Battery Charging Information
Battery Types, Performance, and Charging Tips
If you need battery care information or cell phone battery tips, or want to learn how to improve battery performance, see below:
» New battery pack must be fully charged before use.
» New battery pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.
» Rechargeable batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused. Always store a battery pack in a fully charged staged for storage.
» Fully drain and fully recharged your battery pack every few months.
» Turn down the LCD brightness of your portable device.
» Use built-in power management on your portable device.
» Turn off LCD or other unnecessary accessories when not in used.
» Set screen saver blank to 1 to 2 minutes of your notebook
» Add more RAM if you have extra RAM expansion slot, it will reduce the usage of hard drive and it is power exhaustive.
» Close unused software in your notebook.
» Remove unused PC Cards or USB devices from your notebook.
» Don't watch DVD or play graphics intensive video games.
» Don't short circuit terminal or store your battery pack with metal parts.
» Don't drop or mutilate the battery pack.
» Don't expose to moisture or water.
» It is normal to get warm when charging or normal use. If it is getting too hot, there may be a problem with the device and qualified personnel should check it.
Laptop Battery Maintenance
How to charge your new replacement laptop battery?
Your new acer laptop battery comes in a discharged condition and must be charged before use (refer to your computer manual for charging instructions). Upon initial use (or after a prolonged storage period) the battery may require three to four charge/discharge cycles before achieving maximum capacity.When charging the battery for the first time your computer may indicate that charging is complete after just 10 or 15 minutes. This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable batteries. Simply remove the battery from the computer and repeat the charging procedure. It is important to condition (fully discharge and then fully charge) the battery every two to three weeks. Failure to do so may significantly shorten the battery's life (this does not apply to Li-Ion batteries, which do not require conditioning). To discharge, simply run your device under the battery's power until it shuts down or until you get a low battery warning. Then recharge the battery as instructed in your user's manual. If the battery will not be in use for a month or longer, it is recommended that it be removed from the device and stored in a cool, dry, clean place. It is normal for a battery to become warm during charging and discharging. A charged battery will eventually lose its charge if unused. It may therefore be necessary to recharge the battery after a storage period.
The milliamp-hour (mAH) rating of the laptop battery dot org batteries will often be higher than the one on your original battery. A higher mAH rating is indicative of a longer lasting (higher capacity) battery and will not cause any incompatibilities. A laptop battery dot org battery will, in most cases, outperform the original by 30% to 50%.
Actual battery run-time depends upon the power demands made by the equipment. In the case of notebook computers, the use of the monitor, the hard drive and other peripherals results in an additional drain upon the battery, effectively reducing the battery's run-time. The total run-time of the battery is also heavily dependent upon the design of the equipment. To ensure maximum performance of the battery, optimize your computer's power management features. Refer to your computer manual for further instructions.
Back to Top
1. Defrag regularly - The faster your hard drive does its work - less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery. Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it¡¯s on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems.
2. Dim your screen - Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.
3. Cut down on programs running in the background. Itunes, Desktop Search, etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn¡¯t crucial when you¡¯re on battery.
4. Cut down external devices - USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery. Remove or shut them down when not in use. It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.
5. Add more RAM -This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.
6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD -As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they are not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.
7. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery¡¯s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.
8. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)
9. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn¡¯t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC¡¯s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.
10. Keep operating temperature down - Your laptop operates more efficiently when it¡¯s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner, or refer to some extra tips by LapTopMag.com.
11.Set up and optimize your power options - Go to ¡®Power Options¡¯ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ¡®max battery¡¯ for maximum effect).
12.Don¡¯t multitask - Do one thing at a time when you¡¯re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3¡¯s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!
13. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you¡¯ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.
14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop -Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix.
15. Prevent the Memory Effect - If you¡¯re using a very old laptop, you¡¯ll want to prevent the ¡®memory effect¡¯ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.
Back to Top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Battery Types, Performance, and Charging Tips
Li-Ion Batteries
the newest of the rechargeable chemistries, Li-Ion has been in mass production since 1995. With three times the voltage per cell as Nickel-based chemistries (3.6 V vs. 1.2 V), Li-Ion has a higher energy density and is therefore ideal for lightweight applications. It is currently the chemistry of choice for laptop battery, notebook battery, camcorder battery? and cellular phone battery applications. Li-Ion battery has had a history of early production overheating related problems and is designed in a battery pack with a Pack Control Circuit (PCC) to protect the cells from abusive conditions such as current and voltage overcharging, high temperature, and over-discharge. The relatively high cost of Li-Ion cells combined with the need for circuitry makes the cost of Li-Ion battery packs higher than for other chemistries.
A new Li-Ion battery will benefit from an initial "conditioning" of the battery. For the first 3 charge cycles, fully charge the battery overnight and allow it to fully discharge before recharging. Once conditioned,Li-Ion batteries will perform best when charged at a rate somewhere between a conventional slow charge and a rapid charge. When rapid charging, Li-Ion batteries require a charger designed to charge Lithium batteries. To achieve a true full charge when rapid charging, the battery needs to be slow charged the last 10-15% of its charge cycle. Most "intelligent" desktop and Lithium-battery rapid chargers provide this capability. A Li-Ion battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously on a charger for more than 24 hours).
Back to Top
Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Batteries
Ni-MH batteries typically provide at least 30% more talk
time than Ni-Cd batteries. While still susceptible to
the "memory
effect," Ni-MH batteries are much less prone to this condition than
the older technology Ni-Cd batteries. Proper conditioning
of a Ni-MH battery over it's lifetime will greatly reduce
the potential negative impacts of "memory
effect." This can be done by ensuring the battery is fully discharged
before recharging at least once in every 3-5 charge cycles.
It is very important to properly "condition" a new Ni-MH battery.
For the first 3 charge cycles, fully charge the battery
overnight (preferably on a conventional slow charger) and allow it to fully
discharge before recharging. Over its lifetime, a Ni-MH battery will perform
best if it is regularly charged on a charger/conditioner type charger.
A Ni-MH battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously
on a charger for more than 24 hours).
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) Batteries
Ni-Cd batteries are the oldest technology batteries. While they offer good performance, Ni-Cd batteries are highly susceptible to the "memory effect." Due to the overall superior performance of Li-Ion and Ni-MH batteries and the additional negative environmental impact of Ni-Cd battery disposal, CELLPOWER chooses to specialize in Li-Ion and Ni-MN batteries and not carry Ni-Cd batteries in our product line.
The "Memory Effect"
"Memory Effect" is a condition of reduced battery performance (and eventual failure) due to a battery only using those cells that are fully discharged and charged on a regular basis. In other words, if on a regular basis a Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery is only partially discharged before being recharged, it " forget" that it has usable capacity to further discharge all the way down. The result is degraded battery performance and shorter battery life because the battery is using less than it's true full capacity. Lithium-ion batteries do not develop the "memory effect". Ni-MH batteries, while considerably better than their Ni-Cd counterparts, are prone to developing "memory effect." However, proper care and conditioning over the life of a Ni-MH battery will significantly reduce the potential negative impacts.
Back to Top
Battery Do's & Don'ts (to maximize performance)
Do's: Properly "condition" (fully charge/discharge for first 3 cycles) the battery when it is new.
Keep the battery and the contact terminals clean.
Avoid exposing the battery to extreme heat and cold.
Use the battery. If possible, avoid letting your battery sit dormant for long periods of time.
Use only the phone options and accessories that you really need.
Charge and re-condition a battery after an extended idle period.
Don'ts:
Toss, drop, or otherwise abuse the battery.
Short-circuit the battery.
Open and expose the cell contents.
Modify the battery casing and/or housing.
Allow the battery to be exposed to rain or excessive moisture.
Incinerate a battery. Properly dispose of a used battery.
Back to Top
Next>> |
