QUICK AND EASY POINTS! Laptop battery life question, is it better to leave it IN or OUT?

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There is also an interesting point at the end of the article regarding using a UPS (Uninteruptable Power Suuppy) when running without the battery installed. When power fails the laptop will shutdown and data will be lost without battery or UPS

Wesley Lennon

Most rechargeable batteries need to have the memory of the battery set, you do this by...When you have a new battery, charge it up completely before using it, when you do, don't use AC Power until the battery is dead or your Laptop tells you to reggae.

Often times this needs to be done a few times to set and get the most out of the battery.

SOLUTION

Pete Long

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ASKER

Hi Pete,
Thanks for pointing out the difference between NiCad and Lion.

I have a 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion....so should I just ignore what the sparkmaker is saying?

The guidlines I provided were for L-Ion batteries. Heat is the issue with which we are dealing with here.
The calibration technique that wlennon provided is viable for L-Ion batteries when they act as if they short charge.

This following excerpt is from the link. http://www.answers.com/topic/lithium-ion-battery

-->Guidelines for prolonging Li-ion battery life

This article includes how-to sections and may need to be edited to encyclopedic style. The how-to sections may qualify to be moved to Wikibooks.
Please improve the article by removing or rewriting the how-to sections, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

* Unlike NiCad batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a longer time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%. Lithium-ion batteries should never be "deep-cycled" like NiCd batteries.
* Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. The high temperatures found in cars cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade rapidly.
* Lithium-ion batteries should never be depleted to empty (0%).
* According to one book[6], lithium ion batteries should not be frozen. Note that most lithium-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately −40 °C, which is much colder than the lowest temperature reached by most household freezers.
* Li-ion batteries should be bought only when needed, because the aging process begins as soon as the battery is manufactured. [citation needed]
* When using a notebook computer running from fixed line power over extended periods, the battery can be removed and stored in a cool place so that it is not affected by the heat produced by the computer. [citation needed] (However, a notebook computer's battery prevents sudden loss of the data in memory during power failures and brownouts. Reasonable alternatives are the use of an older lithium ion battery or an external uninterruptible power supply.)

hong7cong

Most of laptops now got Lithium batteries and though, it's said that we could keep our laptop plugged to AC power source as long as we want. But the best practice is to charge the battery till it's full and then keep using the laptop without AC power untill the system asks you to re-charge the battery. This is quite similar as we use our mobile phone.

ASKER

hong7cong,

i want to prolong my battery's life.

are you saying that it's better to fully charge, then nearly drain, then fully recharge as much as possible?

rather than take out the battery, store it, and only put it back in for those 4% times that i'm on the road?

SOLUTION

whizkidcomputersltd

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SOLUTION

hong7cong

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SOLUTION

Wesley Lennon

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ASKER

whizkidcomputersltd,

are you saying i should drain it every 3 months?

i'm confused because i thought Li-On don't have to be drained at all like the older batteries....

ASKER

wlennon,

which small USP do you use?

So much for the "quick and easy" question.
@shaolinfunk-->Your present situation is using your laptop like a desktop(As per the battery and AC are concerned) And this should dictate the longevity of the battery. To leave it in will shorten its life due to heat and short charging while at 100% charge all the time.
To use the battery as a power backup is important, but theUPS is the answer to that as stated in my 2nd post.
To run the laptop on battery and charge it as you need it will give you the expected lifetime for the battery,2-3 yrs tops.
To remove and store it with at least a 40% charge in a dry cool environment,( also pointed out in my earlier posts either by link or excerpt,) will lengthen the time you will have an operable battery when it is not needed.
The 3month usage time frame is to ensure the battery is functional and to exercise it so it will be reliable.
These are your choices. You must decide which you need.

ASKER

sparkmaker,
thanks for summing everything up.

i am a student and i travel back and forth between school and home with my laptop. i plug in at both school and home. would i have to plug my laptop's bulky AC adapter into a bulky UPS and then plug the bulky UPS into an outlet?

if yes, which personal UPS would you recommend?

The power adapter would be used in all cases, I think if you are actually travelling with it back and forth you would be better served by using the battery ,as it is intended. The extension of the battery life would be negligible to the personal energy you would waste lugging a UPS around with you. In essence it would be more efficient to have the battery as the backup as hong7kong has mentioned. Use the battery when going to school and plug in when needed, at home use the UPS if you are running it for prolonged times and remove the battery to reduce its heat build up. This way it will be exercised, also be a back up when in school, and give some longevity due to being used half the time. Remember that L-Ion batteries start to degrade the moment they are initialized unless they are stored cold. This isn't practical unless you leave it out for months at a time.