Laptop power
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- Re: Laptop power
Laptop power
28-02-2008 6:11 AM
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As far as I know the battery is the li-ion type.
I'd rather not get into a discussion about standby/global warming etc. and my contribution to same by leaving the laptop in this state. Have heard the arguments many times.
When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
Re: Laptop power
28-02-2008 6:23 AM
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Over time, Li-Ion batteries will degrade but can be restored to almost full capacity by doing a full discharge then full recharge at least once a month.
So in your case, I would allow the laptop to fully discharge and then fully recharge a few times to get the best run time.
It's not good practice to leave it on mains power for extended periods of time.
Some laptops have a battery reconditioning function where it will discharge and the fully recharge while still running on mains. Check your battery power software to see if it has such a feature - my IBM Thinkpad does and I actually found it last week. Doing the discharge/recharge a few times in a row gained an additional 30 mins on-battery time (1.5hours -> 2 hours) for my Li-Ion having been using it for the past 2 years!
Just to add... the older NiCad type batteries will degrade when left on mains power for extended time and suffer 'memory loss' which it will loose charge capacity which cannot be recovered by discharge/recharge hence why Li-Ion is now used in laptops.
Note: Even Li-Ion batteries have a finite life... 3 -> 5 years is normally when it starts to degrade and needs replacing but it depends on how the battery is being used. More frequent discharges will extend the battery life.
Re: Laptop power
28-02-2008 6:33 AM
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Re: Laptop power
28-02-2008 9:36 AM
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When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
Re: Laptop power
28-02-2008 9:43 AM
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Re: Laptop power
29-02-2008 10:09 AM
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Quote from: Peter Yes to both 1 & 2.
Over time, Li-Ion batteries will degrade but can be restored to almost full capacity by doing a full discharge then full recharge at least once a month.
So in your case, I would allow the laptop to fully discharge and then fully recharge a few times to get the best run time.
It's not good practice to leave it on mains power for extended periods of time.
Some laptops have a battery reconditioning function where it will discharge and the fully recharge while still running on mains. Check your battery power software to see if it has such a feature - my IBM Thinkpad does and I actually found it last week. Doing the discharge/recharge a few times in a row gained an additional 30 mins on-battery time (1.5hours -> 2 hours) for my Li-Ion having been using it for the past 2 years!
Just to add... the older NiCad type batteries will degrade when left on mains power for extended time and suffer 'memory loss' which it will loose charge capacity which cannot be recovered by discharge/recharge hence why Li-Ion is now used in laptops.
Note: Even Li-Ion batteries have a finite life... 3 -> 5 years is normally when it starts to degrade and needs replacing but it depends on how the battery is being used. More frequent discharges will extend the battery life.
Not strictly true Peter (right answer, wrong reasons - kinda),
Li-Ion batteries do not suffer from the same memory effect (80% of original capacity should be achievable for the first 500 charge cycles), and are not impacted directly by being left on permanent charge, nor from multiple charges/discharges to the same extent that Ni-Cad cells were (there is a small 'memory effect').
The capacity of Li-ion battery degrades constantly from the time it is manufactured.
This degradation is increased at higher temperatures (hence it is true that leaving the notebook on charge constantly will have likely reduced the useful capacity of the batteries more than it would had the batteries been removed and stored somewhere cool)
The fully-discharge/recharge cycle was/is recommended for Ni-Cad cells to avoid/negate the memory effect. A similar procedure is recommended every 30-40 charging cycles on a Li-Ion cell, but for different reasons (albeit with similar outcomes)
Li-Ion cells contain circuits which measure the power remaining in the cell, so they can cut power when the cell gets down to around 20% capacity (this is because Li-Ion cells can't be recharged if they go completely flat, whereas Ni-Cad cells could be)
The discharge and recharge cycle is an attempt to ensure that the 'power off' circuitry is properly reset so that it correctly reports the 20% stage, and doesn't report it earlier - resulting in an apparent shorter battery life.
So, still Yes to both 1&2
Re: Laptop power
29-02-2008 12:13 PM
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It seems my HP laptop doesn't have a discharge option (at least I haven't found one yet) so the best to do is let it run down from time to time?
When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
Re: Laptop power
29-02-2008 12:20 PM
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Then reconnect the mains and let the cells recharge fully.
Theoretically, Li-Ion cells *can* be fully charged in about 45 mins, but its better to go for a few hours or overnight if you can.
Re: Laptop power
01-03-2008 7:02 PM
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Any ways ive learnt that its best to fully charge your battery and if your runing of the mains to take your battery out and you should get about 3-4 years out your battery
Re: Laptop power
02-03-2008 6:01 AM
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Thank you scootie.
Not only does it extend the life of the battery (simply because in our case we don't use it) it's a lot more comfortable on the "lap" when used that way, because of the heat of the battery (especially in the summer...a constant complaint from my wife)
Only downside I can see is the possibility of dust ingress to the battery terminals, as in both our cases (HP and Toshiba) the battery and cover are moulded together, might try a strip of insulating tape over the computer side terminals.
So in our case now it's which will last longest...the computer or the battery? I'm not taking any bets on the computer!!
When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
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