Li-Ion Batteries: A different driver

Li-Ion: From time to time many medicines are written that aim to increase the lifespan of rechargeable batteries Li-Ion on smartphones, tablets or laptops. The truth is, a little care can make a difference, but that doesn't mean you should treat your batteries like sick pets .

They are all designed and built to do a specific thing . So most of the time you just need to let them do their job.Li-Ion

But with a little care, a rechargeable one it can take years. How many years; In my experience, the answer is "a lot".

I have a first generation iPod touch that I got in 2008 and it still works with its original battery. Yes, all batteries will wear out, and they will not be the same as the one you purchased, but they will most likely continue to work.

What to look out for in all Li-Ion rechargeable batteries?

Understand the term “cycle again"

Each battery has a limited lifespan referred to as a "recharge cycle" or "battery life cycle".

Simply put, we are talking about the number of charge-discharge cycles that a battery is expected to have before it is no longer suitable for use.

Some hardware manufacturers report this number while others avoid doing so. For example, Apple has this information, and states that the iPhone battery is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity over 500 full charge and discharge cycles, while in Pro or MacBook Air the battery is designed to provide up to 1000 full charge – discharges before reaching 80% of its original capacity.

You can find out how many times your MacBook's battery has been recharged by clicking the Apple logo in the menu and then About This Mac – System Report. From there, click on Power and look for Cycle Count.

For a system running Windows 8 or Windows 10, run the following command from a command prompt:

powercfg / batteryreport

The command will create a report in HTML format and save it in the account of the user who ran it.

Myths and reality:

Charging cycles

Some believe that they can avoid the charges and discharges mentioned above by systematically recharging their battery before it is fully discharged.

Unfortunately, you can not change the laws of physics. Let's see why:

If you let your battery discharge by only 25%, and you do it four times, 4 × 25% makes us 100%, that is, it counts as a single cycle. The same is true if you make five charges at 20 percent discharge of the battery, or up to 20 percent after 5 percent discharge.

So from the above we see that smaller charges allow us to put in the charger more times in our device.

What does this mean; But what can you do to prevent unnecessary charging cycles? It's simple and rather easy if you know the above. You can connect your devices and charge them where possible, and you can only leave the devices connected when they are in use.

It is advisable not to let them charge constantly, as this can cause heat to build up, which can damage the battery. Putting your device in the charger and going to bed should be avoided.

In other words, I'm not saying you should constantly charge your device's battery, because it also needs full charge to keep its internal chemistry in good condition. You just have to be more discriminating with the help you render toward other people.

Full or partial discharge?

Some say you should not let a Li-Ion battery run out of power before recharging, others say it does not matter.

The truth is, with modern Li-Ion batteries, it does not matter, because their discharge is regulated by the built-in circuits.

This was a problem with old NiCd (nickel-cadmium) batteries because there was a point where it would be impossible to recharge them if they were discharged. These batteries did not need to be charged very often and were much more sensitive to temperature. The same goes for lead-acid batteries.

Li-Ion: The temperature

A room temperature of about 20 ° C is the best temperature for charging equipment. However, not all of us live in air-conditioned rooms, and the temperature range changes. High and very low temperatures can damage the battery. This is especially true for charging the battery in temperatures below 0 ° C, which can permanently damage the battery.

Battery chemistry can play an important role. There are some batteries that have better temperature tolerance than others (check the specifications).

Exposing Li-Ion batteries to extreme temperatures can also cause distortion or cracking. This of course can also damage the device that contains the battery.

If you want to monitor the battery temperature on your laptop there are many utilities: for example the Passmark BatteryMon (Windows) or for Mac systems the TG Pro.

Li-Ion: Avoid Stress

Yes the batteries do not want to be stressed. Avoid loads that forget the device in the charger, and falls. A fall, which is something that has happened to everyone, can damage the battery, causing corrosive chemicals to leak, which in turn can damage electronics, not to mention our skin and eyes.

Do not use the device

If you do not intend to use your device for a period of time, avoid fully charging it before storage.

A charge of about 50% is what most manufacturers recommend. On the other hand, storing a discharged battery may prevent it from being rechargeable (usually due to the safety features built into the battery or charger). Storing a fully charged battery can shorten its life by causing it to swell, which in turn can damage the device.

You philosophize

After all of the above you should also be a little philosophical: Everyone dies one day! If this happens, (which will happen) please do not shoot the pianist, or in our case the columnist.

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Written by giorgos

George still wonders what he's doing here ...

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