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Joined: 31 Mar 2008
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Schools:Chicago Booth 2011
Re: The great Laptop discussion forum
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02 Apr 2009, 18:06
Since you guys brought up batteries, that's right in my wheelhouse (my current job is research in this area.)
Here's some common questions I get about Li-Ion batteries (which is what your laptop uses):
1. How do I get the maximum life out of my batteries?
a) Heat. Avoid exposing your laptop to high temperatures (e.g. leaving on the dashboard of a car, or a picnic table on a really sunny day.) You don't have to go as far as storing it in the freezer or anything along those lines. Just keep it around 25oC/77oF.
b) Don't wait till the battery is almost dead to recharge it. This is a myth that was carried over from the old battery technology (nickel based batteries.) Li-ion batteries do NOT have "power memory," so charge it every night, it's actually better for the battery.
c) This is only for the hardcore people who really want to squeeze every single second of life out of their batteries. If you really want to extend the life of your batteries, don't ever fully charge your batteries either. Think of a pendulum, and 50% charge as the equilibrium. If you can constantly charge/discharge your battery around the 50% charge state, your battery will last for a long time (that's the strategy being used for Li-ion batteries that will be going into hybrid cars.) So if you want to do this, you'll charge your battery till about 60% power, then use it till it drops to 40%, then charge it back up to 60% etc. I don't recommend this because it's such a HUGE pain to do, but if you're obsessive about battery life, you can try it.
d) Remove the battery if it's fully charged and you have the laptop connected to the power adapter. The effectiveness of this is somewhat debatable, and I think modern circuitry has improved so this may not be necessary.
2. If I want to replace my batteries, should I pay the ridiculous price for a brand new one from the supplier (e.g. Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.) or use third party services (people who will take apart your battery and replace only the cells) that are much cheaper?
I hate to give this answer, but it depends. If you want peace of mind, just fork out the dough and get it from Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. If you want to save some money, you can take it to third party places that will replace just the cells. The problem with the latter method is that the battery circuitry is designed specifically for a certain type of cell. If they replace with your cells a different type, while you *probably* won't have any safety issues, the cells may not last very long or be as effective.
Here's an example. Sanyo is the leading Li-ion battery manufacturer in the world, and BYD is the biggest Chinese battery manufacturer. Sanyo batteries are obviously better, but let's say you bought a Lenovo and it uses BYD cells. You take your battery and ask a third party company to replace just the cells with Sanyo cells. Logic dictates that since you replaced BYD cells with Sanyo cells, which are better, your battery should last longer. NO! It doesn't work that way. The circuity in your battery (called the Battery Management System, BMS) is designed for the BYD cells, so even though you technically replaced it with better Sanyo cells, your battery will not be as effective.
How do I replace the battery in my laptop which doesn't have a detachable battery pack (e.g. Macbook Air)?
Sorry, you can't. You're SOL. These batteries are soldered onto the main circuit board, and it would be very risky to replace them. Apple (not to single them out, but they are the main culprits) do this for two main reasons. First, removing battery connectors and soldering the battery directly to the board allows them to build a slimmer laptop/device (e.g. iPod nano.) Second, if the battery dies the customer has to get a brand new laptop or iPod (those bastards!)
Let me know if yo have any other questions about your battery.