Being an electrical engineer in-training, it's natural for us to be curious about all things electrical. Since I had recently purchased a new laptop, I was worried about how I would go about maximising both battery life, and the best way to charge it to prolong its total recharge cycles. After surfing on the internet here's what i found - the results were quite interesting!

Myth 1 - the first charge for any new battery needs to be 8-12 hours (priming the battery) - FALSE

We live in the days of lithium-ion batteries which do not need to be primed at all. This myth is only true for the old nickel-cadmium batteries. Hence for lithium-ion batteries, the first charge only needs to be as long as all the other charges! Also, the first full battery will last as long as the next full charge - lithium ion's give 100% right from the get go!

Myth 2 - Its better to completely discharge the battery before charging it fully again - FALSE

once more, this myth is only true for the old nickel-cadmium batteries and does not apply for lithium-ion batteries. In fact, lithium ion batteries are best charged frequently and for optimal battery life, it is good practise to keep their charge above 40%.

Myth 3 - It's bad to keep the battery plugged in with the AC (drip charging) PARTIALLY TRUE

This is only true for very extended periods of time (like if you use a laptop as a PC replacement) but of course laptops these days have circuits designed for drip charging to avoid overcharging (which is very bad for lithium-ion batteries) and to preserve battery life. If your laptop hasn't moved for the past few months, then take out that battery!

other funky facts about lithium-ion batteries -
>they are the most commonly used batteries for portable devices such as mobiles, laptops, pda's, handhelds, etc. To check if your batteries are lithium-ion, simply take out your battery and read the label =]

>the life of a lithium ion battery decreases naturally whether you charge it or not.

>Batteries are the only aspect of electronics which haven't been keeping pace with other technological advancements! This is why laptops are still only averaging 4-5 hours - pathetic!! (mine lasts for 8! woot!!) This is also why we now have a trade-off between super high performance (from super-advanced juice-sucking chips) or longer battery life with a decrease in processing power.

>If you're a foreigner, do not buy D batteries (lol xD) *see link below

There you have it folks! Hope you all learned something from this little guide =P

*in reference to dimitri martin's hilarious stand up seen below =] -

Geoff
09.11
Sydney, AU
B Elec Eng/Comm @ UNSW