Laptop charging while unplugged
Does It Matter if Your Laptop Is Always Plugged In?
By James Wright Related
The appeal of a laptop is its portability and convenience, which makes it ideal for working on the go and business trips. Laptops are only as good as their batteries, however, and proper care of your battery is essential to making sure it retains a long life and charge. Leaving your laptop plugged in constantly is not bad for your battery, but you will need to be careful of other factors, such as heat, to prevent your battery from damage. Show
Laptop BatteriesMost laptops use lithium-ion batteries. Unlike nickel-based batteries, lithium-ion batteries don't suffer from the "memory effect," meaning that discharging and recharging them will not have an effect on long-term battery life. Once your battery is charged to full capacity, it will simply stop charging, so keeping your laptop plugged in will not cause any issues to your battery. Cycles and CalibrationWith lithium-ion batteries, it is better to avoid discharging them completely then recharging them to full capacity -- this is called a "deep cycle," and this process is only useful for nickelcadmium and nickelmetal hydride batteries. However, you should perform a deep cycle once a month or so to recalibrate the battery. This allows the battery monitoring mechanics to remain accurate when displaying battery life and charge. HeatWhile leaving your laptop plugged in constantly is not detrimental to its health, excess heat will definitely damage a battery over time. Higher levels of heat are most commonly produced when you are running processor-intensive applications like games or when you have many programs open simultaneously. When your computer is running hot and it is plugged in, disconnect the battery and keep it somewhere cool to prevent heat damage. Battery CareTo perform a deep cycle, first charge your battery to full capacity, then let it sit for about two hours to cool from the charging process. Unplug your power cord, then set your computer's power save settings to hibernate once your battery reaches five percent. Once your computer starts hibernating, leave it for about five hours, then plug in the power cable and let it charge to full capacity again uninterrupted. References
Writer Bio Based in California, James Wright has been writing since 1998. Wright's articles have been published on various websites with a focus on technical fields such as computers and the Internet, and were also featured in a now-retired publication for an online artistic community. Wright studied English, journalism, politics and psychology at Riverside Community College. Related ArticlesHow to Restore and Charge MacBook BatteriesDoes Leaving Your Computer on Ruin the Battery?Do Laptop Batteries Stop Taking a Charge?How to Charge an Apple LaptopA Microsoft Wireless Headset Won't Turn OnDoes It Affect an iPhone to Unplug It When It's Not Fully Charged?How to Efficiently Keep an iPhone Battery ChargedDo I Need to Plug My Laptop in the AC Power All the Time?How to Keep a Paper Shredder From Getting HotMacBook With OS X Is Not Waking UpHow to Check the Battery Status on My iPod TouchHow Long Is the Battery Life for the iPhone 5?Most Popular
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