Laptop Battery Useful Tips

1. Close unused software in your notebook.
2. Remove unused PC Cards or USB devices from your notebook.
3. Don't watch DVD or play graphics intensive video games.
4. Don't short circuit terminal or store your battery pack with metal parts.
5. New battery pack must be fully charged before use.
6. New battery pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.
7. Rechargeable batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused. Always store a battery pack in a fully charged stage for storage.
8. Fully drain and fully recharge your battery pack every few month.
9. Turn down the LCD brightness of your portable device.
10. Use built-in power management on your portable device.
11. Turn off LCD or other unnecessary accessories when not in use.
12. Set screen saver blank to 1 to 2 minutes of your notebook.
13. Add more RAM if you have extra RAM expansion slot, it will reduce the usage of hard drive and it is power exhaustive.
14. Don't drop or mutilate the battery pack.
15. Don't expose to moisture or water.
16. It is normal to get warm when charging or normal use. If it is getting too hot, there may be a problem with the device and qualified personnel should check it.

• What is a Battery?
• How to classify the battery?
• What are the differences between Primary Battery and rechargeable battery?
• What causes short lifetime of battery? How to prolong the lifetime of battery?
• How to Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life?
• Why can't the battery be charged? How to solve this problem?
• What's the reason that causes battery with no voltage or low voltage? How to avoid this problem?

1. What is a Battery?
   In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. It converts chemical energy into electrical energy, producing an electric current when connected in a circuit. The finished battery is an electrically connected group of cells (wired in series) that stores an electrical charge and supplies a direct current (DC). We usually call finished battery as battery pack and unfinished battery is called as cell.
   
   
2. How to classify the battery?
   Batteries are grouped into following categories:
   Alkaline battery
   Zincic carbolic battery
   Lead-Acid battery
   nickel-metal-hydride
   nickel-cadmium
   Lithium battery
   Li-ion battery
   Li-polymer battery
   Fuel cells
   Solar cells
   Other types of battery
   
   
3. What are the differences between Primary Battery and rechargeable battery?
   A primary battery is not intended to be recharged and is discarded when the battery has delivered all of its electrical energy. A rechargeable battery is a galvanic battery which, after discharge, is restored to the fully charged state by the passage of an electrical current through the cell in the opposite direction to that of discharge.
   
   
4. What causes short lifetime of battery?
   1)Reason:
   a.Charger or electro circuit can't be fit for the battery.
   b.Overcharge and overdischarge, etc.
   c.Battery can't comply with the charging requirement
   
   
5. How to Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life?
   Here are 9 easy ways to do so.
   a.Use the original charger.
   b.Charge the battery after it automatically powers off , then full charge the battery.
   c.Avoid erroneous usage of battery, such as heavy pressure, short circuit, fall off and so on.
   d. Defrag regularly -The faster your hard drive does its work - less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery.Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it's on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems.
   e. Dim your screen - Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.
   f.Keep the battery contacts clean:Clean your battery's metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.
   g. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery.Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time.Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)
   h.Set up and optimize your power options - Go to 'Power Options' in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the 'max battery' for maximum effect).
   i. Cut down external devices - USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery.Remove or shut them down when not in use.It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.
   


6. Why can't the battery be charged? How to solve this problem?
   1)Reason:
   a.The battery has no voltage. b.There is problem with charger, as it has no output electric current.
   c.Low charging efficiency due to external cause.
   2)Solutions:
   a.Test whether the charger has voltage and output electric current or not.
   b.Check if the charger is well contacted with battery.
   c.Activate the battery with voltage and current 1.5 time higher then the highest ones of battery. (Use this method only when the battery can't be charged.)
   
   
7. What's the reason that causes battery with no voltage or low voltage? How to avoid this problem?
   1)Reason
   a.No voltage.
   b.External shot circuit or overcharge, anti-charge
   c.Cells expansion and short circuit caused by direct anode contact and continuous high efficiency electric current overcharging.
   2)Solutions:
   a.Check if the battery is without voltage or electric current.
   b.Avoid short circuit.
   c.Avoid collision and pressure among batteries.
   d.Charge the battery after it automatically powers off , then full charge the battery.