Advice on laptop Li-ON battery care?

[SuperWrat]

Hi, I recently got a Thinkpad 570 off ebay with 2 li-ON batteries. Everything works fine, and both batteries hold a charge. One of the batteries has a shorter lifespan than the other, which prompted me to wonder how to properly care for LiON batteries. I conducted a brief search on google and got nothing particularly informative.

I know that LiONs supposedly don't have memory issues, is that 100% correct? In other words, is it better to fully discharge LiONs or does it not matter at all? (I read that it shouldn't discharge below 2.5V, but besides that it doesn't matter.)

If I have access to AC power, should I always use it? Or is it better to use my LiONs once in a while and swap between my two batteries? If LiONs have a lifespan of 300-400 charges (is that true?) then I would be more careful in using AC power and saving battery use for travelling only.

I understand that LiONs will discharge about 3% a day when left on the shelf... should I try to always keep a charge in my batteries?

My main concern is whether deep discharges are necessary on LiONs, especially since I don't know why one of my batteries holds less charge than the other, but any further LiON conservation tips would be appreciated, Thanks!

 

[apoppin]

The main thing to remember with notebook batteries is to ALWAYS REMOVE THEM WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING ON AC.

That's really all the "care" they need.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: apoppin
The main thing to remember with notebook batteries is to ALWAYS REMOVE THEM WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING ON AC.

That's really all the "care" they need.

Excellent advice.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: apoppin
The main thing to remember with notebook batteries is to ALWAYS REMOVE THEM WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING ON AC.

That's really all the "care" they need.

Excellent advice.

Thank-you . . . I learned that from a Dell technician and it appears to be totally accurate re: my notebook's batteries. :Q

 

[BG4533]

From what I have seen, Gateway's batteries will last about 1 year while running on AC Power.

I have heard that it is best to drain them if you dont plan on using them for extended periods of time.

Brian

 

[SuperWrat]

Thanks for the advice... I never knew that. So that's the cause of Li-ON batteries losing charge?

So when I switch to AC, take the batteries out. And stick them back in to charge when the computer is off?

How do you guys deal with the gap the missing battery occupies when you use a laptop with AC? Just ignore it? I guess thats all you can really do...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: BG4533
From what I have seen, Gateway's batteries will last about 1 year while running on AC Power.

I have heard that it is best to drain them if you dont plan on using them for extended periods of time.

Brian

If you simply remove them from the Notebook when it is on AC, they will discharge themselves. The original batteries I got with my Dell were left in while I ran it on A/C. One battery was used most and went it's full charge of over 2 hours playing DVDs to less than 10 minutes in a year . . .

The new ones (exchanged under warranty - thanks, Dell) - have never been left in on AC except to charge. After 4 months they are still at 100%

EDIT: I only stick them in to charge a few hours before I am going to run on batteries. . . . But then now I am fanatical about their care . . . no doubt they will OUTlast my notebook (by years . . . the Dell Tech suggested that "properly cared for" batteries should last about 6 years; badly cared for just over a year).


2nd EDIT: THE GAP?

Don't remove the battery completely . . . just "disconnect" it by pushing the button and LEAVE it sticking out 1/8th of an inch. That should satisfy your sense of asthetics.

 

[SuperWrat]

Thanks for all your help, apoppin! Heh, I'm not worried about the aesthetics... it's just that on the ibm 570 the battery compartment is basically a hole on the bottom of the laptop, and the battery gets popped in. I've used laptops where the battery goes into a slot, but for my laptop, without the battery theres this entire indentation on the bottom, and it feels slightly awkward on my lap. But I'll get used to it!

 

[bacillus]

this page should be of some interest to you!

 

[Antoneo]

I have owned a T30 for a couple of months now and here's a few things I've picked up. Like apoppin has mentioned, it is best to use the laptop without a battery when it is not needed. However there is a tradeoff since the battery somewhat acts as a UPS if there is a power outage or someone trips on the wire or pulls out the plug by mistake.

Deep cycling is NOT recommended as the battery's capacity decreases. Try to keep your battery decently charged as much as possible (I try not letting it drop below 30%). I fell into the trap of thinking that LiOn had no memory but it is only partially correct. I have only only "deep cycled" (down to 5 or 10%) about 10 times and my battery capacity has dropped roughly 15% (from the information in Battery MaxiMiser Gauge). Friends of mine who have identical laptops with much more frequent but brief on and off use on battery (and laptop) have more capacity than me.

SuperWrat, just out of curiosity but, when you use your laptop without a battery inside, does it seem "unbalanced" and the area where the battery used to be can be pushed down further?

 

[SuperWrat]

Wow, thanks for the info! I'm gonna keep my spare battery at 40% charge and stick it in the fridge!

I'm curious, if my battery drops to around 30-40% while using my laptop and I stick in the AC at that point, is it okay to leave the battery in to charge it back up before removing the AC? Or should I take out the battery and only charge it when the laptop is off? Now I'm just getting picky

Originally posted by: Antoneo

SuperWrat, just out of curiosity but, when you use your laptop without a battery inside, does it seem "unbalanced" and the area where the battery used to be can be pushed down further?

yeah, especially with my ultraslim 570 (the previous generation of the X series) when I use it without the battery, the laptop is almost top (screen) heavy! The laptop is also lopsided on a flat surface when the battery is missing (because the battery sticks out slightly on the bottom and helps to stabilize one of the four corners.) So if I can manage to keep the battery in all the time (see my question above) then it would be better.

 

[Tikerz]

I've got a question to add also... So is okay to leave the battery in the laptop while travelling/not using or would it be wise to take it out and just plug it in when you are ready to use the laptop?

 

[Bloodstein]

Holy smokes....

If only I knew this years earlier!!

 

[Antoneo]

I'm curious, if my battery drops to around 30-40% while using my laptop and I stick in the AC at that point, is it okay to leave the battery in to charge it back up before removing the AC? Or should I take out the battery and only charge it when the laptop is off? Now I'm just getting picky

SuperWrat:
I am pretty sure it doesn't matter when you charge it, but charging the battery while using the laptop is much more convienient .

I've got a question to add also... So is okay to leave the battery in the laptop while travelling/not using or would it be wise to take it out and just plug it in when you are ready to use the laptop?

Tikerz:
The battery will not be used when the laptop is off so it's fine to leave it in. Unless the laptop is in sleep mode, there will be no current draw (even if there is it will be minimal/negligible). Recently, I have left my battery at full charge in my laptop and not used it for a month. After booting it up it was still at 100%. IBM recommends removing the battery from the laptop when you are storing it away for extended periods of time.

 

[Derango]

Don't drain the battery before storage! If a Li-Ion batterys charge drops below a certain point, permanent damage can occur! The laptop will shut off long before this point, but the battery also looses charge slowly over time even without being used for anything. So, those facts, coupled with a drained battery in storage = bad things