The Do’s and Don’ts for Lithium Batteries

Nothing is more annoying than a laptop with a short battery life; one is limited to using them while you’re on the road and you always have to be around a socket. How long a battery lasts does not only depend on the type of battery but also depends on its quality and how well it’s cared for.

The most common type of batteries found in modern laptops are the Lithium-ion batteries. In today’s article, we’ll look at the different ways that you can take care of your battery pack A41-X550A to increase its lifetime so that it can maintain its charge for longer and offer you a better performance.

Caring for your battery

There are some things that you ought to do to provide better care for your battery pack and some things that you shouldn’t do as these shorten its life drastically.

The Dos…

1. Always charge at a lower voltage
2. When the laptop is running on AC power, take out the battery
3. Partially discharge and recharge
4. Refrigerate the battery when it’s at 40-50% charge
5. You should cycle the battery after every few weeks

The Don’ts…

1. Never leave the battery fully charged in the laptop while its still running on AC power
2. Deep charging the battery
3. Trickle charging
4. Ultra-fast charging
5. Freezing the battery

How to increase your laptop’s battery life

Batteries are designed to allow us to be mobile as we use our devices. However, how long we’re on the move depends on battery life. We have come up with a list of things that you should do to slow down the dreaded decay of performance as time goes by. Some of the best practices include:

1. Close all apps when you’re not using them.
2. End unnecessary background processes. To shut down the non-essential programs, press “Control+Alt+Delete”

• Pause all the scheduled tasks such as virus scans. Only schedule these when you’re near a power outlet.

1. Unplug any external devices such as PC cards as they can really drain the battery power.
2. Remove the CDs from the drive if you don’t plan on using it. If you leave it there, the drive will keep spinning and this will drain the battery.
3. Dim the screen brightness to the lowest level that you can tolerate

• Avoid using sound schemes as these drain the battery like a sponge; ensure that the speakers are on mute
• Switch off your laptop’s screensaver to maximize the battery life

1. Instead of putting the laptop on “sleep” mode, put it on “Hibernate”
2. Lastly, always ensure that you use the right adapter to charge your laptop

Conclusion

The batteries start aging immediately after their production. The aging is caused by the electrolytes that slowly break down the positive plate and result in internal resistance to increase to a point where no energy is delivered. Lower temperatures and a partial charge usually slow down this process and cause the battery to last longer.

The best thing you can do to protect your battery kit from heat damage is store it in a cool place. Always maintain proper ventilation to minimize heat buildup. Another thing that you should avoid is fully discharging the battery.