Since lot of Elakirians having problems with charging and lifetime of their mobile devices , i thought to create a guide to address these problems and enlighten everyone about some important facts that everyone SHOULD KNOW. I was waiting so long to find some free time to write this, this contains lot of important facts and years of experience. Surely you will learn something by reading this article.
Most of the mobile phones, Laptops, Cameras and mp3 players etc.. use rechargeable battery type called Lithium-ion (Li-ion) or Lithium-ion Polymer (Li-polymer) inside. In this guide we are talking about these Lithium based batteries.
Battery life and Charging
1. Don't fully charge your mobile device or batteries.
I know it sounds funny but heat and the high voltage stress are the main issues to decrease your battery's performance and lifetime. Have you ever noticed charging from 0% to 15% only takes few minutes or seconds but from 85% to 100% takes so long.
So you may lose few minutes of working time of your phone or laptop by not letting it to charge full, but you are saving money on expensive battery replacement and big hassle.
2. Don't wait until the end to charge.
Same as high voltage, low voltage in cells can decrease your battery life. And in the other hand when you are low in battery power it takes long time to charge to a proper level. It will create heat inside battery and will further effect the battery's life and performance.
3. Charge in short cycles.
Supporting the above point, it's good to charge for short time frames. Then it will not create excessive heat and voltage stress. I know Lithium based batteries have limited number charge cycles.
But cycle counts when you use battery power equal to a full charge, not like how many times you plugged in the charger.
4. Heat and ventilation.
HEAT HEAT HEAT! It's the worst thing for your battery. So leave your device charging in well ventilated place. Never charge on TV or near anything which generates heat. As described in above points charging itself generating lot of heat, so preventing it gives long life to your battery. I always try to charge phones near vertical position with some supporter like a gripping book.
If you place it on a table or bed horizontally, it can create heat between the device and the other surface.
Not only when charging, even when you are using your device it will generate heat from the internal electronic components of your device and battery itself.
I have seen many people working with laptops placing them on the bed. Worst scenario, sometimes they plug in the charger at the same time too. So all that heat and voltage stress combined it can decrease the life of your laptop battery massively. Some original battery replacements are so expensive you can even buy a desktop computer for few thousands more So your laptop deserves to have more ventilation to prolong it's battery life and performance.
If you are not so mobile then there is a very good solution for this laptop dilemma. You can use your laptop on the bed too. This only practical if you know what you are doing.
You can remove the battery of your laptop and plug it in to a UPS device. Then plug the UPS to the power outlet. Put the battery back only when you need to go mobile. But remember if you need the laptop to be truly wireless and mobile everyday this will not work coz replacing the battery so many times can cause some damage to terminal pins.
5. Turn off the device when charging
I know it's hard to turn off your devices in this modern world. But if you can it's really good.
Because the charging system finds it hard to determine the position to stop the charge when there is load on the battery. Wrong readings can give wrong voltages, so it can affect the life of the battery.
6. Never short circuit or improper use
Never ever short circuit the battery terminals.
And only use the battery with the exact device it came with. Never use with other devices even they use the same voltage.
Never use fast chargers, battery power boosters or any other 3rd party devices. It can damage your battery.
Maintenance and Storage
1. If you feel like the battery level indicator in your device is displaying a wrong value, then you can correct the cycle by fully discharging the battery and charging it back to full in one charge.
It's only needed when the battery indicator giving false values and should not be repeated very frequently.
2. When you are not using the battery for a long time or storing it, never discharge the battery full or charge it to full power. It can seriously decrease the life of your battery.
When storing charge the battery to 40% and store in a cool, dry place away from any metallic contacts.
Keep the battery contacts clean.
I will add the sinhala version very soon.
Ask questions you have and we can discuss any issues you have
Most of the mobile phones, Laptops, Cameras and mp3 players etc.. use rechargeable battery type called Lithium-ion (Li-ion) or Lithium-ion Polymer (Li-polymer) inside. In this guide we are talking about these Lithium based batteries.
Battery life and Charging
1. Don't fully charge your mobile device or batteries.
I know it sounds funny but heat and the high voltage stress are the main issues to decrease your battery's performance and lifetime. Have you ever noticed charging from 0% to 15% only takes few minutes or seconds but from 85% to 100% takes so long.
So you may lose few minutes of working time of your phone or laptop by not letting it to charge full, but you are saving money on expensive battery replacement and big hassle.
2. Don't wait until the end to charge.
Same as high voltage, low voltage in cells can decrease your battery life. And in the other hand when you are low in battery power it takes long time to charge to a proper level. It will create heat inside battery and will further effect the battery's life and performance.
3. Charge in short cycles.
Supporting the above point, it's good to charge for short time frames. Then it will not create excessive heat and voltage stress. I know Lithium based batteries have limited number charge cycles.
But cycle counts when you use battery power equal to a full charge, not like how many times you plugged in the charger.
4. Heat and ventilation.
HEAT HEAT HEAT! It's the worst thing for your battery. So leave your device charging in well ventilated place. Never charge on TV or near anything which generates heat. As described in above points charging itself generating lot of heat, so preventing it gives long life to your battery. I always try to charge phones near vertical position with some supporter like a gripping book.
If you place it on a table or bed horizontally, it can create heat between the device and the other surface.
Not only when charging, even when you are using your device it will generate heat from the internal electronic components of your device and battery itself.
I have seen many people working with laptops placing them on the bed. Worst scenario, sometimes they plug in the charger at the same time too. So all that heat and voltage stress combined it can decrease the life of your laptop battery massively. Some original battery replacements are so expensive you can even buy a desktop computer for few thousands more
So your laptop deserves to have more ventilation to prolong it's battery life and performance.If you are not so mobile then there is a very good solution for this laptop dilemma. You can use your laptop on the bed too. This only practical if you know what you are doing.
You can remove the battery of your laptop and plug it in to a UPS device. Then plug the UPS to the power outlet. Put the battery back only when you need to go mobile. But remember if you need the laptop to be truly wireless and mobile everyday this will not work coz replacing the battery so many times can cause some damage to terminal pins.
5. Turn off the device when charging
I know it's hard to turn off your devices in this modern world. But if you can it's really good.
Because the charging system finds it hard to determine the position to stop the charge when there is load on the battery. Wrong readings can give wrong voltages, so it can affect the life of the battery.
6. Never short circuit or improper use
Never ever short circuit the battery terminals.
And only use the battery with the exact device it came with. Never use with other devices even they use the same voltage.
Never use fast chargers, battery power boosters or any other 3rd party devices. It can damage your battery.
Maintenance and Storage
1. If you feel like the battery level indicator in your device is displaying a wrong value, then you can correct the cycle by fully discharging the battery and charging it back to full in one charge.
It's only needed when the battery indicator giving false values and should not be repeated very frequently.
2. When you are not using the battery for a long time or storing it, never discharge the battery full or charge it to full power. It can seriously decrease the life of your battery.
When storing charge the battery to 40% and store in a cool, dry place away from any metallic contacts.
Keep the battery contacts clean.
I will add the sinhala version very soon.
Ask questions you have and we can discuss any issues you have
