How to get the most from Li-Ion batteries

[Brink]

Six tips for getting the best possible life out of the Li-Ion batteries inside your smartphone, tablet or notebook.

I'm sitting at my desk and I'm surrounded by devices that owe their lifeblood to Li-Ion rechargeable batteries. And as most devices are now built in such a way that replacing the battery is tricky – if not almost impossible – so you want to get the best possible lifespan out of that battery.

How much of a difference can taking care of the battery make? Well, I have both a second-generation iPod nano bought around December 2006 and a first-generation iPod touch bought in 2008 that are both still on their original batteries and are still going strong.

So, how do you get the most out of Li-Ion batteries?....

Read more at: How to get the most from Li-Ion batteries | ZDNet

 

[jimroad471]

for me, lower the screen brightness, turn off when not in use...... never ever leave charger in phone or laptop when battery is charged 100%...little things like this keep a battery lasting and performing
james

 

[UsernameIssues]

Newer laptops, tablets and cell phones no longer charge the battery just because they are plugged in.

It is hard to find a battery pack that does not have power management chips built in.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yes all have power management pretty much why you should always use the manufactures chargers as the articles says,
The article also said to use a docking station which charges as well but not all the time/ Power management kicks in,

I remember another article or thread that an op had a MacBook and it exploded because of the battery,
Apple's reply was the most perplexing part that they stated Apple recommends changing the battery every year
Very bazar response

 

[UsernameIssues]

I read the part about using the charger that came with the device - but I do not think that USB powered devices are that picky. One example that I'll cite where using the original charger did more harm than good is my cell phone. The original charger will charge the phone much faster than using a USB jack from a computer or the auto's dashboard. Unfortunately, combine the heat from a fast charge with the heat of the GPS antenna and the heat from the cell antenna on max due to being far from a tower and the phone overheated/shutdown. I had an air vent cooling the phone, but it was not enough. I don't use the original charger on that phone any more while on trips.

 

[Iforgot]

iPhone, overheat/shutdown... I've had this happen too
Phone in car kit charging, gps on, car kit holder sits near windscreen.

now if i put a piece of paper over the phone, so that it does get direct sun, the paper shades it, it's ok.

I didn't think the Li-Ion batteries had a memory effect as like the old ni-cad's.
and also the charging circuits these days are a lot better

 

[UsernameIssues]

Some think it best to let the battery...
...drop 10%
...then charge
...then drop again
...then charge again
~~~~
Always keep things moving.

Others are so against that theory that they developed power management software for rooted androids to prevent that constant cycling that the manufacture built in.

Some Dell laptops have a variable charge pattern. It changes how the batteries are charged based on past usage patterns and how long it is plugged in. Its quite nice.

I had a salesman tell me that I would ruin my cell phone by plugging it into a USB adapter that put out 5 volts at 2 amps. He claimed that my phone was only rated at 0.5 amps. I thanked him for his concern and bought the adapter anyway. Of course, the phone never draws more current than the power management chip allows. I wanted the 2 amp rating for other devices that can make use of it.

 

[marsmimar]

Step down transformer + trickle charger :roflmao:

 

[Computer0304]

Some think it best to let the battery...
...drop 10%
...then charge
...then drop again
...then charge again
~~~~
Always keep things moving.

Others are so against that theory that they developed power management software for rooted androids to prevent that constant cycling that the manufacture built in.

Some Dell laptops have a variable charge pattern. It changes how the batteries are charged based on past usage patterns and how long it is plugged in. Its quite nice.

I had a salesman tell me that I would ruin my cell phone by plugging it into a USB adapter that put out 5 volts at 2 amps. He claimed that my phone was only rated at 0.5 amps. I thanked him for his concern and bought the adapter anyway. Of course, the phone never draws more current than the power management chip allows. I wanted the 2 amp rating for other devices that can make use of it.

I found something more odd. One of my usb chargers have a 5.1V!?? rating? Should that charger be only used on the device it was made for?

 

[UsernameIssues]

You have nothing to fear from a usb charger that is rated for 5.1VDC. You can use it to charge any device that claims it can be charged via USB. The USB2.0 "on the go" spec sets the charger's output range from 4.75 to 5.25 volts. Source (PDF).

The device receiving the charge should have a power management chip that can handle around 6VDC input.

 

[Computer0304]

Oh phew.