Best management practices for laptop batteries

camelgrass on 17/06/2012 - 08:25
Last edited 17/06/2012 - 08:30

I have a Dell Latitude E4300 connected to a docking station and I always leave the battery in and the charger connected. The laptop rarely leaves the docking station. Should the battery actually be removed from the laptop the majority of the time to reduce wear and increase lifespan? Should I instead be using mains power only most of the time?

Am I correct in saying that if I do it this way the battery should still be "cycled" once or twice a fortnight?

Thanks for any feedback!!

Something I came across on the net:

It says about 3/4 of the way down the page:
http://batteries4less.com/contents/Battery_Guide/?module=sta…

Q: Should I remove the battery when I'm using the AC adapter?
A: No. A lithium-ion battery is not affected by being plugged into a laptop while the laptop is on AC power. Once the battery is charged, the computer will stop charging it.

Computing

Comments

  • m0nkeycheese on 17/06/2012 - 09:39

    Ive wondered the same thing. My MBP is always on AC connected to a monitor. Only disconnect it if going on holiday.. which is hardly ever lol

  • YadaYadaYada on 17/06/2012 - 10:31

    In theory that Q/A is true, but the battery leaks power every once in a while, and re-charging it at 98% til it's 100% non stop isn't great either.

    I'm not really sure what the practice is to extend the battery life.

    I have one of those MBP's where the battery is in the case and can't be easily removed and put back in again so mine is always plugged in, and once in a while the charge drops down slightly but then it gets recharged by the power supply. I am sure this practice isn't great for the battery.

    • retiredfeline on 17/06/2012 - 10:54
      +1

      once in a while the charge drops down slightly but then it gets recharged by the power supply. I am sure this practice isn't great for the battery.

      How can you be sure? This is just your gut feeling. It's important to know when one's belief may not have substantiation.

      Since my interest was piqued, I did a bit of searching. Now I cannot say for sure if these sources are telling the truth, but you may want to compare a few sources and come to your own conclusion:

      http://voices.yahoo.com/how-recharge-li-ion-battery-2542399.…
      http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_li…

      TLDR: They seem to agree that 1. Heat is bad for Li-ion batteries, 2. It's better to top it up that to have deep discharge cycles, 3. Once in a while you should do one deep discharge to recalibrate the capacity meter on the device, 4. Overcharging is bad for batteries but this happens with cheap chargers, not the electronic controls found in laptops, 5. It's bad to let a battery completely discharge.

      1 and 2 can conflict in a laptop, where the battery is in proximity to the heat generating CPU. So there is the dilemma of whether to leave the battery in the device, or to take it out and have to put it in now and then for a top up.

      • YadaYadaYada on 17/06/2012 - 11:05

        I agree with point 2 - it is better to have deep discharge cycles. This is not only true for laptop batteries, but camera batteries, phone batteries etc. I have heard this quite often from different sources.

        • retiredfeline on 17/06/2012 - 11:08

          No, read again: point 2 was it's better to top it up. At least that the sources I quote say.

          Also part of self-knowledge includes assigning rough credibility ratings to sources. Something you hear over a coffee from mates I would assign less credibility that something that's published. Also the numbef or times you hear it isn't so relevant. All the taxi drivers may give you stock market advice but that doesn't outweigh one financial adviser's.

        • YadaYadaYada on 17/06/2012 - 11:11

          Oh, hmm well I meant I have heard from different sources it is better to use the battery up rather than charging it when it is only slightly drained. But I could be wrong.

        • Tetchy on 17/06/2012 - 12:52
          -2

          Would you trust a Nobel Laureate - Thinking, Fast & Slow - Ch 20 P212 "The ILLUSION of Stock-Picking Skill". NO [.01?] CORRELATION over many years experience by a number of highly trained - and paid - EXPERTS.

          Based on scientific EVIDENCE save your money. The common Chimp throwing darts would do as well - for only bananas. TRUST FACTS.

          A cynic might also think that a financial adviser is more interested in their wealth than yours ;-)

        • YadaYadaYada on 17/06/2012 - 15:20

          Look I said I could be wrong, but my thoughts didn't come out of nowhere!!! I do remember being told that the number of charge cycles of a lithium battery is related to the life of the battery. You can only charge something up so many times before it can't hold a charge anymore!

        • camelgrass on 18/06/2012 - 14:42

          I do remember being told that the number of charge cycles of a lithium battery is related to the life of the battery.

          It is related (among other things like heat). It seems though that topping up the battery rather than waiting for a deep discharge is better practice. Topping up the battery at 75% charge capacity correlates to .25 of a charge cycle. That's how I understand it anyway.

  • tonyjzx on 17/06/2012 - 15:59
    +2

    from my experiences with the majors like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer etc.

    i've found its not worth your patience to modify your behaviour to suit a $750 device (price is an example)

    what i'm saying is i use a laptop as a laptop

    i let it discharge, i use it in bed, use it on a desk, i bring it on flight etc. etc.

    you can be particular and remove batteries when used as a DTR but i think build quality has a bigger determinent on battery length than your behaviour

    eg. i haven't had much luck with Dell batteries… you know the Sony thing… you know the Dells not being allowed on flights… i have no faith in Dell batteries… so your behaviour doesn't matter when the basis you're working with is bad

    another example is HP… I've had heaps of HP enterprise laptops… one of my oldest is from 2004?

    the battery is still at 66%

    this laptop spent 4yrs at work with little care, now it belongs to me and i give little thought to how i use it… its a good battery

    i have another HP enterprise laptop from 2007… same thing… had a hard life at work for 3yrs and now i've fixed it… the battery is fine with 90%+ capacity

    you can buy GENUINE replacement batteries pretty cheap… whats the point trying to baby such a cheap thing?

    you may as well be more dilligent on your driving to save your car… its at least worth a heap of money

  • scrimshaw on 17/06/2012 - 18:52

    I think this is the best advice so far:

    Avoid frequent discharges to extend battery life
    http://lifehacker.com/5789794/avoid-frequent-discharges-to-e…

    • camelgrass on 18/06/2012 - 14:17

      Good advice, thanks.

      I really want to know should the battery be taken out of the laptop most of the time, since I use the laptop as a desktop replacement and use AC power (it rarely leaves the docking station). I still want to maintain the battery for the rare times I need a portable computer.

      I did read that having the charger connected and the battery on 100% charge for long periods of time is not good for the battery.

  • _Bruce_ on 17/06/2012 - 19:15
    +2

    I once worried too much about these things before being given the useful advice: life is too short.

  • Gelf54 on 18/06/2012 - 13:09
    +1

    I did some research on this a few weeks ago, and while I can't point to any links now, I came away satisfied that the best storage conditions for the maximum life of a Li-Ion battery pack was to discharge it to 40% of capacity and keep it cool. I keep mine in a ziplock bag in the fridge now, between my infrequent uses. When in place it used to get quite warm from the heat generated by the laptops. FWIW.

    • Tetchy on 18/06/2012 - 15:34

      "for the maximum life of a Li-Ion battery pack was to discharge it to 40% of capacity and keep it cool. I keep mine in a ziplock bag in the fridge now"

      I have done the same over the last few years for both iBook & EeePC battery packs - cryogenic storage?

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