Charging Software (switch to AC power at 40%)

Is there such software? I think I saw a screenshot supposedly from Vista, but Vista doesn't have this feature. I also heard Toshiba is doing something on their Thinkpads like this...

Basically I want the software to switch to AC power once the battery reaches 40% charge. I know I can just set a low battery level alarm and unplug it, but then it will use the battery up. I want to maintain my battery at 40% charge. I may unplug it to carry around my house for very brief periods, but once I plug it back in, I want it to charge to 40% only (for extending life of the battery).

Thanks.

 

If you use it plugged in 90% of the time, I find it best to simply remove it.

 

^I appreciate the response, but it's avoiding my question. I still want the ability to lug it around. 40% battery will easily last me 1.5-2hr (I got the 6+9 battery option) and that's good enough for a class, etc.

 

So what's the problem with keeping the battery at 100% all the time (instead of 40%). Once the battery is fully charged to 100%, the AC doesn't keep feeding it power constantly thus not reducing it's lifetime.

If you really believe all that crap about freezing batteries and keeping them at exactly 40% then I really don't know what to say. Sure that might make a battery last longer, but do you really believe that such a storage option (vs keeping it at 100% all the time) will make a huge difference over a long period of time? Do you honestly think that a battery kept at 40% will last say 2 hours after a year, and a battery kept at 100% will last only 1 hour?

I say just keep it at 100% and be done with it. If you really care about the 1% difference in battery lifespan by keeping it at 40% vs 100% then good luck in ur search.

 

Yes adinu, I am a believer--and an OCD-perfectionist to no end.

But yes it makes a big difference. It's not just that I am believing "all that crap". Storage temperature and charge makes a difference, coming from a background of over 6 years in electronics.

 

You do realize that 40% today won't be the same 40% next year, don't you?

Also you don't seem to be open to the idea of removing the battery, which completely goes against the above post. You're going to be storing the battery in a laptop with several components with temps between 50C and 80C.

Not to be rude, but with your 6yrs in electronics you should know that the chemistry of Li-Ion can become VERY unstable with improper charging. I don't think you will find anyone who would undertake the liability involved in distributing such software, if it were even possible.

Also your laptop is ALWAYS on AC power if it's plugged it. You can remove and insert the battery to your heart's content, so it can't switch to AC power.

 

It's funny about those numbers, because I've had my computer for over a year, had the battery in 24/7 with temps between 40-50* C and my battery wear is at about 12%, as apposed to over 35% that the chart suggests.

 

deputy I am aware that the "40%" is actually consecutively less in terms of the milliampere hours that the battery can hold, but losing 40% the first year and 40% of the 60% left the next year (24%) is still a big deal to me, that's 64% total. I wouldn't want to lose the 40% each year in the first place.

I am definitely open to removing the battery from my laptop. Since I bought it, the Li-Ions (I got the 6+9 option) have been in the freezer and my laptop has been on AC. I know you can hot-swap the batteries as long as the AC adapter is plugged in.

Sure Li-Ions can get unstable with improper charging, but who said it would be "improper" in the first place? Charging to 40% and discharging sounds like a normal charge cycle to me, it doesn't have to reach 70% or 100% charge.

I don't want to debate this with you guys or try to persuade you to think like me. People will always have different opinions. I'm just looking for a program.

 

Li-Ion battery will die after about 3 years or so no matter what you do. Charging to 40% and running it down say to 20% and then recharge back to 40% is no different than running from 100% down to 80% and charging back up.

 

You should not freeze you battery (refrigerator is ok). Freezing will kill it quicker than normal use as there will be a large breakdown to the chemical bond everytime you defrost it.

 

Lenovo's Power Manager gives you the option to set when it starts and stops charging. I don't know if it'll work with other brands, but you could check to see if your power manager has a similar feature.

 

I'm aware of the fact that when you plug-in and if the battery is 100% charged, the AC will not feed the battery anymore. But, isn't it also true that the battery 'leaks', meaning that the battery will slowly discharge over a period of time, even if you don't use it?

If that happens, then as soon as the charge drops to 99%, it'll be charged back to 100%. In that case, am I using up my battery cycles? Does it make sense to remove the battery if you're going to have it plugged into AC all the time?

 

123456 thanks for the name. I'll look for it. I'm using my own OS so I don't have a DELL power manager.

mcaj007 it will not. Once it reaches 100%, the AC will kick in, and will continue to power the laptop unless you "reset" it's detection by unplugging the AC and plugging it back in.

And 100 -> 80 =/= 40 -> 20.

Thanks for the freezer info, I'll move them to the refrigerator.

 

You are 100% correct.

 

Toshiba doesn't make Thinkpads.

 

Sorry blondie I was thinking of the T's--Toshiba Thinkpad. I realize it was IBM and is now Lenovo.

123456 I actually tried that program on my DELL, and it installed, made me restart, etc. but there is NOTHING. No shortcuts, no startup service... I guess it was only meant for Thinkpads lol.

 

all this battery life stuff all works in therory but real life doesn't always stick to the theroy. Ive had my dell Inpiron for nearly 3 years with teh 8 cell 72Whr battery. I have used the laptop probably more than most laptops would ever see. Going to class and work & leaving it on overnight most of teh time. Ive never taken the battery out & I can still pull 3 and a half hours battery life from it. Not bad seeing as teh most i could get was 4 and a half when it was new. So in 3 years ive lost about 25% which isn't really bad at all. oh & yeah my laptop hits about 50 degrees C on teh base when its running so its hot.

On the other hand though my gf's dell which is just a year old already has 40% battery wear but i dunno what she did to the poor thing seems to have a new issue every week :s.

Also whats the point of keeping the life of teh batteries long if you only want to use 40% of the charge anyways? You could get 60% wear on teh batties and it wouldn;t make a diffrence because your not using the battery for long periods anyway.

 

That's some good info BenArcher, and I guess you're right.

But like I said, I'm an obsessive-compulse-perfectionist and even a loss of 1% will tick me off indescribably. lol. I guess I have to give up, at least until we implement some new battery technology that doesn't wear as much.

 

Well, you being a tech, did you e-mail Toshiba about the software? I would wonder why anyone would bother; no offense but laptops have never been benchmarks in longevity, but I stilll love and buy them I would hope that newer Li-ion "salt" technology makes it to do away with, IMHO, flaky and somewhat dangerous current Li-ion batteries.

BTW, my well cared for 6-cell died after 13 months, I replaced it with a Dell branded Japanese/Sanyo 9-cell for $60. Sanyo, like Sony, had their problems around year 2000 or so. If you can find the software that overides the battery chip/laptop BIOS charge routines on Dell's, please share.

 

I will let you know if I find anything Hydra.

And I have a Dell too. I actually found the Thinkpad software (not Toshiba) on Lenovo's site. I downloaded it, it installed perfectly fine, but there was no shortcuts, no process running, and no startup service. In fact I couldn't find where it installed to. Control Panel didn't show anything either, I guess it just simply didn't work since my computer wasn't a Thinkpad. lol

I am SURE there is a software instruction to switch from battery to AC power supported by Windows. The routine of making that switch at 40% battery shouldn't be too complex. Any programmers here? lol

 

Honest mistake. Exactly something I would do.