Care and use of the battery pack. Toshiba USB 3471, Satellite A100 Series

Power and Power-Up Modes

The following message appears when you turn on the power:

ERRPR 0271:Check date and time settings.

WARNING 0251:System CMOS checksum bad -

Default configuration used.

Press <F1> to resume, <F2> to Setup.

To ensure that the battery pack maintains its maximum capacity, operate the computer on battery power at least once a month until the battery pack

is fully discharged. Refer to Extending battery life

in this chapter for procedures. If the computer is continuously operated on AC power, more than a month, the battery may fail to retain a charge. It may not function efficiently over the expected life of the battery and the Battery LED may not indicate a low-battery condition.

Real time clock battery

The Real Time Clock (RTC) battery provides power for the internal real time clock and calendar. It also maintains the system configuration.

If the RTC battery becomes completely discharged, the system loses this data and the real time clock and calendar stop working. The following message appears when you turn on the power:

Check system. Then press [F1] key . . .

The computer’s RTC battery is a lithium ion battery and should be replaced only by your dealer or by a TOSHIBA service representative. The battery can explode if not properly replaced, used, handled or disposed of.

Dispose of the battery as required by local ordinances or regulations.

Care and use of the battery pack

The battery pack is a vital component of portable computing. Taking proper care of it will help ensure longer operating time on battery power as well as a longer life for your battery pack. Follow the instructions in this section carefully to ensure safe operation and maximum performance.

Safety precautions

Mishandling of batteries can cause death, serious injury or property damage. Carefully observe the following advisories:

Danger: Indicates an imminently hazardous situation, Which could result in death or serious injury, if you do not follow instructions.

Warning: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, Which could result in death or serious injury, if you do not follow instructions.

Caution: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, Which if not avoided, may result in moderate or minor injury or property damage.

Note: Provides important information.

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User’s Manual

Danger

1. Never try to dispose of the battery pack by burning or expose it to a heating device such as a microwave oven. The battery pack could explode and cause bodily injury.

2. Never try to disassemble, repair or otherwise tamper with a battery pack. The battery pack will overheat and ignite. Leakage of caustic alkaline solution or other electrolytic substances will cause fire or injury, possibly resulting in death or serious injury.

3. Never short-circuit the battery pack by contacting the terminals with a metal object. A short-circuit can cause fire or otherwise damage the battery pack and possibly cause injury. To avoid accidental short-circuit, always wrap the battery pack in plastic and cover the terminals with electrical tape when storing or disposing of the battery pack.

4. Never puncture the battery pack with a nail or other sharp object. Never strike it with a hammer or other object. Never step on it.

5. Never try to change the battery pack in any manner other than that described in user’s manual. Never connect the battery pack to a plug socked or to a automobile’s cigarette lighter socket. It may rupture or ignite.

6. Use only the battery pack supplied with the computer or other device or an battery pack approved by the computer or device’s manufacturer.

Battery packs have different voltages and terminal polarities. Use of an improper battery could cause smoke, fire or rupture of the battery pack.

7. Never subject a battery pack to heat, such as storage near a heat source. Exposure to heat can cause the battery pack to ignite, explode or leak caustic liquid and cause death or serious injury. It could also fail or malfunction causing data lose.

8. Never expose the battery pack to abnormal shock, vibration or pressure. The battery pack’s internal protective device will fail, causing it to overheat, explode, ignite or leak caustic liquids possibly resulting in death or serious injury.

9. Never let a battery pack become wet. A wet battery pack will overheat, ignite or rupture possibly resulting in death or serious injury.

Warning

1. Never allow caustic electrolyte fluid leaked from a battery pack to contact your eyes, skin or clothing. If caustic electrolyte fluid should contact your eyes, immediately wash your eyes with large amounts of running water and seek medical attention, to help prevent eye damage.

It electrolyte fluid should contact your skin immediately wash it under running water to prevent rash. If it contacts your clothes, promptly remove them to prevent the fluid from contacting your skin or eyes.

2. Immediately turn off the power, disconnect the AC adaptor and remove the battery if any of the following events are observed in the battery pack: offensive or unusual odor, excessive heat, discoloration or deformation. Never use the computer again until it has been checked by a TOSHIBA service provider. It might generate smoke or fire, or the battery pack might rupture.

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User’s Manual

3. Make sure the battery is securely installed in the computer before attempting to charge the battery pack. Improper installation could generate smoke or fire, or cause the battery pack to rupture.

4. Keep the battery pack out or reach of infants and children. It can cause injury.

Caution

1. Never continue to use a battery pack after its recharging capacity has become impaired, or after the display of a warning message indicating that the battery pack’s power is exhausted. Continued use of an exhausted or impaired battery pack could cause the loss of data.

2. Never dispose of battery packs with normal trash. Bring them to your

TOSHIBA dealer or to another recycling center to save resources and prevent environmental damage. Cover the terminals with electrical tape to prevent short-circuits, which could cause the battery pack to ignite or rupture.

3. Use only battery packs recommended by TOSHIBA as replacements.

4. Always make sure the battery pack is installed correctly and securely.

Otherwise, a battery pack could fall out and possibly cause injury.

5. Change the battery pack only in an ambient temperature between 5 and

35 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, the electrolyte solution might leak, battery pack performance might deteriorate and the battery life might be shortened.

6. Be sure to monitor the remaining battery power. If the battery pack and real time clock battery discharge completely. Sleep and Suspend will not function and data in memory will be lose. Also, the computer might register an incorrect time and date. In this case, connect the AC adaptor to recharge the batteries.

7. Never install or remove the battery pack without first turning off the power and disconnecting the AC adaptor. Never remove the battery pack while the computer in Suspend or Sleep mode. Data will be lost.

Note

1. Never remove the battery pack while the Wake-up on LAN function is enabled. Data will be lost. Before you remove a battery pack, disable the Wake-up on LAN function.

2. To ensure the battery pack maintains maximum capacity, operate the computer on battery power once a week until the battery pack is fully discharged. Refer to the section Extending battery life in this chapter for procedures. If the computer is continuously operated on AC power for an extended period, more than a week, the battery might fail to retain a charge. It might not function efficiently over the expected life of the battery pack and Battery indicator might not indicate a low-battery condition.

3. After the battery pack is charged, avoid leaving the AC adaptor connected and the computer turned off for more than a few hours at a time. Continuing to charge a fully-charged battery pack can damage the battery.

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Charging the batteries

When the power in the battery pack becomes low, the Battery indicator flashes amber indicating that only a few minutes of battery power remain. If you continue to use the computer while the Battery indicator flashes, the computer enables Hibernation mode (so you don’t lose data) and automatically turns off.

The computer enters Hibernate mode only if Hibernation is enabled in two places: the Hibernate tab in Power Options and Setup Action tab in

TOSHIBA Power Saver.

You must recharge a battery pack when it becomes discharged.

Procedures

To recharge a battery pack while it is installed in the computer, connect the

AC adaptor to the DC IN socket and plug the other end into a working outlet.

The Battery indicator glows amber when the battery is being charged.

Use only the computer connected to an AC power source or the optional

TOSHIBA Batteries charger to charge the battery pack. Never attempt to charge the battery pack with any other charger.

Time

The following table shows the approximate time required to fully charge a discharged battery.

Charging time (hours)

Battery type

Battery pack (6 cell)

System on

8 hours or more

Battery pack (9cell) 8 hours or more

Battery pack (12 cell) 8 hours or more

RTC battery 24 hours

System off

4 hours

4 hours

5 hours

Don’t charge

The charging time when the computer is on is affected by ambient temperature, the temperature of the computer and how you use the computer. If you make heavy use of external devices, for example, the battery might scarcely charge at all during operation. Refer also to the section Maximizing battery operating time.

Battery charging notice

The battery may not charge right away under the following conditions:

■ The battery is extremely hot or cold. If the battery is extremely hot, it might not charge at all. Also, to ensure the battery charges to its full capacity, charge the battery at room temperature of 10° to 30°C (50° to

86°F).

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■ The battery is nearly completely discharged. Leave the AC adaptor connected for a few minutes and the battery should begin charging.

The Battery indicator may show a rapid decrease in battery operating time when you try to charge a battery under the following conditions:

■ The battery has not been used for a long time.

■ The battery has completely discharged and been left in the computer for a long time.

■ A cool battery is installed in a warm computer.

In such case, follow the steps below.

1. Fully discharge the battery by leaving it in the computer with the power on until the power automatically shuts off.

2. Plug in the AC adaptor.

3. Charge the battery until the Battery indicator glows green.

Repeat the steps two or three times until the battery recovers normal capacity.

Leaving the AC adaptor connected will shorten battery life. At least once a month, run the computer on battery power until the battery is fully discharged, then recharged the battery.

Monitoring battery capacity

Remaining battery power can be monitored in TOSHIBA Power Saver.

■ Wait at least 16 seconds after turning on the computer before trying to monitor the remaining operating time. The computer needs this time to check the battery’s remaining capacity and to calculate the remaining operating time, based on the current power consumption rate and remaining battery capacity. The actual remaining operating time may differ slightly from the calculated time.

■ With repeated discharges and recharges, the battery’s capacity will gradually decrease. Therefore, an often used, older battery will not operate for as long as a new battery even when both are fully charged.

In this case, TOSHIBA Power Saver will indicate a 100% charge for both the old and new battery, but the displayed estimated time remaining will be shorter for the older battery.

Maximizing battery operating time

A battery’s usefulness depends on how long it can supply power on a single charge.

How long the charge lasts in a battery depends on:

■ How you configure the computer (for example, whether you enable battery-power saving options). The computer provides a battery save mode, which can be set in TOSHIBA Power Saver, to conserve battery power. This mode has the following options:

■ CPU Precessing speed

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Power and Power-Up Modes

■ Screen brightness

■ Cooling Method

■ System Sleep

■ System Hibernation

■ Monitor Power off

■ HDD Power off

■ How often and how long you use the hard disk, CD/DVD-ROM drive and the diskette drive.

■ How much charge the battery contained to begin with.

■ How you use optional devices, such as a PC card, to which the battery supplies power.

■ Enabling Resume mode conserves battery power if you are frequently turning the computer off and on.

■ Where you store your programs and data.

■ Closing the display when you are not using the keyboard saves power.

■ Operating time decreases at low temperatures.

■ The condition of the battery terminals. Make sure the battery terminals stay clean by wiping them with a clean dry cloth before installing the battery pack.

Retaining data with power off

When you turn off your computer with fully charged batteries, the batteries retain data for the following approximate time periods:

Battery pack (6 cell)

Battery pack (9 cell)

Battery pack (12 cell)

RTC battery about 2 days (Sleep mode) about 20 days (Shutdown mode) about 3 days (Sleep mode) about 30 days (Shutdown mode) about 4 days (Sleep mode) about 40 days (Shutdown mode) about 2 months

Extending battery life

To maximize the life of your battery pack:

■ At least once a month, disconnect the computer from a power source and operate it on battery power until the battery pack fully discharges.

Before doing so, follow the steps below.

1. Turn off the computer’s power.

2. Disconnect the AC adaptor and turn on the computer’s power. If it does not turn on go to step 4.

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