Dell Latitude L400 User Manual page 8

Back to Contents Page
Batteries: Dell™ Latitude™ L400 User's Guide
About the Batteries
Using the Battery
Charging the Battery
Charging a Hot Battery
Replacing the Battery
Battery Charge Gauge
First Low-Battery Warning
About the Batteries
Your computer includes a 4-cell or 6-cell lithium ion battery that provides power when an electrical outlet is not available. The battery is installed on
the underside of the computer and forms part of the bottom of the computer. Lithium ion batteries are longer lived than conventional batteries and
do not require replacement as often. You do not need to drain a lithium ion battery completely before recharging it.
Do not place spent batteries with common household waste products. See
Keep the following information in mind when you are running your computer from the battery:
Battery performance (life between charges) varies, depending on which power management features are enabled and which application
l
programs you are using.
The integrated battery charge gauge
l
The battery's self-test capability alerts you to battery conditions such as low charge.
l
NOTE: If the battery is totally drained the alert functions will not operate.
The Battery Auto-Learning utility
l
A battery has a life span of up to 300 full charges, provided it is charged at normal room temperature. The battery degrades with time and at
l
that point should be operating at approximately 80 percent of its original capacity.
NOTICE: The batteries are designed to work only with Dell Latitude L400 computers. Do not use Latitude L400 batteries with other
computers, and do not use batteries from other computers with Dell Latitude L400 computers.
Using the Battery
The battery is partially charged when you receive it. Dell recommends that you charge your battery to full capacity before using it to power the
computer.
If you are powering the computer from a battery, try to conserve battery power. A number of factors affect battery operating time:
Power conservation features that you use
l
Type of display and microprocessor installed
l
Brightness setting of the display
l
Use of storage media
l
Number and type of external devices and type of PC Cards that you use
l
NOTE: You can extend battery life by removing PC Cards when they are not being used.
Kinds of application programs that you run
l
Capacity of the memory module installed (the higher the capacity, the more power used)
l
lets you check the charge status of an installed or uninstalled battery at any time.
helps maintain battery gauge accuracy.
Second Low-Battery Warning
Detecting Battery Problems
Battery Disposal
About Battery Power
Battery Auto-Learning Utility
Turning On the Computer
Battery Disposal for more information.