Miscellaneous laptop discussions forum: Extending the life of my laptop's battery

Hi Raji,

I also have an HP laptop and encountered the same problem. Despite many saying that Li-Ion does not suffer memory effect, my experience tells me different. What I have found to be effective is to use the laptop on battery power till you get a low battery warning, then plug it in and continue to work while it is charging. After a couple of hours remove the plug to check if it is fully charged, and repeat the cycle. The only down side on the HP is the screen backlight is dimmer while on battery power.

Hope this helps,

Bryan K

I would get onto HP as it only being a year and half normal a battery should last at less a good 3 years.

Hi Raji:

Your battery must be a Lithium ion, which means that you must try to never let it go under the 35% of charge if you want to make it last. You also have to check if the battery and/or laptop has a charge sensor that suspends the current supply when its totally charged, because if you have a full charged battery and let it plugged, it will also make it last less. If you have been aware of the heat that your laptop generates, and if it`s uncomfortable or worst to work with it in your laps, then try to get a laptop cooler, the heat is the worst enemy of the battery cells, and is even dangerous. Of course you must read the manufacturer`s manual to check if there are other measures you must have to take proper care of your laptop.

The best way to keep a LiIon (or LiPoly) battery is to store it at half-charge in a cool place (not cold). LiIon batteries hate heat and I don't think they like to sit on the charger all the time.

If you use your battery regularly, then when you're using it at a desk and have it on the A/C Adapter, just remove the battery until you're ready to leave. This keeps it off the charger (this may be my superstition) but most importantly keeps it away from heat sources involved in charging, charger, CPU and video chip (scientific fact).

If you DON'T run on battery-power regularly, then discharge it about halfway and toss it in a drawer. When you know you're going cordless for a while, insert the battery a couple of hours ahead of time to get a full charge. Or if you just don't want to shut down going from home to work, just put in the half-charged battery, suspend the PC, unsuspend it when you get to work and have it on the A/C adapter, and then remove the battery. Suspend will gradually run down the battery so when you see the battery meter inching down to 1/4 charge, then leave the batter on the A/C adapter until it gets back to 1/2 charge. Then take it out.

Deep discharging does NOTHING for LiIon batteries.

I'll tell you one downside about high-capacity batteries: In my experience, they fail much sooner (with average use) as compared to low-capacity batteries. Here's why.

I spent a lot of time taking apart laptop batteries and testing cells and trying to reassemble a working pack. What I found was that all laptop batteries use a parallel/series combination of cells. Usually two or more cells in parallel (yup, just strapped together!) and then usually three of these packs in series. When you get a 12-cell battery, you're getting three sets of four parallel cells. A 6-cell battery has three sets of two parallel cells.

Why does this matter? Well, in order to just strap cells in parallel, their terminal voltages and charge capacities have to be precisely matched. Otherwise, the stronger cell will just discharge directly into the weaker cell(s) and drain that section of the battery (remember, there were three parallel sections in series). The battery-management chips don't like imbalances, because that can lead to battery over-charging or over-discharging and the fear of overheating and burning. So the battery-management chips shut down the whole battery if they see one of the three sections getting out of balance with the others.

The significance of all this is that with average use (keeping the battery in the laptop even when on the A/C adapter), I found empirically that the high-capacity (12-cell) batteries failed earlier (6-9 months) than the 6-cell batteries (12-15 months). I attribute this to the higher probability of cell instability in the parallel pack as the cells age; when you have more cells in parallel, you have higher probability that a cell will go out of balance sooner.

I always go with normal (standard-capacity) batteries and just get several. However, if you store it in a drawer at half-charge, a high-capacity battery will stand by nicely for a trip where you want extended battery power without changing batteries. Just don't put it through a lot of charge-discharge cycles when you really don't need the extended run time on one battery.

- John

Dear Raji.
Battery is the dark side of the laptop
Wikipedia has very good and useful information
I suggest you this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Guidelines_for_prolonging_Li-ion_battery_life

Good luck.
Aparicio

I don't own a laptop myself but a lot of my friends do and from their experiences I have learned some ways to extend the life of your laptop battery. One good way to start off with the new battery is to completely drain the battery its first use and completely charge it as well. Repeat this for the first few charges so the battery has a stable memory. One other simple way is to run the power options tool in vista, and change the power levels to run more efficiently. Another good thing is to have your computer convert to sleep mode after a small amount of inactivity. Avoid leaving your laptop on overnight or for any other extended periods of time. Have as few services running as possible as long with hidden tasks. I can't really provide much information on software to help with your problem, but there's a few tips on how to extend the life of your battery.

'brenq'

If you don't believe me, believe Wikipedia.

Thank you, Aparicio, for the link (several posts back).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Guidelines_for_prolonging_Li-ion_battery_life

I also agree with what they say about doing a "full" discharge every month or so to recalibrate the laptop's battery meter as the cell ages.

- John

Lucky Old Wits, as we used to say in the Navy in pre-PC days

1. Shelf life of 3 years is only if kept at 50% charge.

2. You can't run it "flat" literally because of the protection circuit. Running it down to the minimum allowed by the protection circuit will not kill the battery but doing it too many times will shorten its life.

3. TRUE.

4. TRUE and most important.

- John

Yes the lithium-ion battery is perhaps one of the most advanced form of power cells we have today. Just as every rose has it's thorn, the Li-ion's bad side is it's instability to a point of exploding when it reaches that thermal point as some have allready mentioned. This battery has great characteristics only when its controller keeps it within it's charge and discharging rates. If you pulled the little circuit board out of the cell cluster and charged them without any measure the batteries would get hot and may explode. In the same manner if not suppressed on it's discharge rate by the controller, batteries become hot and can explode.

Some others have covered it very well on what could be done to prolong the life. I can agree completely with the engineer who recommended 60% Charge storages on days battery pulled due to plugged in and not to discharge fully. And not to place in freezer, keep plugged in always, nor "Topping Off" repetedly to full charge. All in all I think most has been mentioned about what to, and not to do.

Ni-cads on the other hand. They have no controller in them, have a very strong output but have a problem with electron flow after time. They like to go full bore from discharge to charge and even more to expend all their energy all the way down. After a few times of robbing that freedom of energy bliss, they seem to oxidize at all connection points internally. They start to lose their capacity overall. No, there is no such think as ni-cad cell memory. Just think of it as a new car losing it's shine. Please don't try this anytime as it's not recommended and could cause explosion and electrical shock/damage but I used to take power tool ni-cads of about the 12V flaver and when they held no more charge I would wake them up(give that car back some ofm it's lustre) by inducing double the voltage or a bit more from a high Watt DC power supply I Built at the time. After the instance, Not completely new but at least 75% of it's power back and ready for another year. Don't even think of this torture to a li-ion unless you like explosions.

Ni-mh well.. just around to walk behind ni-cad in regards to power but earned respect with it's ability for many charges and not being tempermental to a full state of charge or discharge. Worthy for small size cells as well.

Well that's my two cents worth to fill in too much as I see it now on your subject. Hope you find the answer or at least gain some knowledge in the respect of these cells we all work with every day.

hi guys i am new here...i found some helpful tips to ur question..following is a brief guide to the batteries used in our daily life...
x Nickel-based (NiCd and NiMH)
How should I prepare my new battery? Nickel-based batteries come partially charged. Prime new battery by putting on a 14-16h charge.
Can I damage my battery if incorrectly prepared? No; without priming, the performance will be low at first, then gradually improve with use.
How do I prepare a battery with charge indication? Fully charge and discharge battery. Repeat when readings get inaccurate.
Should I use up all battery energy before charging? Yes, fully discharge once every 1-3 months to prevent memory. It is not necessary to deplete the battery before each charge. Over cycling wears down NiMH.
Should I charge my battery partially or fully? Allow full charge without interruptions. Repeated partial charge can cause heat buildup. (Many chargers terminate charge by heat. A fully charged battery will re-heat, causing overcharge.)
- Should I remove the battery from the charger when full?
- Should I remove the AC when my laptop is not in use? Yes, it is best to remove the pack from the charger when full. A prolonged trickle charge to a fully charged battery can be harmful. (Laptops use Lithium-ion)
Should the battery be kept charged when not in use? Not critical. Manufacturers recommend a 40% charge for long storage. (Open terminal voltage cannot determine state-of-charge.) Store in a cool place. Battery can be fully depleted and recharged. Priming may be needed.
Will the battery heat up during charge? Yes, towards full charge. The battery must cool down when ready. Discontinue using a charger that keeps the battery warm on standby.
What are the allowable charging temperatures? Important: Rechargeable batteries can be used under a wide temperature range.
This does not automatically permit charging at these extreme conditions.
The maximum allowable charge temperatures are shown below:
Slow charge (0.1)
Fast charge (0.5-1C) 0C - 45C (32F - 113F)
5C - 45C (41F - 113F)
Charging a hot battery decreases the charge time. The battery may not fully charge.
What should I know about chargers? Best results are achieved with a fast-charger that terminates the charge by other than temperature alone. Fastest full-charge time: Slightly over 1 hour.


x Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
How should I prepare my new battery? Li-ion comes partially charged. You can use the battery right away and charge it when needed.
Can I damage my battery if incorrectly prepared? No; Li-ion is forgiving to partial and full charge. No priming is needed when new.
How do I prepare a battery with charge indication? Fully charge and discharge battery. Repeat when readings get inaccurate.
Should I use up all battery energy before charging? No, it is better to recharge more often; avoid frequent full discharges.
Yes, on batteries with a fuel gauge, allow a full discharge once a month to enable reset
Should I charge my battery partially or fully? Does not matter. Charging in stages is acceptable. Full charge termination occurs by reading the voltage level and charge current. Charging a full battery is safe and does not cause harm.
- Should I remove the battery from the charger when full?
- Should I remove the AC when my laptop is not in use? It does not matter. The charger automatically cuts the charge current when the battery is full. A laptop may be connected to the AC when not in use.
Should the battery be kept charged when not in use? Best to store at 40% charge or 3.75-3.80V/cell open terminal. Cool storage is more important than state-of-charge. Do not fully deplete battery because Li-ion may turn off its protection circuit.
Will the battery heat up during charge? No, little heating is generated during charge. A large laptop battery may get lukewarm. Do not allow the battery to heat during charge.
What are the allowable charging temperatures?
Slow charge (0.1)
Fast charge (0.5-1C) 0C - 45C (32F - 113F) 5C - 45C (41F - 113F)
Temperature sensor may prevent charge or cut off the charge prematurely.
What should I know about chargers? Charger should apply full charge. Avoid economy chargers that advertise one-hours charge. Fastest full-charge time: 2-3 hours.


x Lead-acid (Sealed or flooded)
How should I prepare my new battery? Lead acid comes fully charged. For best result, apply a topping charge to assure full charge.
Can I damage my battery if incorrectly prepared? Lead acid needs a fully saturated charge to keep good performance. A charge can take over 10h.
How do I prepare a battery with charge indication? Larger lead acid use different charge indicator to nickel & lithium-based chemistries.
Should I use up all battery energy before charging? No, it is better to recharge more often; avoid frequent full discharges. Deep cycles wear down the battery. Use a larger battery if full cycles are required.
Should I charge my battery partially or fully? Does not matter. Charging in stages is acceptable. Full charge termination occurs by reading the voltage level and charge current. Charging a full battery is safe and does not cause harm.
- Should I remove the battery from the charger when full?
- Should I remove the AC when my laptop is not in use? A float charge of about 2.27V/cell is advisable. Do not allow the open cell voltage to drop below 2.10V/cell while in storage.(Not used for laptops)
Should the battery be kept charged when not in use? IMPORTANT: always keep battery fully charged. A discharged battery causes sulfation (insulating layer in the cell). This condition is often irreversible.
Will the battery heat up during charge? No, the battery should remain cool or lukewarm to the touch. The battery must remain cold on maintenance charge.
What are the allowable charging temperatures?
Slow charge (0.1)
Fast charge (0.5-1C) 0C - 45C (32F - 113F)
5C - 45C (41F - 113F)
Warm temperature lowers the battery voltage. Serious overcharge occurs if the cut-off voltage is not reached.
What should I know about chargers? Multi-level charges shorten charge time. Charge must be fully saturated. Failing to do so will gradually decrease the capacity. Fastest full-charge time: 8-14 hours.

I can't stress this enough... there is no such thing as "Memory" in today's NiCds. There hasn't been for 10 or 15 years.

"Memory Effect" in the first NiCd batteries was an effect where a fully-charged cell would rapidly fall in terminal voltage to the voltage at which it sat for long periods of time. NiCd batteries have not had this effect for at least 10 years. Neither NiMH nor LiIon ever had this effect.

The degeneration of NiCd cells, like all rechargeables, is due mostly to high temperatures in charging, use, or storage, but particularly in charging.

NiCds are also prone to developing internal metallic crystals ("whiskers") which bridge the terminals and short the cells. They develop these on long trickle charging.

As NiCds degrade with heat, they hold less and less charge and seem to drop in voltage faster. This is due to an upshift in the half-cell potential from chemical degradation in the cells. Since the voltage at half-charge is increased, a charger will stop charging at an earlier time and will not fully charge the cell. This results in a lower output voltage when the cell is put under load because it's only at 3/4 charge or whatever. This is commonly misinterpreted as "Memory Effect," but is in fact just a low-charge effect.

Neither deep discharge nor voodoo chants nor anything else will improve this problem.

There is no "Memory."

As experienced users may know, base and middle-class HP laptops do suffer from low quality Li ion batteries. I have been sorry to see mine and friends' batteries giving up the ghost in less than a year. To the contrary, my 4 year old Thinkpad R51 battery is still going strong. Both li ion, but not by the same make. HP guys you should reconsider your QC - or you will see customers giving you the cold shoulder.

when using your laptop athome try to detach the battery from the laptop and use its adaptor instead to save the life of the battery. Use only when needed outdoor.

We own a web site where we sell batteries, so recently I added some text to help people care for their batteries that addresses the same question. I've tried to remove any of the branding from this so hopefully there's nothing left in this that might be considered spam.

yyyy = Brand name
xxxx = OEM Model Number

Caring for your brand yyyy xxxx Laptop Battery:
1. Begin by completely charging your xxxx laptop battery.
2. Your batteries will achieve peak performance if you exercise them properly by allowing the xxxx battery to completely run down before charging it again. It is not uncommon for laptop batteries to require four cycles before reaching peak performance.
3. When charging your xxxx battery for the first time you may notice that the charging completes after a shorter time than expected; this is not uncommon and exercising the battery properly should correct this.
4. If you do not use your battery on a regular basis you should exercise it before attempting to use it more regularly.
5. xxxx Batteries which have been kept in storage for a long time will lose their power, even if they were stored with a full charge. This is a natural process and you may find it necessary to recharge the battery again after taking it out of storage.
6. It is typical for a xxxx battery to become slightly warm to the touch while charging or discharging.

What kind of performance can I expect from my yyyy xxxx Laptop Battery?
1. The run-time of a typical xxxx laptop battery is largely determined by the demands made on it by the notebook computer. Monitor use, accessing the hard drive, and use of other peripherals all drain your laptop battery in a variable amount that will be different for all end-users.
2. yyyy laptop batteries are designed to perform at the same level or above as your original brand name battery. A good rule of thumb to determine battery life is milliAmp-hours, usually expressed mAh, which is a description of the expected power capacity of the battery. Put simply, a higher number mAh battery will last longer than a lower mAh rating. You can find a number of High Capacity batteries for laptops which are designed to provide the maximum battery life possible for your laptop, usually about 20-50% more battery time than a regular rated battery.

How long will my yyyy xxxx Laptop Battery last me?
1. It is not uncommon for an xxxx battery to complete up to 1000 charge-discharge cycles.
2. yyyy replacement batteries are typically under warranty and they will replace your product for free if it does not perform as expected.
3. It is normal to notice a decrease in battery run-time over the course of use.
4. Some users prefer to change their battery out when the runtime becomes less than desired rather than to wait until the battery completely dies. If you notice your battery is running about 30% of its original run-time when first purchased it is probable that you will want to change it.

What should I be looking for when it comes to yyyy batteries? Just what are Volts and Amps?
1. There are 2 ratings on every battery, volts and amp-hours (AH or mAh).
2. The voltage of this new battery should match the voltage of its original unless the batteries are different chemistries (Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries have different voltage ratings, even if they are for the same laptop).
3. Higher mAh rating is indicative of a longer run-time (higher capacity), and will not cause any incompatibilities.

I want my yyyy xxxx batteries to last as long as possible. How do I do that?
1. If your xxxx laptop battery is removed from the laptop on a regular basis and stored it can become soiled. Cleaning your battery contacts is a simple process using a cotton swab and Isopropyl alcohol. Having clean contacts helps maintain a good connection between your battery and notebook computer.
2. Its best to exercise your xxxx battery at least once every two to three weeks.
3. If you are running on AC most of the time, putting an old, short run-time battery instead of a new battery is a better practice as the battery in the computer will be charged and discharged many more times than is needed and will ultimately shorten its life.
4. If you dont plan on using your yyyy battery for over a month, find a dry, cool place away from heat and metallic objects to store it. It is typical for Li-ion batteries to discharge while being stored.
5. If you optimize your notebooks power management features prior to use you can extend the life of your battery. Refer to your notebooks user guide for more information.