Battery indicator changes up and down when the lap top is cordless.

Hi!

I have a very frustrating problem. I have bought a new acer swift 1, SF-113-31 series and I can´t get my head around it. The capacity according to acer circa 10 h and they base that when you use internet all time. I began my experiment unplugging the cord when it was on 100 % and checked the indicator, it was on 3.45 hours and minutes. Since then it has jumped up and down from 3.45 to 4.5, 3.5 etc.

Since I live in Sweden it is expensive for me to call customer service in USA/Canada and naturally they don´t have a number, mailadress you can contact så help!! This is my last option.

If anyone can help me or have any theories or ideas, please write to me.

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Balatekie

Hi, If your computer will not power on or your battery is behaving abnormally, try resetting the battery using the pinhole reset button. Click the below link to get instructions on resetting the battery.

https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/34843

SaraL

Hi again!

Unfortunately it didn´t work. Are you familiar with acer swift 1?

JackE

@SaraL>>>Since then it has jumped up and down from 3.45 to 4.5, 3.5 etc. >>>

This is normal behavior!!!! It jumps around depending on the battery drain at any given moment in time. It is only an estimate of time remaining on the battery. There is nothing wrong with your machine. Do not try to fix something that is not broken. Jack E/NJ

SaraL

I carry the lap top around a lot and write at kafés and library etc. Are you saying that I have to bring along my cord everywere?

JackE

No. Jack E/NJ

SaraL

We might missunderstand eachother here but shall I look efter the percentage instead of the hours and minutes? What are your suggestions to this problem?

SaraL

How do I go about this problem?

JackE

Percentage would probably be better for you since it doesn't jump around as much as time remaining. But don't worry because you will get a warning when the battery should be re-charged. Jack E/NJ

SaraL

I have a pc that lasts circa 5 hours and I does not behave this way, always counting down, no jumping so I can relax and know when I can pack my things and go home. No fun to sit on needles and get surprised and begin the day at 10 hours = 100 percent and it suddenly pops up a window that I have to plug in or sit and write down when I swiched it on and count down. I bought it because it had so long battery time, (ca 10 h) so I didnt have to recharge to 100 percent everytime I am going to the library or similar use it cordless... oh, well. I have a choice to accept it or return it I guess...

JackE

>>>No fun to sit on needles and get surprised and begin the day at 10 hours = 100 percent and it suddenly pops up a window that I have to plug in or sit and write down>>>

Do you mean it only lasts for 3.5 hours? Jack E/NJ

SaraL

I have measured it all day and so far has it lasted ca: 7,5 h which I think is totally reasonable. The percentage is normal and counts down but as I wrote it has gone from 10.06 to 4.22 to 9.56 to 7 to 3.43 and so on. I really can´t get my head around it...

SaraL

I can do a approx counting everytime I unplug the cord but I don´t think I should have to do that.

JackE

You are overthinking this as a problem when it is NOT a problem. You need to change the battery meter to percentage instead of remaining time. And try to avoid fixating on this apparent "remaining time" instability. It is only an "instantaneous" calculated estimate of time remaining BUT only if the power being consumed at that "instant" doesn't vary. But the power does vary from instant to instant depending on what you are doing on the computer any one instant of time . So it recalculates the time remaining at the next instant when the power being consumed is different. Jack E/NJ

SaraL

Hi again! You are probably absolutely correct about that.

1.) How do I change the meter?

Could you explain the part further: "... BUT only if the power being consumed at that "instant" doesn't vary. But the power does vary from instant to instant depending on what you are doing on the computer any one instant of time . So it recalculates the time remaining at the next instant when the power being consumed is different." I am actually good woth computers and other electronics but I think I "stuck" on this particular subject.

Reards, Sara

JackE

Open Device Mgr. Under Battery make sure "Microsoft ACPI- compliant control method battery" driver is present. Uninstall it. Then right click on your computer name and select scan for new hardware. Or you can reboot your system and let Windows automatically re-detect and re-instal the control driver. The percentage remaining should now appear in the tray.

As for the 2nd time-remaining explanation, the battery capacity is measured in milliampere-hours, mA-hr . Assume 100mA-hr is 100% charged. If at one instant of time your laptop is consuming 10mA then time remaining is 100mA-hr divided by 10mA = 10 hrs. If in the next instant of time, your laptop is consuming 50mA then the time remaining is slightly less than 100mA-h divided by 50mA = slightly less than 2 hrs. And so forth and so on. These calculations are automatically done every few seconds and then displayed. Your laptop's milliampere current consumption constantly changes depending on the number of programs that are open, the tasks the CPU is being asked to do, the amount of typing you are doing, the screen brightness and colors at any given point in time time, your movements on the touchpad or mouse, disk usage, etc----so the time-remaining calculations constantly yield different values but on average will decrease over time if not plugged in until about 10mA-hr or 10% charge remains on the battery. At about 10% remaining, Windows will warn you to plug in the charger.

Jack E/NJ

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