Battery strong after 6 years?!

From the beginning, purchased new in January 2004, I prescribed to the habit of setting the battery to 80% charge (ie. high temperature mode) in the BIOS whenever I didn't need to be portable. On this date, I can hand off this computer to my gf and it remains active easily over an hour with WiFi active (and can still surf most every imaginable website, and most of those flash based fun sites are pretty processor intensive!).

Even the newest manual, CF-52, states: "...high-temperature environment or used for a long time with its battery fully charged".

Please, for the sake of lithium's rarity in concentrated deposits and cost of battery replacements on even the most ancient of computers: reboot and BIOS high temperature mode when you don't need the full charge.

 

I have two Viewsonic Viewpads that are 10 years old, both with original batteries. Both are STILL good for over 2 hours used as picture frames running Slideshow over a Network Shared folder via WiFi.

The secret to their longevity? I have NO IDEA. I DO know they sat in the bottom drawer of my toolbench IGNORED for almost a year and a half before I got around to fixing them up.

mnem
Hey. I'm working on it.

 

I found that to be deadly. I had perfectly good li-ions two years later I come back and the laptop won't turn on... the batteries were drained.

No big deal charge em and go... nope the internal circuit refused to charge the batteries now, I assume that once the batteries get discharge beyond some point the circuit just blows.

And storing full batteries is bad for the chemistry.

That is why they tell you to store batteries at 40 or 50% charge, enough so that the chemistry doesn't kill it self, but enough left so that you don't run the risk of over discharging it.

Oh and Cool and Dry places please.

 

gothed -

I know a LOT about battery chemistry; I used to race model cars and aircraft. I know you're not SUPPOSED to leave them sit like that but they REALLY weren't much of a priority - I don't even NEED batteries to use them for picture frames which was ALWAYS my intent.

I assumed that since the batteries were 9 years old already, they'd only be good for a hole-filler anyways. Just goes to show how technology can surprise ya.

mnem
Pizza is nature's way of controlling the anchovy population.