Tips for Maximizing Battery Life
Battery maintenance misconceptions and 3 important tips from the ITS Service Desk: Thank you!
There’s a lot of misinformation about batteries floating around.
Misconception 1: Many believe that memory effect in some form occurs in lithium batteries.
Mark Munz , Varta Consumer Batteries: “In a word, Nope. The phrase belongs to nickel-cadmium (NiCad or Ni-Cd) batteries. If you charge a Ni-Cd battery before it’s completely discharged, it will lose capacity to charge fully the next time. Ultimately, this applies only to nickel -cadmium batteries. Lithium batteries are not affected. Your lithium battery has no memory effect and you can recharge it, in whole or in part, whenever you feel like it”.
Misconception 2: New batteries should be charged for about 10 hours before first use.
“This is not necessary for lithium-ion batteries and does not lead to better performance.”
Misconception 3: Battery must regularly be drained completely and then charged to 100%.
“Lithium-ion batteries should not be frequently discharged fully and recharged (“deep-cycled”). Lithium-ion batteries do best when you discharge them for a little bit, then charge them for a little bit.
Misconception 4: USB charging can damage the battery.
“Charging the battery via PC or laptop USB port will not cause any damage to the battery or the computer. The charging electronics are located in the device to be charged and control the process, so a possible overload is avoided. Charging a mobile device on a laptop without a mains connection can at most cause shorter battery life for the laptop.”
Misconception 5: Devices that remain unused for a longer period should first be fully charged.
“Lithium-ion batteries should be stored in a charged state, ideally 70 percent. Remove battery from the equipment and store in a dry and cool place. Avoid extreme temperatures i.e. too warm or too cold.
Tips
Here are three key tips for battery maintenance.
Tip 1: Ideal state of charge for Lithium-ion batteries is between 30 and 70 percent.
Mark Munz:”A permanent state of charge between 30 and 70 percent increases the service life for Li- ion batteries.”
Tip 2: Do not charge completely
“In general, high charge levels damage a lithium-ion battery.”
Tip 3: Avoid high temperatures
“High temperatures, especially with high charge levels, are to be avoided as this will immediately cause irreversible damage.”
Original German Source
http://www.connect.de/ratgeber/irrtuemer-und-wichtige-tipps-bei-der-akkupflege-1284709.html
November 2013
Loosely transliterated from the German blog by Minda Rubinfeld.
Posted on
in News English
Many of these misconceptions seem to be due to how few people realise that their batteries are now lithium-ion; to many people a battery is just a battery. On Christmas day, I will be telling my family about how most of their new Christmas gadgets are lithium-ion now and they will not need to wait for a 100% charge before using them.