115
Mobile Computing
Running the computer on battery power
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
until the battery is fully discharged. Please see “Maximizing
battery life” on page 116 for procedures. If the computer is
continuously operated on AC power, either through an AC
adapter or a docking station for an extended period, 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 light may not indicate a low-battery condition.
In addition, the computer has an internal real-time clock
(RTC) battery. This is a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery.
The RTC battery powers the RTC memory, which stores your
system configuration settings and the current time and date
for up to a month while the computer is turned off.
Using additional batteries
If you spend a lot of time traveling and need to work for
many hours without an AC power source, you may want to
carry additional charged batteries with you. You can then
replace a discharged battery and continue working.
Battery safety precautions
❖If the battery pack produces an odor, overheats or
changes color or shape while it is being used or charged,
turn off the computer’s power immediately and
disconnect the power cord from the power socket.
Carefully remove the battery pack from the computer.
❖Do not try to disassemble a battery pack.
❖Do not overcharge or reverse charge a battery.
Overcharging will shorten its life, and reverse charging
could damage it.
❖Avoid touching the metal terminals of the battery with
another metal object. Short-circuiting the battery can
cause it to overheat and may cause damage to the battery
or the computer.