| The basic makeup of each battery type is very | | | | refrigerator - not the freezer! |
| similar. Each has a positive electrode (cathode), a | | | | Ideally, you should store at a 40% charge level. |
| negative electrode (anode), a separator and an | | | | At 100%, you may have unnecessary stress and |
| electrolyte. However, the chemistry in each is | | | | internal corrosion. But if the charge is too low, the |
| different. The differences offer various levels of | | | | battery can eventually become unusable because |
| performance. | | | | it will self discharge. |
| Much of our newest technologies demand much | | | | Calibrating Helps |
| more power than its predecessors. The features | | | | Most manufacturers agree that there is some |
| and sophistication of the newer electronics have | | | | benefit to completely discharging your lithium |
| truly increased the power demanded from | | | | batteries periodically, especially for your laptop. If |
| batteries. It is this power demand that motivated | | | | you completely drain the laptop cell, it will help to |
| the industry to develop power sources to keep | | | | recalibrate which will allow for more accurate |
| up. | | | | measure of the life span. |
| A lithium is different from an alkaline. | | | | You should try this every 30 charges or when |
| Both the chemistry and construction of lithium and | | | | you notice readings are off. |
| alkaline differ. It is the lithium design that helps this | | | | Calibration does not extend the discharge time - it |
| newer power source meet the high drains of | | | | only resets it to show the remaining charge |
| many of today's devices. | | | | accurately. |
| These new and powerful batteries are used in | | | | Memory is not what it once was ... |
| various portable electronic devices, and are widely | | | | When I got my first cell phone, I was told to let it |
| used as a mobile laptop computer power source. | | | | completely die before recharging. This idea is that |
| Here are some tips to make your laptop power | | | | of memory. This process of completely |
| source last longer: | | | | discharging before recharging to the max, would |
| Heat Kills! | | | | supposedly give my phone the complete battery |
| Heat truly decreases the life span of lithium | | | | capacity. |
| batteries. You may notice that if you use your | | | | If I recharged with 50% capacity already, the |
| laptop as a replacement for a desktop, the | | | | battery would assign the half way point as the |
| battery capacity decreases greatly. Some | | | | empty point, and cut the capacity in half. |
| measure the decrease at 60% to 80% of the | | | | But this does not apply to lithium cells - only for |
| original capacity after about a year. | | | | nickel based. In truth, fully discharging your lithium |
| If you use your laptop as a desktop, you should | | | | battery often can be harmful to its battery's |
| remove the battery while using the plug-in power | | | | health, possibly making it completely unusable if |
| source. And before storing your laptop battery, | | | | levels go too low. |
| you may want to first check with the | | | | The modern lithium has a safety circuit to make |
| manufacture on the effects of moisture and dust | | | | sure it doesn't reach the point of no return. The |
| in the casing. | | | | safety circuit isn't guaranteed. If you leave it |
| Correct Storage | | | | completely drained for a few days, the safety |
| If you don't plan on using your lithium batteries | | | | circuit probably won't save it. |
| for a while, you may want to put them in your | | | | |