Correct way to charge new 12cell battery

iii Stevo iii

My 12cell Hpdv2000 battery arrived today, different sites say different things as to how to charge it.

Does anyone know the right way to do it?

Some say it doesn't matter as its Li-Ion.
Others say full charge and discharge for first few charges.

Overheal

My logic: If some sites say it doesnt matter, do the other thing. Because doing it the other way isnt going to hurt it if you follow some peoples logic anyway.

Do a few full cycles on it (max charge>max depletion>max charge) and you should be set. I like doing this every other month anyway. At the least I think it helps your Operating System to keep callibrated with the battery; newer batteries may not require it but again, theres no harm in doing so.

L31mr0d

I'm in the: "doesn't matter" camp. Primarily because it's too much of a hassle to let a battery fully discharge before charging again. I fully charge the battery when I need to use my laptop on the go. I'm not going to take a half charged battery with me and risk it running out.

Something you can do is remove the battery when you are plugged in and it is fully charged. It allows for heat to dissipate better. Plus the heat from your laptop will get absorbed into the battery. The less heat cycles you put any piece of electronics through the better for its life span.

bmw535d

im not sure if new batteries like being flattened completely, i always let mine go down to 10-15% before charge it fully again.

iii Stevo iii

Overheal wrote: »

Do a few full cycles on it (max charge>max depletion>max charge) and you should be set. I like doing this every other month anyway. At the least I think it helps your Operating System to keep callibrated with the battery; newer batteries may not require it but again, theres no harm in doing so.

bmw535d wrote: »

im not sure if new batteries like being flattened completely, i always let mine go down to 10-15% before charge it fully again.

This is exactly what I'm talking about!
There seems to be no definitive answer to the right way to charge/discharge

Overheal

bmw535d wrote: »

im not sure if new batteries like being flattened completely, i always let mine go down to 10-15% before charge it fully again.

Nonsense?

If you keep doing that you are going to eventually screw up your OS's software: the software that estimates how much % battery power you have left, namely.

bmw535d

Overheal wrote: »

Nonsense?

If you keep doing that you are going to eventually screw up your OS's software: the software that estimates how much % battery power you have left, namely.

well this last two years my battery has been running like new.

and thats some achievement for a dell 6cell isn't it. I don't know anyone who hasn't put a battery in their dell after the first year and a half

Overheal

I still think you're feeding bad information to the OP but thats your perogative. My battery hasn't gotten worse in 3 and a half years either.

Voodu Child

Overheal wrote: »

I still think you're feeding bad information to the OP but thats your perogative.

Correct.

The main thing that shortens the life of a li-ion battery is use. Every time you give a battery a charge/discharge cycle, it shortens the lifespan. These things have a couple of hundred cycles in them and then they start to noticeably lose capacity.

And a full charge/discharge cycle is obviously more damaging than half a cycle.

So if you're down at 50% from using it out and about, and then you bring it back beside a socket, let it charge up. Don't run it down to 10% for no good reason, that will reduce the life of the battery in the long run.

dazzday

Heat is the biggest contributing factor to capacity loss. If you do prolonged heavy gaming etc, removing your battery and running on a/c isnt a bad idea.

TBF batterys these days are of good tech.

The tricks of taking them out when on a/c, storing them at lower temperatures, doing full dischgarges once a month etc may prolong your battery life by a few months but dont expect miracles.
The actual hassle to gain ratio is very small...and when you have just finished writing those last few chapters of that all important document and spmebody accidently unplugs the a/c you will see exactly what i mean!

Expect a lifetime for your battery of 3years,not anymore. I think most people will agree a new battery every few years isnt alot to ask from a user and is not going to break the bank.

BatteryBar is a good program to monitor wear levels, capacitie discharges, charging rates, battery time etc
http://osirisdevelopment.com/BatteryBar/

For example my 3year old battery in my 5920G is at 65% over two and a half years of use...thats a battery life loss of only 1hour without any specially care.

Remember batteries have 6month warrenties so if you feel your battery is wearing far too fast (>25%in 6months) enquire about replacement.

Summary: Dont worry about it and just enjoy your laptop.

bmw535d

Voodu Child wrote: »

Correct.

The main thing that shortens the life of a li-ion battery is use. Every time you give a battery a charge/discharge cycle, it shortens the lifespan. These things have a couple of hundred cycles in them and then they start to noticeably lose capacity.

And a full charge/discharge cycle is obviously more damaging than half a cycle.

So if you're down at 50% from using it out and about, and then you bring it back beside a socket, let it charge up. Don't run it down to 10% for no good reason, that will reduce the life of the battery in the long run.

no thats not what i was saying. i meant that if i have to use my laptop on the battery i never let it go to 0 percent. i let it go down as far as 10 then switch it off and charge it up fully as soon as i can.