T500 battery gauge

[Gibson486]

I have an issue with my battery gauge. Every time it get's to the 1:30 left point, my system shuts down. I try to turn it on, but it will not let me. When I plug my laptop into the wall outlet and boot up, my battery gauge shows up at 1%. I am guessing this is a software bug that falsely reports the actual battery status?

 

[PhlashFoto]

Sounds like a battery with dead cells.

 

[corkyg]

T500 is old enough for the battery to have dead cells. OTOH, have you ever calibrated the "gauge?"

http://www.battery-smart.com/lenovo-thinkpad-t500-battery.html

As a matter of interest, here is a simplified timeline for T series by Lenovo:

T60 - 2006
T61 - 2007
T500 - 2008
T510 - 2010
T520 - 2011

The T500 model is now over 3 years old - and that just about covers the life of the Li-ION battery, especially if it has been continuously installed and used.

 

[ch33zw1z]

More than likely a bad battery. Make sure you're at the latest Power Manager and Driver software, and try to calibrate the battery. It's in there somewhere under the "battery" area of the software...

 

[paul878]

I can tell you that you definitely a bad battery.