Laptop battery, how to increase life of

[EWyatt]

I purchased a new Dell Inspiron 13, 5000 series, laptop jewel.  The battery may be tough to replace eventually, so.....  Will I improve (or hurt) the battery by keeping the laptop plugged in ALL the time from the start, or are charge/discharge cycles necessary? Thanks.

EW

[StringJunky]

Keep it charged/plugged in where youcan. they have a life of about 500 cycles. Keep it cool; keep it on a hard surface rather than on your lap. Running it flat too often, hurts it, so, topping up a partially discharged battery is better for the battery than a full discharge/full recharge cycle.

[EWyatt]

Thanks, StringJunky, for the reply.  I'll keep it plugged in (mostly) all the time.  The laptop has an SSD so that should be a plus for heat production, I think...  Regards.

EW

[StringJunky]

Just now, EWyatt said:

Thanks, StringJunky, for the reply.  I'll keep it plugged in (mostly) all the time.  The laptop has an SSD so that should be a plus for heat production, I think...  Regards.

EW

That's what I do. You could set it to sleep at 20% charge if you really want to baby it. Just don't run the battery flat when you are on it. If you over-discharge a lithium battery too many times then recharge, metallic lithium pathways can form which can cause a short circuit and catch fire. It happened to a niece of mine.

[NimrodTheGoat]

So it is always best for the battery to dwindle to 20% then recharge it, but does using it while chraging affect it in any negative way? Once fully charged, should you unplug it to save on the energy bill?

[StringJunky]

36 minutes ago, NimrodTheGoat said:

So it is always best for the battery to dwindle to 20% then recharge it,

To optimise battery life, the ideal usage range is between 20% - 90% charge. Topping it up from any point above 20% is best. Don't fret about running it down to that number, just keep it above it. Keep it plugged in when you are using it and there is wall power available. Just use it as a portable device when it's necessary.

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...but does using it while chraging affect it in any negative way?

I don't know. Edit:  I don't think so because it's running off the mains when plugged in.

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Once fully charged, should you unplug it to save on the energy bill?

Once the battery is charged it won't draw current again until the voltage drops below a certain point.

Edited December 7, 2017 by StringJunky

[fiveworlds]

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The battery may be tough to replace

Not really the batteries are fairly cheap you're talking about $15 to replace them. https://www.ebay.ie/itm/10-pcs-3-7V-350-mAh-Polymer-Li-ion-Lithium-Cell-For-GPS-Bluetooth-Headset-402040/111724750841?hash=item1a035067f9:g:a24AAOSw1cNaJ0Pp

 

[Carrock]

I have a dell with a 'mainly use on mains power' option in the bios where the battery presumably recharges more slowly in a life prolonging way.

Worth having a look.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Carrock

[StringJunky]

54 minutes ago, Carrock said:

I have a dell with a 'mainly use on mains power' option in the bios where the battery presumably recharges more slowly in a life prolonging way.

Worth having a look.

That's a good point. lower charge is better than fast charge for battery life. Another one is that only charging to less than 100% doubles the life.