Laptop's battery - how to use it right?

[Miksu]

I'm (hopefully) soon going to be an owner of a new laptop. What I would like to know is the right way to use the laptop, from battery's point of view. What should I do if I want to ensure that the laptop's battery isn't dead after the first year? Should I drain the power to zero always before charging it? Should the laptop be plugged into the power cord whenever possible?

So basically, the way to go if you want your battery to last?

 

[Frank]

I'm (hopefully) soon going to be an owner of a new laptop. What I would like to know is the right way to use the laptop, from battery's point of view. What should I do if I want to ensure that the laptop's battery isn't dead after the first year? Should I drain the power to zero always before charging it? Should the laptop be plugged into the power cord whenever possible?

So basically, the way to go if you want your battery to last?

Most batteries are Li-Ion now. They have no memory effect, they are not trickle-charged when full, they have a limited amount of charge / discharge actions and most of all: they can't stand heat.

So, if you want your battery to last as long as possible, take it out when running on net power, and store it in a cool and dry place. For everyday use, the most important thing you can do for your laptop and battery is: keep it cooled down, don't restrict the air flow, don't put it in the full sun. And turn it off when you don't use it.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Most batteries are Li-Ion now. They have no memory effect, they are not trickle-charged when full

Does that mean that they recharge well and don't do that half-recharge bullshit? :|

 

[Frank]

Most batteries are Li-Ion now. They have no memory effect, they are not trickle-charged when full

Does that mean that they recharge well and don't do that half-recharge bullshit? :|

Yes. They only lose charge gradually by getting hot. But you can't recharge them as often as NiCad or NiMh, after about three hundred recharges or so they break down.

 

[digitalwanderer]

So it is best to use them all the way to empty before recharging rather than constantly topping them off?

(Yeah, I never did understand batteries well. )

 

[Frank]

So it is best to use them all the way to empty before recharging rather than constantly topping them off?

(Yeah, I never did understand batteries well. )

It should make no difference. If it isn't getting hot, it should give you the equivalent of 300-400 full charges. Like, 700 half charges. Or 1400 quarter charges. And any variation. After ~ 350*Full_capacity/amount_used_between_charges it breaks down, no matter how you charge / discharge it. There is no need to totally discharge / charge it regulary either.

Some people take out the battery, wrap it tightly in plastic and put it in the refrigerator when they don't use it. If you don't want to go that far but want to maximize battery life, you should just take it out of the laptop when you don't use it and store it in a cool, dry place.

Otherwise, the only thing you need to do is to keep the laptop well cooled.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Thanks DiGuru, I feel more edumacated this morning.

 

[PC-Engine]

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/

Li-ion batteries last longer if you don't completely drain them. Completely draining batteries is only required for the old Ni-Cad type.

 

[Miksu]

Excellent, thanks for the answers.

My new laptop should be here tomorrow. HP Compaq NX8220, if anyone is interested. First thing I'm going to check is the pifast. I have this feeling that the cpu powering the laptop (Pentium M 750) is faster than my desktop's Athlon XP @ 2.5GHz