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Charging laptop battery?

  • 25-08-2009 10:21pm
    #1
    The Big Red Button
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,390 ✭✭✭


    I just got a laptop, I'll mostly be using it in the same place (at home) rather than carrying it round with me. I'm just wondering, while it's sitting on my desk, am I supposed to keep it plugged in and charging the whole time, or should I let it run down and recharge it as required?

    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,125 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Don't let it run down and charge it again if you can. If you are going to be using it for a while on the mains, take out the battery.


  • #3
    Voodu Child
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,706 ✭✭✭Voodu Child


    Try to minimise the number of charge/discharge cycles, that is the main thing that causes a battery to lose capacity. So basically, if you are sitting beside a power socket, don't run on battery power out of laziness, keep it plugged in. Because if you let it run down, you'll have to charge it back up, and it's that flow of electrons in and out of the battery that basically kills them a little each time.

    If you are going to be keeping it at the desk plugged in for a very long time, you could take the battery out and store it somewhere cool (at 40% charge). At the end of the year, it'll have a slightly higher % capacity than one that has been sat in your laptop at room temp.

    But all li-ion batteries will expire eventually, whether it is through use (charge/discharge cycles) or just time. Its unavoidable. That's why you should never stockpile them (don't buy two at the same time planning to 'keep one for after') and always try to buy one as fresh from the factory as possible.

    You could stick one in the fridge for five years and come back and it'll be as dead as a dodo, and you'll be kicking yourself you didn't make use of it considering how much it cost :D


  • #4
    The Big Red Button
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,390 ✭✭✭The Big Red Button


    I didn't even know you could take out the battery!

    But even if I don't do that (depending on how much I end up just using it at my desk), it's not going to do it much harm leaving it plugged in all the time anyway?


  • #5
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,125 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    chatterpillar wrote: »
    I didn't even know you could take out the battery!

    But even if I don't do that (depending on how much I end up just using it at my desk), it's not going to do it much harm leaving it plugged in all the time anyway?
    The heat from the laptop could affect the life of the battery.


  • #6
    The Big Red Button
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,390 ✭✭✭The Big Red Button


    And as a matter of interest, how long could you expect a laptop battery to last? Say if it was used approx 2 hours a day.

    It's a Dell Inspiron 1545 btw


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  • #7
    Alanstrainor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,157 ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    chatterpillar wrote: »
    And as a matter of interest, how long could you expect a laptop battery to last? Say if it was used approx 2 hours a day.

    It's a Dell Inspiron 1545 btw

    Well it's not the hours used, but the number of charge/discharge cycles, at a guess i'd say 400ish? It's a hard one to estimate though as other factors will affect it. The quality of the battery, how it's stored between charges etc.


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