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| Thread ID: 80790 | 2007-07-05 07:38:00 | Notebook Battery initial charge | Tribomb (5547) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 566035 | 2007-07-05 07:38:00 | Hi I just brought a HP dv6305TX, and I was wondering if I need to charge the battery overnight, or for a certain amount of time before using it. It doesn't say to on the Quick Setup, just to plug it into the power source and turn it on. I always thought that you needed to charge it...??? Thanks Mike |
Tribomb (5547) | ||
| 566036 | 2007-07-05 07:41:00 | Plug it in and use it. As long as the computer is plugged into the mains it will be powered from the mains. If the battery needs charging, it will be charged at the same time. If you are planning to use the computer away from the mains, it would pay to leave it plugged in overnight to be fairly confident that the battery will be fully charged. (There will be a battery "meter" which will show the state of charge). |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 566037 | 2007-07-05 08:03:00 | Cool, thanks a lot!! :thumbs: |
Tribomb (5547) | ||
| 566038 | 2007-07-05 08:54:00 | I am not an expert on this but I have an opinion that I think has some merit. Modern laptop batteries have much less of a "memory effect" than the old NiCads but I think there is still some. If this is so then I reckon it is a good idea with a new battery to put it through a couple of full cycles at the beginning of it's life (from fully charged to fully discharged twice). Can't do any harm. | johnd (85) | ||
| 566039 | 2007-07-06 04:56:00 | Just use it normally. All rechargeable batteries have a limited number of cycles. Why use two of them? Lithium batteries do have memory. But it's not chemical, causing loss of capacity; it's in the battery controller -- a microcontroller built into the package. | Graham L (2) | ||
| 566040 | 2007-07-06 10:36:00 | Graham - I don't get it - are you saying they intentionally build in a memory effect? | johnd (85) | ||
| 566041 | 2007-07-06 14:44:00 | There is a strong undercurrent of opinion that *some* laptop makers limit the number of significant charge/discharge cycles using the electronic controller in the battery. Typical background is here: west-wind.com It's entirely possible, as LiOn batteries have specific safety issues if not well managed, one option may be to also manage their life? This issue is well known and well discussed as per the above link (of which I am sure there will be many more such links) |
godfather (25) | ||
| 566042 | 2007-07-06 22:10:00 | There is a strong undercurrent of opinion that.... Thanks for that - while I have been around in the PC world for some time I have only recently ventured into the world of laptops - I didn't know that. |
johnd (85) | ||
| 566043 | 2007-07-08 03:10:00 | No, a "memory effect" isn't built in. ;) The microcontroller in a Lithium battery is there to make the battery usable and safe. It monitors the charging current and voltage and stops the charging when the battery is "full", to stop it "venting with flame". It monitors the output current and voltage, too, so it knows the charge state. (This is the "fuel gauge". )It will stop discharge if the voltage gets below a critical point. It will disconnect the battery if it is shorted. The chip costs about 30c if you buy enough of them. ;) There's not much point to programming an "end-point". After about 500 cycles, the battery will reach its end of life anyway, because its capacity will be too low. If it reaches a point where its voltage isn't high enough, the low voltage sensing will stop it working. That's a safety thing for a good battery; it will stop you using a dead battery. There's a lot of "opinion" on the Internet. A lot of it assumes evil intentions on the part of manufacturers. Some of it might be correct. Many of the "strong undercurrents" should be stopped from reaching the outside world by underwear. |
Graham L (2) | ||
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