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I got an Acer Aspire 5100 and I just bought a new battery (after the stock battery just died yesterday). But I saw something after buying and I'm wondering whether it's really important or not.

My stock battery was a 6-cell 4000mah 11.1v and the new battery is an 8-cell 4800mah 14.8v . I know that 8-cell and 4800mah is okay, but what about the 14.8v instead of 11.1v?

The battery description says it's compatible with my laptop model (AS5100, model BL51), but the voltage difference makes me wonder.

Will the laptop only take what it needs? Or will it be getting 14.8v straight in the brain? I know that my wall plug claims to output 19v, so logically I'm thinking a higher voltage battery shouldn't be a problem. Am I correct in thinking this?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

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If it's sold as compatible with your laptop, it probably is. Many battery voltages sag under load, depending on the quality of cells, chemistry, etc. – Paul McMillan Aug 31 '09 at 23:57
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2 Answers

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OK. After some digging, a typical mobile PC (from 2006) can handle 18V to 7.5V at the input either from an AC Adapter or a Battery. Also, the typical voltage for a battery is 11.1V or 14.8V depending upon the numbers of cells. The risk that 14.8V won't work on your laptop is extremely small.

Your laptop supports:

  • 71 W 4800 mAh Li-ion battery pack (8-cell)
  • 44.4W 4000mAh (6-cell) Li-ion battery
  • 29.6W 2000mAH (4-cell) Li-ion battery

Typically, laptops can work over a pretty wide range of input voltages. 14.8V doesn't sound too high to me. I can't find any specs from their website to confirm that 14.8V is OK, though.

Going from 6 to 8 cells will increase the voltage proportionally. Think of going from 6 to 8 AA batteries.

Here is an article on Notebook Battery Cells that presents an 8-cell battery being 14.4V as pretty common.

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Nice, thanks for your answer and nice link ;) I'm now more secure to put it in when I'll receive it ;) – Marc-Andre R. Sep 1 '09 at 1:57
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up vote 2 down vote

I've found that power circuitry typically has a little bit of tolerance in the voltage, but it's certainly best to use the recommended voltage. I would err on the side of caution with a 11.1v to 14.8v increase!

However, it's safe to use a power supply or battery of equal or higher amperage. The device will only draw the amperage it needs, and as long as your supply at least meets those needs, you'll be alright.

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