The first clue that something might be wrong with your laptop's battery is that it doesn't last as long as it used to. Whereas once you got a full day out of it, perhaps now you're finding that it's running flat before you leave the office.
But this isn't a proper diagnosis, certainly not enough to justify a battery replacement, because numerous other variables can affect battery life (temperature, what software you have running, changes to battery saving settings, updated software, and so on).
Fortunately, Windows 10 (and earlier versions of Windows) offers in-depth data on laptop batteries. But unless you are a Windows power user, getting access to that data is a bit complex and cumbersome.Fortunately, there's a handy piece of free software that allows easy access to the current status and information about your battery data.
The software is called BatteryViewInfo by Nir Sofer (this software works on all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 to Windows 10), and it offers access to information such as battery name, manufacturer name, serial number, manufacture date, power state (charging/discharging), current battery capacity, fully charged capacity, voltage, and charge/discharge rate (note that some batteries may not offer up all this information).
If this number is over 500, the battery is getting old. If it is over 800, the battery is likely close to the end of its life. Over 1,000 and the battery is at the end of its life.Another two numbers to look at are Full Charged Capacity and Designed Capacity. The bigger the gap between these two numbers, the more worn the battery is. If Full Charged Capacity is below 80% Designed Capacity then the battery is likely showing signs of wear and requires replacing.Need to replace your laptop battery? It's probably not as complicated as you think, and the tools, parts, and information you need is likely to be found over on iFixit.
Photovoltaic solar cells enable owners to turn the power of sunlight into electricity, which is fine for utilities installing solar farms or homeowners with unshaded roof space. For those looking to leverage photovoltaic solar panels to harness the sun to power anything larger than a phone for a week off-grid while camping or in an RV, systems basically had to be built one at a time, from the ground up.
Renogy hopes to change that with its new Phoenix Portable Solar Generator. A solar generator rolls together solar panels, energy storage, a charge management system, and some sort of power outputs that allow owners to harness the power of the sun and use it back from the energy storage as needed. Renogy sent us a Phoenix Portable Solar Generator for us to run it through the paces for the purposes of this review.
The Phoenix Generator packs all the functionality of a solar generator into a portable package that folds up nicely into a briefcase that will make you feel like a spy from a James Bond film when you whip it out. OK, maybe I’m alone in feeling that way, but the solid build quality, matte black finish, and modern angles all contribute to a very well-built, compact solar generator.
The core of the Phoenix is a built around a 20-watt solar panel that remains protected for carrying, but when unlatched, flips open to harness the power of the sun. An additional 100-watt Renogy solar panel can be added for those looking for a bit more power from the compact package, for a total of 120 watts of solar generation capacity. 120 watts of power is enough to make the Phoenix Portable Solar Generator a good fit for those looking to power a small recreational vehicle, large campsite, or even a tiny house with a bit of electricity.