AC Adapter and Laptop Batteries

[Brunette]

I need some information here, don't know if it is the right place to post it. I would like to know if using AC adapter/power at the same time with a full battery in the laptop can cause any problems? Thank you.

 

[HOOfan 1]

no, that is the only way I use my laptop. But really, if you are using AC power, the heat will reduce the lifetime of the battery...some people suggest keeping it in the fridge in a plastic bag.....others think that putting it in the fridge will damage it....although I think the later don't know what they are talking about.

Also note that having the battery in provides a wonderful backup power supply if your power goes out....that has saved my bacon several times.

 

[Brunette]

Hey thanks. Makes sense about the heat. I always use the AC adapter even when the batteries is full. And yes, saved my work several when the power goes out which happens a lot here. But, should I remove the battery while I'm working with the ACpower or just wait 'til eventually the batteries wear out and then time to change it?

 

[HOOfan 1]

with modern laptops it doesn't hurt to leave them plugged in. If battery life isn't a big concern to you, leave it plugged in.

 

[heymrdj]

I like the battery backup too much. I work on too many things that if my laptop just shut down sh!t would hit the fan (retypes suck). I would rather pay for a new battery every two years than not have it plugged in. Besides the battery every two years is cheaper than buying a battery backup unit to keep it running without the battery.

 

[honolululu]

A cool feature I found on my work laptop is you can tell it to only charge the battery when it falls below a certain percent. You can avoid a charge cycle when you just unplug it for a few minutes or when the battery just loses that first 1% it doesn't run the charger when you plug it back in. It's a lenovo R61 and I found it in Power Manager->Battery Info->Battery Maintenance.

 

[Brunette]

hmm that's a good info, I was checking my laptop, and if it has that path/option you described, I can't find it here. I'm using an HP Pavilion zv6000..don't know if it has the feature you mentioned. Thanks for the info!

 

[ChrisScar]

So if I understand correctly, I can tell my computer not to charge the battery even when it's plugged in? And is it possible to overcharge/destro my battery if I just leave it plugged in all the time? I'm using a HP Pavilion DV9000.

 

[honolululu]

Originally posted by: ChrisScar
So if I understand correctly, I can tell my computer not to charge the battery even when it's plugged in? And is it possible to overcharge/destro my battery if I just leave it plugged in all the time? I'm using a HP Pavilion DV9000.

Maybe about your computer but, it seems if you have a Li-ion battery instead of Ni-Cd the most damage is from heat. Not from frequent recharges as I thought so the 'cool' feature I found might not be so useful.

But, if I'm reading every thing right you should have your battery at about 50% most of the time, not 100%. So if you just want to leave it plugged in the feature might be useful after all to keep your charge at 50%, even when plugged in.

From Wikipedia:
Quote:
# Unlike Ni-Cd batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a long time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%?60%. Lithium-ion batteries should not be frequently fully discharged and recharged ("deep-cycled") like Ni-Cd batteries, but this is necessary after about every 30th recharge to recalibrate any external electronic "fuel gauge" (e. g. State Of Charge meter). This prevents the fuel gauge from showing an incorrect battery charge.[19]
# Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. The high temperatures found in cars cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade rapidly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...ng_Li-ion_battery_life

or this
* Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

All links taken from here

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846