stop charging at 100%?

Is it possible to make the battery stop charging at 100% just like it would for 50% and 80% with battery care? I like the ability to stop charging but i also want the full battery.

 

Wait.... what??? This confuses me.

 

I don't think the laptops stop with battery care. I have mine set to 80% but even when it hits 80% plugged in, the battery icon still has the cord. They just won't go over the 80%/50%, not stop completely.

Unless i'm wrong?

 

The battery will stop charging at 100% by itself. You don't any software to do that.

 

Yes it is.
When you choose the parameters for battery care, check "custom parameters" (or something close, I have the french version of the software) and choose 100%.

 

The Sony battery care function does stop it from charging at 50%/80% depending on how you set it. And yes, your battery will automatically stop charging at 100%.

If you use it as a desktop replacement/plugged in a lot then it may be a good idea to use the battery care and set it at 80%. It should preserve battery life a little longer.

 

I don't think I have one for the US version.

I'm liking the 1600x900 resolution. Feel weird now typing on lower resolution MBP

 

its one of the options under the vaio control center

 

I checked that, nothing. Even if I choose advanced option, there's only 80% and 50% recharge level.

 

Just disable the 'battery care' option.. and it'll charge up full!

 

ALL laptop batteries stop charging at 100% (if they don't there's something wrong with the charger). VAIO Battery Care gives you two additional options (of charging to 80% and 50%). Disable Battery care and the battery will charge to 100% like in every other laptop.

I use battery care 50% all the time. When I have to go out, I disable Battery Care, charge to 100%, and go. When I get back, I re-enable Battery Care and set it to 50% again. Best of both worlds. I rarely have to leave the office unexpectedly, so this method works for me. Review your usage/habits and figure out what works best for you. 80% is a good compromise, IMHO, giving you sufficient charge as well as reduced battery wear.

 

stupid question: if ALL batteries stop charging at 100%, then what's the point of using 50/80% settings?

 

supposedly, or so sony claims, the lifespan of a battery will last longer in the long run if you dont constantly charge it at full, but i really want to know if this really works or "clinically proven"

 

It has. LiIon batteries die slowly in a way that gives reduced capacity over time, but die faster the (a) the more they're drained, (b) the higher the temperature, and (c) the higher the charge. The "sweet spot" where there's at little decay as possible is at around 40% charge and as cold as possible, without any use.

If you look at the first table on this page, you'll see that a battery that's stored at 100% full at 25 C will lose 20% of its capacity within a year, while one that's stored at 40% full at 25 C will only lose 4%.

But that's storing - not keeping it conditioned. Normally, the charger will trickle-charge the battery when it reaches its desired level, which helps prevent battery damage, so a normal user won't usually see a 20% capacity loss in a year.

Sony's 50% and 80% are good compromises that let the battery live longer while still maintaining enough charge that you can actually use it for a while.

Also keep in mind that the damage to the battery from usage is highest when close to 0% full, so if you want your battery to last as long as possible, don't drain it all the way down, but stop a bit before it reaches zero.

And most of all, remember that Sony is notorious for not supporting old models, so you may want to take good care of the battery because you may not be able to buy a replacement from Sony in the future.

 

Yes, I do believe arth1

I got my Vaio FW11 for 2 years and 10 months.
First I did enable the Battery Care and I could use it for almost 2 hours.
Last year a friend of mine said he didn't believe the Battery Care-thingy and turned it off. So did I, because he's really good with computer hardware.

So after turning it off for 4-6 months, I started to notice my battery wasn't that good anymore.
Now I can use my battery for 45 minutes (max 1hour) on a single charge.

Battery Care software says my battery is still in a good condition (4 points out of 5).
I do believe Sony created the Battery Care-thing for a good reason and not just to bloat their laptops

 

If you use Battery Bar, it will tell you the current wear of your battery. Mine is currently 5.5% - pretty good after 1 year, I think. I only turned on Battery Care some 6 months ago.

 

Well it really depens on the quality of your battery, your normal use of the laptop in general and a bit of luck is also important:
Yes in theory Battery Care could help to improve life of your battery but only to a certain degree: After a certain number of charging cycles no battery care program can help you any more.
I have a 3 year old Fujitsu with a standard battery and a bay battery for extra power: Both batteries were never used with a battery care program (although Fujitsu advices to use their battery care software) and both work like on their first day. No problems what soever.
I also have a 2,5 year old eee pc, used battery care software and had to replace the battery twice during that time because it died on me and only lasted 30 minutes on a full charge.
So you see there is no general rule on what is right or wrong. Do as you think best and live with the consequences! ;-)

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is if it is possible for the battery icon to show "Plugged in, NOT charging". Cuz mine is showing that it is charging right now even though it is at 100%. If it isn't possible then I guess I'll just switch to 80% charge.

 

That's weird. It shouldn't be like that. When my battery reaches 100% Windows says "Plugged in, not charging" straight away.

 

sometimes I get 99%, NOT charging. My almost 3 years old VGN-Z590, battery wear 43% Most of the time was set to 80%, sometimes even 50% settings in battery care.

My wife's Toshiba U300 (bought at about same time), battery wear 7%, no care option, always fully charged (to 100%) and she recharge it when screen starts blinking - almost dead. Go figure

I've used AIDA64 on both laptops to check for battery wear.

Cheers,
Miki