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Martian · 01-18-2010, 08:52 AM

Cycling is much less important in batteries that don't have a memory effect.

The act of recharging your battery causes the resistance in the cells to increase, and therefore reduces the lifespan of your battery. At higher charge levels more voltage is being passed through the battery, which results in a bit more wear and tear due to a partial charge cycle (as noted above), but it's not anything that I would deem significant.

A full discharge of the battery will kill it. This is, as far as I know, irreversible. Fortunately, all lithium-ion batteries have a safety circuit built in, and one of it's jobs is to ensure this doesn't happen.

If you never unplugged your laptop your battery would last significantly longer, but would still eventually wear out. This is due to the self-discharge that all batteries inherently suffer from. Laptops can also be problematic because they cause prolonged exposure to higher temperatures, which reduces the lifepsan of the battery. I would guess at a lifespan of about 5-6 years under these conditions, as opposed to the 2-3 under typical use.

If you expect your laptop to be in one place for weeks or months at a time, I'd recommend taking the battery out completely and storing it in a cool, dry place. Optimal storage temperatures are around 5-8C (about 40-45F), but humidity is also a concern as it can cause corrosion. The laptop should run fine on mains power without the battery in place, and the battery won't be exposed to the lifespan-reducing conditions of your laptop.

01-18-2010, 08:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	Cycling is much less important in batteries that don't have a memory effect. The act of recharging your battery causes the resistance in the cells to increase, and therefore reduces the lifespan of your battery. At higher charge levels more voltage is being passed through the battery, which results in a bit more wear and tear due to a partial charge cycle (as noted above), but it's not anything that I would deem significant. A full discharge of the battery will kill it. This is, as far as I know, irreversible. Fortunately, all lithium-ion batteries have a safety circuit built in, and one of it's jobs is to ensure this doesn't happen. If you never unplugged your laptop your battery would last significantly longer, but would still eventually wear out. This is due to the self-discharge that all batteries inherently suffer from. Laptops can also be problematic because they cause prolonged exposure to higher temperatures, which reduces the lifepsan of the battery. I would guess at a lifespan of about 5-6 years under these conditions, as opposed to the 2-3 under typical use. If you expect your laptop to be in one place for weeks or months at a time, I'd recommend taking the battery out completely and storing it in a cool, dry place. Optimal storage temperatures are around 5-8C (about 40-45F), but humidity is also a concern as it can cause corrosion. The laptop should run fine on mains power without the battery in place, and the battery won't be exposed to the lifespan-reducing conditions of your laptop. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame