questions about how to extend life of the battery

hi I just order a m1530 and should be here next wed 4/9, I got a few questions about the battery. I'm currently using a sony vaio from last year and the battery drain very fast, I can watch a movie clip and 30 mins later the laptop will be completely out of battery, I wonder if its because most of the time I use it I had it plug in to the AC. if thats the case should I unplug the battery on my new M1530 since 90% of the time I use a laptop will be plug in to the AC? or is there any type of software can help prevent this kind of problems? Thanks!

 

Your battery will wear out progressivly regardless of whether you use the AC or not. There are ways to improve battery life, and there are improvements over the vaio that will give it a better chance anyhow, but i don't think you should worry toomuch. It sounds the the vaio has a battery problem or no power-saving settings. If its only a year old, and the battery life is 30min, then there is a problem with that.

 

here's some infor:
Simple Guidelines

* Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.

* Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.

* Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.

* Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)

* Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.

* If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.

 

yeah I guess theres not much I can do to save the battery, and should send it back, thanks for the quick reply! :smile:

 

thanks for contributions so far on battery. But, what of a battery that is just one and a half year old (HP 510) that fully discharges now within 20-25 minutes; any hope of salvaging the situation or one should just make a short at replacement?

 

Here is what i recommend to my friends

-Always select a power saving profile when on battery.
-NO CPU intense operations at ALL when on battery. (fast drainage shortens the battery life)
-Unless your on an airplane, there is no need to watch a video on battery. Plug in your laptop
-never let the battery go dead, try to recharge the battery before it reaches 10%. (unlike older batteries new batteries dont like draining down to low levels, so every time it goes completely dead or very low battery charge it shortens its life)