Laptop Battery Use (WXP-Home)

[jinx76]

I just purchased my first laptop. I have a question tho. Is it okay, to have the laptop plugged in all the time, when I have a power cord available? I hear that if I plan on doing that, to make sure that the battery is disconnected from the laptop.
When I look in the user manual, it doesn't say anything about removing the battery while using the AC cord. It's a lithion Ion battery, so keep charging it shouldn't be a problem right?
Any info on this would be great! Thanks in advance.

[jdharm]

I never remove the battery from my laptop unless I have a lockup that can't be solved any other way. After a year of use I haven't noticed any decrease in run time on my Thinkpad.

From time to time I have heard that rumor about pulling the battery, but frankly I can't even imagine what the theory behind that idea is. I mean, your car has the battery hooked to it's charging system nearly every minute it is in use, and it lasts for years. I can't imagine the physics in a Pb and a Li battery are that different. The biggest factor I have seen in battery longevity is manufacturing quality. I guess if you had a poorly made battery then pulling it at every opportunity would stretch the life due to the lack of use, but then what good is a battery you are constantly pulling in and out?

Just my experience/theories.



Josh

<font color=red>NEW!
IMPROVED!
SOON TO BE NEGLECTED AGAIN!</font color=red>
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.jdharm.net>www.jdharm.net</a>

[Dfyant]

Hi there!

With Lithium Ion batteries it's good practise to drain them periodically as this increase their life span - but pulling the battery out of the laptop is of no effect.

I would recommend running the laptop on battery every 4 months until it's completely drained and you can't switch it on and then recharge it.

Hope that helps a lil..

Chris

..if it ain't broke, I'm determined to fix it..

[jinx76]

Thanks guys for the feedback. It put my mind at ease.

[oooman]

You don't need to remove the battery. There is IC board inside the battery which can communicate with the notebook for power management issues. For battery maintenance and care tips, you can see http://ebuybatteries.com/battery_knowledge/battery_care.asp

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by oooman on 02/18/05 09:18.</FONT></P>