Technology Is there a consensus on when to charge batteries?

[RookTookIt]

Hi all!

I remember back in the day when I got a new laptop or phone, the salesman would tell me to let the battery drain completely before charging. Is this still a thing? Should I let my batteries die every now and then, or should I be keeping my portables plugged in whenever possible? Does this even matter?

Thanks!

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[pacpod]

The latest consensus I've been going by is to charge as needed and then once a month do a full discharge and recharge. At least for Li ion batteries.

For example, there is no way my iPhone could make it more than a day on a charge so I charge it every night no matter where the battery is at. I do try and kill it off completely at least every once in a while.

 

[PetMySausage]

The general rule with modern Li-Ion batteries is to charge them whenever you want, and try to never let them run completely out of charge, that will damage the battery and shorten its life.

 

[Purple2012]

I just got a MacBook Air and one of the features the Apple guy mentioned was that it won't overcharge the battery. It stops charging when it's full. I wasn't even aware this was an issue.

 

[justaregularmed]

Lithium-whatever batteries don't care as long as they don't completely drain (which they should have a safeguard against). They are generally rated by discharge-recharge cycles. Your laptop or cell phone is probably rated for somewhere around 300-1000 cycles and that's about it, use away.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Also, most laptops and cell phones (at least the MBP and iPhone) will shut off before you actually drain your battery. There is still some power left, but your device shuts down to keep you from completely using up the battery.

 

[YetAnotherPre]

I just got a MacBook Air and one of the features the Apple guy mentioned was that it won't overcharge the battery. It stops charging when it's full. I wasn't even aware this was an issue.

Any Li-Ion battery made in the last 10 years should have overcharge protection built into it. This is nothing new.

 

[Stroganoff]

Any Li-Ion battery made in the last 10 years should have overcharge protection built into it. This is nothing new.

Depends on the cells used and if the protected feature is built into it. Some of the budget Chinese Li-Ion cells are unprotected.