How To Make Your Laptop Battery Last Longer

Laptops are the pinnacle of mobility computing. When you have power. Battery life in laptops slowly deteriorates over time, because of the way laptop batteries store and use power. No matter if you buy your laptop online, off-line and no matter what sales person tells you otherwise. Even if you left the battery out of your laptop, you might still notice a difference in usage times over a period of years, check Battery University for more information on battery storage. But following a few simple tips can save your battery life. Note: This also works for phone batteries as well.

1. Charge the battery early and often.

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries will lose charge from age, but recharging it early and often makes sure that the charge is kept throughout the cells.

2. Don't Frequently Discharge and Recharge the battery.

This is called a “Deep Cycle” and should be only be done every 30 – 40 charges to re-calibrate the battery meters in the electronic device.

3. Take out the Battery when using the laptop plugged in for an extended period of time.

Batteries are more affected by heat than any other factor. The heat produced by a laptop is designed to keep it away from the battery, but if you don't need the battery in, it's better to take it out and store it somewhere away form the heat produced by the laptop. Preferably in the fridge or freezer*

4. *The battery should never be frozen.

Although the freezing point of Li-ion batteries is around -40 degrees C, (way below what most conventional freezers), when storing the battery just make sure it'll never reach those sort of extreme temperatures.

5. Never deplete the battery to below their minimum voltage (2.4 – 3.0V per cell)

With these few tips, you should be able to keep your laptop, no matter what brand, continually performing well. Battery life also depends on what operating system, programs and strain your putting on your computer. (Tony Schirmer)

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Notebook Battery Life

Notebook computers. At this point in the 21st century, they have become an indispenable part of many people's everyday lives. From the commuting business executive and the busy college student, we all want to be mobile with our computers. The big drawback of that is the fact that there is not always a plug around when you need one. A notebook computer's battery is its life-blood. Without proper care, your notebook battery could fail much earlier than anticipated. By following a few simple steps, you can expect to get the greatest amount of usage possible out of your notebook battery before a replacement is needed.

1. Upon purchase, charge the battery to full capacity. Whether you have purchased a new computer have purchased a new battery for your laptop, charging it fully as soon as you open the box is the best recommendation. This allows the battery to reach a full capacity before you begin to use it "unplugged". Most batteries come with a partial charge, enough to get you going if you absolutely had to. Giving that battery a full charge when it is brand new will help set the charge capacity for the battery at its highest possible level.

2. Once you reach a full charge, leave the computer plugged in for at least 2 hours. This action lets the battery "rest" at a full charge for a fairly lengthy period of time. At this point, the battery is not drawing power from your wall socket to charge, and it is also not supplying any power to your system. Letting your battery rest for a time after a full charge helps to "lock-in" that full charge capacity.

3. Unplug the computer and drain the battery. It might sound silly, but now that you have gotten that battery to a full charge, you need to drain the power almost completely. Again, this will help determine the charge capacity of the battery. Leave your computer unplugged and use it until you get a warning telling you that the battery is almost completely discharge. Then save whatever you are working on and power the computer down. Plug back into the wall socket for a fresh charge. Then use the computer at your leisure.

If you follow these steps about once a month, your notebook battery should last a nice long while. Not to say that you will never have to replace it, but at least it will be a long time before you need to. (michael paul)

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