OneBadLT123

Well I got a new Gateway laptop and I heard stories about how you properly manage battery life by not leaving it plugged in at all times, or when the battery is not in use, disconnect it when on AC power...etc.

I am just wondering if there are any specific ways to help ensure battery life, or are all these tales just myths?

Thanks in advance
Greg

twajetmech

Depending on the type of battery they are not myths....best bet is to fully charge the battery and then remove the laptop from the charger, expect about a 1% loss in charge per day for Li batteries and 2%-5% for Ni-cads. While the newer (Li) batteries today do not suffer from the "memory" issue that older ni-cad batteries do its still a good idea to periodically allow the battery to completely discharge.....this also alows the laptop to calibrate the length of battery life remaining

laboye

Well, I personally wouldn't say 1%. This depends entirely on your use and the milliamperage of the battery. It's capacity, that is. Here's my list of tips:

- Never leave it plugged in for more than a few days at a time.
- Don't unplug and plug it back in frequently
- Let your battery die down to about 20-30 percent before you charge it up again.
- Try to charge the battery all the way; don't stop it at 90% or 95%, etc.
- For storage, charge the battery to about 75%.
- Never leave the battery completely discharged for more than two weeks.
- Every month or two, let your battery drain completely and charge it all the way from there. (Reconditioning)
- Never pry it open and pour water inside

You can expect your battery to perform well for a good 2-3 years, it you take care of it. After that, the capacity starts to diminish, allowing less and less time on the battery. In some cases, entire lithium cells will die, causing significant life loss.

Hope this helped!

OneBadLT123

Thanks i appreciate all the information!
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