Battery Life

oregon woodsmok · #1 01/05/11, 06:51 PM

I received a brand new laptop for Christmas this year. Never had one before, love it to bits, don't know how I lived without it.

My question: what is the best way to protect the life of the (very expensive) battery?

I've heard contradictory advice about rechargeable batteries: run them all the way down before recharging, or never run them all the way down dead before charging. What is the best way to make this battery work as long as possible?

What about if I don't use it for a week or two? Store it? Keep it plugged in? What is the best way to treat it.

I'll probably use it most with the battery instead of plugged into the wall.

Did I mention, I'm in love with this thing? But my 4-legged furry laptop is not so pleased about it. When she sees the computer come out, she jumps into my lap and refuses to move, so I can't set the computer in her spot.

**Kung** · #2 01/05/11, 07:30 PM

Best two tips, IMHO:

1. If you DO plan on using it while plugged into the wall (AND if you're not doing anything 'critical') it's best to UNPLUG the battery. Otherwise it'll constantly introduce a trickle charge, and that will run down a battery over time.

2. Once a month, I'd let it run itself all the way down; and then charge it back up next time you use it.

That's really about it. If you plan on storing it for a week or so leaving the battery in is fine. Longer than that, I'd separate them.

greif · #3 01/05/11, 10:14 PM

best way for long life... set your power setting in control panel so it warns you at about 50% capicity and shuts down at about 45% or so and never ever drain L ion batterys down all the way that will give them a short life

Gary in ohio · #4 01/06/11, 06:51 AM

Its going to depend on the battery type. Most netbooks lithum ion and they require a smart charger and will manage the batteries for the longest life. These require no special treatment they charger will shutoff when done.

Larger and older laptops use NiCad and these can be a bit tricky. DOnt leave the charger on all the time if the battery is off. If you have the laptop on then keeping it plug in is fine..

IN general figure a batter will last 3-5 hours and will need to be replaced in 3-5 years.

Kung, unpluging the battery is not only a PIA, but on many laptop will not allow the computer to boot.

**Kung** · #5 01/06/11, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary in ohio

Its going to depend on the battery type. Most netbooks lithum ion and they require a smart charger and will manage the batteries for the longest life. These require no special treatment they charger will shutoff when done.

That being said, this is the information I get pretty much straight from the manufacturers of the batteries and the laptops themselves. It's not something I came up with. I'm well aware that lithium ion batteries last the longest; but that doesn't mean they don't fail.

Quote:

Kung, unpluging the battery is not only a PIA, but on many laptop will not allow the computer to boot.

If the laptop doesn't allow it, obviously that's not a choice.

But again, this is a recommendation that most laptop/battery manufacturers give out. I'm not saying it's not a PITA; just that it's recommended.

Nevada · #6 01/06/11, 02:39 PM

I used to have a laptop that automatically drained & recharged the battery periodically for that reason, but I've read that the Li batteries they use in contemporary laptops don't have a "memory" the way NiCad batteries do. I'm not sure that "exercising" laptop batteries can really extend battery life, regardless of what the manufacturers say.

**Kung** · #7 01/06/11, 03:30 PM

Ok, I knew they did degrade over time; but in all honesty couldn't remember the specifics. SO...here's the specifics.

Lithium ion batteries degrade over time because there's conductive material/fluid in the battery that degrades/dries over time. It'll degrade due to heat (generated anytime it's used/recharged), as well as other stuff.

There's not a 'memory' so to speak; but that doesn't mean that the battery WON'T degrade over time. And ANYTHING generating heat will by definition degrade the battery; therefore, keeping it cool, removing it from the laptop if it won't be used as the primary source for a while, etc. WILL extend the battery life.

Now, it won't have as big an 'extending' effect as doing the same with NiCD batteries did; but it WILL help.

goober · #8 01/09/11, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregon woodsmok

I received a brand new laptop for Christmas this year. Never had one before, love it to bits, don't know how I lived without it.

My question: what is the best way to protect the life of the (very expensive) battery?

I've heard contradictory advice about rechargeable batteries: run them all the way down before recharging, or never run them all the way down dead before charging. What is the best way to make this battery work as long as possible?

What about if I don't use it for a week or two? Store it? Keep it plugged in? What is the best way to treat it.

I'll probably use it most with the battery instead of plugged into the wall.

Did I mention, I'm in love with this thing? But my 4-legged furry laptop is not so pleased about it. When she sees the computer come out, she jumps into my lap and refuses to move, so I can't set the computer in her spot.

i wouldn't worry about it OP...i've been running a few Samsung netbooks for a couple of years and mostly i use the same extended 7800 mah cheapy battery($50) that i bought off ebay a few years ago....i sometimes charge and discharge that battery all the way to 5% as many as 3 times a day and
my battery monitoring freeware apps(BattStat and Battery Bar) report only about 20% wear at this point and i would guess that's after about 400 charge/discharge cycles for that battery...and these apps reported 10% wear when i first rec'd the battery(typical ime) so the real wear has only been about 10% thru 400 cycles...

and consider that your notebook computer might have a practical lifespan of
roughly 4 years before it becomes obsolete...worst case you can buy another battery off ebay anyway...

just my 2 cents...

OntarioMan · #9 01/09/11, 10:55 AM

In my experience, some batteries last a long time with no special treatment, and some batteries don't. I have a Thinkpad which is 7+ years old, and I don't believe I've ever removed the battery. The laptop is plugged into AC power most of the time, but the battery still works and has decent runtime. I have a newer Dell which spends most of its time on battery, and its original battery was replaced after 2.5 years.

In short, I don't believe anything you do is going to make that much of a difference either way.