need replacement battery recommedation/help

- V
- varnitk
  
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posted
18 years ago

Mon, Jan 16, 2006 9:33 PM

So my 3 year old powerbook battery finally crapped out on my over the weekend. I opened up the battery case and found that it has 8 Panasonic CGR18650A (3.6V, 2000mAh, Li-ion) in it. I did a little research and found that this battery is out of production. So i was looking around for other batteries that could replace it. Now im completely ignorant when it comes to current, volts, amperes etc etc (damn should have paid more attention in high school). I have found couple of batteries that run at 3.6V but their mAh is either higher or lower, can someone please explain to me what the heck mAh means and will a battery with lower or higher mAh work? Here are the batteries that I found:

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any advice is very much appreciated

- K
- Ken Taylor
  
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posted
18 years ago

Mon, Jan 16, 2006 10:06 PM

mAH is the capacity of the battery - the ability to supply power over time. In general, more is better. The voltage however should be the same. For your application the first of those batteries is probably the better choice as it matches on volts and has some extra grunt. The voltage difference in the cells *probably* isn't significant, but it aint my laptop. If it fits physically, you're on a winner.

Cheers.

Ken

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- CWatters
  
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posted
18 years ago

Wed, Jan 18, 2006 9:47 PM

Check to see if the battery pack has any temperature sensors or thermal fuses in it. You must also include these in the new battery pack.

Li cells are slightly more dangerous than NiCad or NiMH. When they first came out no manufacturer would sell loose cells only pre assembled packs. I would go with the first cell you list (or you should also be able to find some 2400mAH cells in the same size)...but don't just put it on charge and go to bed. Keep an eye on it at least for the first few charge cycles to make sure it isn't getting hotter than the existing pack. Abused Li cells have been known to catch fire rather dramatically so make sure the connections are all insulated to prevent any short circuits etc.