Laptop Battery Bay Damaged?

[WeaponX 0]

I had my laptop for over a year and suddenly one day it won't hold the charge in the battery anymore. So I thought it was a bad battery...sent it in to be repaired and the techs said it's not the battery. Tested ok. They said it was the charging port. Warranty was over already so I dealt with the issue...about 3 years now. I want to know how to repair this. Do I have to change the whole motherboard to replace that battery compartment area? Or is there an easier way to do this?The laptop is a Prostar 6194.Thanks.

Edited May 8, 2006 by WeaponX (see edit history)

[yordan 10]

I still think it's the battery. I would say that the most clever thing would be to find a reseller who trusts you, and accepts to let your insert a battery and use your computer to see how long the new battery lats.Because, from a technical point of view, it's not really easy to see test a battery. You can see that the battery has some volts on it, but you have to connect something on the battery in order to see that under use the battery electric tension goes down. And no-one will probably connect a lamp to your battery to check if the battery still works. A faulty battery unable to be correctly checked is a more probable readon than a faulted charging port.And, yes, a faulted charging port is on the motherboard, which is probably very expensive on a laptop. That's why I would first try with a new battery.

[WeaponX 0]

OK, I will try to find a replacement for it in that case. I don't know of any local computer stores that would allow me to test out their batteries first before buying them. Thanks.

[DjCalvin 0]

OK, I will try to find a replacement for it in that case. I don't know of any local computer stores that would allow me to test out their batteries first before buying them. Thanks.

Do you have a test button on the battery? Some Batteries have a little LED on them that tell you what their charge is at.
Also, when your laptop is plugged in, does the power light change from amber to green? or red to amber?
(vs unplugged.. not sure if you have enough power to boot at all)

[WeaponX 0]

Never noticed it before....but yes, there seems to be a test button on the inside part of the battery. I pushed it, no dice. I tried recharging it and actually thought it worked because it's actually charging it slowly (1%, 2%...). Before it would jump straight to 99% and then 100%. Well...it's charged fully now. I tried using it without the power adapter. No power.Haven't used it for one day...so I just put the battery back now and it says 0%...then then jumped to 100% fully charged...and stays 100% now. Could it still be the battery problem or the problem with the metal "prongs" to charge the battery? Any way I can test the voltage somehow either on the battery or the laptop to see which one is faulty before I go out and buy the battery first?

[yordan 10]

test the voltage somehow either on the battery or the laptop

Unfortunately, this test will probably be non-significant.The symptom with a dying battery is that the voltage is correct if the battery is stand-alone, and the voltage is low if the battery is connected on a powered computer using the electrical power from the battery.

[vizskywalker 0]

I had the exact same problem with my laptop, and from my experience, it most likely is the port on the computer. Even if the battery is capable of holding a charge, if the port is damaged it could either a) immediately drain the battery, or not take power from the battery, treating the battery as dead. Further, if it is the port, it may just be loose in which case you could solder it back into place. If you are concerned about doing the soldering yourself, remember if it is the board, you'd have to get a new board anyway, and if it's out of warranty, any damage you do to it can't void the warranty. Check the battery first, because it's a cheaper problem to fix, but if you can, take a part the laptop and see if the port is loose.~Viz

[WeaponX 0]

Just checked the battery prices this evening and it's going to set me back about $100 for it. I'll take a look at the bottom of the laptop and see if anything is damaged or out of place. If worse comes to worse, I'll try taking apart the laptop again...was a pain last time when I tried to do this (couldn't remove the whole thing).

[vizskywalker 0]

Be sure when taking apart the laptop that you have a torx screwdriver (the ones with a star head). A T8 size should work for most laptops. Laptop manufacturers use these screws to discourage people from opening the laptop case since it is dangerous and voids the warranty. Most people don't have Torx screwdrivers on hand, so it is quite an effective discouragement.~Viz

[kaputnik 0]

Never noticed it before....but yes, there seems to be a test button on the inside part of the battery. I pushed it, no dice. I tried recharging it and actually thought it worked because it's actually charging it slowly (1%, 2%...). Before it would jump straight to 99% and then 100%. Well...it's charged fully now. I tried using it without the power adapter. No power.
Haven't used it for one day...so I just put the battery back now and it says 0%...then then jumped to 100% fully charged...and stays 100% now. Could it still be the battery problem or the problem with the metal "prongs" to charge the battery? Any way I can test the voltage somehow either on the battery or the laptop to see which one is faulty before I go out and buy the battery first?

Before you purchase a new battery, I would suggest a slightly lower cost alternative. The first thing, is to see that all's well with your laptop, the charging port. The easiest way to do this would be to find someone in your locality online and try and sort it out between yourselves to allow for a swap of batteries. This way, you would be able to check if another 'good' battery does actually charge on your machine (if it doesn't then you have a charger port problem) and if your battery fails to function on the other person's laptop, then it's most definately your battery.

However, if you fail to locate someone in your area with the same/ similar (some machines from the same company will use the same battery packs) laptop computer, who is willing to spend time helping you, then I would suggest that you opt for a second hand battery off e-bay. This will sort out the cost, since you will pretty likely get a good deal on the battery; next, you'll be able to check with the 'bought' secondhand on how well your computer is able to charge the battery. (Point to look out for here is that you get your battery pack off someone who is well rated so that you don't get dumped with a dud battery). This whole process would cost about the same as a service checkup on your machine.

Now, if you're satisfied with the battery you have purchased second hand (considering that this solcves your problem), then you're already sorted out. Should you still want a new battery, you could go in for one and utilize the second-hand one as an additional one (or affix it to your laptop as a second battery (some machines allow for this).

Hope you're able to find an effective solution from this.

[WeaponX 0]

I think I have a Torx #6 screwdriver that I bought last time for opening up my cell phone. I remember opening up the laptop as much as I could and don't recall seeing any rubber screws though. This thing should come with a manual on how to open it up I removed all the screws on the bottom and surrounding area last time and still couldn't get it to remove the motherboard area. I even checked the top part underneath the keyboard to make sure it wasn't bolted down from there.Could it be the charging port if I can charge my battery? It was at 0% full and I charged it for a few hours (took longer since I left the laptop on) and it eventually reached 100%. I'm thinking it must be the bottom connector for the battery bay. I took a look at the bottom bay for the battery and it has two metal prongs and on the side it has like 8-10 flat pins for the battery connector. They all look ok. The connector for the battery looks like it's connected to one end of the motherboard there.I checked the battery price on eBay and elsewhere already, but have no luck. They are all around $100 or more. The battery model is 87-D618S-4E8. It's 11.1V and 6000 mAH. If there is a replacement for this at a cheaper price, that would be great. I don't need the exact model back as long. As the alternative will fit snuggly inside this laptop, I'm a happy camper I'll try to see if I can find a local computer shop nearby, but I don't think there is any in my area.Trying to find out the part number for my motherboard but not having any luck. I found a number in huge characters - 71-D6100-D02 but didn't find anything on it online.

[vizskywalker 0]

Okay, WeaponX, here's what we should hgave asked first: Make model and other details on laptop, then maybe we can help with more in depth instructions.~Viz

[WeaponX 0]

It's a Prostar 6194 laptop. The warranty expired like two years ago already.

[Logan Deathbringer 0]

Ok here is my suggestion, check to make sure that the AC adapter port on the laptop is still functioning properly. Make sure that it is a nice tight fit, and that when you plug the ac adapter in the indicator light on your laptop comes on. In my experiance as a computer tech more often then not its the port that the AC adapter plugs into that is the problem.If the AC adapter port is lose it usually just needs to be soldered back onto the motherboard or the entire motherboard needs replaced. I would honestly suggest taking it into a Best Buy near you, if there is one, and have the Geek Squad look at it for you. Usually they will be able to tell you if it is the AC adapter port or the battery for no charge. If it is the battery then you will have to replace it. I seriously doubt that the charging port on the battery compartment is damaged, unless of course you have taken the battery in and out and were rough with it while doing so.Seeing as how the laptop is at least 2 years old it could be that the battery is no longer holding a charge and needs replaced, but I would still have a tech look at it to make sure that the AC adapter port is in good repair.

[WeaponX 0]

Logan, if that charge port in the back (for the AC adapter) is loose/damaged, will it still be able to provide my laptop with power though? I'm asking this because all this time I have been using my laptop by plugging in the AC adapter. Never really bothered me without the battery working until lately. Need to bring it with me to work sometimes and it's not so convenient carrying that big charger.

Never soldered anything before, but if that area is broken, I would be willing to take the chance (and hopefully learn how to solder ) to see if this can be fixed. Any detailed information on how to solder the area near the AC adapter? I did some searching and found some beginning tutorial on how to solder here.