How can I test wether a laptop battery works or not.

[GrayTech]

Hello

I have a problem with my laptop battery. I used it until it was empty (at first it says that I have more then 100 mins left but the battery was drained pretty fast and then it shut down without giving me a warning that my battery is low). Then before charging it again I worked on the inside of the laptop and the PCB got a soft hit at one point. After I was done I plugged in the laptop and booted into windows. Everything worked fine and the battery (which already had a decent amount of charge for some reason) charged to 100%. But now the laptop just turns off as soon as I remove the charger. Does this sound like a battery problem or a PCB problem to you? And is there a way I can test wether the battery workes or not? Because I don't want to buy a replacement battery to find out that this wasn't the problem.

[Ruffleduffle]

to me it sounds more like a problem on your pcb.

What equipment do you have? A multimeter and a bench psu?

[Ruffleduffle]

a very basic check for batteries is to charge them to full adn them easure volts and amps across the terminal, do the math and see if it matches up to the specifications printed on the battery

[GrayTech]

2 minutes ago, Ruffleduffle said:

to me it sounds more like a problem on your pcb.

What equipment do you have? A multimeter and a bench psu?

We probably have a multimeter and maybe even a bench PSU.

 

2 minutes ago, Ruffleduffle said:

a very basic check for batteries is to charge them to full

The battery is charged since it can't discharge.  

Where do I have to connect the thing to the battery? I don't know much about electronics.

 

By the was, the laptop is an acer aspire V5-573G.

[GrayTech]

5 minutes ago, Ruffleduffle said:

to me it sounds more like a problem on your pcb.

The PCB got a soft hit but the hit wasn't near the connector for the battery or the connector for the power plug. That's why I wasn't sure about the whole "the PCB is the problem" thing. And I already know that this is one of the laptops which work even though the battery isn't connected to the board. And windows shows that the battery is 100% charged.

[Ruffleduffle]

if you dont know much about electronics i woudl recommend you ask someoen who knows for help, it sounds like you know someone.

In case you want to raw dogg it: 

1. remove the battery

2. measure volts and amps across the "+" and "-"

3. multiply volts and amps, this gives watts (for more info on this visit: http://all-about-lead-acid-batteries.capnfatz.com/all-about-lead-acid-batteries/lead-acid-battery-fundamentals/amp-hours-vs-kilowatt-hours/ )

4. compare your results to the data given on the battery

[Ruffleduffle]

To check for amp hours you use the bench psu.

Discharge the battery and tehn charge it with the psu, it should be able to tell you how much chrge is in the battery then.

But I would recommend that you do not do this on your own without research sicne lithium-ion batteries can be a major fire hazard when handled incorrectly.

[Ruffleduffle]

Kepp in mind to NEVER short the termianls of a potentially charged lithium-ion cell.

pls

[GrayTech]

2 minutes ago, Ruffleduffle said:

if you dont know much about electronics i woudl recommend you ask someoen who knows for help, it sounds like you know someone.

In case you want to raw dogg it: 

1. remove the battery

2. measure volts and amps across the "+" and "-"

3. multiply volts and amps, this gives watts (for more info on this visit: http://all-about-lead-acid-batteries.capnfatz.com/all-about-lead-acid-batteries/lead-acid-battery-fundamentals/amp-hours-vs-kilowatt-hours/ )

4. compare your results to the data given on the battery

Okay, sounds easy. But do I even need a Bench PSU for this? Sounds like only a multimeter is needed?

Now I only have to find the 8 cables which fome from the battery are the + and -.  

 

EDIT: Okay, I think I'll ask someone who know what he's doing. Almost forgot that working with charged batteries can be dangerous.

 

[Ruffleduffle]

Just now, GrayTech said:

Okay, sounds easy. But do I even need a Bench PSU for this? Sounds like only a multimeter is needed?

Now I only have to find the 8 cables which fome from the battery are the + and -.  

flat and lightweight devices come at the cost of removable batteries. I am sorry but this is how it is

[GrayTech]

1 minute ago, Ruffleduffle said:

flat and lightweight devices come at the cost of removable batteries. I am sorry but this is how it is

This laptop is only a secondary PC I "use". I revently got it as a "free dead laptop" and now it somehow works again. But I already hat to do some stuff with it like replacing the dead drive or replacing a dead fan. It is rather some kind of side project I currently have then a problem with my main device.

[GrayTech]

Is there a way to get a replacement battery to try wether this is the problem or not while I'm able to send it back if the battery isn't the problem?

[Ruffleduffle]

you could look for part numbers on the battery, but those are not that easy to come by most of time. You could try and desolder the abttery and head to a local repairshop wiht it, they might eb able to arrange a replacement part

[GrayTech]

1 minute ago, Ruffleduffle said:

you could look for part numbers on the battery, but those are not that easy to come by most of time. You could try and desolder the abttery and head to a local repairshop wiht it, they might eb able to arrange a replacement part

I already worked a lot on the inside of this laptop. So if there is a parts number on the battery, I can probably find it. And the battery is held in place by 1 screw (that is 1 screw more then they use for the HDD in this laptop...) and it is connected by a connector which 8 cables. So removing the battery is no problem. There is a technology repair store near me but what if tell them that I need a replacement part and I realize that the battery isn't the problem? I probably will not get my money back because the replacement battery was already used.

[Ruffleduffle]

Î would just ask them if they have any in stock that you can use to test, or let them test your battery. Talk with them, I am sure you can figure something out. But usually they dont take spare parts abck, no

[GrayTech]

1 minute ago, Ruffleduffle said:

Î would just ask them if they have any in stock that you can use to test, or let them test your battery. Talk with them, I am sure you can figure something out. But usually they dont take spare parts abck, no

They are very small so they probably don't have a spare battery. And since they are pretty expensive and probably want money for helping me to find the problem I don't really want to go there.  

[Ruffleduffle]

I am just counting options, what you do is up to you

[GrayTech]

Interesting now it says 98% not charging instead of 100%.

[Ruffleduffle]

you can also check for cuntinuity on the pcb and get a datasheet of it to trace the traces and check the voltages.

https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup

check this guy if you want to leanr about that kinda stuff

[GrayTech]

1 minute ago, Ruffleduffle said:

I am just counting options, what you do is up to you

Thanks for your help! Anyways. I'm done for today. I'm german as well so if you know a website or a place which could help me, feel free to share your information.

[Ruffleduffle]

Gerne, ich kenn mich mit reperaturläden nicht so aus, da ich sie nie gebraucht habe. Mir ist nie irgendwas so hart kaputt gegangen was ich nicht mit meienm Ifixit kit und meinem Lötkolben repariern konnte.