The difference of Ni-Cd, Ni-MH and Li-ion Battery

Batteries in portable consumer devices (laptops and notebooks, camcorders, digital camera, etc.) are principally made using Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) or Lithium Ion (Li-ion) technologies. Each type of rechargeable battery technology has its own unique characteristics:

Ni-Cd and Ni-MH: the main difference between the two is the fact that Ni-MH batteries (the newer of the two technologies) offer higher energy densities than NiCads. In other words, pound for pound, Ni-MH delivers approximately 100% more capacity than its Ni-Cd counterpart. What this translates into is increased run-time from the battery with no additional bulk to weigh down your portable device. Ni-MH also offers another major advantage: NiCad batteries tend to suffer from what is called the "Memory Effect". Ni-MH batteries are less prone to develop this dreaded affliction and thus require less maintenance and care. Ni-MH batteries are also more environmentally friendly than their Ni-Cd counterparts, since they do not contain heavy metals (which present serious landfill problems).

Li-ion has quickly become the emerging standard for portable power in consumer devices. Li-ion batteries produce the same energy as Ni-MH batteries but weigh approximately 35% less. This is crucial in applications such as camcorders or notebook computers, where the battery makes up a significant portion of the device's weight. Another reason Li-ion batteries have become so popular is that they do not suffer from the memory effect AT ALL. They are also better for the environment because they don't contain toxic materials such as Cadmium or Mercury.
Laptop Battery
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PA3154U-1BAS

TOSHIBA Portege 2000 2010 Battery

Key Features

. Spare Battery
Having an extra battery lets you double the time you can use your computer without plugging in, all you have to do is keep a spare charged battery in your carrying case and you will be set for long meetings or flights.

. Rechargeable
The Lithium-Ion battery is easily rechargeable. Just plug the laptop into a power source with the battery installed and it will charge. This allows you to operate your computer off power and charge your battery at the same time.

. Toshiba Compatible
The PA3154U-1BAS battery is compatible with the Toshiba 2000 series notebooks from Toshiba.

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Beijing Olympic Games

(Wanning, May 5) -- Following the relay in Wuzhishan, the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay resumed at 10:10 a.m. in south China's Wanning on Monday, when first torchbearer Zheng Wentai kindled the torch in the city's Wanlong Tourist Area. A 4.63-km route was covered in an hour.

The Olympic flame will arrive in Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, at 10:00 p.m. on Monday in advance of the start of the relay there on Tuesday morning.

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REFRESH INFORMATION

The recommended way to get the maximum performance from your laptop battery. Refresh is the process of allowing your computer battery to drain completely (to do this you will need to disable all power management utilities). Once drained, recharge the battery to 100%. This will refresh all cells within the battery. Doing this every few months will help extend the life of your portable computer battery. Laptop Battery

Some laptop manufactures also include a battery refresh through the CMOS setup. Issue:
How to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup.

Reasoning:
IBM compatible users may need to enter the BIOS or CMOS setup to change how their computer's hardware is currently configured.

Solution:
Because of the wide variety of computer manufacturers and BIOS manufacturers over the evolution of computers, there have been numerous different ways to enter the BIOS or CMOS Setup. Below is a listing of the majority of these methods as well as other recommendations for entering the BIOS setup.

Notice: If you are unable to get into the BIOS or CMOS setup because of a password please see document CH000235.

New computers
Thankfully, computers that have been manufactured in the last few years will allow you to enter the CMOS by pressing one of the below five keys during the boot. Usually it's one of the first three.

F1
F2
DEL
ESC
F10
A user will know when to press this key when they see a message similar to the below example as the computer is booting. Some older computers may also display a flashing block to indicate when to press the F1 or F2 keys.

Press to enter BIOS setup

Tip: If your computer is a new computer and you are unsure of what key to press when the computer is booting, try pressing and holding one or more keys the keyboard. This will cause a stuck key error, which may allow you to enter the BIOS setup.

Older computers
Unlike the computers of today, older computers had numerous different methods of entering the BIOS setup. Below is a listing of general key sequences that may have had to be pressed as the computer was booting. 08K8195

CTRL + ALT + ESC
CTRL + ALT + INS
CTRL + ALT + ENTER
CTRL + ALT + S
PAGE UP KEY
PAGE DOWN KEY
ACER BIOS

If your computer is unable to boot or you wish to restore the BIOS back to bootable settings and your computer uses an ACER BIOS, press and hold the F10 key as you turn on the computer. While continuing to hold the F10 key, you should hear two beeps indicating that the settings have been restored.

AMI BIOS

Older AMI BIOS could be restored back to bootable settings by pressing and holding the Insert key as the computer is booting.

BIOS / CMOS diskettes

Early 486, 386, and 286 computers may have required a floppy disk in order to enter the BIOS setup. These diskettes are known as ICU, BBU, and SCU disks. Because these diskettes are unique to your computer manufacturer, you must obtain the diskettes from them. See our support list for contact information on computer manufacturers. 02K6620

Early IBM computers IBM Laptop Battery
Some models of early IBM computers required that the user press and hold both mouse buttons as the computer was booting in order to enter the BIOS setup.

Other suggestions
Finally, if none of the above suggestions help get you into your CMOS setup you can cause a stuck key error, which will usually cause the CMOS setup prompt to appear and remain until you press a key to continue. To do this press and hold any key on the keyboard and do not let go (you may get several beeps as you're doing this). Keep holding the key until the computer stops booting and you're prompted with an option to enter setup or to press another key to continue booting.

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CHARGING INFORMATION

Most battery manufacturers recommend to slow charge a new NICAD battery for 24-hours before use. This initial trickle charge helps to redistribute the electrolyte to remedy dry spots on the separator that may appear when the electrolyte gravitates to the bottom of the cell during long storage. A slow charge also helps to bring all the individual cells within a battery pack up to an equal charge level because each cell may have self-discharged to different capacity levels during storage. Laptop battery

Note: Today's newer NICAD batteries may not this initial charge. Refer to the products documentation for proper charging steps.

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