How to extend the life of the laptop battery

There are many articles on the internet that talk about how to charge your laptop battery, when to charge it, and also where it is best to recharge it. 

Your laptop battery won't last forever, as we all know. However, there are a few steps you can take to ensure you get a fuller, healthier battery life. If you need them, there are shops where you can buy laptop batteries.

Probably the most important question we all ask ourselves when buying a laptop is:

Does it hurt to have the laptop connected all the time?

Having the laptop connected all the time isn't bad for the battery. Technology has long since solved this problem and when the battery is 100% charged, the incoming energy is diverted to the car so that it does not suffer. 

However, there are other factors you need to worry about in order to keep the battery in good condition.

Laptop batteries

Most laptops use lithium-ion batteries. Unlike batteries that use nickel, lithium-ion batteries do not suffer from the "memory effect", which means that discharging and recharging them will not affect the long-term life of the battery. 

Once the battery is fully charged, it will no longer receive mains power, so keeping the notebook plugged in won't cause battery problems.

What are the cycles of a battery?

With lithium-ion batteries, it's best to avoid fully discharging and then fully recharging them (this is known as a 'deep cycle', "and this process is only useful with nickel-cadmium batteries and lithium-ion batteries. metal hydride. 

However, you should do a deep cycle at least once a month to recalibrate the battery. This allows the battery monitoring mechanisms to display real information on battery life and charge.

Heat batteries and laptops

While leaving the laptop plugged in continuously is not harmful to the health of the battery, excess heat will have a major effect on it and can permanently damage it.

High temperatures occur when you perform processor-intensive tasks, such as games, or when you have many programs open at the same time.

If the computer overheats, unplug it and take it somewhere where the temperature is lower, or stop using it for a while to cool it down.

The combination of heavy computer use and high temperatures (like in summer) can be deadly for your laptop.

Battery care

To perform a deep cycle, first charge the battery to full and let it sit for a couple of hours to cool down. Unplug the power cord and set the preference for the computer to go into hibernation mode when the battery reaches 5% charge (Apple MacBooks do this automatically to preserve critical data such as open applications, computer content, etc.) , memory, etc.)

When the computer goes into hibernation, leave it for about five hours to make sure the battery is completely discharged. Reconnect the cable and let it fully charge without interruption.

Three simple tricks to keep your laptop battery in good condition

1) Cool down the computer

If you live in an area where it is very hot, even if it is only a few months of the year, you should keep an eye on the temperature of your computer, especially if you are using programs that require a lot of processor work, such as how to edit movies, compose music or edit large pictures. As we said above, games are also a source of heat, as they require the computer to be at its best for a long time.

You can install a utility on your MacBook to show the temperature in the menu bar, so that if it starts to overheat, it will warn you.

If your MacBook is overheating, there are a few simple tricks you can use to protect the battery.

The most obvious advice is that if you find that your computer is overheating, close your applications and stop using it for a while to cool it down.

If you happen to measure, you can buy a stand with fans that are placed underneath and that circulate the air underneath, dissipating the heat.

If you are at a critical temperature, you can apply a light stream of air using a hair dryer, so that the temperature drops quickly.

If you notice that your computer is overheating for no apparent reason, take it to clean it, as dirt or dust may have accumulated in parts and blocking proper air circulation inside the computer.

2 ) Do not always leave the laptop battery fully charged

As we'll see in the next trick, to maximize battery life it's best to hold a charge without fully discharging or fully charging.

Of course, with the charging speed laptops have now, it's hard to stop them from charging to 100% because it can be fully charged in a couple of hours. 

On the other hand, although as we said, keeping the laptop plugged in does not affect the battery, it does make it susceptible to voltage spikes or changes in current that can damage components.

So, if you are in an area where there are frequent power outages, or a thunderstorm breaks out, it is best to unplug it from the power supply to avoid unwanted problems.

3) Perform minor battery discharges

Instead of completely discharging the battery each time, lithium-ion batteries work best when they are partially discharged and partially charged.

A Battery University study shows that long-term discharges of up to 50% are better for the battery than, for example, low discharges of up to 90% or full discharges of up to 0%.

For more information, read about deep cycles above.

Conclusion

Keep these simple tips in mind to get the most out of your laptop's battery life and remember that, in most cases, the battery is replaceable.

If you want to change it yourself, you can visit any shop that sells spare parts like JVS Informática and do the repair yourself.

You will not be the first to change his laptop battery makes him feel that he is releasing a new device, such is the effect of enjoying the autonomy and freedom that these devices give us again.