Laptop Battery?

[lili5689]

I have a laptop with a 9-cell battery but I basically use my computer as a desktop. I have separate keyboard, and mouse which I use. I have had my computer since Aug 20th, and have not yet used the battery.

Is there something I should do in order to maintain my battery life?

My friend told me to drain it once a week and fill it back up, and I have also heard that leaving my computer plugged at night is bad.

Is this true? And what should I do regarding my battery if im not really planning on using all that much?

I will use it on vacations and stuff in the future, and at University

 

[Bullzeyebill]

An old axiom, use it or lose it. Best to run the laptop with the battery ever so often, and pull it out when not using it. Don't remove it when it has been drained. Best if it is removed when 2/3 charged or so.

Bill

 

[Lite_me]

I have a laptop that I use very little. It's more of a backup. But when the situation arises that I do need it, it usually remains plugged in all the time.

What I do, and recommend in situations like yours, is to discharge, or charge, whatever the case may be, to 40~50% charge and remove it for storage. You may even want to put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in the fridge. If the li-ion cells are in good shape, it should hold it's charge quite well this way. Maybe every 6mo to a yr, check it in the laptop to see how it's doing. (bring it up to room temp slowly first if you chilled it) A charge and discharge to ~40% again to exercise the cells wouldn't hurt at this time.

I did this with mine recently and after 8mo, it was within 1 or 2% of what it was when I removed it for storage.

Li-ions begin loosing their ability (slowly) to hold charge the day after they're made. No way around that at this time. Storing one at full charge, or on a charger continuously (heat) is a couple of the worst things you can do.

Chilling @ ~40% charge with periodic cycling to exercise the cell is probably the best thing you can do for it to add to its useful life.

 

[CKOD]

+1 to taking it out of the laptop if youre not using it. Give it a ~60% charge since it has the internal circuitry (which shouldnt draw that much, you'll find out after the first few months when you pull it out to make sure its still around 60%), and putting it in cool storage. Leave it in the bag after you pull it out and let it come up to temperature to prevent condensation in the battery.

Heat is the biggest killer of li-ion batteries, and a laptop running at full power plugged in is probably one of the warmest environments I can think of, especially if the battery is in the back near the hot air vents.

Make sure to save your work often, youre just as vulnerable to power outages as a desktop then ;)

 

[SemiMan]

Personally I put mine in the freezer. -18C is not that cold that I am worried about doing any permanent damage. The colder the longer the life ... to a point.

semiman

 

[Chrontius]

I'm using a sealed Macbook Pro, which thoughtfully locates the battery as far from the heat sinks as possible, but remember: cold slows down chemical processes. This is a general rule. But if you go that route, remember that charging a frozen lithium battery is a Very Bad Thing. Discharging them is only moderately better. Be very generous with your warmup cycles, and if you have one, consider using a vacuum sealer in order to minimize the risk of water condensing on the contacts and shorting things.

 

[Helmut.G]

+1 for taking it out at about half charged level. heat is a big killer for LiIons and when you're running the Laptop the battery will get hot. storing fully charged or completely discharged (especially bad!) is shortening the life expectation vs storing about half charged.

 

[SemiMan]

Condensed water in theory does not conduct as it is pure water.