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| Li-ion battery packs and a Li-ion battery cell |
Most of our laptops, PDA's and Cell phone like gadgets are now comming with Lithium-ion batteries. The battery life of a consumer electronic is a very very critical matter. Keeping the battery healthy as much as possible is anther very important matter. But sadly many people doesn't know how to use the battery or how to charge it properly. That is why I was interested in posting this one. Your opinions and comments are warmly welcome on this topic.
With out lot of descriptions I will tell the thing in a nut shell ... Cool know? ;)
- Point 1 - Do I need to do a 16Hrs (or some silly value) charge at the first time?
- Answer is - NO!!!
- Explanation - Li-ion batteries do not have the "trickle charge" effect which exists in Ni-Mh batteries. Because of that Li-ion batteries really doesn't need a really long painful first time charge like Ni-Mh batteries! :O
- Point 2 - What happen when I charge it before the battery is 100% discharged?
- Answer is - NOTHING!!!
- Explanation - This is also a wrong understanding about the Li-ion batteries. They do not have the "memory effect" like old rechargeable batteries. Therefore charging a battery when it is 50% discharge will not make the other 50% unusable. But such a charge will also counted as a full charge cycle.
- Point 3 - Li-ion batteries can be charged for a number of times only?
- Answer is - YES!!!
- Explanation - Li-ion batteries can be charged certain number of times only. But don't be afraid it is a big number.. :) . But this has a point which is even though charging after 50% or 60% present of battery drain make no harm it is counted as a charge cycle. That mean it will reduce the time we can use the battery!!.
- Point 4 - Do over-discharging make any problem?
- Answer is - YES IT IS!!!
- Explanation -Li-ion should never be discharged too low. It may cause the hardware of the battery fail too.
