should i use battery or mains power?

[kendrz]

hi all, we use a laptop for our permanent home computer and use for many
hours a day, so...

1.... does it damage the battery leaving it plugged into mains all the time?
(we switch off when not in use)

2.....should i cycle the battery every now and then?

thanks.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi,

1.... does it damage the battery leaving it plugged into mains all the
time?
(we switch off when not in use)

No, it doesn't damage it but.....

2.....should i cycle the battery every now and then?

Yes, battery's last longest when they are regularly fully cycled from full
charge to fully discharged.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[V Manes]

No no no - Lithium Ion batteries should not be discharged fully, and there
is no need to regularly cycle them. They have a limited number of charge
cycles in their lifetime.

As to the original question, if you use the laptop mainly as a desktop, you
can remove the battery to keep it from suffering heat damage. But, you've
now got to deal with the possibility of power loss as a desktop user does.

Val



Hi,

1.... does it damage the battery leaving it plugged into mains all the
time?
(we switch off when not in use)

No, it doesn't damage it but.....

2.....should i cycle the battery every now and then?

Yes, battery's last longest when they are regularly fully cycled from full
charge to fully discharged.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[throwitout]

Yes, battery's last longest when they are regularly fully cycled from full
charge to fully discharged.

Li-Ion batteries don't have to be *regularly* cycled to extend their
life. In fact Li-ions generally don't like being cycled. However after
a while the integrated meter may drift, and to re-calibrate it
requires running the battery down completely (beyond the point that
Windows goes into Standby, and to the point that the low voltage
protection in the hardware kicks in). To do this my laptop's manual
recommends running the machine in safe mode and letting it run till it
powers off. To avoid ungraceful shutdowns (even in safe mode) I use
the machine as per normal, wait until it's about to send the machine
into standby, and reboot and go into the BIOS setup, then just sit
there until the machine powers off.

This is only really a concern if you care about the accuracy of the
meter. If you don't care, you don't have to worry. If in the future
you need to run on battery a lot, then run the battery down once to
recalibrate at that point in time. Once is all a recalibration takes.

 

[kendrz]

when i occasionally unplug and sit on couch it goes flat, so that takes care
of cycle issue (needed or not)

does the computer stop charging when full? caus its been on for 4 hours now
and the batt is not even warm so can i leave the charger on without worries?

 

[throwitout]

when i occasionally unplug and sit on couch it goes flat, so that takes care
of cycle issue (needed or not)

does the computer stop charging when full? caus its been on for 4 hours now
and the batt is not even warm so can i leave the charger on without worries?

Yes it will stop charging when full. The system tray icon will show
when it's done charging (the level will stop scrolling up) as well
most notebooks have a light that will change colour or go out when
charge is completed.

 

[ray]

hi all, we use a laptop for our permanent home computer and use for many
hours a day, so...

1.... does it damage the battery leaving it plugged into mains all the time?
(we switch off when not in use)

2.....should i cycle the battery every now and then?

thanks.

Depends a little on what type they are. It's deadly to treat NiCd's that
way. It bothers NiMH's hardly at all.