veronica 2 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I have my lovely new notebook computer and I am want to take care of the battery, well as much as I can. I hardly ever use the pc without the adapter plugged in, but of course the battery is always installed. I am wondering - is it a good idea to sometimes use the battery anyway and let it run down and then charge it up? Will doing or not doing that affect the battery life? Normally mine will pretty much always be on/charging. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 You need to take the battery out when you are plugged into the mains. That way, the battery will last. You can store li-ions at half charge with no harm. Only charge up when you need to go mobile. Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Good tip T-day. I always think I should do that but never do. I have f-ed up my battery now. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Is that right I have never heard that. And never done it. They should provide a battery area cover then shouldn't they. And they should really make that point in the booklets though I suppose they want you to need batteries down the line... Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 You are just a cynic, will! Of course they don't want you to have to buy their batteries, that's why they all use exactly the same shape, capacity, number of batteries, isn't it? Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 No kidding, thursday? I didn't know that either. Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Most rechargables (no matter what the manufacturer says) have some kind of "memory". With old Ni-Cads or newer NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride) batteries, there is a definite issue with recharging when the batteries are "half full". The batteries will eventually become accustomed to this, and when fully discharged, will not want to take a full charge, so will eventually seem to get a short run-time. The newer Lithium-ion batteries can take a finite number of charges, whether this be "full charges" or "partial charges", before they start sending false "I'm full" signals to the smart charger, which will then stop charging. The battery will still be capable of taking more charge, but because there is some low-level communication going on between a temperature sensor in the battery and the charger, the charger will refuse to throw power at the battery. Hence, the battery will be undercharged and give a short run time. Best bet is only operate on battery when you have to, and when you do, run it down then fully recharge. Use the AC power whenever available. Hint: If you tend to keep yout laptop for a long time, get a spare battery within the first year so when the original one goes bad, you'll have a spare ready. Sometimes manufacturers discontinue making batteries after a few years. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 Thanks. Quote: Best bet is only operate on battery when you have to, and when you do, run it down then fully recharge. Use the AC power whenever available. So should I be physically removing the battery and storing it? Like I said I hardly ever use a computer without it plugged in. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 yes, you should physically remove it. Link to post Share on other sites
its-a-clock 0 Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Why is this not common knowledge? I just asked around in the office - 0 out of 8 people knew. Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Some good points about the battery, I usually never remove the battery, as always using with and without the mains. It is true the batteries do have memory, although the latest ones tend to be better, like the old cam corder batteries, they used to have a problem with memory, which is why people used dischargers, to make sure they were fully flat before a recharge, that way they lasted longer. As you have a brand new computer you shouldn't have a problem with battery memory, so whether you take it out or not shouldn't matter. One thing though it is good to use the battery sometimes and not just the mains, because if you don't use the battery for a length of time, they can actually stop storing electricity, also if you don't use your computer for month or two, then better to remove the battery, because even when the computer is switched off, it will use battery and after a period of time, depending on how much charge was left in it, it will drain it 100% flat, even a new computer. Then when you next come to use the computer, you may find the battery wont charge anymore. This wont happen with a new battery, but can happen with one that has been used for a year or so. Link to post Share on other sites
miller 1 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 This is confusing. Is the batter 'being used' when it is connected? Doesn't it just turn off when it is full or something? Link to post Share on other sites
journey_man 0 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Batteries are confusing, not helped by a lot of disinformation out there. Here are some things that are clear: Thursday is right, removing the battery while you are on mains will prolong it's life. Two reasons, 1 it avoids partial recharges and 2 it doesn't get hot. Hot is bad, and laptops get hot. Having said that I don't remove my battery, it's a hassle, so I pay the price. All batteries develop memories (except for lead acid, ie car batteries) unless fully discharded. NiCads were the worst, dischage em every time if you can. Lithium Ion batteries do need full discharges, but not that often. Batteries have a fixed number of charge cycles. False. This is a really tricky one and hard data is difficult to find. Basically batteries can do many more partial discharges than full discharges. Car batteries are a great example of this, they can do 1000's of starts, but leave the lights on a few times and they are stuffed. NiCad, LiIon are also similar but the effect seems to be less prnounced, unfortunately I can't find hard data about this. To make NiCads and LiIon more difficult they have the memory effect to contend with as well. From what I can find the rules of thumb for laptops (etc)are: Charge fully before first use. Really important I'm told. Remove the battery when on mains. Don't bump the plug! NiCads: run flat everytime. LiIon: small recharges are ok, but occasional full discharges are needed. Don't let batteries get hot if you can avoid it. . I hope this helps a little! Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 They should proide dummy covers for battery areas. Link to post Share on other sites
JellyBelly 1 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Dell and Sony don't, I know that. Who does? Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 thanks for the info! Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 The "remove the battery" issue may be a moot one - try removing the battery and booting your computer on AC power. Depending on the computer manufacturer's BIOS settings and the OS, you may get a Windows startup error, and the machine will fail to run without the battery in place. This is true for current Toshibas and some IBM/Lenovos. Link to post Share on other sites
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