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    T61 9 Cell Battery Break-in?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Swift101, Oct 30, 2011.

  1. Swift101

    Swift101 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey all,

    I just bought a 9 cell battery for my 14.1 inch lenovo T61. The instructions that came with the battery say to cycle the battery something like 3 times before using the battery normally. I already charged it up all the way, then let it run down, but do I really have to do this 2 more times?

    -Thanks
     
    Swift101, Oct 30, 2011
    #1
  2. Renee

    Renee Notebook Virtuoso

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    I never have....but then again my t61 batteries have not lasted well either.

    Renee
     
    Renee, Oct 30, 2011
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  3. mariol90

    mariol90 Notebook Consultant

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    the generic batteries i've purchased come with those instructions. i wouldn't bother following it, just treat it like a normal battery.
     
    mariol90, Oct 30, 2011
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  4. Swift101

    Swift101 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the help guys, I just cycled it twice but I hope it didn't cause any damage.
     
    Swift101, Oct 30, 2011
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  5. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    you probably need to cycle it, since the battery cell on these generic batteries may not be properly cycled for use.

    The OEM battery are already prepared and cycled in the factory.
     
    lead_org, Oct 30, 2011
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  6. bogatyr

    bogatyr Notebook Evangelist

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    As far as I know, Li-Ion batteries do not need conditioning and have limited cycles. So you're only wasting the battery by doing so.

    The only element in there that benefits from such an act is the battery meter gets calibrated - but that doesn't affect actual battery life.
     
    bogatyr, Oct 31, 2011
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  7. seiyafan

    seiyafan Notebook Evangelist

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    I have another related question about prolonging battery life. When I leave work I usually put my laptop to sleep and unplug the AC power, should I unplug it or leave it charged overnight?
     
    seiyafan, Oct 31, 2011
    #7
  8. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Then you might be adding another charge cycle each night. Why not use hibernation which dumps the RAM contents to HDD and then turns the computer off? The only reason for unplugging it is to protect from any mains surges. The battery will stop being charged once it is full.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Oct 31, 2011
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  9. seiyafan

    seiyafan Notebook Evangelist

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    Well, I use SSD so I've disabled hibernation. Maybe I am better off by shutting it down each night. =)
     
    seiyafan, Nov 1, 2011
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  10. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Is the writing of the hibernation file significant? My Intel 320 SSD is at 155TB writes in just over 6 months and the Intel toolkit indicates that this is 5% wear. I normally hibernate 3 times per day which adds up to about 2.6TB over 6 months - an insignificant proportion of the wear.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Nov 1, 2011
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  11. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Wait John how do you have so much written on your SSD? My 160 GB 320 series has only written 486.4 GB in my i7 desktop, though it is only an OS drive..
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Nov 1, 2011
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  12. seiyafan

    seiyafan Notebook Evangelist

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    How do you find out how much data has been written?
     
    seiyafan, Nov 1, 2011
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  13. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    I suspect that it one of my GIS programs that keeps writing data when a dataset exceeds the array size. (I'll check with the support on this). However, I would expect to see a corresponding large number of reads.

    Nonetheless, even with that heavy writing it appears to be good for several years.

    In my case I used the Intel SSD Toolbox. Your SSD manufacturer should have a similar utility.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Nov 1, 2011
    #13