Unplug laptop?

[elgenon]

I use my laptop as my desktop computer. There is a question I have never gotten an answer to.

 

I am told to unplug my phone after it has charged to 100%, do I unplug or turn off the power source to my laptop when I am finished a session?

[CGW]

6 minutes ago, elgenon said:

I am told to unplug my phone after it has charged to 100%, do I unplug or turn off the power source to my laptop when I am finished a session?

My understanding is it will turn off charging "itself" via software, my laptop has been plugged in for around five years now, batteries are still good, I also never turn it off, that used to be a No No as well!

[elgenon]

If a laptop can really do that, why can't a phone?

 

Thanks!

[JoePai]

2 hours ago, elgenon said:

If a laptop can really do that, why can't a phone?

 

Thanks!

How do you know it won't ?

[Pib]

You don't need to turn off either due to the devices reaching full charge.  Once reaching full charge the device will stop charging.

 

The recommendation to disconnect/unplug an electrical device (if easy enough to do and doesn't need to be left on all the time) like a computer or smartphone when not in use is geared towards protecting it from line voltage surges/spikes (which can be common in many parts of the world and during lightning storms) and/or the possibility of an electrical problem causing the device to catch on fire because it was plugged in/charging.   Unplugging any electrical device is geared towards safety/preventing damage.

[KhunHeineken]

I had one of the brick type laptop chargers blow up one day. I was in a hotel room.  It blew the fuse in the hotel room as well.  The room smelt of melted plastic.  I don't know if a part in the brick charger failed, like a capacitor, or I received a big surge down the line, but ever since then, I do not leave my laptop on charge without being home.  

[mrfill]

If you are using a laptop as a desktop, why have the battery in? These batteries have a life span of around 1000 charges and each time the unit is plugged in will attempt to charge and reduce the battery life by 1 charge. Just remove the battery and keep it for the times you need to use the laptop away from the desk. The batteries will last substantially longer.

[jojothai]

55 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

I had one of the brick type laptop chargers blow up one day. I was in a hotel room.  It blew the fuse in the hotel room as well.  The room smelt of melted plastic.  I don't know if a part in the brick charger failed, like a capacitor, or I received a big surge down the line, but ever since then, I do not leave my laptop on charge without being home.  

Pib is correct, its a safety issue.

I had a battery charger melt down when it was plugged in and luckily saw quickly that something was happening. Switched off quickly. Laptop was ok, but not the charger.

There are many reports of charger cables for mobile phones melting down.

Best not to leave equipment plugged in charging if you go out or leave it is unattended.

[fangless]

1 hour ago, mrfill said:

If you are using a laptop as a desktop, why have the battery in? These batteries have a life span of around 1000 charges and each time the unit is plugged in will attempt to charge and reduce the battery life by 1 charge. Just remove the battery and keep it for the times you need to use the laptop away from the desk. The batteries will last substantially longer.

Most modern laptops do not have removable batteries.

[SteveK]

My laptop charger is plugged in and turned on 24/7. Have been doing the same for about 15 years. Don't worry about it.

[SteveK]

11 minutes ago, fangless said:

Most modern laptops do not have removable batteries.

Don't buy Apple and you'll find this is not true. I've never owned a laptop which didn't have a removable battery. 

[mikebike]

7 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Don't buy Apple and you'll find this is not true. I've never owned a laptop which didn't have a removable battery. 

I replaced my MacBook Air battery recently and have previously done Pros. As long as you have the correct screwdriver it's pretty simple.

[tomazbodner]

You can leave laptop plugged in all the time but the trouble is that, depending on quality of battery, you would ruin battery in it within 6 months to 2 years. Basically it would still work as a desktop, plugged in, but if you unplugged it, and tried to use it on battery power, it would just drop to 0.

 

I use a couple of HP Elitebooks as desktop machines in dock, which are always powered, and have removed batteries from them after charging them to 60% (I read somewhere that's around the best you can do when you want to keep the batteries unused for a long time). Idea was to put batteries back in and charge before taking them for a trip... but then COVID happened.

 

Other than showing a line over battery icon, there doesn't seem to be any negative effect from removing battery. Laptop is otherwise plugged into UPS like all desktops. I didn't try running MacBooks without battery but would assume they'd run as well.

 

On discussion above: MacBook air (older models) have screws to remove battery. Easy to do. New MacBook air and 16" MacBook pro have pull tabs (like 3M OnCommand) double sided flexible pad that you pull slowly to remove battery without damage. MacBook pro 13 and 15" with Retina screens use aircraft type resin (glue) to mount batteries into the body and removing them involves either strong chemicals, or replacing whole keyboard/trackpad/battery part. Hence if you are after MacBook Pro, make sure to get 16" model. With batteries it's not a matter of IF they would die but WHEN they will. And that pretty much comes down to usage patters, where leaving it plugged in all the time is just about the worst thing you could do to it.

[tonray]

22 hours ago, elgenon said:

If a laptop can really do that, why can't a phone?

 

Thanks!

Differnet type of charging circuitry. For example, if you remove the battery from your latop (assuming it's removeable) you can still run off AC power. But if you remove the battery from your phone...will not work witout battery installed.

[tonray]

54 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Don't buy Apple and you'll find this is not true. I've never owned a laptop which didn't have a removable battery. 

Actually many new laptops, Acer. Asus, even some Dell models have non removable batteries.

[fangless]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

Don't buy Apple and you'll find this is not true. I've never owned a laptop which didn't have a removable battery. 

When did you last buy a laptop or have a look round a computer shop laptop display?

Most manufacturers are making the batteries more and more difficult to remove/replace in order to build in early obsolescence.

[SteveK]

3 minutes ago, fangless said:

When did you last buy a laptop or have a look round a computer shop laptop display?

Most manufacturers are making the batteries more and more difficult to remove/replace in order to build in early obsolescence.

I tend to spend a bit more on my laptops so maybe this is something that is coming on the budget models. Apologies. Currently using an MSI laptop which was about $1500. 

[CGW]

12 minutes ago, tonray said:

Actually many new laptops, Acer. Asus, even some Dell models have non removable batteries.

Add Lenova to that list!

[fangless]

6 minutes ago, SteveK said:

I tend to spend a bit more on my laptops so maybe this is something that is coming on the budget models. Apologies. Currently using an MSI laptop which was about $1500. 

I would agree with that.  I should have said "the cheaper end of the market".

[Pib]

When we say "non-removable" batteries that generally means the battery can not be removed without disassembly to some degree of the device.  Once disassembled the battery can be "replaced."   A shop will usually need to disassemble a smartphone as they have special equipment to safely take the phone apart....get the back cover off which is glued and snapped internally.   Probably almost all new smartphones are that way now days.  And "most" laptops now have internal batteries that require disassembly to replace....best done at a shop for most people, but can also be done at home by the individual since a laptop case is not tightly sealed with glue like a smartphone.

 

I have three Lenovo laptops.   One has a battery than I can remove and reinsert is few seconds...it just plugs into the back of the laptop like almost all laptops "use" to be.  The second laptop requires removal of an access panel on the  bottom and unplugging it from the motherboard....pretty easy and fast....3-5 minute job.  The third laptop requires very significant disassembly (but quite doable as I've done it myself to clean the CPU fan and change the battery...a 30 minute job).

 

 

[tomazbodner]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

Differnet type of charging circuitry. For example, if you remove the battery from your latop (assuming it's removeable) you can still run off AC power. But if you remove the battery from your phone...will not work witout battery installed.

Tried that on Oppo Find 7, which had easy to remove battery. Works just fine when plugged in and battery removed.

[tonray]

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Tried that on Oppo Find 7, which had easy to remove battery. Works just fine when plugged in and battery removed.

I stand corrected. My old phones (Samsung , Vivo, never would). My new Huawei has nonremovable do can't test

[tomazbodner]

1 hour ago, tonray said:

I stand corrected. My old phones (Samsung , Vivo, never would). My new Huawei has nonremovable do can't test

No worries at all. Just went to check as I thought I had them running without battery before and wanted to see if I remember correctly.

It used to be so easy to remove batteries in the past... remember Nokia phones, or the laptops that just had a clip to release battery at the back.... Good old days...

[tomazbodner]

7 hours ago, CGW said:

Add Lenova to that list!

We gave up the right to replace batteries (and many other stuff) when we continued buying thinner and lighter machines with less and less abilities to upgrade or replace anything. Had people rejected irreparable products by not buying them, manufacturers would stop making them.

[CGW]

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

We gave up the right to replace batteries

You mean we were conned into "upgrading"? It was always part of the "plan" to have permanent batteries in devices, we just weren't made aware.

Kinda like we have been conned out of personal freedom! 

[jackdd]

14 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

You can leave laptop plugged in all the time but the trouble is that, depending on quality of battery, you would ruin battery in it within 6 months to 2 years.

That's wrong. Having the laptop plugged in all the time is better. The laptop won't charge the battery if it's full.

 

[tomazbodner]

8 hours ago, jackdd said:

That's wrong. Having the laptop plugged in all the time is better. The laptop won't charge the battery if it's full.

 

Batteries discharge naturally, so your statement is incorrect. When battery drops a few percent, it will in most devices get charged up to 100% again. The most damage to batteries happens above 90+ percent charge, where some products are trying to use learning to avoid full charge until just about to get unplugged. Sony started this a few years back, now some other brands are doing it as well on some models of phones and laptops. In general though - when turned on and found battery charge dropped below 100% it will start getting charged again until full. On many models it does that even when turned on. You can confirm this on your own laptop.

[fangless]

Some modern laptops like Lenova and ASUS have a "power Management feature" which cuts off battery charging until it drops to a pre-determined level. It then only charges back up to another pre-determined level which eliminates trickle/surge charging and reduces charge cycles.

[elgenon]

On 8/5/2020 at 12:31 AM, JoePai said:

How do you know it won't ?

Because Apple told me the phone should be unplugged after reaching 100%. No "gotcha".

[elgenon]

On 8/5/2020 at 7:02 PM, SteveK said:

Don't buy Apple and you'll find this is not true. I've never owned a laptop which didn't have a removable battery. 

I had a Dell that didn't have a removable battery. I think it was because it was their thinner one. Different kind of battery.