Laptop Battery Tips

Optimizing laptop battery usage is very important to increase the battery life and performance.

Following are the Top tips to optimize the laptop battery :

• Buy smart: Look for notebooks with low power consuming processors like the Intel’s “CULV” “Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage” processors or AMD processors with “cool & Quiet” feature.
• Dim screen brightness: Choose an environment with adequate lighting—less brightness means you’ll drain less power from your battery.Use the Function key (Fn) available in most of the laptops to dim the brightness.
• Run your applications wisely: To get the most from your laptop, even when multitasking on the go, run resource intensive applications just when actively using them. Then make sure to close the applications you aren’t using.Running Video on the laptop will consume the battery very fast.Avoid to run video almost all time.
• Close unused applications: Programs will still use power while sitting idle.Also some unrequired background processes can  be closed using the task manager.Stop such processes from starting at boot.
• Have the right RAM for your needs: With appropriate RAM, instructions run off memory instead of disk. Less power is needed to refresh the RAM than to spin the hard drive.So increasing the RAM in in the laptop with high resource usage works will highly improve the battery life.
• Clean your battery: Rub the battery’s metal contacts with rubbing alcohol every two months. Allow to dry before re-inserting.
• Remove extra accessories: Unplug items like PC cards, USB and FireWire devices that are not being used.
• Use built-in power management devices: Enable this feature and set your system to “Battery Optimized” mode or “Max Battery” mode. Put your computer to sleep earlier and turn off the screen backlight sooner.Start > Control Panel > Power Options (in Classic View).
• Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if not being used: Wireless LAN and Bluetooth access uses power even when it is not in use. Transmitting and receiving data drains the battery.
• Defragment your hard drive regularly: The built-in defrag utility included with Windows  will take your file fragments and put them closer together on your hard drive, which will decrease hard drive access times and save battery life.
• Use Direct Power as much as possible : Keep your laptop connected to the direct power supply using the laptop power adapter as much as possible.
• Connect laptop to UPS supply : If possible then connect your laptop to UPS supply.This will save your laptop from power fluctuations and if there are frequent power cuts then your laptop battery life-cycle will not be wasted.
• Use battery only when on move : Try to power laptop through battery only when you are on move or if there is no power supply.

Microprocessor

What is Microprocessor?

An integrated circuit that contains all the functions of a central processing unit of a computer. It is the Heart of all computers

Basic characteristics differentiate microprocessors:
 
Instruction set: The set of instructions that the microprocessor can execute.

Bandwidth : The number of bits processed in a single instruction.

Clock speed : Given in megahertz (MHz), the clock speed determines how many instructions per second the processor can execute. 

SMPS

SMPS

SMPS Internal

What is SMPS ?

SMPS - Switched Mode Power Supply. An SMPS is  a Device to efficiently provide a regulated output voltage, from  different level of  the input voltage.S MPS transfers power from a source like the electrical power grid to a load  (Eg: Computer).

SMPS Connection Diagram

The SMPS in a conventional desktop system is designed to convert the 220V AC, 50HZ into +5V, -5V, +12V and +3.3 V DC

Diagram -SMPS

Tips For Power Supply Service

1. Be sure that the line- voltage  switch(120/220 Vac) is set correctly for your region.

2. Do Not Use a Splitter

3. Be sure that each output is within tolerence(Volatge tolerences are usually +or-5%

4. Verify that the power-supply connectors are attached to the motherboard drivers

5. Check the AC Input voltage with the help of a Multimeter

Troubleshooting SMPS

Problem 1: The Power doesn't come on.

Solutions

1. Check the Power from the wall socket

2. Check the Voltage Setting On the CPU

3. Check the  Power switch  of the Cabinet and  Front Panel of MotherBoard

4. Check the Power Supply Connections to the Motherboard

5. Check the SMPS without connecting it to the motherboard, you could see the two wire green and black which you have to short them (using any piece of wire/paper clip) in the 24 pin motherboard connector of the SMPS.

  Problem 2: The PC Powers on after the second or third try

Solutions 

1. Check the  Power switch  of the Cabinet

2. Replace  SMPS  (Get a Better Quality SMPS)

 Problem 3: The PC Powers on but nothing happens after that (no beep)

Solutions 

 1. Remove the last hardware component installed and check again

2. Replace  SMPS  (Get a Better Quality SMPS)

3. Check the power cables to the  Devices(Harddisk, DVD Drive etc)

 Problem 4: The PC Powers on beeps and stops. NO Power On Self Test (POST)messages

Solutions 

1. Check with another SMPS

2. This may be a Motherboard Problem.

 Problem 5: The PC Powers on runs POST but there is no display

Solutions 

1. Check the Monitor and the VGA Cable Connectons

2. Check with another SMPS

3. This may be a Display Card Problem

 Problem 6: There is a squealing/whistling/whining noise from SMPS when the PC starts

Solutions 

1. Check the SMPS Fan

2. Component problem with SMPS. Replace it 

Problem7: The PC freezes or reboots suddenly

Solutions 

1. Check the SMPS Fan (May be overheating Problem)

2. Replace the SMPS