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Battery + Power Adapter = Reduce battery life?

post #1 of 4
2/10/06 at 5:00am
Thread Starter 
Hi, can anyone confirm whether is it true that if u use your laptop with both battery and the power adapter plugged in, u'll reduce the battery life (especially when the battery is 100%)? I got this info from a Malaysian computer website where it states over there that to have longer battery lifespan, u need to use either battery or power adapter when accessing ur notebook but not both simultaneously. It is better to recharge the battery when it hits 0% and the battery also needs to be taken off the notebook should u intend to use the power adapter. Doesn't it sound like ur notebook should be used like a desktop? I mean, until now, I believe that one of the advantages of using notebooks over desktops is u can still enjoy doing your work without the computer suddenly got shut down when there is a blackout at ur home or workplace.
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post #2 of 4
2/10/06 at 9:44am
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/. Read up on lithium ion batteries which are in most laptop these days.

Leaving the battery in the notebook may contribute to battery wear if the notebook doesn't dissipate the heat it produces well and the battery temperature rises as a result.

Fully discharging a lithium ion battery is NOT recommended if possible. They do not have 'memory' like older NiCd batteries which did like full discharges. Full discharges are only useful for recalibrating the battery's digital meter that the OS uses to tell you battery time remaining.

But, no matter what you do, your batteries will degrade as they do have a shelf life. Just try not to leave battery/notebook where it's very hot (i.e. in the car during a really warm day). Be prepared to need to buy a new battery after 2-4 years because of battery wear reducing battery life.
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post #3 of 4
2/10/06 at 1:03pm
Also leaving the bat in the laptop at 100% charge for some days also reduces the lifetime of the bat without heat issues.

That's caused due to the build of liion batteries, which only have a limited number of charge-cycles (the get "older" each time they get charged and chemical processes degrade the battery each time it get's loaded).
As there is no difference if the battery get's charged from 98% to 100% or from 30% to 100% you get to the dilemma, that, if you leave the battery in the laptop all the time and also use the powercord all the time the liion battery undergoes selfdischarging and looses some power, than the charging circuit on the mainboard recognized this and charges the battery and this he does quite often from 99% to 100% without you even knowing it.

So best way to treat your battery is to charge it and than take it out if you want to work on power adapter.
But also remember not to store fully charged liion batteries for longer periods of time. To store liion batteries without use they should have about 30%-40% of their maximum charge.
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post #4 of 4
2/10/06 at 1:39pm
If on AC and battery fully charged, you should always remove the battery. I am having this problem with my 9300. It does not recharge up to 100% but 99%. It will only get worse over time. It sux that the battery is located beneath the laptop and Dell does not sell a bay cover for the laptop so I can remove the battery.
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