ancient laptop repairing

[orange]

I bought this ancient laptop (Toshiba T2000SX) on flea market.
It uses two batteries (second one is for BIOS):
-pa8725u (14.4V 2.2AH NiMH) shows 0,45VDC
-XZ0072P09 (6V NiCad) shows 0VDC

They are dead, but I'd like to just try to recharge them. Of course
there is no
original AC power supply. So, can I use standard
AC/DC converter (1000mA max)? Or maybe the 9V NiMh recharger?
Should I just connect + to + , set voltage to 12VDC and let it charge
for a while?

There is power connector on side of laptop, it says 18VDC.
It has 4 pins but I don't have pinout..
if I obtain it, can I try it with 12V ATX PSU?

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

I bought this ancient laptop (Toshiba T2000SX) on flea market.
It uses two batteries (second one is for BIOS):
-pa8725u (14.4V 2.2AH NiMH) shows 0,45VDC
-XZ0072P09 (6V NiCad) shows 0VDC

They are dead, but I'd like to just try to recharge them. Of course
there is no
original AC power supply. So, can I use standard
AC/DC converter (1000mA max)? Or maybe the 9V NiMh recharger?
Should I just connect + to + , set voltage to 12VDC and let it charge
for a while?

There is power connector on side of laptop, it says 18VDC.
It has 4 pins but I don't have pinout..
if I obtain it, can I try it with 12V ATX PSU?

It's nearly 100 percent certain that the battery is dead for good.
Even "zapping" is rarely successful on these batteries. And something
that probably hasn't been charged in 10 or 15 years is even more
hopeless.

You have nothing to lose by trying to charge it but don't expect miracles.

It would be worth trying to run the laptop on a DC power supply matching
the battery voltage with sufficient current. However, even if you had the
AC adapter, it probably wouldn't run the laptop without a good battery.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
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| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

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[Joerg]

It's nearly 100 percent certain that the battery is dead for good.
Even "zapping" is rarely successful on these batteries. And something
that probably hasn't been charged in 10 or 15 years is even more
hopeless.

You have nothing to lose by trying to charge it but don't expect miracles.

It would be worth trying to run the laptop on a DC power supply matching
the battery voltage with sufficient current. However, even if you had the
AC adapter, it probably wouldn't run the laptop without a good battery.

There often is hope: If 12 NiMH AA-cells would fit into the same space
as the 14.4V battery that would yield the same of even higher capacity
than the original. Should cost less than $25 when on sale. Most have
2.3Ah, some are claimed even higher.

NiCd are harder but places like Batteries Plus should be able to help.
Of course there comes a point where one has to think about how much
money it is worth sinking into such an old machine.

 

[James Sweet]

There often is hope: If 12 NiMH AA-cells would fit into the same space as
the 14.4V battery that would yield the same of even higher capacity than
the original. Should cost less than $25 when on sale. Most have 2.3Ah,
some are claimed even higher.

NiCd are harder but places like Batteries Plus should be able to help. Of
course there comes a point where one has to think about how much money it
is worth sinking into such an old machine.

Or if you don't need the battery, just look on ebay for a compatible power
supply and use the laptop plugged into the wall.

 

[jakdedert]

Or if you don't need the battery, just look on ebay for a compatible power
supply and use the laptop plugged into the wall.

In my old Toshiba there are two BIOS batteries. When it didn't boot up,
I tore the machine down, found one battery dead (not a common type). It
happened after several months of inactivity. I'm going to give it a
trickle charge just for test purposes, but if that brings the machine
alive, I'm not going to trust the old battery. OTOH, it might have
worked if I'd only plugged it in for a while before trying it.

Chargers are available for just about any laptop on eBay. In fact I
once bought one for this very machine there. In any case, no harm in
using one of the proper voltage, current and polarity. I'd get a ps,
and try charging everything. Possibly that's all you'd need, although I
agree the main battery is toast. If it's completely apart now, I would
replace the BIOS battery as well.

jak

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Or if you don't need the battery, just look on ebay for a compatible power
supply and use the laptop plugged into the wall.

I don't know about the T2000SX, but many Toshiba laptops I've used required
the battery to be good in order to use the AC adapter.

But first try a DC power supply to see if the laptop works at all.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.