laptop battery maintenance

hey guys

I have a thinkpad R60 with a power manager program. my question is while using my laptop in class or in my room, should I plug in my AC adapater even though its fully charged or let the battery go down to like 20% and recharge it again?

or is there a better method to have a long lasting battery life.

thanks

Mulak

 

If you don't use it, leave the battery out at 40%. Also you can put it in a plastic bag and freeze it.

If you do use it sometimes, you can just run it to 20% or so and charge it again since Li-Ion don't really have wear, it is based on over time, not charges.

 

is it bad to have the AC plug in while my battery is fully charged?... its not going to decrease the battery life?

 

Pulling out and storing does work but not always practical. I would plug it in and charge when I am by a plug there is no benifit to running battery down to 20% unless it saves you a cycle. Topping it off has no negative affect except it burns a cycle which you have maybe 1000 of, intentionally running down to 20% is a waste of time. One thing about running battery down that is important is about every 30 cycles run all the way down then fully charge. Heat does have a negative effect on lifespan so pulling it out when not on battery can add some life, for short term storage charge level does not matter for longer 40% is recommended.

This site has a battery guide that is very informative.

In my opinion you have to balance your needs to detirmine what you do. It is obvious if you put it in a bag and put in the freezer and don't use, it will last the longest. But that serves no purpose. I keep mine in and don't worry in two years I will just buy a new one, worth it for convenience.

 

Not so long as you make sure to at least fully discharge your battery each month.

 

Its better to just take it out, only takes a second, don't even need to shut down the computer(well I don't).

 

I'm a little nervous with putting the battery in the fridge.. i dont have experience and i do not want to take the risk of damaging the battery

so its ok during my class or at home i can plug in my ac adapter even if its fully charged? would the thinkpad's power manager would help in some way?

 

I think you are thinking of 30 days because of 30 cycles? The battery does not know days so to speak.

Your battery will not over charge or undercharge and cause damage unless deffective. I believe those controls are on the battery itself, battery guide everything you never wanted to know about them.

 

As above, Chris has a good battery guide. Just leave your battery installed, it makes a great file saver if you lose your mains I make no attempt to spare the batteries but don't abuse them, they are just a tool, no?

My OEM 6-cell died after 13 months, I just replaced it with a $60 9-cell off ebay. It's made in Japan using Sanyo cells so hope to get two or more years out of it..if not, I'll just order another.