On 1/11/08, <b class="gmail_sendername">neal daringer</b> <<a href="mailto:admin@c0wzftp.com">admin@c0wzftp.com</a>> wrote:<div><span class="gmail_quote"></span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
josh, i'm 99% sure this is the case that i have. while the machine is<br>powered on, i can use it like normal, reinserting the battery while it<br>is powered on, it is added as a new device(battery), but it has strange
<br>characters for its make/model. too bad this dinosaur of a laptop still<br>has pricey batteries (~$100-150).<br></blockquote></div><br>You may be able to rebuild the battery yourself. The cells are often $1.5 - $4 each and there are usually 4 - 9 cells per battery. NiMH and NiCd can be done. The round lithium cells should not be soldered to by mere mortals though (for health/safety reasons), but tabbed Li cells can be soldered. The Lithium batteries usually have some extra circuitry inside that add challenges.
<br><br>The hardest part is cracking the battery open. Patience and a straight edge can get the job done. If worse comes to worse, you can crack the battery case open and use packing tape to hold it together once done. :-)
<br><br>If the battery is toast, it may be worth it to crack it open and see what's inside.<br><br>Also note that I see CPi batteries on ebay for < $50 shipping included. Though even that may be more expense than is desired for an ancient machine.
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Matthew Nuzum<br>newz2000 on freenode