The main advantage of a laptop is that it can be used even without a stationary power supply. The battery is responsible for the autonomous functioning of the PC. A serviceable and fully charged battery can keep your laptop running for more than 5 hours. If you notice that the battery life of your laptop is greatly underestimated, it would be a good idea to test the battery and determine the degree of its wear. The power supply may need to be replaced soon.
How to test a laptop battery at home
The operating instructions for a laptop battery suggest charging it only after it has been completely discharged. Regular violation of this rule over time leads to a decrease in the actual capacity of the battery, as a result of which it runs out faster.
To check the capacity of the power element, the number of remaining charge/discharge cycles and some other parameters, you can connect a special device to it - a portable tester for PC. However, this device is characterized by one significant drawback - its high cost (more than 30 thousand rubles), so it can only be found in computer workshops.
Testing a battery at home involves the use of software diagnostic methods, namely:
- command line;
- additional software.
Determining the degree of battery wear via the command line
To view the current state (charge) of the power supply and the remaining battery life of the laptop, just click on the corresponding icon in the system tray. 
However, the data obtained does not allow us to determine the actual battery capacity. In the Windows 7 and higher operating systems, a built-in tool has appeared for checking the degree of battery wear, which is launched via the command line. To do a battery test with it, you need to:
The file will contain information about the battery manufacturer, its chemical composition, serial number, etc. This data does not provide useful information to you. It is necessary to pay attention to the last two lines: the calculated and actual battery capacity. 
The calculated capacity of the battery (Snach) is the initial state of the battery, that is, the capacity that the power element has after manufacture.
Last Full Charge (Sreal) is the current capacity of the battery. Using these parameters, you can calculate the degree of battery wear on your laptop. To do this, you need to use the formula: (Snach-Sreal)/Snach. For example, if the factory capacity of the battery is 40,000, and the actual capacity is 30,000, then the degree of wear will be equal to: (40,000-30,000)/40,000 = 0.25 or 25%. The condition of such a battery can be considered normal.
Testing a laptop battery using additional software
If for some reason you were unable to check the battery’s performance using the command line, you can use special software. There are many programs on the Internet that allow you to test your laptop battery. The most popular application is AIDA 64.
Battery testing using AIDA 64 is performed as follows:
After testing the laptop battery, you can draw conclusions about its suitability - will it continue to be used as an autonomous power source or is it better to replace it with a new one.
The latest Battery Care allows you to view detailed information regarding your laptop battery and adjust its parameters (perform calibration for Acer, HP, Asus, etc. laptop models) to ensure maximum efficiency while maintaining minimal power consumption.
Any user can download Battery Care for free. This software works on almost all laptop models with the Windows operating system.
Laptop uptime can be increased if the battery is properly monitored (sometimes calibrated) and the preferred power plan is used correctly. The Battery Care app was created for this purpose, and its functions are aimed at monitoring and optimizing battery usage. If you want to take better care of your laptop battery, use this software with confidence. This useful tool helps you monitor your battery and set the right settings to help it last longer.
By tracking discharge cycles, the application allows you to calibrate the battery, thereby significantly protecting her. The Battery Care program installs an icon in the system tray. One click and you can instantly change the power plan you are currently using to Balanced, High Performance or Energy Saving. In the main window you can see several battery parameters (current capacity, remaining time, status) or other information (model, declared/total/current power, wear level and others).
Advanced options can be calibrated in the Settings window, where you can set Aero to turn off when the laptop is running on battery, or even pause high power usage. In the Notifications section, you can configure Battery Care to recommend calibration when a set number of discharge cycles have passed, notify you when the battery is low, or when it is in critical condition (with a certain capacity remaining).
It should be noted that these notifications are not related to those issued by Windows. In addition, power plans can be configured to automatically select based on your current energy source. Other settings allow you to run the application in administrator mode or configure usage statistics.
In general, the laptop battery program represented by Battery Care acts as a full-fledged assistant for your hardware device. This application monitors the condition and health of the battery constantly, thereby extending its service life.
At one time, laptops gained immense popularity due to the ability to run on a battery, which made it possible not to be confined to one place and to do the necessary work almost everywhere. The first models could last only a short time without a charge, and the nickel-metal hydride batteries used had a lot of disadvantages. But manufacturers did not sit idly by, and over several decades, battery manufacturing technologies have undergone dramatic changes. Today, the vast majority of laptops use lithium-ion batteries. They can last quite a long time and lack many of the disadvantages of their predecessors.
However, they are not perfect and may also become unusable over time. A battery malfunction means that it discharges very quickly, or the laptop does not display the charge level correctly. In this case, manufacturers and equipment sellers recommend purchasing a new battery. But, since the cost of the original component is quite high, you can try to correct its operation yourself. Depending on the degree of damage, it is necessary to either replace the battery cells, or it will be enough to reset the laptop battery controller.
It is the latter possibility that we want to talk about in more detail in today’s material. You can find out in what cases you need to reset the controller, and we will also tell you about possible ways to do this yourself at home.
First, it's worth finding out what a battery controller is. This is a small microcircuit built into the battery itself that controls its operating condition, as well as the charging and discharging process. It interacts with the power controller on the motherboard of the laptop itself, and also transmits the necessary system information to the operating system. We hope the diagram is clear to you. We tried to describe everything in simple words, but if you want to know the technical details, search the Internet.
When this small chip stops working correctly, you may need to reset the controller. This procedure is also popularly known as battery calibration. By and large, there are only two situations when this may be required: incorrect charge display and replacement of battery cells.
An incorrect charge display means a situation where the laptop’s operating system, even after a long charge, shows that the charge level is less than 100%, or the charge drops sharply, and the laptop turns off not after a few hours, as it should, but much faster. Many people begin to think that the battery has become unusable, but this is not always the case. The problem very often lies in its controller, which simply does not display the charge correctly.
By replacing battery elements, we mean that some workshops and service centers may offer so-called battery repacking, that is, replacing internal units that have become unusable. After this, the controller must be reset so that all new elements are recognized and can be used correctly. Although, if after replacing the blocks something does not work correctly, you have every right to make a claim and demand that the defects be corrected.
Now let's look at how to reset a laptop's battery controller. Let's touch on the software and manual methods.
Controller soft reset
On some sites you may see a recommendation to use the Battery EEPROM Works program. This is truly a very powerful and advanced utility that can, in some cases, literally revive the battery. But there is one big BUT! To use it, you need to know a lot and be able to understand electrical circuits, as well as have the necessary adapters, which are not always easy to get on the open market. We will not recommend this program for use in home devices, as it is very easy to permanently damage the battery. What then is right for you?
Battery EEPROM Works window
Almost every manufacturer has built-in power management utilities. It can be downloaded from the support site, on the driver download page for your device, and in some cases the utility can be either pre-installed or recorded on the included driver disk. Select the reset or calibration option and follow the on-screen instructions exactly. Most often, the utility discharges the battery to zero, after which it charges up to 100%. The controller will remember the extreme charge level indicators and will work as it did immediately upon purchase.
Manual controller reset
If for some reason you cannot find or install the power management utility, you can reset or calibrate the battery manually. How?
- Disconnect the laptop from the electrical outlet, and then switch it to BIOS mode. You can read more in the article how to start BIOS mode.
- Leave the laptop and do not touch it until it is completely discharged. Take care that it does not overheat.
- Without turning on the laptop, put it on charge. Wait until it is fully charged; to do this, you can leave it overnight.
In 99% of cases, such simple steps will help bring the battery back to life. Well, if this doesn’t help, buy a new battery, or connect the laptop directly to the outlet, removing the battery.
- If you only use your laptop at home, then to reduce wear on its battery, it would be better to remove it. But before that, charge it to about 80% and also check the charge level from time to time as it is prone to self-discharge. After removing, connect the laptop to the power supply and use it like a desktop computer. This option is suitable for those who have a laptop in only one place, since with this use you can lose data if you disconnect the laptop from the power source while working.
- To increase the operating time of your device, set the appropriate parameters in the power plan settings. If necessary, use the power saving mode.
Conclusion
Friends, today we talked about how to reset a laptop charge controller. We learned that sometimes the problem lies not only in the computer hardware, but also in the software. Therefore, there is no need to rush to order a new battery right away. We hope everything worked out for you and there are no questions left. Don't forget to share your opinion in the comments.
Almost every model of a modern laptop is equipped with lithium-ion batteries of different capacities, depending on the specific equipment. This approach makes it possible to ensure long-term operation of the device in one charging cycle, which is why portable equipment is valuable. One way or another, any battery gradually loses its capacity over time and discharges faster, especially under heavy loads on the central processor, video card and hard drive. However, if you use the laptop correctly, then the threshold for reducing the efficiency of offline operation will occur very slowly.
Calibrating a laptop battery is the most important step in the initial setup of a new device, which is also relevant for other equipment that runs on Li-ion batteries, such as smartphones and tablets. This procedure is recommended to be carried out both immediately after purchasing a laptop and during its use. Calibration involves deliberately carrying out charge-discharge cycles, and is done so that the chip controller can display the real percentage without glitches. In addition, this procedure sometimes helps to “extend the life” of the battery when, for example, there is a sharp drop in charge or battery life lasts no more than 20-30 minutes in normal load mode.
Today this operation can be done in several ways, and one of them is manual calibration using standard Windows tools. The method works on any version of the OS and is practically the same; all you need is care and strict adherence to the instructions. First you need to check the current battery capacity and its level at one hundred percent charge. Surface information can be obtained as follows:
- Insert the charger and wait until charging finishes;
- Disconnect the laptop from the network;
- Check the battery level in the power settings.
If immediately after disconnecting the charging unit from the socket the percentage is less than 100, then you need to calibrate the battery.
The Windows OS tools also provide the ability to obtain more detailed information. The command line will help you find it out, which opens by entering the “CMD” command in the search; you need to run it as an administrator by right-clicking and selecting this option. Then enter the value powercfg.exe -energy -output d:\report.html, where D is the name of the local disk, which in your case may be different (C, E, and so on). This is where the report file will be saved with the name report and the extension .HTML. Open it using any browser and scroll to the “Battery Information” tab, then compare the indicators of the last full charge and the estimated capacity. If the first is much smaller than the second, then be sure to calibrate the battery.
Windows operating tools provide only information about the state of the battery, and the calibration procedure must be carried out manually or using specially designed software. First, it’s better to try to do everything yourself and if there is no result, resort to software. Manual calibration is carried out in several steps:
- Battery fully charged;
- Turn off the power supply and discharge to 0;
- Network connection.
Here it is very important to set the power mode correctly, because by default the system selects “Balanced”. In the above procedure, it is recommended to set “High Performance” in the settings, since this turns off various energy-saving technologies and increases the likelihood of successful calibration. In addition, when the charge level is low, the laptop will go into sleep or hibernation mode and will not allow the battery to drain to zero.
A laptop battery calibration program can play a very important role and help you cope with this task as effectively as possible. In addition, when using the software, the entire process is carried out automatically and the user does not need to change any configuration. However, it must be taken into account that various programs are used for each laptop model.
In most cases, ASUS laptop battery calibration is carried out in the BIOS, since this manufacturer often integrates the necessary application in the form of a motherboard technological tool. Most often, this feature is present in the Phoenix BIOS, but you can check it yourself:
- Disconnect the power adapter from the laptop;
- Reboot or turn on the device, and then press F2 (sometimes another F);
- Go to the BOOT tab and find the Smart Battery Calibration menu, start the process.
Note: It is recommended to look for this item in all sections of the BIOS, and its name may also differ, but it must contain the word Battery. If there is no item, then it is better to calibrate manually according to the scheme described in the previous section of the article.
For laptops from manufacturers such as Samsung and Acer, there is an excellent calibration program on the Internet called. Its peculiarity lies in the possibility of faster discharge-charge cycles, due to the fact that it automatically starts the process of searching for the Number Pi, while putting the maximum load on the central processor. In general, its main purpose is to test and diagnose the condition of the battery both in idle mode and during peak loads. With its help, you can perform several cycles in one hour, choosing an accelerated method and high performance in the laptop settings.
The well-known manufacturer Lenovo has released a profile utility called . It is quite multifunctional regarding battery calibration, providing the user with comprehensive information and tools for correctly setting up the battery. Before starting the procedure, connect the power supply, close running applications and background processes, and do not use the gadget during the operation.
- very useful official software for Hewlett-Packard laptops. A large arsenal of tools makes it possible not only to calibrate the battery, but also provides a variety of functionality for diagnosing the general condition of the device. In the “My Computer” section you will find a battery check item and after the test, the program will notify you of the most preferable actions.
Every experienced user of portable gadgets already knows and adheres to generally accepted advice on how to avoid or at least delay the death of the battery as much as possible. First of all, don't use it. This is by no means a joke, because when you are working on a device and there is a power outlet nearby, you need to remove the battery and plug the power adapter into the connector, so when you really need battery life, you will have much more time. This is due to the fact that any battery has a given number of cycles and energy capacity, which in any case is lost during natural operation.
Further, if you do not use the battery, then it is best to leave it at 60-70 percent. You probably never paid attention, but a new gadget, be it a smartphone or a laptop, always shows exactly this charge level when you first turn it on. Lithium-ion batteries do not like to be overcharged or completely depleted. And lastly, always try to comply with the recommended operating conditions, that is, do not allow the gadget to overheat, do not use the laptop in rooms with high humidity levels or at low temperatures. In general, the instructions present all these tips in clear and accessible language.
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If the battery charge is displayed incorrectly, calibrating the laptop battery will help you. Over time, the original battery capacity of your device is lost and the full charge may be displayed incorrectly (5% charge is displayed, although the real charge is 20-30%). Please note that physical wear cannot be eliminated, but controller reading errors and software errors will be eliminated.
How often should the battery be calibrated?
Some manufacturers recommend calibration every two to three months. This helps you read the battery more accurately.
In fact, you don't have to worry about such frequent manipulations if you don't care about the most accurate charge indicator. But when your laptop turns off without any warning or you notice a rapid battery drain in the last 10-15%, then it's time to calibrate the battery.
How to manually calibrate a laptop battery
At the moment, there are 2 main calibration methods used: Manual or Software. Both methods work on the same principle - completely discharging and fully charging the battery to restore the charge controller's performance. The only difference is that laptop battery calibration programs can display more information and perform additional software manipulations to obtain the best result. But from personal experience we can say that the differences between these two methods are minimal.
So let's get started. The whole point of calibration is to fully charge and fully discharge the battery. In this case, the charge controller readings will be reset, which will allow you to more accurately determine the charge readings in the future.
To begin, open the settings for your power plan: Control Panel – Power Options
Setting the power plan
Change advanced settings
Expand Battery Settings and select options as shown in the image.
The main goal of these manipulations is so that when the charge is complete, the device does not go to sleep, but goes into hibernation, which in our case is more convenient. Set the full discharge level to 5% or less, the lower the better. Then set a ban on going to sleep or turning off the display when running on battery power so that the battery discharge process is not interrupted. After completing all the manipulations, you need to set these parameters to default or according to your preference.
Procedure:
- Charge your battery to 100%
- Disconnect the power cord and completely discharge the battery before turning it off (or going into hibernation)
- Connect your device to power and charge it to 100%
Laptop calibration programs
Software calibration is a rather complex process. A large number of battery and laptop models, differences in chipset drivers, ACPI drivers and many other reasons do not allow us to create a universal calibration application. But such applications still exist. Most of them were created by device manufacturers, which is not surprising, because supporting the software component is one of the manufacturer’s responsibilities.
BatteryCare
To check the charge and collect battery statistics, the free application BatteryCare is perfect. It does not have the ability to perform calibration, but the information that is displayed through this software can tell you whether there are any shortcomings in the operation of the laptop and its power supply.
BatteryCare can be downloaded from the developer’s official website. This utility shows the battery charge and the approximate time until the battery is discharged in the tray. The application can monitor the temperature of the processor and hard drive and will notify you if they are overheated.
Another program for calibrating a laptop battery is Smarter Battery (download). This utility is paid, but there is a free promotional period of use. The functionality of this application is richer, unlike the previous utility. Statistics collection, notifications, widgets, capacity, power settings - the main list of application functions. Registration is required in order to perform calibration.
If this software is not suitable for you, try paying attention to programs and advice from laptop manufacturers.
Almost every manufacturer has a utility for calibrating a laptop battery; it is usually included in the pre-installed software package.
In addition, it is possible to perform calibration through the laptop BIOS. There is a topic on the Samsung website that may also apply to other laptops (with Phoenix BIOS)
For other manufacturers (Asus, Acer, Dell and others), either there are no utilities or they are very outdated and are available for a limited number of models.
To maintain the correct operation of your device and its power supply, you should know several rules:
- Always update your drivers: ACPI drivers and chipset drivers are the main components responsible for the power supply circuits and the interaction of the main software and hardware components of your device.
- BIOS/UEFI update. Maintaining current firmware versions has a positive effect on the laptop's power supply.
- Use of different power supply schemes depending on the load. Surfing the Internet and watching movies does not require High Performance Mode, and sometimes this negatively affects the charge performance.
- In cases where the laptop only works on mains power or the battery is completely discharged in 10-15 minutes, you should think about purchasing a new power source or contacting the Service Center to diagnose the hardware component if the new battery does not help.
Let's hope that this article helped you in resolving your issue. If you have any additional questions or difficulties, write comments on this article, we will try to help.
Have a great day!
