[rag on a muffin]

people tell me that the battery deteriorates by charging quickly. if this is the case, why not make an app that charges the battery at the rate you want? here is an example.

1. you plug in the power cord

2. a dialog box appears that asks how long you will have the power cord plugged in for.

3. the battery is charged at the rate you choose, either speeding up charging to get you out the door faster, or saving battery life, such as overnight trickle charges.

[Lancer409]

is that the reason why the battery dies? because of the speed of the charges? i guess i'll have to keep up with this thread to see what people say. i dunno myself

[Voch]

I always thought that a battery could only be charged a finite number of times and what you want to avoid is going from changing between charging/not charging as much as possible.

When I plug in my PowerBook I keep it plugged in until I need it as a portable again. When running on battery I use power saving techniques to keep from having to plug it in again (trying to avoid a charge cycle until I can use the machine powered from an outlet for a charge cycle to be worth it).

Removing a battery while charging to preserve it sounds like extra work for no reason.

I'm sure batteries also have a time-based shelf life of some sort (after X years they won't hold a charge, even if they haven't been charged/depleted many times).

Voch

[OB1]

I've never heard of battery charging speed as being an issue before. As I understood it, lithium-ion batteries are happy to be 'topped-up' proving they are FULLY charged each time.- ie, don't partially charge them, keep them charging until they show 100%.

Check out Battery University for some info.

[dj forge]

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

[escher]

Originally posted by dj forge:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/

Wow! Thanks for posting that useful link, dj forge. Apple should advertise that page instead of keeping it a secret. The advice on there will come in handy for my new 12-inch PB.

Escher

[Voch]

Apple Computer says here:

Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her iBook on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge.

Hmmm...interesting. For most of my PowerBook's life I've kept it at home, left it plugged in most of the time and ran it off of battery only when I needed it as a portable.

Nowadays I take it to work where it sleeps in a bag most of the time, gets used once or twice at work, runs off of battery when I get home until I'm done using it for the day (or until the battery runs out), and then gets plugged in to recharge overnight.

Sounds like I'm doing it a favor lately by taking it to work... I've even had a battery replacement done since I switched to the new behavior and all is well (the battery would only last 40 minutes or so before Apple replaced it).

Voch

[SplijinX]

Originally posted by Voch:
Apple Computer says here:

Hmmm...interesting. For most of my PowerBook's life I've kept it at home, left it plugged in most of the time and ran it off of battery only when I needed it as a portable.

Nowadays I take it to work where it sleeps in a bag most of the time, gets used once or twice at work, runs off of battery when I get home until I'm done using it for the day (or until the battery runs out), and then gets plugged in to recharge overnight.

Sounds like I'm doing it a favor lately by taking it to work... I've even had a battery replacement done since I switched to the new behavior and all is well (the battery would only last 40 minutes or so before Apple replaced it).

Voch

It still doesn't mean you can't use it like a desktop replacement...

"If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month."

It just like the saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it."
If you don't have to run off with it anytime soon, just unplug when you use and plug it back in when you're done.

[Wiskedjak]

There's so much conflicting information on battery care.

I heard that lithium ion batteries like it if you do the Hokey Pokey everytime you complete a charge cycle.

[Voch]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
I heard that lithium ion batteries like it if you do the Hokey Pokey everytime you complete a charge cycle.

I'll look funny doing that in my cubicle every weekday morning, but if it prolongs the life if my battery and keeps my TiBook's hinges from breaking...

Voch

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Voch:
I'll look funny doing that in my cubicle every weekday morning, but if it prolongs the life if my battery and keeps my TiBook's hinges from breaking...

Voch

Actually, I heard that the hinges don't like it when you do the Hokey Pokey ... sorry