Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Fun] >> Computers & Technology

[Poll]

Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD?


Yes
  18% (3)
No
  25% (4)
I don't know
  56% (9)


Total Votes : 16
(last vote on : 5/2/2008 11:08:09 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )


Message

redtulip -> Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 12:49:43 AM)

A couple of people have told me that if I leave my laptop (macbook) plugged in all the time the battery will 'die'. They say it's better to have it plugged in to charge, but then unplug it and leave it unplugged until the window pops up saying my battery is about to die.

What's your take on this? Will leaving it plugged in when it's fully charged shorten the battery life?



cwb -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 1:23:58 AM)

I've read the same stuff there many times, tulip... Pull the battery if it's always on AC power.

I do NOT do this on any of 3 laptops I have; rather I cycle the battery completely down about once a month.



1love1God1way -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 2:35:54 AM)

It will shorten the battery life.



TheNextBillGates -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 11:08:30 PM)

If your battery is Lithium-Ion, then I would NOT continuously drain/recharge the battery. That would help for Ni-Cad batteries, but not Lithium. Lithium's have a limited number of drain/recharge cycles before they lose their ability to hold a charge.

Laptops today are smart enough to know when to shut off charging to the battery. I'd have to seriously doubt that leaving the laptop plugged in all the time does anything negative to the battery.



redtulip -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 11:30:32 PM)

quote:

If your battery is Lithium-Ion, then I would NOT continuously drain/recharge the battery.


The website says it's a 55-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery...whatever that means!



Bettawrekonize -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/9/2008 11:54:58 PM)

I think it could also depend on whether your battery is "smart" or "dumb."

quote:


According to one manufacturer, Li-ion cells (and, accordingly, "dumb" Li-ion batteries) do not have any self-discharge in the usual meaning of this word.[12] What looks like a self-discharge in these batteries is a permanent loss of capacity, described in more detail below. On the other hand, "smart" Li-ion batteries do self-discharge, due to the small constant drain of the built-in voltage monitoring circuit. This drain is the most important source of self-discharge in these batteries.
...
When the voltage monitoring circuit is built inside the battery (a so-called "smart" battery) rather than the equipment, it continuously draws a small current from the battery even when the battery is not in use; furthermore, the battery must not be stored fully discharged for prolonged periods of time, to avoid damage due to deep discharge.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery

The wikipedia article also has a lot of other useful information that you should read (I don't want to quote it all).



TheNextBillGates -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/10/2008 10:38:38 PM)

Yep, that brings up a good point - don't store Lithium batteries fully discharged! Many manufacturers will tell you to store the battery fully charged and to charge it occasionally even if not used (due to the self-draining characteristics).

The website has a recommendation to remove the battery and keep it in a feezer to keep it away from the heat...now that's a nifty idea I hadn't thought of!



walterquez -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/11/2008 1:17:50 AM)

I don't remember where in the IBM site I read this, but it is not good to leave it plugged as this will shorten the battery life. When a battery is charged, the chemicals are in a certain state, and if they stay in that state too long, it will shorten its life. Or if we plug it when it's 50% percent, and not let it drain, then the other 50% would never get a chance for the chemicals to do what it needs to do.



PreserveWildlife -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/12/2008 5:24:52 PM)

Of course it is not bad. I've done it for well over 10 years now.



psaulm119 -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/12/2008 8:56:19 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheNextBillGates

If your battery is Lithium-Ion, then I would NOT continuously drain/recharge the battery. That would help for Ni-Cad batteries, but not Lithium. Lithium's have a limited number of drain/recharge cycles before they lose their ability to hold a charge.

Laptops today are smart enough to know when to shut off charging to the battery. I'd have to seriously doubt that leaving the laptop plugged in all the time does anything negative to the battery.


I'd like some clarification on this point, just to make sure. I do in fact have a Lithium battery in my laptop. What I have been doing is, after it reaches 100%, pulling out the plug, which then starts another charge-down cycle.

What you would suggest that I do is keep that adapter plugged in for as long as is practicable, before pulling it out and starting another cycle?



PolarBear -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/14/2008 4:04:16 AM)

First time I've heard any of this. My laptop is over a year old and I've had it plugged in virtually the whole time. Battery life is still about 2 1/2 hours (was perhaps closer to 3 at the start).



Terath -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/15/2008 2:04:04 PM)

The answer is yes and no. Yes, lithium batteries last FAR longer when they are at a fully charged state then when not. However, the battery is kept hot if it's plugged in after reaching 100% charge. Heat destroys batteries. So it has nothing to do with being charged, it has everything to do with heat. If you have a good external fan, that would serve to keep your laptop very cool. However, I wouldn't reccommend that because the last one I had fried my USB controller cirtcuitry, leaving me with a total of 1 USB port. Also, if you drain and recharge your battery constantly, the life will decrease DRASTICALLY. Instead, simply remove the batter when a full charge is reached to prolong the life to the maximum. Often, it's easier just to leave it in though. The time gained isn't huge.



WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/18/2008 5:37:33 PM)

I was just reading up on this at Apple's website earlier today after Miss Giggles, in another thread, suggested I may need to replace my by battery.

From the Apple website:

quote:

Standard Maintenance
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

(emphasis in quote are mine)



quote:

A properly maintained Apple notebook battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.



Terath -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/20/2008 1:31:09 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WhiteRoseBlessings

I was just reading up on this at Apple's website earlier today after Miss Giggles, in another thread, suggested I may need to replace my by battery.

From the Apple website:

quote:

Standard Maintenance
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

(emphasis in quote are mine)



quote:

A properly maintained Apple notebook battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.


True to form, Apple has no idea what they're talking about. Then again, they've never been what you call "battery-smart." I can recall one of their laptops actually needed a thin spacer, such as a piece of paper, to get the contacts connected properly and get full battery life. But enough complaining, the second quote says it all. A battery has a limited discharge-recharge cycle. To artificially add more discharge and recharges, to "keep the juices flowing," is abosolutely detrimental to the health of a battery, more so than the heat caused by simply leaving it plugged in. Best thing to do is remove the battery after getting a full charge, because Lithium batteries store better at full charge, and it keeps them away from any heat.



_Cinderella_ -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/22/2008 6:10:27 PM)

When this laptop was newer I used to unplug it sometimes and let it run on the battery.

Now that this laptop is old I only get ten minutes or less with a fully charged battery.



cheesefan -> RE: Leaving charged laptop plugged in is BAD? (4/30/2008 6:50:43 PM)

Here is a Tip from the Kim Kimando website about an inaccurate laptop battery charge. Maybe something to look into.

http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=4202&page=2

I agree that batteries are subject to less life due to heat. And that Li-ion batteries do not keep a memory. However I have always left mine plugged in and never had problems. Just my two cents. Thanks



Page: [1]



Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.5 ANSI