What do you know about laptop batteries?

I found answers in the intertubes! quoth that link,

* Try to avoid frequent full discharging of the Lithium battery.
* For lithium battery meter calibration, periodically do a full battery discharge, every 30 charges, to increase meter accuracy.
* Avoid heat, heat is the Lithium battery’s enemy, the temperature in a car can easily rise 50F in a single hour, in some cases reaching 140F.
* If you plan to place your lithium battery in storage, be sure to have the charge at 40% and stored in the fridge (not freezer) for maximum battery longevity.

@tonedef

I agree with most of what tonedef says, except about the full discharge. I’ve read that partial charges are actually really bad for the life of a battery, and it’s better to completely use the battery until it dies, and then charge it up fully.

From personal experience, if I feel that my battery is starting to lose some life, I do a full discharge and then recharge.

If you want to increase your battery life, make sure to turn off wireless if you’re not using it, don’t run a ton of media-extensive programs at the same time, and adjust your screen brightness to a lower setting.

@Seeking, full discharges are only recommended for NiCad batteries, while laptops use Lithium ones. Check out this article for more tips to maximize lifespan.

Interesting facts from there:
-If a lithium ion battery dies completely, it is dead forever.
-Temperature is the largest factor in degradation of battery life
-The more charge it is holding, the more damage temperature does

I’ve read in multiple places that batteries should be stored at 40–60% charge, and in the refrigerator. Wouldn’t have guessed that.

@tonedef, how interesting…I knew they worked for NiCad, but I guess I (like everyone else) assumed that they also worked for lithium batteries. I don’t even think I own anything with a NiCad battery now.

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, no problem! I still use NiCad rechargeables in my Wii and 360 controllers, but nowhere else.

Great question to the poster, because it made me learn a lot about my electronics!

That they don’t last very long.

I usually direct people to Battery University. There’s probably some overlap with the links that have already been provided, but I have found it to be a very helpful resource.

Yeah, their page covers some of the same stuff:

Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible. Instead, charge the battery more often or use a larger battery. There is no concern of memory when applying unscheduled charges.

Temperature x charge = degradation

Still, great info to have.