Is it good or bad to run a laptop battery down once a day?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Is it good or bad to run a laptop battery down once a day?

Posted: 6/22/2011 4:58:37 AM EDT

I get to work (civie) job at 0600, I use my laptop for about two hours till other folks show up and then move to my office. Battery is almost depleted by the time I move.

So is this good or bad?

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:02:30 AM EDT

[#1]

There are a finite number of times they can be cycled. The number depends on the battery.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:12:11 AM EDT

[#2]

the way i was told was to run down the battery of laptop or cell all the way at least three time

and fully charge it the same amount to acquire the batteries memory and then you can

run it any way you want.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:20:42 AM EDT

[#3]

I had a buddy that used to do that.

Three days later....dead

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:23:15 AM EDT

[#4]

Assuming it's a Li-Ion pack, Battery University says: It depends.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:40:24 AM EDT

[#5]

Just read an article the other day saying it was bad to let them drain completely. Can't find it but it did recommend keeping your laptop plugged in and to use software to keep it at 50-70% charged. Also mentioned newer batteries were better at managing these kind of issues.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:41:34 AM EDT

[#6]

Ni Cad (most likely) very bad

Lithium - not good, why do it when u can plug it in.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:48:03 AM EDT

[#7]

LI-ION and NIMH battery's don't hold "memory" so technically they are more capable of being cycled like that, however....... if discharged too far, they will never charge again.
Ni-CD's can be almost fully discharged and still re charged.
When I used to race R/C cars back in the day it was the norm to put the NI-CD packs on a drain board and run them down by burning the power with lights before recharging.

ETA: most newer laptops are using NIMH or LI-ION batts.

Posted: 6/22/2011 6:01:54 AM EDT

[#8]

I've had my Dell XPS for almost 2.5 years with the same OEM battery.

It has gotten cycled down to just before it shuts off an average of 3 times a day, every day, in that 2.5 years.

I would guess the battery, when full, holds it's charge around 80-85% of what it did when it was brand new...

Posted: 6/22/2011 6:03:48 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
I had a buddy that used to do that.

Three days later....dead

I bet you still miss him.

Posted: 6/22/2011 6:16:23 AM EDT

[#10]

Keeping them fully charged kills them much faster.

Posted: 6/22/2011 6:24:29 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I had a buddy that used to do that.

Three days later....dead

I bet you still miss him.

Posted: 6/22/2011 6:57:04 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I had a buddy that used to do that.

Three days later....dead

Your buddy Died?! OMG!

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:02:25 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
LI-ION and NIMH battery's don't hold "memory" so technically they are more capable of being cycled like that, however....... if discharged too far, they will never charge again.
Ni-CD's can be almost fully discharged and still re charged.
When I used to race R/C cars back in the day it was the norm to put the NI-CD packs on a drain board and run them down by burning the power with lights before recharging.

ETA: most newer laptops are using NIMH or LI-ION batts.

LI-ION battery in mine

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:10:42 AM EDT

[#14]

I've used the Lithi batterys in RC cars and run them down to NOTHING over and over and over agian,with no problems.

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:11:24 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
LI-ION and NIMH battery's don't hold "memory" so technically they are more capable of being cycled like that, however....... if discharged too far, they will never charge again.
Ni-CD's can be almost fully discharged and still re charged.
When I used to race R/C cars back in the day it was the norm to put the NI-CD packs on a drain board and run them down by burning the power with lights before recharging.

ETA: most newer laptops are using NIMH or LI-ION batts.

We used to 'short' the NiMH packs before recharging them to prevent memory. Least, back in 2000ish.

The NiCads, were discharged to 0.85v/cell with lamps and discharge boards. Again, at least back in 1995-2000ish.

I doubt either would be good for a laptop battery, though.

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:13:39 AM EDT

[#16]

Going under 50% of a Lithium ion battery reduces lifespan by a significant amount.

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:14:05 AM EDT

[#17]

Li-ion batteries do not hold memory, as others have said. However you can damage the cells by over-discharging them. I would venture to guess that most laptops anymore have a voltage sensor, shutting the computer off before the point that it would damage the cells of the battery however if you kill the battery, and keep trying to boot it over and over you could still get into the dangerously low voltage ranges.

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:14:12 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

the way i was told was to run down the battery of laptop or cell all the way at least three time

and fully charge it the same amount to acquire the batteries memory and then you can

run it any way you want.

That was true with NiCads , but with Lithium ions , you don't want to do it (NiMH doesn't mind).