Archive for May, 2010

Choosing Laptop Chargers

Posted by admin in AC Adapters, Laptops on May 31, 2010

Laptops Are Important

In today’s digital world, the use of laptops, especially for business purposes, has become a practical necessity. Laptops are very mobile and extremely convenient to use and bring along. Laptops allow business people to work while on the road, or while waiting inside the airport. Professionals are always ready to present their materials to prospective client thru the power of the laptop where they store their presentation materials, and even work on them while on the go.

Laptop Chargers Are Important and Indispensable

But just as laptops are important, a vital partner of the laptop has also become increasingly and obviously indispensable. The laptop charger has become an important necessity for every laptop owner nowadays.

Just a single experience of your laptop battery dying up on you in the middle of an important preparation for a presentation material while you are in the middle of nowhere would be enough for you to realize the value of laptop chargers. Or worse, being in the middle of a presentation and you laptop battery’s power empties up on you. Not having a laptop charger in these situations is simply frustrating.

Charger Compatibility with Laptop

And since laptop chargers are important in making sure that you can always use your laptop during emergency situations, it is therefore important that you know how to choose the right type of laptop charger for your laptop.

Universal laptop chargers have multiple adapters that can be used for different types of connections. And even if the connection fits the laptop perfectly, it is extremely important that the right amount of voltage is selected to ensure that the laptop would be charged with the correct voltage properly, and prevent its electronic components from being fried by excess voltage power.

Compatibility with Power Source

On the other end of the laptop charger is another important factor to consider when choosing laptop chargers. The plug fitting that is used to connect to the power outlet is extremely important especially if you plan to use your laptop in other countries where there are different types of power outlets.

Also, the voltage requirement for the laptop charger should be taken into consideration. There are many laptop chargers available nowadays that choose the voltage setting automatically so you do not have to worry if you plug a 220-volt charger into a 110-volt power outlet.

Then, there are the better kinds of laptop chargers where they offer you additional components so that it is possible to plug them into car cigarette lighter outlets and even airplane outlets. These laptop chargers are extremely flexible in the sense that you can charge your laptop practically anywhere that has a power source.

So, when choosing your laptop charger, consider the factors mentioned above to make sure that you are buying the right kind of charger for your laptop. And consider the way you use your laptop, and where you would be bringing it in the future. International travel is a major factor when purchasing laptop chargers that are compatible abroad.

But aside from these, just by making sure that your laptop is adequately charged whenever you would bring it outside to be used is equally important. It is always best to be prepared for whatever circumstances and laptop needs that would arise.

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Laptop Battery Care

Posted by admin in Batteries, Laptops on May 28, 2010

Laptops which are manufactured nowadays are most likely to come with Lithium-Ion batteries. This type of battery suits the typical usage of laptops where frequent charging occurs even if the battery has not been fully discharged yet. However, this is not to say that laptop users can use and abuse the Lithium-Ion batteries of their laptops. Proper care for laptop batteries should still be observed.

Below are a few tips on proper laptop battery care.

  • When you purchase your laptop, the battery that comes with it is usually empty. Charge the laptop battery as long as possible before using it. It is advisable to plug in the laptop without using it for at least 4 hours
  • It is advisable to keep or store your laptop battery in a cool and dry place. Heat hastens the deterioration of battery life. But this does not necessarily mean that you should store your laptop battery inside the refrigerator or freezer as this can also deteriorate the quality of your laptop battery.
  • When using your laptop at home where you have easy access to a power outlet, remove your laptop’s battery while using it. Use the power of the AC adapter for your laptop. Using your laptop while charging it should be avoided if possible for it will contribute to the overall deterioration of battery life.
  • It is not advisable to buy a back-up battery if your purpose is to prolong the battery life of your batteries. Lithium-Ion batteries have a functional lifetime whether you use it or not. You can only prolong its life up to a certain level through proper care. But using two laptop batteries alternately will prove to have shorter combined life compared to purchasing the second laptop battery when the first one is already showing signs of deterioration.
  • Do not always wait for the laptop battery to fully discharge before recharging it. You may be confusing the laptop battery with another battery type (Ni-Cd) where a complete charge-and-discharge cycle is needed to prolong its life. When your laptop charge falls to 10%-15%, you can already charge your laptop battery
  • The optimal level of leaving you laptop with a charge is at 40%-60%. Studies have proven that batteries normally left with this amount of charge have longer battery lives. Charging your batteries fully-charged all the time before storing it is not exactly optimal for battery life. Of course, you should take into consideration your foreseeable immediate usage when charging batteries. If you know that you shall be using you laptop on batteries the following day, the normal thing to do is to fully-charge it to avoid batteries getting drained while you still need to use it.
  • Allow your laptop battery to fully discharge when you notice that it is not calibrating correctly. When you notice that the battery life being rated by your laptop does not represent an accurate estimate of the actual power remaining within your laptop battery, just do one complete discharge up to the point where the battery is fully drained. Then recharge it fully before using it.

Just try to follow the above tips for laptop battery care and it can help prolong the life of your laptop battery.

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Dispose Your Batteries Properly

Posted by admin in Batteries on May 26, 2010

Battery Disposal Is A Serious Matter

Did you know that if you live in California, it is illegal to dispose of your batteries in your normal everyday trash?

Yes, that is how serious this matter is. Disposing of your batteries is an extremely important matter that various groups are now pushing for stricter laws on disposing matters which can be harmful to the environment.

Millions and millions of batteries are manufactures each and every year. In the United States alone, around 3 billion batteries are sold each year. And with the booming economy of countries such as China, with the corresponding demand for power supplies to power the millions of gadgets being bought by their increasing consumer population, this figure is only expected to grow every year. Batteries run electronic gadgets like laptops, cellphones, flashlights, and numerous electronic toys. And with the growing popularity of everything becoming mobile and wireless, the tendency to provide power to these devices in mobile cells can be expected to increase in use.

Harmful Elements From Batteries

The problem is that some batteries contain metals such as cadmium, mercury, lead and nickel that can seriously damage the environment through contamination if not disposed properly. Incinerating them would not actually solve the disposal problem properly as the ash which becomes the remnant of the burning still contains the metals. And the burning process can also release some harmful elements into the air. Batteries can also explode when it comes into contact with fire or exposed to extreme heat.

Organization To Help You Dispose Your Battery

Thankfully, there are various groups who care enough in helping individuals dispose their batteries properly. Sites like earth911.org can help you locate the nearest recycling and disposal stations in your area. Just enter in your zip code in the website’s interface and you will be provided a list of all the places where you can bring your batteries (and other recyclable material) to be disposed of.

Battery manufacturers also have their own disposal facilities where you can bring your batteries for disposal. Call the phone number printed in the product packaging, or visit the company’s website to know the details. Some cities and municipalities also have their separate depots where you can dispose your batteries. Just give your local government a call to find out.

Buy The Right Kinds Of Batteries

But aside from this, there are other things that people can do to help in preserving the environment and protecting it from the harmful effects of chemicals from these batteries. We can all start by buying the right kinds of batteries in the first place. Buy alkaline batteries which can be disposed together with your other household garbage simply because the chemicals found in alkaline batteries do not pose a threat to the environment. Or better yet, buy rechargeable batteries. They would even prove to be economically wise for you as a battery user since you can use a rechargeable battery over and over just by recharging it.

Technology should help us all move forward without destroying the environment in which we live in. Let us all do our share in protecting our environment. And we can start by doing the simple things like disposing our batteries properly.

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Fixing Laptops That Won’t Boot

Posted by admin in Laptops on May 24, 2010

So, you probably got here looking for a solution to your problem with your laptop that won’t boot up. Before bringing it to the repair center which would definitely cost you some money, why don’t you consider troubleshooting the problem first and try to see if you can fix you laptop’s problem in booting.

Here are a few things that you might want to check up to know if you really need to bring your laptop to the repair center.

Check the AC Adapter

When you plug in you laptop’s AC adapter, you should see the LED light up. It is usually yellow or red when it is charging the laptop’s battery, or green when it is fully charged or running on AC power.

If the LED is not lit up, and the laptop does not show any sign of starting to boot up when you push on the power button, you should check if your AC power adapter is functioning properly.

If you have a voltmeter, test if the AC adapter that you are using for your laptop is producing the right voltage output, or if it is even producing power at all from its output plug. You would know the correct voltage needed for your laptop to function based on your laptop’s manual. If you cannot find the manual, look for it printed in the laptop itself. It can usually be found at the bottom part where the other product specifications are located.

At this point, It may also be worth to try removing the laptop’s battery and unplugging the AC adapter and leaving the laptop powerless for 1-2 minutes. Then try booting up you laptop again.

If the AC adapter is producing power but not in the right voltage, unplug the AC adapter from the power outlet immediately and stop using it. You may damage your laptop if you continue to use that AC adapter with the wrong power output on your laptop. If you have a universal AC adapter, try to see if it can supply the correct power output to your laptop. Usually, it can. And you are in luck if you try plugging in you universal AC adapter with the correct voltage option and the laptop boots up.

Check the Monitor

Assuming that there is no problem with your power adapter, and the laptop powers up when you turn on the laptop, but just would not continue booting up, and there is no image appearing at the laptop’s monitor, you would have to start checking on other things.

If you have a desktop computer, use the desktop’s monitor in checking you laptop’s video output. Your laptop usually has its port for an external monitor located at the back. Connect your external monitor and verify if you can now see your laptop booting up on the screen of the external monitor.

If the external monitor show that your laptop is ok, then the problem is with you laptop’s computer monitor. Bring your laptop to a service center as fixing your laptop’s monitor already requires opening up the insides of your laptop which might void you warranty if you do it yourself.

Check the Memory Chips

Usually, laptops have at least two memory slots. What you should do is remove the memory chips and install it back. (Refer to your laptop’s manual to locate your laptop’s memory slots and how install the memory chips.) If you have two memory chips, try using only one and try installing it in either of the slots. See if it works. If not, try it on the other slot. If it still does not work, try the other memory chip and do the same. You would have to pinpoint the problem by process of elimination. It could be one of the two memory chips. Or it could be one of the two memory slots. Or worse, it can also be a combination of the four factors. See if trying out the different combinations would solve your laptop’s boot up problem.

If the problem is a faulty memory chip, don’t use that memory chip or buy a new one. If the problem is with one of the memory slots, do not use that memory slot or replace you laptop’s motherboard.

Check the Hard Drive

If you can power up your laptop but it just would not continue booting up, and instead, you hear a repetitive clicking sound or grinding noise coming from the inside, the problem may be traced to your laptop’s hard drive.

If you are capable of removing your laptop’s hard drive, let the laptop boot up without the hard drive. Listen if the clicking or grinding noise disappears. If it does, then our hard drive must be damaged. Replace your hard drive with a functioning one.

Or if you can run diagnostic tests on your hard drive using a hard drive test utility and see if the problem can still be solved.

If the above solutions are still not enough to pinpoint the problem of your laptop, then it might already be time to bring it to a laptop repair center.

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