My Dell Mini Forum

holmes4 · **Mini 9/Vostro A90 Extended Life Battery -** 08-21-2009, 12:45 PM

I see that MDD is now offering an 8-cell battery for the Mini 9 and Vostro A90. The product description talks about "ergonomic typing angle", but from what I can see this battery is the same (at least externally) as the 8-cell batteries that have been available from eBay, etc., and it would tilt up the Mini so severely that the display is canted forward. Is there indeed a physical difference between this and the other batteries?

The mention of BIOS revision also suggests that the internals are the same as previously available batteries, with the same limitations. Has MDD custom-designed this battery, and if so, what are the differences from the others that look the same?

fogcutter · 08-21-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holmes4

The product description talks about "ergonomic typing angle", but from what I can see this battery is the same (at least externally) as the 8-cell batteries that have been available from eBay, etc., and it would tilt up the Mini so severely that the display is canted forward. Is there indeed a physical difference between this and the other batteries?

I'd be interested in this answer as well. Also, it is possible that this battery WOULD work with the A05 bios or it pretty much established that you will always have problems with this battery using A05?

holmes4 · 08-21-2009, 03:59 PM

Jeremy has already said in the News section that it does not work with A05. That is the same as people have found with all of these extended batteries. Some people have trouble on A04, but in my own experience the issues are minor (flashing LEDs when run on battery power.)

My guess is that MDD is importing the same battery everyone else has been selling, but it would be nice if there were some improvements. It's good at least to have a domestic source for these rather than buying from Hong Kong.

MDD Jeremy · 08-21-2009, 04:43 PM

We received the request to carry extended batteries from our Product Suggestion Box and did a lot of research to find the right manufacturer. This battery is not custom made or anything but we were sure to lookout for the issues we have read about with other like extended batteries.

The battery raises the back of the Mini about an inch and provides an angle comparable to those found on ergonomic keyboards and we thought it would be worth mentioning for those worried about the height increase. It also has a wide base and steadies the Mini where there is little to no wobble when used on a flat surface. When checking the display, we had no problem adjusting the screen to a easily visible angle. Here are a few photos:

As far as the A05 BIOS revision, we found that this was a common issue for a number of manufacturers who were making replacement Netbook batteries. Something about just that one update causes issues but we had no problems when testing earlier revisions.

We realize rolling back a BIOS update may not be desirable for everyone but we've also heard from customers that it's no problem as well. For us, it boiled down to quality and after testing a number of the batteries in house we were very pleased with the results and decided to offer them despite the A05 issue mainly because we think everyone who's looking for added battery life will be satisfied as well.

We are still actively looking for a solution to the A05 BIOS issue and we will be sure to update as soon as we find a manageable one. We hope that a future BIOS update will alleviate this issue entirely but we won't know until a new one is released.

MDD Jeremy

SkyWriter · 08-21-2009, 06:12 PM

so, does this mean that i can run BIOS A04 and:
1) not have to see flashing power/battery LEDS?
2) have my mini powered up and running and still have the battery charge?
3) not get a message on bootup every so often that my battery is not recognized?
4) i don't have to remove and reinstall the battery to get it to charge?

thx!

MDD Chris · 08-21-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyWriter

so, does this mean that i can run BIOS A04 and:
1) not have to see flashing power/battery LEDS?
2) have my mini powered up and running and still have the battery charge?
3) not get a message on bootup every so often that my battery is not recognized?
4) i don't have to remove and reinstall the battery to get it to charge?

thx!

Correct on all 4. With A04 and below the battery will work just like the OEM Dell battery.

teeth_03 · 08-21-2009, 07:38 PM

and what exactly does A05 do,everything in that list?

holmes4 · 08-21-2009, 07:42 PM

A05 renders non-Dell batteries pretty much useless.

jhk1976 · 08-21-2009, 08:50 PM

I'm on Bios version A04 for the Vostro A90. My understanding is that this is the same bios as A05 for the Mini 9. Does that mean I'd need to downgrade my bios to A03 for the Vostro to avoid the battery recognition issues?

Richdmoore · 08-21-2009, 08:59 PM

No support using the updated A05 BIOS makes this a deal-breaker for me.

I will be interested in the future if these issues with incompatible batteries with the latest BIOS get resolved in the future.