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Lithium battery care

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  • 25-03-2015 4:30am
    #1
    onemorechance
    Registered Users Posts: 3,078 ✭✭✭


    Until recently I thought that allowing a battery to discharge fully, and then fully recharge it was the best way to extend it's life, both in terms of discharge duration and charge cycles.

    However, I have now read that allowing the battery to discharge completely will have the opposite effect, it will reduce battery lifespan, reduce max charge capacity and recharging from empty can make the battery unstable and destroy it.
    A partial discharge reduces stress and prolongs battery life. Elevated temperature and high currents also affect cycle life.

    BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries

    Agree or disagree? My take from this, and what is most practical, is to charge phone when battery is at 50%.


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    #2
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,457 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    onemorechance wrote: »
    However, I have now read that allowing the battery to discharge completely will have the opposite effect, it will reduce battery lifespan, reduce max charge capacity and recharging from empty can make the battery unstable and destroy it.

    It's virtually impossible to run a lithium battery completely flat because the device will switch off before that point is reached. In the case of Ni-Mh batteries, running them flat can lead to polarity reversal and permanent damage so devices now switch off before you reach the point where that could happen.

    It's not necessary to run the battery to almost flat every time, once in a while is enough.

    BTW as with matters medical, if you research hard enough on the web you will find every conceivable theory and suggestion on this topic so treat most sources (including this one!) with scepticism.


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