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Laptop Batteries

S

SparksIT

Member
Is it still best practice to allow the laptop battery fully discharge on a monthly basis? I'm using a laptop 8-9 hours a day, majority of which I'm connected to the outlet(most days it doesn't move). For a while now about once a month I've been unplugging the laptop, and use it until the battery gets to 3% before plugging it back in, and unplugging everytime I shut it down. When I used laptops in the past there were options to "Calibrate Battery," fancy words for say fully drain the battery, as there was a fear of "Battery Memory." I've also done things in the past where I would charge the battery and then remove it if I wasn't going to use for a time.

Is all/any of this still common practice with today's battery technology?
 
I don't know many, I leave my battery in, keep it plugged in 100% of the time and discharge and charge anytime I feel like it.

I got my laptop Aug 08, its now Jan 10 and brand new my batteries capacity is 43200 mWh, My battery current capacity is at 39733 mWh

8% wear.

And I don't tender nicely to it at all.

My bro's EePC is a different story though, his battery capacity went down a lot. Same time frame.
 
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Thats the thing, in the past when ever the laptop was plug in it would be actively charging the battery. Now though, laptops are smart enough to stop charging when it is full, so I'm not sure if my laptop battery maintenance is still necessary.
 
The "memory effect" was most evident with NiCd batteries. It's, I believe, practically non-existent in Li-ion batteries, so I don't worry about draining the laptop battery half-way and then recharging. I still do try to drain it completely once every month or so, though. And if I don't expect to use the laptop's battery, I'll drain it to 5-10% first before storing it.
 
I've used every type of popular rechargeable battery for the last 25 years, and I don't think deep cycling is good for any of them. Some are more tolerant of it than others, but keeping it close to topped up is best.
 
I've heard topping off batteries was bad. My impression was that keeping batteries that you wont be using (whether they be in the laptop or not) around for awhile should be done at around the 40% charged level. My dell studio 14z has an option to turn off battery charging from a control panel inside windows so I use that to stop charging if I know i'll be plugged in for a few days or more
 
fffblackmage said:
The "memory effect" was most evident with NiCd batteries. It's, I believe, practically non-existent in Li-ion batteries, so I don't worry about draining the laptop battery half-way and then recharging. I still do try to drain it completely once every month or so, though. And if I don't expect to use the laptop's battery, I'll drain it to 5-10% first before storing it.
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Yeah, "memory effect" per se is pretty much a thing of the past. Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries WILL degrade over time, whether or not they're used.

If you leave a laptop plugged into the wall all of the time, you won't be hurting the battery. What will happen is that the battery's internal circuitry will lose track of the battery's true charge level. When the battery is next used, it will appear to discharge very quickly. This is not due to memory effect, it's just that as the battery is discharged, the little IC gets a better idea of the battery's true remaining capacity. Thus, I would advise fully discharging the battery and charging it back up if you know that you're going to need to be mobile for a while. Otherwise, you might get a nasty surprise.
 
When you purchase a new battery, you will see that it arrives in the box at about 50% charge. If you're not going to be using the battery for a long time then drain it down to 50% & remove it from the computer if the computer is to be just plugged in sitting on a desk for months at a time.

By-the-way, after I buy a replacement, this is why I keep around the old battery. Mainly, to leave it in the circuit when plugged in long term instead of using the new one in this way.

Also, remember that batteries will wear out just sitting on the shelf. Normal useful life of a well cared for battery is about 3 years, then it's probably down to about 25%. Shelf life might be 5years.

After you purchase a new battery, charge it up & do a run time test on it & record the number. Every six months, note the run time & when it gets below 25% of the new battery value then it's time to replace it (just my advice/criteria).
 
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