A big noob question about correct usage.

I play WoW a few hours a day on my r2 letting the battery drain all the way then charging it back up, sometimes a 2-3 times a day. Is there any other way I should be doing things (playing plugged in the entire time, etc)? I'm just trying to keep this batter alive and well (being able to run for 5+ hours if needed for school) for as long as possible. Any advice, flaming, loving, etc. is welcome.

 

Best to only use the battery when you need it. Keep the machine plugged in otherwise and the battery charged to no more than 40-50%.

 

Correct. Remove the battery at partial charge when you plan to be plugged in for a while. Thats the best way to make sure your battery will last as long as its intended to.

When your battery is fully charged, its doing whats called "cycling". Which means the system lets the battery level drop a few percent then charge back up. Your battery is only designed to handle so many cycles before its worn out.

 

Does the battery continue cycling at 100% on the m11x?

 

I highly doubt anyone is going to unscrew the bottom and disconnect the battery just for that reason.

 

<--- not an M11x owner. Did not know battery is behind screws!

 

AFAIK, no it doesn't.

 

Its all good.

 

Was just trying to provide general good advice. Darn Alienware for having to change things up and lock the battery down! Who do they think they are? Apple?

LOL

 

So having the m11x plugged in won't harm the battery at all?

 

I don't think we confirmed this yet.


@ astro - Apple got it right when they made the battery "locked in". It allows for a bigger battery to be put in a smaller space. I personally like how Alienware improved this by allowing the end user the ability to replace the battery with only a few screws in the way. Trying to change the battery on a macbook is a PITA. Changing one out on an M11x is easy enough for your GF to safely do.

 

Yes if you disable charging in the BIOS.

 

I have 4 months with mine (r2) and is plugged in 95% of the time, and I still have 0.0% of battery wear, I dunno if is still charging plugged in, but even if is charging that way, you are gonna get more wear by discharging-charging it daily than plugged in 100% of the time.....

 

Only problem with leaving the battery at 40% and shutting off charge is that you need to always remember to "up the charge" when you are going off plug. And that requires a reboot to bios.. enable charge.. Its a royal pain.

I wish we were able to control this via an application in the OS. It would make things so much smoother.

I know that keeping the battery at 40% and then charging to 100% is best for the battery, but its just too much of a pain to always remember to up my charge. I usually keep my battery at 75% which is usually fine for the R1 if I need to come off plug quickly for an extended period. And forget to turn back on charging. This way I have arounf 5 hours off plug in balanced plan.

Im still amazed with this little thing. Im right now off plug. Played a little bit of Civ3 and EU3 while my kids play at an indoor play ground for the last 4.5 hours and Im at 35%.. stating I have 3 more hours left. Pure awsome! for lite RTS off plug.

 

Actually you can.

 

Absolutely agree.

Ummm... no thanks. My GF is pretty handy with tools until she gets them anywhere near electronics.

 

Sooo...just keep her plugged in?

 

so i dont quite understand what ppl are suggesting? only have 40% charge on the battery and pull it out of the laptop?

 

What I got was that you keep it plugged in but use bt meter to keep it from charging?

 

whats bt meter?

 

me = unless if i'm traveling/going to school = always plugged in (especially while watching movies, etc). i'm never sure when i'm going to run out so i don't like being unprepared. i don't usually keep my laptops for more than 1-2 years so that factors in as well, but we'll see...

then again, my laptops have never had more than 2 hours probably at the most of battery life with a charge before haha (my 17.3" toshiba... LOLS)

 

Correct!

BTmeter is an app Dell bundles with its netbooks that controls battery charging. You can use that instead of having to go into the BIOS to disable charging. Scroll up to my other post for the link to the original thread.

 

Alright roxxor I'm going to take your advice on that one. I have 8% battery wear after 5-6 months. This being my first laptop I don't know if that's average or not but anything that reduced the speed of wear is great.

 

Roxxor is correct.

For the longest battery life, store the battery at 40% charge when you will not be using the battery for a while (i.e. you will be plugged in for a few days straight).

Because of the chemistry of a LiIon battery, repeatedly draining / charging the battery will wear the battery out quickly, as will keeping it plugged in the wall and charged at 100% capacity all of the time. Of course, use the battery when you need to be away from a power outlet. But try to avoid these scenarios when you don't actually need to use the battery.

 

If I have mine plugged in for long sessions, I go to the BIOS and turn off battery charging.

 

So basically once my battery is at 40%, I should disable charging and it'll use the power plug for ze power?

I've been charging, discharging, charging, etc., every time... So say I need to go portable, charge to 100%, do my business.. will this help prevent battery damage?

 

Yes, try to disable charging around 40% when you're planning to remain plugged in for a while.

When you need to go portable, do a full charge and use as much as you need.

 

You got it.

Dis/charging between 0% / 100% only when you actually need to use the battery on portable mode. Otherwise, keep your laptop plugged in at 40% charge to minimize the wear on the battery and keep it lasting as long as possible.

 

Sweet stuff guys! BTW I recalibrated my battery yesterday...went from 8% wear to 4.8% so i reccomend trying that out too.