Latitude E6420 - Strange Clicks And Cracks Heard

Hello folks.

I have been using Dell E6420 since 2013 and about a year ago had this notification shown by Windows since:



The battery life is enough for 20-30 minutes but it's not what concerns me most. It's whether there's potential safety and data loss hazard. I have checked battey and there is no deformations and no inflated spots on it as is usually case with cellphone batteries. I am using this battery as a backup from power failure and most of the time laptop is on AC power except at night where I disconnect it to let battery "breathe".

What would be your suggestion?

 

Dell's warning is probably triggered by a substantial loss in the battery capacity. What does BatteryInfoView report as the full Charged Capacity and the Designed Capacity?

Personally, I always leave a computer plugged into the mains unless I need to use it on the battery. Once the battery is fully charged the charging will stop and not resume until either the charge level drops by several percent of the PSU is disconnected / reconnected. So your "letting the battery breathe" may be a source of wear.

John

 

Designed Capacity: 62160 mWh
Fully Charged Capacity: 19381 mWh
Current Capacity: 62160 mWh (100 %)
Voltage: 12333 mV
Wear Level: 68 %

Currently it's on AC power.

Thanks

 

Thanks for the info.

This shows that the battery has lost over 2/3rd of its capacity which would be likely to trigger the warning. If all you want is to use the battery as a UPS then it is OK, but it would be prudent to periodically check that fully Charged Capacity value as it is likely to drop further and may do so quickly. Personally, I would be looking for sources of a new battery and getting one id the price is reasonable.

John

 

Your battery is nearing the end of its life. It will continue to lose maximum charge capacity, until it one day just stops working.

No risk of hazard by letting it do that. If the battery is still in good condition, then it won't overheat or explode. It will just stop working one day. That may be accompanied by messages from you computer that no battery is present, or there is a battery error, or battery failure detected. Those messages are to be expected when your battery dies.

A lithium ion battery will eventually lose charge capacity over time, no matter what. However, that loss of capacity is accelerated by discharge cycles, heat, and being kept at 100% charge. So your idea of letting your battery "breathe" every night is actually the worst possible thing you can do to accelerate this loss in capacity.

Luckily, the impact isn't that bad. It isn't unusual for a battery to have a lifespan of about 3 years. Just keep in mind that if you eventually get a replacement, stop letting it "breathe" every night. You are just putting unnecessary wear on the battery. That is the equivalent of putting 1,000 miles on your car every night just to let the engine and transmission "breathe".

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