How to MAXIMISE Laptop Battery Life (when you can't afford a NETBOOK)

[Logieberra (Logan)]

Hey guys

Netbooks seem to be leading the way with battery life... but I'm convinced that we can 'squeeze' more juice out of our laptops

Here's what I'm running: Dell XPS M1210, Windows Vist 32. It's small and portable, but it's no netbook. I currently get 2-3 hrs of imaging out of this system (camera control software, PHD guiding etc - with the lid closed and screen off). I would like a littel more

I use the Vista Power Plan options, minimum screen brightness, minimal CPU usage etc

Do you have any ideas to help with battery life? Eg:

- there appears to be 50-60 process continually running in the background (seen via Task Manager). Is there nice app out there that Ends All Processes?

- how about dual operating systems? One with all my programs, and another 'streamline' O/S with just the essential astronomy apps (PHD, Stellarium etc)...

- or perhaps create a new user account, and block most of the apps (Parental Control)?

- or is there a way to disable graphics cards, USB ports? Not sure if this well help...

Anything else?

Thx guys.

Logie.

[acropolite (Phil)]

If it were me I'd get a 12 volt adapter and either run it from the car battery or an independant 12 volt supply.

[chrisp9au (Chris)]

Originally Posted by acropolite

If it were me I'd get a 12 volt adapter and either run it from the car battery or an independant 12 volt supply.

Just be careful, my IBM Thinkpad draws 4.5 amps, that will drain a battery fairly quickly!
Laptop's going, but I can't seem to start the car!

Cheers
Chris

[Logieberra (Logan)]

Thx guys, I've done my research on this one

Sealed lead acid AGM / deep-cycle marine batteries (100Ah +) will set you back $250 + but you'll also need a specialised Deep Cycle Charger, $100 +

I've looked into those small generators (GMC, Homelite) 720W etc, $150 + but I hear that they're messy, noisy, and a dirty source (voltages spike - not good for ol' laptop).

I went with the laptop battery option. For $100.00 shipped I got two new '9 cell laptop batteries' of Ebay, genuine Dell brand (easy to charge, no specialised 12v deep cycle charger needed, and no fuel / oil mixtures).

Which brings me to my above questions - how to minimise laptop battery drain

Logie.

[irwjager (Ivo)]

Hi Logie,

There's claims that Windows 7 offers better battery life over Vista, so you could try that.

Additionally, have a look at underclocking and (especially) undervolting your CPU.

There is a also minor battery life boost to be had if you use a lower RPM rated hard drive.

Lastly, depending on what video card you have, you could try to underclock/undervolt your video card.

I'm sure there's heaps of other things you could try, but these are the ones I know of off the top of my head

[rcheshire (Rowland)]

Laptop mode - if it's available for Windoze.

Hard drive spins as needed. Processor scaling on demand. Screen brightness control... etc. Power consumption is reduced to that needed.

Should be able to set all this up manually in Win. Not sure?

[Tandum (Robin)]

You could also check out SSD hard drives, they draw a lot less power I believe.

[Kal (Andrew)]

If you want to disable ports check the BIOS to see if it can be done there.

Also make sure you disable WiFi and bluetooth to save battery.

If you don't need the CD-ROM/DVD drive you could probably eject the drive from the laptop?

[Logieberra (Logan)]

Thx for the info guys. I'll have to return to this post after my wedding / honeymoon - this week!

Cheers.

[chrisp9au (Chris)]

Aw, come on! get your priorities sorted!

Good luck, hope you both achieve the happiness we have!

Cheers
Chris