Can I replace a laptop battery with one of a different voltage?

[hungerdunger]

Maybe it's just me, but the quote from that ebay site says:

THIS IS A BRAND NEW GENUINE 11.1V, 4000MAH, PACKARD BELL EASYNOTE F5
SERIES BP-8X99 BATTERY. (THIS BATTERY CAN'T REPLACE 14.8V BATTERY)

Please tell us your laptop model and the voltage of your original
battery(11.1V or 14.8V), because we are NOT responsible for this mistake.

Sounds pretty clear to me.

1) The model is mentioned in the first line of my original post.

2) Your quote from the advert says 11.1v can't replace 14.8v. The opposite
happened in this case - I ordered 11.1v and received 14.8v, so I am asking
whether 14.8v can replace 11.1v.

 

[hungerdunger]

Well, the range of the mobo switching supplies could be wide enough
that you could use either battery, and there could be ID pins (or
I2C bus) to tell the charge switcher what voltage to output, and
there are numerous battery suppliers who specify a 14.8V (8 cells
@ 1.85V per) pack for this model, but Packard Bell lists the battery
as 11.1V (6 cells @ 1.85V per), and a few battery sites indicate
that the two batteries are not interchangeable. Perhaps there was
a switchover from 6-cell to 8-cell during the production run (or
they reused the model number).

OP: Have you asked Packard Bell about this?
http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?m=home&pn=PB03400601
(US readers - PB appears to still exist in the UK)

And are you sure the original battery is dead? This model reportedly
had a charging problem that was fixed with a BIOS update:
http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?i=topic_02144&ppn=PB03400601

Thanks for the useful reply and links Tony.

I've emailed PB twice, but to date haven't had a reply. I wasn't aware of
the charging problem , but will get the computer back tomorrow and update
the BIOS in case that solves the problem.

 

[[email protected]]

Well, the range of the mobo switching supplies could be wide enough
that you could use either battery, and there could be ID pins (or
I2C bus) to tell the charge switcher what voltage to output, and
there are numerous battery suppliers who specify a 14.8V (8 cells
@ 1.85V per) pack for this model, but Packard Bell lists the battery
as 11.1V (6 cells @ 1.85V per), and a few battery sites indicate
that the two batteries are not interchangeable. Perhaps there was
a switchover from 6-cell to 8-cell during the production run (or
they reused the model number).

OP: Have you asked Packard Bell about this?http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?m=home&pn=PB03400601
(US readers - PB appears to still exist in the UK)

And are you sure the original battery is dead? This model reportedly
had a charging problem that was fixed with a BIOS update:http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?i=topic_02144&ppn=PB...

Thanks for the useful reply and links Tony.

I've emailed PB twice, but to date haven't had a reply. I wasn't aware of
the charging problem , but will get the computer back tomorrow and update
the BIOS in case that solves the problem.

You could also try contacting Mitac, the manufacturer of the laptop.
Based on the battery ad compatibility list, the Mitac laptop model
would either be 8399 or 8599. Their technical support page is not
encouraging - no entries in FAQ or technical bulletins, no access
to registration page for online Q&A - but maybe you could find an
email address to ask about interchangeability. BTW, ebay item
350025940814 is the listing for a 14.8V battery that states it is
not a replacement for the 11.1V pack, but I also found an online
ad that stated the two batteries are interchangeable (though that
may just be a mistranslation).
http://www.mitac-mtc.com.tw/index.aspx
http://www.battery-notebook.com/dis.php?pid=643

TM

 

[Lee]

I've never heard of an 11.1 V battery - something is wrong here.

No it isn't - I've got the battery sitting here in front of me.

You can also go here for a picture of it: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2twp9m

There are places that will rebuild the old battery. Look in your yellow
pages.
Lee