PDA

View Full Version : About Battery Life


sharathpaps
August 17th, 2009, 07:15 PM
My laptop has a 6 cell Lithium Ion battery and I regularly leave my laptop plugged in for charging all night because I usually have some big download or the other going on..

Does prolonged charging of the battery reduce it's life?
Post Monkeh
August 17th, 2009, 07:27 PM
it doesn't damage a lithium ion battery to leave it charging constantly the way it would the older, NiCd batteries.
binbash
August 17th, 2009, 10:33 PM
Sony Vaios only charges up to %80. I guess otherwise damages the battery life but i do not know a lot about this topic.
Daveski
August 18th, 2009, 09:14 AM
My laptop has a 6 cell Lithium Ion battery and I regularly leave my laptop plugged in for charging all night because I usually have some big download or the other going on..

Does prolonged charging of the battery reduce it's life?

The biggest problem here is not the prolonged charging (the circuits will stop the charging when full), but the heat the laptop generates. For maximum battery life you should aim to keep the battery cool.
Rackstar
August 18th, 2009, 10:54 AM
it doesn't damage a lithium ion battery to leave it charging constantly the way it would the older, NiCd batteries.

Can someone confirm this? Or give a source?

I had a couple of discussions about this. But nobody really could say why. I don't know, I want to learn it.
JohnFH
August 18th, 2009, 11:09 AM
Can someone confirm this? Or give a source?

I had a couple of discussions about this. But nobody really could say why. I don't know, I want to learn it.

Wiki helps here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes

Check the links to the various battery types.
bodyharvester
August 18th, 2009, 11:09 AM
other than restarting i have had my laptop on for weeks, always plugged into the mains, ive never thought of damage before but now i am :(
JohnFH
August 18th, 2009, 11:13 AM
other than restarting i have had my laptop on for weeks, always plugged into the mains, ive never thought of damage before but now i am :(

Not a good idea, see here: http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=laptop%20fire&oe=utf-8&rlz=1R1GGGL_en-GB&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#
Stex
August 18th, 2009, 11:22 AM
I was told by a call center technician once that keeping the battery in after it is fully charged whilst on mains will shorten it's lifespan. However, call center people are often misinformed.

I would suggest that if you are leaving your laptop plugged in overnight you take the battery out anyway. If not for the idea of constant-recharging then because of the heat/explosion possibilities already mentioned.

Charging batteries can turn into dangerous things, so if you don't need them don't use them. Ask a firefighter, they'll tell you never to sleep in the same room as a charging battery.
bodyharvester
August 18th, 2009, 11:50 AM
Not a good idea, see here: http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=laptop%20fire&oe=utf-8&rlz=1R1GGGL_en-GB&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

OMFG! :shock:

ive unplugged it now, ill let its battery run low, then re-charge it, im going out to the gym soon though, and at night should i just turn it off?

:shock: im still in shock, if that were my laptop... is that covered in my warranty?

wow
Rackstar
August 18th, 2009, 12:01 PM
is that covered in my warranty?

wow

Batteries mostly aren't covered by warranty.
Post Monkeh
August 19th, 2009, 09:31 PM
Batteries mostly aren't covered by warranty.

if my laptop exploded, i'd expect that to be covered by my warranty.

batteries not being covered by warranty is mainly aimed at batteries losing their ability to hold their charge, which most people would expect to happen over time. most people wouldn't expect the battery to blow up.