Compaq LTE 286 problem

[animekenji]

I have recently acquired a Compaq LTE 286 "lunchbox" computer. It has other problems, but the one I want to solve right now is this, when I try to power it up with the battery inserted, it won't. When I take the battery out, it powers up fine. Is this an indication of a bad battery or just a discharged battery or is it something else? The charging light on the power supply lights up when the battery is in and goes off if the battery is out. Also, I read an old newsgroup message from someone who disassembled a deceased battery pack from one of these and found that it is nothing more than a pack of 10 size C nicads with a few electronic parts in there. If the battery pack is DOA, is it possible to just open it up and replace the nicads that are in there with new ones from Radio Shack? I have been pricing replacement packs and they have been running anywhere from 90-130 USD, which is more than I want to invest in this machine. Nicads aren't cheap either, but I can get those cheaper than a whole new battery pack.

 

[vic user]

i've been told that you can take apart the old battery packs and replace them with new ones, but i have not tried it yet.

i have also been told that some battery packs are easier to replace the batteries for than others, as the electronics in some packs are a bit difficult to fiddle with.

i have a similar issue, in that i have a 386-sx laptop with a dead battery pack, and i can see the shapes of the eight C cells, and would rather try and replace them myself than spending lots of $$$ getting a pro. to replace the batteries.

good luck getting it going!

chris

 

[NathanAllan]

It sounds like the battery has an internal short or something. If the ps light comes on that says that a circuit is being completed. Does the ps light come one when the laptop is on? It may just be a charging indicator.

I have an old Toshiba t-1200 that uses C-cells and I intend to rebuild it, and it has a small bit of electronics in it, too. I'm not worried about those, though. I would give it a shot. And you can find sellers of "untested" batteries all over the place (which usually means dead on ebay) and since you have nothing to lose, I'd get a second dead battery and work with the first. Worst thing that could happen is you end up with one dead battery and that's where you are now. But I'd sure want to stop using the original battery if it is indeed an internal short, could damage the computer.

Nathan