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    How often should I discharge the battery to keep it maintained?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by sephcast, Jul 25, 2006.

  1. sephcast

    sephcast Notebook Enthusiast

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    I hear your supposed to use up the battery, as in unplug it and run the battery down every now and then. This goes for all Lithium Ion Batteries. What do you guys think? How often should I discharge the battery?
     
    sephcast, Jul 25, 2006
    #1
  2. jeffmd

    jeffmd Notebook Evangelist

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    never, dont discharge any lithium batteries like that. You only do that with older nickle batteries.
     
    jeffmd, Jul 25, 2006
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  3. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    I'd run it down when you get it to calibrate the battery, but not all the time as posted. If you notice that your battery life percentage is off or similar, it would be good to run it down then to calibrate it.
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Jul 25, 2006
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  4. gridtalker

    gridtalker Notebook Virtuoso

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    I only do it when I first get the laptop
     
    gridtalker, Jul 25, 2006
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  5. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    Ion batterys only have a certain amount of battery life which is based on the number of charges/discharges that you do.

    So, the more you discharge it & recharge it, the shorter battery life you will have.
     
    Amber, Jul 25, 2006
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  6. tears_for_fears

    tears_for_fears Notebook Consultant

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    So is there any disadvantage to keeping it plugged in nearly all the time?
     
    tears_for_fears, Jul 25, 2006
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  7. nickster87

    nickster87 Notebook Consultant

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    Not really...
     
    nickster87, Jul 25, 2006
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  8. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    The only advantage would be if you had a power outage or the ac plug became unplugged for some reason. If you are planning on using your a/c only for long periods of times, then it is best to the battery out. If you constantly leave your battery in your laptop while plugged in, this will shorten your battery life.
     
    Amber, Jul 25, 2006
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  9. bestco

    bestco Notebook Consultant

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    Does dell sell a battery compartment cover? I took the battery out and that left some empty space with nothing to cover it.
     
    bestco, Jul 25, 2006
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  10. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

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    Not that I know of. You can probably find a dummy battery or whatever the little plastic "battery" is called on ebay or online somewhere. I've seen them before, but I don't think dell sells a specific one.
     
    Amber, Jul 25, 2006
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  11. bestco

    bestco Notebook Consultant

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    I tried ebay but couldn't find any related items. Does anyone know what it's called specifically?
     
    bestco, Jul 25, 2006
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  12. JediDurron

    JediDurron Notebook Enthusiast

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    i want to know as well where i can find one of these.
     
    JediDurron, Jul 25, 2006
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