HP Presario 18XL Maintenance & Service Guide Presario 1800/1800T Series-Mo - Page 35

Presario 1800/1800T Series Models: XL280, XL380, XL381, and XL390 Increasing Battery Pack Operating Time Battery pack operating life is affected by several variables. To avoid unnecessary replacement, consider the following when determining how long a charged battery pack should last: • Power conservation settings • Hardware configuration • Software applications • Installed options • Display brightness • Hard drive usage • Changes in operating temperatures • Type and number of installed PC Cards Note: Power consumption requirements for PC cards vary widely. Some cards drain the battery pack very rapidly. Battery pack operating life can be increased by as much as 50 percent by controlling the energy required by the Notebook and the energy stored in the battery pack. Minimizing the Energy Required To minimize the energy required by the Notebook, follow these guidelines: • Set the power conservation levels in the Power Management utility to Maximum. • Customize the time-out value to work more efficiently with the applications. The length of battery life depends on the values selected. Maximizing the Energy Stored To maximize the energy stored in the battery pack, follow these guidelines: • Condition the battery pack at least every 30 days to improve overall battery performance. • Keep a battery pack in the Notebook when using it with AC power to supply the battery pack with a constant trickle charge. • Store the battery pack in a cool, dry place when not in use. 6 BATTERY AND POWER MANAGEMENT PRESARIO NOTEBOOK MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE GUIDE 1800 SERIES