Potentially Stupid Question

GWashington1732

GWashington1732

Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
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Is it possible to get a generic battery that will work in a laptop?

I have a Dell XPS M1330 and Dell wants almost $200 for a battery. I don't know if they sell geneic batteries that will work. :o
 
GWashington1732 said:
Is it possible to get a generic battery that will work in a laptop?

I have a Dell XPS M1330 and Dell wants almost $200 for a battery. I don't know if they sell geneic batteries that will work. :o
Click to expand...

on heck ya. Just go to google and type in xps m1330 battery and you'll get some answers
 
No.

Laptop batteries are made with a specific number of cells, with a specific capacity, to work with one specific charger and power one specific laptop. There are no "generic" ones, and if there were they would cost more then $200 because they would essentially be customizable lithium batteries.
 
Theres a website i bought my brother an extended DELL battery for like 100 less than dells price. If you want me to find it ill PM it to you. Got him a DELL charger also for 10$ (both brand new)
 
GWashington1732 said:
Is it possible to get a generic battery that will work in a laptop?

I have a Dell XPS M1330 and Dell wants almost $200 for a battery. I don't know if they sell geneic batteries that will work. :o
Click to expand...

Batteries Plus carries Rayovac brand replacement batteries for your Dell for a lot less then $200. Google their website and see if they have a store near you that carries the batteries. According to their website those batteries are only avaliable in their retail stores. Lookup the battery on their website then use your zipcode to see if there is a store near you.

APC Used to make a Universal battery pack that plugged into the same port that your power cord does. I believe they stopped making it, but that doesn't mean they are not still out there. Google "APC Universal Notebook Battery" for more information.
 
Josh K said:
No.

Laptop batteries are made with a specific number of cells, with a specific capacity, to work with one specific charger and power one specific laptop. There are no "generic" ones, and if there were they would cost more then $200 because they would essentially be customizable lithium batteries.
Click to expand...

Sure there are, and with the exact same specs. I found one for my cousin's old Dell laptop at a local electronics surplus- the kind of place radio shack used to be, only cooler. I think that the OP meant generic as in non-oem, not one size fits all.
 
Lenmar also makes a battery that works with the M1330. The model # is LBD0566. Looks like at least Bestbuy.com and Staples.com carries them.
 
the only time i won't use a generic battery is on a cell phone; OEM always...but i have used non-OEM batteries on laptops...some are ok/as good as OEM, some don't last as long, but that why you don't pay so much for them...
 
Yes, it is possible to use any battery with the same specs, but you must be aware of the quality of the replacement part. Manufacturers put their logo on some batteries (even though they may not manufacture them) because they are confident that use of those batteries will not lead to problems. If you buy some low-quality junk replacement, expect low-quality junk performance. I rarely ever buy batteries, power supplies, or the like from the manufacturer of my equipment.
 
There have been far too many problems caused by non-oem batteries for laptops. (Which is not to say that OEM batteries are pefect either, just less troublesome. We tend to hear more in the media about the OEM battery problems because they are big names. If a few HP batteries burst into flames, the story leads cnn.com for days, but if a few thousan packs fro
Lucky Smokestack Manufacturing of Underdung China blow up, who cares?... except the few thousand injured and, of course, those of us in the new product development community.) So, I strongly urge for safety to stick to OEM batteries. This is especially true for anything lithium-ion; those things can heat up like branding irons and blow up like sticks of dynomite. Along with the reduced danger of better quality batteries, I think you'll usually get longer run time and longer life out of better batteries too.

Buy quality and you'll only pay once.
 
First off, let me explain a battery is one or more cells.

There is no such thing as a proprietary cell, only proprietary batteries. A manufacturer matches some cells and puts them in a case. Laptop manufacturers don't do that themselves; they buy them from battery manufacturers. They mark them up (greatly) and they never improve them. Better cells come on the market all the time, and battery manufacturers make them into batteries, but if you buy from the laptop manufacturer all you'll get is state of the art when that laptop was first introduced -- long obsolete and inferior batteries, at a (greatly) marked up price.

Google around a bit and you will find the manufacturers of batteries. Find one that sells an improved version of the one that came with your laptop at an attractive price. Then google a bit more to see how reputable they are before you buy (do not omit that step). :)

You can get individual cells and rebuild the battery you have even cheaper, but it won't be as good because the cells won't be matched. Reputable battery manufacturers do a better job than you could and charge a reasonable markup for their work.
 
Cougar Allen said:
First off, let me explain a battery is one or more cells.

There is no such thing as a proprietary cell, only proprietary batteries. A manufacturer matches some cells and puts them in a case. Laptop manufacturers don't do that themselves; they buy them from battery manufacturers. ..
Click to expand...

Absolutely correct.

Inside of the battery pack for your laptop are cells. These will look a lot like the AA or C or D cells or the CR123 cells that you put in flashlights... except that they probably have wires coming out of them instead of point contacts because they're intended to be wired in.

Inside of them, these cells are made of cadmium, chromium, lithium, nickel, lead, mercury... not exactly sugar, spice, and everything nice. These metals are very reactive which is why they can store electrical energy as chemical energy and then react again and change chemical energy back electrical energy. That same reactiveness makes them poisonous (they react with chemicals in your body in bad ways), environmentally destructive (they react with chemicals in the environment in ways nature didn't intend), and actually dangerous (they can react in energetic, explosive, or inflamatory ways). Not nice stuff.

Not surprisingly, making cells is not something that most folks want to do. And it's not something which can be economically done in the "first world." Nope. Battery cells are mostly made in China and India and "third world" countries. (We could discuss what our cordless, rechargable lifestyle is doing to the people and environment of these countries, but that's more of an issue for the Political forum.)

Also, not surprisingly, the manufacturers of these cells fall into two categories: first, there are a few major makers who are well-known and try to attract the business of the major OEMs with high-quality, well-made products. And, second, there are quite a few grey/black-market, no-name manufacturers, shady companies who come and go, who chase the cost-driven and secondary markets.
 
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