CQ60-313SA Laptop battery and charger

star-X_2

Hi, would anyone be able to tell me where i would be able to get a replacement battery and charger cheaply please. This battery overheats and shuts the laptop down, which has also killed the charger. Its only 2 months out of warranty too, grrr, typical eh?
Thanks in advance x

Hammyman

I'd be surprised if the battery is the problem. More likely the massive wad of fluff blocking up the heatsink.

Does it run OK without the battery in?

star-X_2

Hi hammyman,thanks for your reply. Without the charger in the battery dies quickly. What is the heatsink? Do u not think i need a new battery then, are there tests i can do to see what the problem is? Its just typical its only just out of warranty, im sure theyre made to break just after on purpose.

Hammyman

The battery is definitely on its way out but if you remove the battery and run the laptop on just the charger, does it run OK? Just trying to verify if its the battery causing the problem (unlikely) or below:

The heatsink is the thing that cools the CPU. There's a gap between the cooling fan and the heatsink that usually gets filled with a wad of fluff over time. 12-18 months for a home use laptop is a typical time for it to get blocked assuming you never blow it out with an "air duster". You can see the heatsink through the vents on the laptop - there will be lots of vertical copper metal strips. Shine a torch in the hole on the bottom where the fan is and look through the vent on the side/back and see if you can see light coming out from between the strips. If you can't see any its blocked solid and if you can only see through some, it'll still cause you a lot of problems as basically the fan can't shift enough air through it thus causing overheating.

star-X_2

Hi Hammyman, sorry ive taken so long to get back to you. Assuming ive shone the torch in the right place, i cant see any light coming out of the vent atall. It also runs ok on the power lead. Shall i just take the back off the laptop and give it a good clean out?

Hammyman

If you could see the blades of the fan behind the bit you shone the torch through then yes it was the right place. Taking the back off would be the first port of call. There are plenty of "how to" guides for that laptop.

star-X_2

Thankyou Hammyman, yep i did shine the torch in the right place then. You have been an absoloute star with your help, i really appreciate it, thankyou. What in your opinion would be the best 'how to' guide to google? You need to change your sig to 'Hammyman the laptop dr'

Hammyman

Here's the service manual from HP.

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/productdata/pdf/disassembly_notebo_200886184919.pdf

You need 4-41, page 80. It'll tell you the list of things you need to do first. Its one laptop that's a sod to do simply from the fact you've got to take the whole thing apart. Business ones tend to be designed for easier access and many such as Acer/E-Systems have them handily accessible under a removable cover on the base.

Once you can see it, you don't need to remove the whole heatsink assembly from the mainboard, There's a cover held on by three small screws (one is under a label). Undo those and you'll see the fan and (hope I'm right after all of this ), a wad of fluff. I can do them in about an hour but I've done loads. Helps if you've something made of stiff plastic to separate the clips from the palmrest to the base - I use the little spreaders you sometimes get with mobile phone facia kits.

You need to change your sig to 'Hammyman the laptop dr'

I have a business doing laptop sales, servicing and repairs This is something that I do a lot on privately owned laptops that tend to block up around 12-18 months old.

For future reference, get yourself a cheap "air duster" (gas fitter suppliers are cheapest at around £5 for a 400ml can) and just give it a quick blow through from the rear vents once a month or so, remembering to remove the battery and charger.

PS. If you do find a nice wad of fluff in there, before you remove it can you take a piccy of it and post it on here so people can see how bad they can get? I think some people think I'm kidding

star-X_2

Thankyou soooo much, i wish you lived next door lol. I shall certainly post a photo up, as soon as i can get the blooming back off!!!! I have 1 last screw to get out, and it doesnt want to come out ggrr

star-X_2

Oh noooo its gonna take a lot longer than i thought, its not just the bottom cover i have to take off, i have to take the whole thing apart!!! There is no way i'll be able to put it all back in the right place, im scared now lol

Hammyman

star-X wrote: »

Oh noooo its gonna take a lot longer than i thought, its not just the bottom cover i have to take off, i have to take the whole thing apart!!! There is no way i'll be able to put it all back in the right place, im scared now lol

Heh-heh. I thought the same the very first time I took a laptop completely to bits.

Here's some tips:

1) Make sure you have a large clear well lit area to work in.
2) Use a cup or something to store the screws so you don't lose any. The manual tells you what screws to use - usually size by length so there's no real need to sort them. If you don't know what the M4 bit of M4 x 8 means, you can work out it means its 8mm long so as long as you've a screw thats the right diameter and 8mm length, it'll fit.
3) As you take parts off, lay them next to each other in order -say left to right- so when re-assembling you start off at the last one you put down and work back the opposite way.
4) As you've got access to the service manual, use it and keep referring to it.
5) THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. Take your time. Do a few steps, have a cup of tea. Do a few more, repeat :D