Laptop Batteries and Netbook Batteries: How to Prolong Their Life

There is no doubt that you have heard a lot of conflicting information about what to do with your laptop batteries and netbook batteries. Some have told you that you need to run it down completely so it will work properly; others say that this is bad to do because it depletes battery life. Then there is the advice that keeping the battery on the charger will cause it to lose its battery life, thus causing it to not hold a charge. The conflicting advice, on the other hand, states the complete opposite in that doing such a thing will not hurt laptop batteries and netbook batteries. What really is the deal? What must you do to get the most out of your laptop batteries and netbook batteries? The below advice will clear up all of the messy confusion that you currently find yourself in.

Not too long ago, laptop batteries used to be made of either nickel or lead. There materials were inferior because the batteries did not last as long, and they'd lose the ability to hold a charge within a short time. Not to mention, these batteries were the type that would lose battery life if left on the charge too long, and they had to be well used on a daily basis to exercise the battery. Now, both laptop batteries and netbook batteries are comprised of lithium and are much better than their older counterparts for a number of reasons.

One reason that the lithium battery is better than the older counterpart is that it is memory free as far as performance is concerned. What this means is that there is no need for scheduled charge and discharge cycles, such as was necessary with older batteries because it is not going to remember when it dies. Another reason that lithium batteries are better is that they are quite easy to calibrate. Now that you know why they are better, it is fitting to discuss how to get the most out of these laptop batteries and netbook batteries.

1. Do not charge the battery fully all of the time. Lithium batteries do better when partial charges are applied. For instance, it is okay to allow the battery to be used a bit and then charge it for a short time. This exercises it and keeps it working longer. Lithium batteries allow between three to five hundred full charge and discharge cycles, enable the battery to last approximately two years. Mixing up short charges will full ones enables the battery to last longer than the norm. In order to calibrate it, however, you will want to let the battery run completely out and then give it a full charging every thirty small charges.

2. Keep the battery in cool temperatures. If the battery is kept in warm temperatures all of the time, it will cause the chemicals inside of the battery to decompose. For instance, a battery that stays inside of the laptop while constantly running on main power will cause the battery's life to shorten. While charging these lithium batteries too much is not a concern as was with past batteries because lithium batteries stop charging once the maximum charge is reached, the heat is. To avoid heat killing the battery, you can take the battery out of your laptop or netbook while you are on main power. Be warned, though, that if you do this, you will lose any unsaved work if you experience a power failure. If you do not like this idea, keep your laptop off when you are not using it, or put the battery in a cool place periodically, such as your refrigerator. Also, use it off of main power as much as possible. Doing this will insure that your laptop battery or netbook battery will have a longer life.

3. Keep the battery only half charged before storing. If you must store a backup laptop battery or netbook battery for long term, such as for a month or more, do not charge it all the way. Do not store it when it is not charged, either. Storing the batteries under these conditions can cause them to leave their protection circuits, leaving room for hazards to occur, which is what you do not want.

The life of a lithium battery depends on how you use it and the conditions you keep it in. If you put a lot of stress on the battery, then you can count on it not lasting as long. But if you properly take care of it, you can count on being able to do a lot of portable computing.