Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!convex.csd.uwm.edu!anthony
From: anthony@convex.csd.uwm.edu (Anthony J Stieber)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: Tandon NB/386SX (was Dataworld laptop)
Keywords: dataworld tandon NB 386SX noteboook
Message-ID: <11401@uwm.edu>
Date: 25 Apr 91 07:03:11 GMT
References: <51658@nigel.ee.udel.edu> <17296@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> <6964@awdprime.UUCP>
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Lines: 44

In article <6964@awdprime.UUCP> mheyda@heyda.austin.ibm.com (Michael Heyda) writes:

>About my only complaint is that the battery life is too short.  This
>however should be helped when I replace the 4MB I have in it now (4 1MB
>SIMMS -- 2 came with it and I have another 2 laying around but you can
>get then for $55 a peice) with a 4MB SIMM.  This should lower power

Are you sure you can do that?  The SIMMs used in most MS-DOS machines
are 9 bit devices.  A 386SX has a 16 bit data path, so in order for the
machine to run at all, you must have an even number of SIMMs
installed.  This is then a total of 16 bits (16 + 2 parity).  Also, the
two SIMMs must be of the same size.  Even so, 2 4MB SIMMs will consume
much less power than 8 1MB SIMMs, and perhaps less than 4.

There are lots of ways to extend battery life.  Minimize access to the
hard drive, make use of RAM disks and cache software.  The hard drive
is one of the biggest power consumers in the machine.  The power needed
to run the floppy drive for a few seconds will be often less than the
power needed to spin up the hard drive, then spin it down again a few
minutes later.  Put the hard drive and backlight to the minimum time
to power off.  Set the backlight to minimal usable levels, scout
out well lit areas compatible with your display and viewing habits.

If you have autoresume and it's turned on and you don't need it, turn
it off, it's using power even when the machine is off.  If you have a
modem, there may be an explicit power switch, either hardware or
software.  Make sure it's off when you aren't using it.

You can get more power out of a battery by giving it a rest while
discharging.  This is especially useful when low on power and unable to
go to AC when the battery is nearly dead.

And, you must follow a NiCd battery discharge/recharge discipline.
Fully discharge, then fully recharge the battery.  Failure to do so
will eventually ruin the battery.  If you don't use the battery
much and just leave the machine plugged in either on or off, remove the
battery if you can.  If you can't, then don't leave it plugged in,
either the machine is recharging, or it's discharging.
--
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