Compaq 6500 Family manual Using the Battery, Preparing the Battery for Use

Getting to Know Your Computer

Using the Battery

Your Compaq Armada 6500 notebook computer has an easily removable main battery pack. This section describes how to maintain and replace the notebook computer’s main battery pack.

Preparing the Battery for Use

Your Compaq Armada 6500 notebook uses a Smart Battery. The battery has circuitry that reports the amount of charge in the battery to the system.

Initial Use –To properly initialize the circuitry that reports the state of the battery charge, you should:

1.Enter System Setup and disable Power Savings. Refer to Chapter 4, Configuring Your Notebook for detailed instructions on making System Setup configuration changes.

2.Fully charge the battery.

3.Fully discharge the battery. To fully discharge the battery, use the notebook computer on battery power until the computer suspends due to low battery power. At this point the battery is in a critically low battery state.

4.Fully recharge the battery.

5.Enter System Setup and re-configure your power management options.

Regular Use – The circuitry that reports the state of the battery charge must be periodically re-initialized by allowing the battery to go through a full charge and discharge cycle. The frequency with which you must re-initialize the battery's circuitry is dependent on how often you use battery power. If you use your notebook computer on battery power on a daily basis, it is recommended to re-initialize the battery circuitry once a month.

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