Laptop batteries

[sailorsix]

1. a few months ago I read an article about using / not using your laptop with AC when the battery was installed.What
is the concensus of battery usage if one wants to get the maximum out of the battery life.

2. If the battery is toast where is the best place for replacements?

thanks

 

[WoodPeckr]

I never leave the battery in when using the AC adapter. I store the battery @ 40% charge since it is seldom used, to max its life, as recommended in the battery thread somewhere here in TERB tech.

 

[Nickelodeon]

I never leave the battery in when using the AC adapter. I store the battery @ 40% charge since it is seldom used, to max its life, as recommended in the battery thread somewhere here in TERB tech.

Good advice, but I get lazy pulling the battrey. Try battdepot.ca for decent non OEM equipment, which is much cheaper.

 

[Anynym]

2. If the battery is toast where is the best place for replacements?

thanks

I've used http://www.ottawalaptops.com/

 

[Whosyodaddy]

For max bettery life.. don't use the laptop on AC with the battery connected.. It's not being hooked up to the AC that shortens it's lifespan, it's the heat produced by the laptop that is the culprit. Don't store your battery below a 25% charge, leave it off unless you're using it.. My HP used to run stoopid hot with Vista, battery has less than 100 cycles on it, yet will now only last for maybe an hour and ten minutes. The heat killed it.

 

[Whosyodaddy]

For cheap replacements, try tiger direct, the were significantly cheaper than BestBuy or Future Shop..

 

[WoodPeckr]

Battery Usage Tips and maintenance

 

[WoodPeckr]

I never leave the battery in when using the AC adapter. I store the battery @ 40% charge since it is seldom used, to max its life, as recommended in the battery thread somewhere here in TERB tech.

FWIW
Just used my OEM laptop battery that will be 2 yrs old the end of this Feb.
Had stored it @ 40% charge back in May 09.....it was down to 6% when plugged in.
Charged it up to 100% then still got a little over 2 hours out of it using it out in the field. Recharged it then got the same time when running it down again. Recharged it then used it down to 40% charge, then stored it again till the next time it has to be used. Seldom use the battery. Mostly use the laptop with the AC adapter.

 

[Harley99]

Battery Replacement

I just put a new battery in my laptop and it says it is not charging?

Harlet99

Its a Dell xps 1530

 

[Cassini]

I never leave the battery in when using the AC adapter. I store the battery @ 40% charge since it is seldom used, to max its life, as recommended in the battery thread somewhere here in TERB tech.

Always store a rechargeable battery fully charged, if possible. This applies to Lead Acid, LiOn, and NiMh cells. It also applies to NiCad batteries too. The complication with NiCad batteries often have horrible chargers, so charging a NiCad properly (without loosing battery life) can be challenging. With modern batteries, most reports of premature failure, like the "memory effect", can be traced to poor charging circuit designs. However, this doesn't change the fundamental laws of chemistry. All battery types like being stored charged.

Portable computer batteries are LiOn, and those should definitely be stored charged.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Have been following these recommendations:

How to prolong lithium-based batteries

Simple Guidelines
Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.

Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.

Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.

Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)

Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.

If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.

 

[Cassini]

That advice is bizzarre. Some of it violates some computer manufacturers recommendations, and will explicitly get your warrantee revoked. Also, I doubt any normal user could implement the advice properly. Three major problems exist:
- battery life meters are notoriously inaccurate,
- users like having there batteries "ready-to-go", and
- having the battery in the laptop forms an important UPS function.

Today most operating systems (Windows, Linux) are optimized for laptop use. They expect that sudden power loss will not result in computer shutdown. If you pull the battery when the computer is running, any loss of AC power will result in the immediate shutdown of the laptop. The problem is that the operating systems expect the battery to be in place. They shut down the hard drive and postpone hard drive stores (delayed writes) during idle periods. If power loss occurs before the delayed writes happen, data on the hard drive is lost.

The advice is trading off full discharges from 40% life, which severely limit the batteries life expectancy, against partial discharges from 100% charge, which increase battery life expectancy. This is a very tough tradeoff to make against normal usage patterns. For example, to follow the advice, you need to miraculously discharge your battery to 40% charge, by accident, as deliberate discharges reduce battery life. The battery must then be stored in the fridge, until shortly before it is needed. At this point, the battery must be charged to 100%, and then used. Some people may be able to achieve that level of planning, but most won't. Murphy's law says that you will need the battery fully charged when you least expect it.

Finally, the charging circuits used with modern LiOn batteries are complex. Yes, theoretically you can make one do better than it would normally do. Practically, you have to know exactly what you are doing, and exactly what the battery electronics are configured to do. No normal user is going to be able to do that, and it is doubly difficult to manage against the complex usage patterns that take place in everyday life.

 

[WoodPeckr]

FWIW I've had no problems following the above advice from the Battery Universe last 2 years and only have 1 battery. Have never stored it in the fridge. 99.9% of the time AC is used and it's easy for me to plan when the battery will be needed.......but that's just me....