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Tablet Kept On Charge

valart
Grafter
Posts: 418
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Registered: ‎09-10-2007

Tablet Kept On Charge

My laptop is always connected to the mains I hardly ever use the battery  I just wondered if I left my tablet plugged in like my laptop would it harm the battery of my tablet or could it prolong the life of the battery.
19 REPLIES 19
shutter
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Laptop batteries..... and I suspect, Tablet batteries.... are designed to be charged and discharged , so keeping a laptop "on the mains", is, doing the battery harm.... I do the same thing, but about once a month, I just pull out the mains supply, and let the laptop drain the battery...  I would suspect the tablet battery would need much more often "non charge use"... to keep the battery in its optimum condition.... ( until it actually dies... if you follow... )..
( just pulling the mains plug on my laptop..... thanks for the reminder ! ! ! )...
HairyMcbiker
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Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Proper conditioning of the battery then leaving it on charge is OK. Leaving it on charge all the time with out conditioning first will lead to an early demise.
To condition it, just charge use and discharge to empty several times.
We found this on laptop batteries. I conditioned my several of my colleagues didn't. Result when they WANTED to use it on battery it lasted about 30 min. (Mine was 2+ hours on IBM laptops)
TORPC
Grafter
Posts: 5,163
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Laptop batteries typically will diminish in time due to prolonged used of the mains / charger to reduce this make sure laptop is powered down / Charger removed and remove battery especially if your going to continue using it like a desktop and
Quote from: valart
My laptop is always connected to the mains I hardly ever use the battery

As HB recommended on conditioning laptop batteries (he beat me to it) Wink
As the Tablet batteries are not typically designed to be changed / swapped out etc I would only recommend charging them when the notification pops up typically with 15% battery life left
7up
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Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Quote from: TORPC
typically with 15% battery life left

As much as that?! I drain mine down to below 5% and only then do I plug it in. I'm very religious about it and I can still easily get over 3 hours out of the original battery from 2009!
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TORPC
Grafter
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Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

By the time 1 typically locates the charge and plugs it in it will soon be that 5% Wink
VileReynard
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Why bother paying for an expensive battery?

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w23
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Registered: ‎08-01-2008

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Depending on the quality/design of the charger it could still be using a moderate amount of power when the device is switched off (you can tell by checking whether it's warm, if it is then it's using power), might only be a few pounds a year but may be worth unplugging when not required - I use a trailing socket with individually switched outlets for various chargers to save physically unplugging.
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Thunderclap
Grafter
Posts: 673
Registered: ‎08-09-2008

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Indeed, Lithium-Ion/Polymer batteries are made for cycling. Cicuitry inside the battery pack [see below]  - or on board the tablet PCB - contains an intelligent charger subsystem. This means batteries can be left fully charged without ever over charging - even if the OS says '100% Charging'. Once in a while, it is good practice to run the device to cycle the battery down to the device's shutdown level (15 to 20%). But do not do this always. Typically good cycling drops the battery down to 40 - 50%, before recharging takes place.
However, regardless of high or low usage, good housekeeping or environmental abuse, Li-ion batteries have a shelf life. Due to the internal chemistry, after four years they are on their way out - even if they have been hardly used and recharged less than 500 times.. And after six years, batteries that last month were giving three hours, may last no more than three minutes. Be wary of replacement batteries that have been in the shop for the past 18 months as their internal chemical clock is already ticking. Factory fresh is very important here!
Incidentally, dead Li-Ion batteries can be recycled at PC World/Currys - some supermarkets only recycle alkaline and zinc batteries.
+++ edit +++ When recycling any high capacity battery (camera phone laptop), even if it seems 100% dead, always tape over the power terminals as there is a very remote chance that an electrical short inside that bin of dead batteries may cause unintentional heating. This precaution ensures it was not your battery that burnt down the recylcing plant.
You can store batteries unused and disconnected for months on end at 40% charge. Some people even store batteries in the fridge to extend shelf life - but this does expose them to damaging condensation and possibly, drunken idiots at 3am!
Cool  A photo of the internals of a Laptop Battery pack's PCB showing the intelligence that goes into keeping charge...
nozzer
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Registered: ‎04-08-2009

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Quote from: shutter
Laptop batteries..... and I suspect, Tablet batteries.... are designed to be charged and discharged , so keeping a laptop "on the mains", is, doing the battery harm.... I do the same thing, but about once a month, I just pull out the mains supply, and let the laptop drain the battery...  I would suspect the tablet battery would need much more often "non charge use"... to keep the battery in its optimum condition.... ( until it actually dies... if you follow... )..
( just pulling the mains plug on my laptop..... thanks for the reminder ! ! ! )...

Unfortunately not correct. Lithium ion batteries will suffer recharge damage which is proportional to the logarithm of the degree of discharge. A one tenth discharge and recharge will do orders of magnitude less damage than a full discharge and recharge,which is why a full discharge should be avoided. Leaving them on charge all the time will do no damage at all. Google recommends that the batteries for its Nexus range are recharged at no more than 50% discharge to prolong life.
shutter
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

so, Rechargable batteries are not designed to cycle through charge and recycle >    If you do this, you will damage them......  Huh just keep it plugged into the mains. like a desktop computer, and the battery will never need replacing....
Why have them... ? just fit ordinary alkaline batteries and do away with the charging circuitry... make tablets and laptops cheaper.
VileReynard
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Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Precisely.

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shutter
Community Veteran
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Which means ......  "Rechargeable laptop and tablet batteries" come under "foxy`s" thread..... " Useless Products"   Roll_eyes
Strat
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Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Does that mean my phone battery suffers because of daily recharges from around 5% and if so would I be better keeping it plugged into the mains Undecided
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kmilburn
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Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Tablet Kept On Charge

Unlikely,  I think certain issues have been over exagerated.  The need to "condition" NiCd and NiMH batteries has incorrectly leaked into folklore surrounding Li-ion batteries. This may be a confusion of battery software calibration instructions.
Given the composition of the various Lithium batteries and the intelligent charging used,  the batteries are usually maintained within operating parameters.
However, the biggest problem with Lithium batteries are letting them discharge beyond the point where recharging is advisable through idleness (of the device).
Batteries gradually self-discharge even if not connected and delivering current. Li+ rechargeable batteries have a self-discharge rate typically stated by manufacturers to be 1.5-2% per month.
And don't forget, if using Lithium batteries in other devices (especially without discharge protection) failure to follow current and voltage limitations can result in an explosion!