Leaving the battery charging....

[klitzy]

Quick question...Is this bad for your computer?

Is leaving your computer charging bad for your computer?

[m4rvman]

you mean for a laptop It's bad to use the laptop on AC power with the battery in there it kills the battery cells.

[senshi]

Yea, before you know it your batter will only last 20 minutes. So fine for the computer, but bad for the battery.

[ariastar]

Rechargable batteries actually need to drain to last longer. If part of the battery goes unused, then it goes bad. Charge up the battery, use it up, or until the low-battery inidcator comes on. Repeat. If you're on the road a lot and so always keep it charged up for the just-in-case times, get an inverter for $20.

But to my knowledge, keeping it plugged in has no effect on the computer itself, just the battery.

[popltree2]

As for standard rechargeables, it depends on the metal that is used. NiCAD develops memory if the battery is not completely discharged before it is recharged. The result is shorter battery life. Ni-MH batteries are more tolerant to "top-off" charges (charging your battery before it is completely discharged).

[superfly988]

the information ive leared form this thread will save me much money... wonder if its in the manual? then again, i think i lost it

[klitzy]

Hmm another question....If I have already destroyed my battery this way....Can I start now and will it basically repair itself?

Also, sorry for the lack of detail in the first post...I was rushing.

[splat]

Okay, there seems to be alot of confusion about batteries in this thread so I would like to clear a few things up.

There are 6 main types of rechargable batteries: NiMH, NiCD, Lithium-Ion, Lithium-Polymer, SLA, SLI.

Almost all laptop batteries made within the last 3-4 years are Lithium-Ion. Lithium-Ion batteries are not succeptable to overcharging in anyway. There is a circuit board in the battery that regulates voltage and charge rates, there is regulation in the charger itself and in the motherboard of the laptop. You can leave you laptop plugged in constantly and it will not harm the battery.


That being said...

There is a way to make your battery last longer overall: only charge the battery when it becomes very low. The reason for this is that all rechargable batteries have a certain number of charge cycles (300-500 for LI-Ion). A cycle is anytime a battery is charged and then discharged. If your laptop is charging, and you unplug it for 30 seconds, and then plug it back in again, you have just used one of your 300-500 cycles.

@Klitzy - Once the cells in your battery no longer hold capacity there is no way repair them, or make them work to original capacity. Some people say that conditioning Li-Ion batteries will help regain capacity; I can tell you from working with hundreds of laptop batteries per year, this does nothing. The only thing you can do short of buying a new battery, is have the cells replaced in the battery. It will be very hard to find someone that is willing/able to do this however, as Li-Ion is a very volitile battery chemisty. Personally, I replace my own cells in my laptop batteries, but without know how and extensive equipment, it is both unsafe and hard for a person to do so.

[adamzx]

splat:
that is the coolest shit i have read in a long time
tell us more

[splat]

@usherzx

What kind of stuff do you want to know?

[superfly988]

Yay Im Not Harmming My Battery!! :d

[adamzx]

I'm not sure, I guess anything interesting and cool - I had never heard of the battery story you told us. EVER.

[splat]

Yeah, about batteries, it seems like there are many misconceptions. People state alot of untrue things as facts. The only rechargable that is still on the market that still suffers from "memory" effects is NiCD (used mostly in cordless tools, cordless phones, a few old cell phones and older camcorders). In order to prevent memory in these cells it is crucial to give the battery 1 deep discharge and one shallow discharge every 5 cycles.

But like I said, these batteries are getting phased out, with cordless tools now releasing 36v Li-Ion packs.