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    Overcharging?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by sacredevil, Apr 21, 2008.

  1. sacredevil

    sacredevil Notebook Consultant

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    Can I leave my laptop charging even if the battery has reached 100%? Are there any negative to it? Also can I leave the charger plugged in to the wall (not charging but it's still plugged and the green light is on)..would it affect the charger?
     
    sacredevil, Apr 21, 2008
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  2. SteveJonesy

    SteveJonesy Notebook Evangelist

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    Yes - the battery stops charging once it's full. The adaptor will still continue to power the laptop whist plugged in until you unplug the power adaptor from the laptop, at which point the battery will kick in and supply the power instead.
     
    SteveJonesy, Apr 21, 2008
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  3. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    it wont charge after its hit the limit. overcharging doesnt really happen anymore.

    yes its fine
     
    flipfire, Apr 21, 2008
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  4. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    Isn't there a top of effect though? I mean, if you leave your system continuously plugged in, there is slight drainage of the battery and then a short recharge correct? Don't these count as charge/discharge cycles?
     
    booji, Apr 21, 2008
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  5. Sparky 1720

    Sparky 1720 Notebook Consultant

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    booji,

    I recently read a long thread about battery lifespan etc.. on here.

    Yes there can be a topoff but it is not going to be continuous. There is no internal counter of charge/discharges that makes it die after X number. A partial discharge/topoff is not going to be as bad as a full cycle.

    The only real negatives are that there is heat being applied at or near the battery which is going to have some affect as well as the possibilities of topoff cycles.

    You need to weigh the question of the loss of backup power to your unit in the event of an outage VS replacing a battery a little bit sooner had you pulled it out.

    I can tell you that i have an Inspiron 8200 that is 7 years old. It has two battery bays and they are both populated. It was almost always plugged in. To this day I still have the same two batteries and they still get me around 3 + hours. Down maybe an hour from day one.

    Your mileage may vary but my experience to date says leave it in.
     
    Sparky 1720, Apr 21, 2008
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