How to properly charge a laptop battery

Compliance with all operating standards of the laptop can significantly increase the life of the device. First of all, this rule applies to the laptop battery, which even with high quality workmanship and the use of the original adapter is unlikely to last more than 5 years. Significantly reduce the period of effective use of the battery can be improper charging.

Types of laptop batteries

In order to prevent mistakes during battery maintenance, you need to know exactly what technology of electric current storage is used in the battery of a mobile computer.

Ni-MH. NiMH batteries are alkaline elements that are currently used as power sources for digital technology, lighting and toys. Ni-MH laptop batteries have not been used for a long time due to the extremely low power consumption.

Ni-CD. Nickel Cadmium Batteries also not currently used on laptops. Such elements are common, at present, in portable tools, and products of extra-large capacity in transport.

Li-ion. Lithium ion batteries used in almost every modern laptop. Such elements are characterized by durability, low weight and size. In addition, such products practically do not require special maintenance and are able to withstand up to 1000 full discharge cycles.

Lithium-ion batteries have a small self-discharge, therefore, are excellent for powering devices that can be used for a long time in stand-alone mode.

How to charge the laptop battery

The battery can fully work out its life only if serious errors were not made during operation. First of all, you should not charge the battery with homemade and non-certified adapters, and also trust non-specialists to repair laptops.

New laptop

If the laptop is purchased in a store, then the kit has a special adapter with which you need to charge a regular battery. To fully charge the laptop, it is enough to include the charger in the network, and connect the output part of the cable to the corresponding socket on the laptop.

Modern Li-Ion batteries do not have a memory effect and do not require a buildup, so you can safely immediately start using a laptop and put it on charge at any convenient time. That is, it is not necessary to wait until the laptop sits down and then put it on charge.

Nevertheless, for the sake of curiosity, it should be fully charged for the first time and then detected, for how long it will be discharged during your normal use. This will help to understand how much the gadget’s battery life is spent relative to those declared by the manufacturer and you will know its real resource.

In daily use

The disadvantage of modern batteries is that they have a limited number of charge-discharge cycles, after which the creature’s life will decrease and it will not work independently. Therefore, it is not recommended to constantly discharge the device to zero and then charge up to 100%.

Therefore, if the laptop often needs to be operated without connecting to an adapter, then in order to extend the life of the battery it is recommended to charge it when the energy level drops to 20%.

The built-in controller will automatically turn off the process when it reaches 100% battery capacity.If you do not wait for this moment and manually or using special programs to stop charging by 80%, then you can significantly increase the battery life.

Is it possible to always keep a laptop on charge

During stationary work from the network, many people remove the battery from the laptop in order to preserve its resource. It is worth noting that during the constant connection of the device to the adapter, the battery is practically not involved in the process of providing the laptop computer with electricity.

When using a laptop in this mode, the battery will work even more than the intended time, because the load on the batteries will be minimal. An exception to this rule is only outdated laptop models, in which, after a full charge of the battery, it was discharged to a value of 90 percent, after which the charging process was switched back on.

All modern models have a controller that monitors the battery level and when it reaches 100% switches the power from the battery to the motherboard. As a result, when working from the mains, the battery is almost never used.

How to properly store a laptop battery

If you need to store the battery separately from the laptop, then it should be sure to charge at least 80%. Lithium-ion batteries are negligible, but constantly lose some amount of energy.

Leakage will be significantly accelerated if the product is stored in a humid room, in addition, to ensure the safety of the battery, a heated room should be chosen.

Overheating of the product during storage can also negatively affect the performance of the battery, so you should not store the battery near heating appliances, under sunlight or on the windowsill. Even more negatively affect the performance of the power source frost.

If you put a dead battery in storage, then after a while it will go into a deep discharge and the controller will turn it off, after which it will not be possible to charge it without specialists.

How long does it take to charge the battery

All modern laptop models that are in good condition can be charged indefinitely, because the built-in controller will automatically turn off the charging process when the battery capacity is fully restored.

If you need to know the minimum value of the time it will take to fully restore the operability of the current source, then it is easy to calculate if you divide the battery capacity by the current strength on the adapter. Next, add a 10-20% loss in efficiency from the charge and get an approximately accurate time.

Example:

• The capacity of the laptop is 9,000 mAh (9 Amps).
• The charger gives out 3 amperes.
• So it will charge: 9/3 = 3 hours and add 10-20% to this.

It turns out that under such conditions the laptop should charge in 3 hours 18 minutes - 3 hours 36 minutes.

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