Can I replace a laptop battery with one of a different voltage?

Well, the range of the mobo switching supplies could be wide enough that you could use either battery, and there could be ID pins (or I2C bus) to tell the charge switcher what voltage to output, and there are numerous battery suppliers who specify a 14.8V (8 cells @ 1.85V per) pack for this model, but Packard Bell lists the battery as 11.1V (6 cells @ 1.85V per), and a few battery sites indicate that the two batteries are not interchangeable. Perhaps there was a switchover from 6-cell to 8-cell during the production run (or they reused the model number).

OP: Have you asked Packard Bell about this?

(US readers - PB appears to still exist in the UK)

And are you sure the original battery is dead? This model reportedly had a charging problem that was fixed with a BIOS update:

Thanks for the useful reply and links Tony.

I've emailed PB twice, but to date haven't had a reply. I wasn't aware of the charging problem , but will get the computer back tomorrow and update the BIOS in case that solves the problem.

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Hungerdunger
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this?

update:

You could also try contacting Mitac, the manufacturer of the laptop. Based on the battery ad compatibility list, the Mitac laptop model would either be 8399 or 8599. Their technical support page is not encouraging - no entries in FAQ or technical bulletins, no access to registration page for online Q&A - but maybe you could find an email address to ask about interchangeability. BTW, ebay item

350025940814 is the listing for a 14.8V battery that states it is not a replacement for the 11.1V pack, but I also found an online ad that stated the two batteries are interchangeable (though that may just be a mistranslation).

TM

There are places that will rebuild the old battery. Look in your yellow pages. Lee