Battery question

macfomusiqmacfomusiq
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
i've had my 17'' powerbook for nearly a year now and of course with all computers the battery wears down after time. but i was wondering what is the best way to optimize the life of a battery. should i just keep my book plugged in as much as possible or should i cycle my battery through once a while? thanks for taking the time to help!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    chychchych Posts: 860member
    Li-ion batteries are low maintenance; just plug them in whenever. It might be beneficial to do a full discharge every few months. If you do store the battery for extended periods of time, it is best to store them at 40% (I think) capacity, where its maximum charge capacity degrades least over time.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    drumsticksdrumsticks Posts: 315member
    chych is right. However, periodic full discharge of Li-ion batteries is to re-calibrate the electronics that monitor the depth of charge. It does nothing to improve the chemistry (it does harm it a little though). But it's the lesser of two evils.



    In short, Nickel based batteries have chemistry memory problems, Lithium based batteries have digital memory problems.
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