't LIKE that, because they'd much rather sell you a new product EVEN IF there is nothing wrong with your old one, but you don't NEED to do that.
Another point, you can possibly crutch the device along with an external battery pack for a while. No one seems to have mentioned that. It just takes the right connectors and battery pack (also known as a jump pack, or quick charge pack.) I've even considered just taking old batteries out (you would NOT believe how small some of them are) and taping some AAA's to the back (however many it might need to achieve proper voltage) with a wire going to where the battery was. Haven't done it yet, but I will consider it. The beauty of that solution is, where you used to get 1 day, or 3 days, or whatever out of the tiny little battery, you could probably get 3 weeks or more out of the AAA batteries. And AAA batteries really aren't all that large. The manufacturers would really have something if they designed a tablet that used say 6 or 8 of those, and advertised a couple months normal usage out of them rather than a few days. I don't really care for a device that's so thin as most tablets now. The thicker ones are easier to hold. Now if I could just get a new e-reader or tablet without touch screen, I'd be even happier.

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Caution about jump packs
May 8, 2015 1:14PM PDT

This may not matter if your battery is already toast, but my experience with a jump pack is that it made my phone battery very hot. Very likely because it is charging way too fast, with nothing to moderate the current flow.

As discussed above, heat is an enemy of Lion batteries. I have decided to not a jump pack except in emergencies now.

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"Battery Memory"
May 8, 2015 11:11AM PDT

This is a long standing issue with any rechargeable batteries (even the big ones on submarines) and you can do something about it by completely discharging the battery...leave the device on until it dies, get it up and running and discharge fully again, and do this several times. At some point in the process when it won't start, then charge it again and repeat the process. It's time consuming but dramatically resolves the issue.

On a maintenance basis let the thing go below 10% every month or so to keep it tuned up.

What happens to most is that they plug the thing in to charge when it still has a reasonable time left and eventually the battery 'remembers' that level and behaves as if it were the new zero.

You might be able to shop around for a plug in device or a schematic of a load you can add to it which will accomplish the discharging for you.

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Memory effect - NiCd
May 8, 2015 5:22PM PDT

Not to be too picky, but the "Memory effect" is applicable to Nickel Cadmium cells NiCd. Usually used in relatively old equipment of more than 10 years ago. That was overcome by using Nickel Metal Hydrate NiMH.

Lithium cells have replaced these in most current equipment and do not suffer from "memory effect" at all. Unfortunately every cell suffers from "self discharge" and that increases with age and temperature. But every time a cell is discharged to a fraction of its capacity, that does irreparable damage to it and contributes to its demise. Hence for Lithium cells it's not a good idea to discharge them before re-charging, that applied to NiCd and NiMH, for what its worth. But don't take my word for it, Google it!

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Battery Memory
May 9, 2015 3:23AM PDT

As I said it's true even of submarine batteries which are lead acid types. There is no technology for batteries where than doesn't happen, it's just worse and most discussed with NiCad.

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This is true.
May 9, 2015 5:24PM PDT

However the last several Tablets, Smart Watch and Laptop Batteries all say to fully charge them and discharge them at least three times, yes they are Lithium Ion, Most of us usually just open the package remove the old battery and replace it with the new and let it charge. How many of us do really read those instructions, which mainly are in Chinese.

Now on the other hand I Purchased a top of the Line Acer Notebook recently and Whenever I buy a new one I order a spare Battery. I looked at the bottom of my Notebook looking for a way to remove the battery a simple step on my other two and several previous ones. I thought maybe the entire bottom would have to be removed, nope the seal said it would void the warranty. You could open the RAM and WiFi compartment. I posted in the Acer Community Group and was told that there was no way to replace the battery.

I had to contact their 24/7 Support Hotline and deal with idiots who barely spoke English and I had to explain everything 5 times. Their answer each time was to restore to Factory specs losing hours of installed updates, Programs that could not be saved otherwise. I asked about battery replacement and he wanted to sell me an extended warranty but batteries are hardly ever included in all but the newest electronics foe maybe 30 to 90 days. I was able to pic this Computer up for $524.99 listed at $1999.00 with the hated Win-8.1, It was one of only a few left over on one of the Shopping channels. I will Update to Win10 as soon as it becomes available.

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You are abosultely right
May 10, 2015 3:16AM PDT

Lithium cells will be damaged if discharged to much. Memory effect was always a problem with NiCads but even tho the NiMh batteries did fix that problem they still required an occasional discharge and recharge.
One other caveat with the care of these batteries it is best to not charge them in less than 5 hours unless you have chargers with special circuits as they will get to hot and heat is the nemesis of batteries. I do have battery
chargers that have these circuits which willstart with a high mah and start to lower the output as the battery charges therefore keeping the heat down.

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Heat
May 10, 2015 12:29PM PDT

You are correct on the heat issue. Not only does it mess up the battery, but it can spread heat to the local electronic circuits. And, if the device is charging but the device is not powered on, there are no fans running (laptops, etc.).

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Is this on purpose?
May 8, 2015 11:11AM PDT

Of course this is on purpose! The mean time between failure for batteries is the shortest of all components in a laptop.

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On an apple product yes+
May 8, 2015 5:19PM PDT

Most other brand devices make switching out a dead battery as easy as unclipping or simply removing a screw and cover to change the battery.

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That is how they sell new products.
May 8, 2015 11:44AM PDT

A generation for tablets is about 2 years right now. I still haven't had any failed batteries, but guess they will all fail eventually. I have a Note 10.1 2012, a Nexus 10 2012, a Nexus 7 2013, and a Samsung Tab S 2014. When the 2012 products die off, I will likely look at some new ones. I will likely stick with Samsung in the Future since they seem to be more professional than the Nexus products. My Samsung Tab S has 3 gig of ram with 2.7 gig available. My Nexus 10 has 2 Gig of ram with about 1.07 gig available. That is actually my most disappointing tablet. I works OK, but not too impressed with the small amount of the 2 gig of ram that they state the device has. My Nexus 7 has about 1.7 gig max out of the 2 gig. The 3 gig device works the best. 2 gig has been the standard in the past, but you get a lot better performance with 3 gig. Also the ram manager in even the latest versions of Android is not too good. I guess I am spoiled with my Lenovo W7 Desktop that has a i7 8 core processor and 8 gig of ram. My Android devices don't even come close to the performance of the Lenovo. Of course I use the Android Tablets for different uses, so they perform adequately.

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Rechargeable Batteries
May 8, 2015 11:52AM PDT

Most batteries don't last very long. Higher performance means reduced life.

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Related question - external battery extends life?
May 8, 2015 3:47PM PDT

Many places now sell external batteries that can be used as rechargers or to power a phone or tablet whose battery has been discharged.

Would running a fully charged tablet from such a battery extend the life of the internal battery? For instance, I have several tablets that are charged through the USB port. When an external battery or charger is plugged in, I don't know whether the tablet runs off the internal battery and the internal battery gets power from the external, or whether the tablet runs directly off the external battery.

I realize laptops will routinely run directly from the external power source, but I don't know whether the same applies to tablets.

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Nope
May 10, 2015 1:28AM PDT

Those little devices will recharge your battery if it is low, or keep it running if the battery charge is to low to operate the Tablet, phone etc. If the Item battery is full it does nothing as far as running or charging it.

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It pays to do your homework -- and to think outside the box
May 8, 2015 4:17PM PDT

Some mobile devices have user-replaceable batteries, others don't. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S III; I chose it nearly three years ago because I had done a bit of online research and knew the battery was replaceable. When the original battery weakened last year (they all do, sooner or later) I bought a replacement battery on Amazon -- the phone may be a few generations behind the times, but it's still just fine for my needs, and with the new battery it's as good as new.

OTOH my first-generation Kindle Fire's case is sealed so I can't replace its battery. It's still going strong after three-plus years, but when its battery eventually fails I have a new role planned for it: I will pair it with a low-power FM transmitter and use it as an audio "hot spot" for retransmitting Internet radio (from the iHeartRadio and TuneIn apps) around my home. I'd rather be able to replace the battery and keep using it as a mobile device, of course; but at least I can continue to get some use out of it after it's tethered to a charger full-time.

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Replacement batteries
May 8, 2015 5:13PM PDT

In Asia there're lots of people who'll replace batteries that the manufacturers claim are non replaceable. Search places like Craig's list

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Most can be replaced
May 9, 2015 11:38PM PDT

I would bet most, if not all batteries, are replaceable. How difficult it will be is the whole other story. Some devices are very difficult to open without destroying the case, and will possibly have a battery that's soldered in. For most people, that means non user replaceable, but there are a lot of battery services around that have all the slick tools and know-how to do it for you.

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I'll go for a new battery.
May 8, 2015 5:45PM PDT

I understand that batteries have an expiration date on their lives, just like people. I sympathize with folks wanting something that doesn't exist yet, i.e. a fully rechargable and/or easily replaceable battery for their electronic toys. However, I think, as someone in this thread mentioned, the batteries are the least advanced parts of our various devices. Thus said, you might do as I am going to do. Accept that a new battery (company-installed) is still cheaper than buying a new device. I have an early 2011 iPod 4 Touch which I love for it size and weight. (I also have an iPhone 6 Plus and a new iPad so I'm not a complete Luddite). I prefer my old iPod as I like to read in bed and it is small enough and light enough for my old hands to hold up. Thus, now that the battery is starting to fail in recharging, I have chosen to bite the bullet and let Apple install a new battery in my old machine, even though the price of the new battery is somewhat close to the price of the new, and larger/heavier, iPod Touch. If I can get another four years out of a new battery, I count it a win. I've saved myself the price of a new iPod (which is too big and heavy for my needs), Apple loses the sale of a new iPod, yet Apple and I still get something out of the deal: Apple gets to sell me a new battery and I get my device, that I like, working for me again. Compromise. It works.

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Chargers die too
May 8, 2015 7:38PM PDT
Love Are you sure it is not your charger?
In the past few years I have found several instances where the charger was faulty.
Borrowing someone else's charger to verify or apportion blame is not a bad idea!
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Disposable computers
May 8, 2015 7:39PM PDT

The world became came greedy. Didn't you notice that computers are now disposable items or have you not caught on yet.
You can recycle them as the materials have some value and we can't keep burying stuff in the ground.
Not in England anyway, we have run out of space and the entire county is now a rubbish tip.
In America you have a lot more land and energy so keep buying and keep throwing away.
And please forgive my sarcasm.

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Rough work around
May 8, 2015 11:22PM PDT

This will add bulk and not suit everyone but if we really can't trust the batteries and they can't be replaced there could be a new breed of chargers matched as neatly as possible to the device that take ordinary rechargeable batteries.
There are plenty of 'emergency chargers' like this now but they're universal with fiddly plugs, I'm just suggesting they could be very carefully contoured to the specific device as if part of it.
The manufacturers would be mad because it would be more an alteration to the product than an accessory yet there's nothing they could do about it. It's their fault for designing it like that.