Notebook Batteries Not Installed Constantly - Ups?

[Wentworth]

I've been looking for advice about what to do with my notebook battery if I mainly use my notebook at home. As per usual on the net I got conflicting advice and indeed some very technical advice. I've been told by many that basically I should remove the battery and just replace to recharge when I think I'll be out and about. I'm interested in thoughts about that. If I do just rely on my power lead I get a bit itchy about the notoriously inconsistent power supply in my area of Thailand.

With my last notebook I didn't think about the battery but it turned useless very quickly. I'm not sure if it was a dodgy battery or how I used it.

If I do rely on my power lead I'm thinking of getting a UPS, just as a fallback so that I have enough time to switch off - I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

[Crossy]

Cheapest solution, leave the battery in.

Modern laptop batteries don't suffer from memory-effect like the old NiCd batteries did, but it does no harm to run it flat once a week or so.

I've never run my lappie without the battery (indeed some won't start if there's no battery).

If you do get a UPS, the smallest available will happily run your laptop and router to keep you fully functional during power outages.

[Crushdepth]

UPS batteries degrade too, so you might as well just get a notebook battery.

[BangkokImages]

1. Modern laptops have lithium-polymer battery which doesn't suffer from memory effects. They do however have a finite number of charges in a typical lifespan, 300-500 would be the average. "Topping one off" can eat into those charge cycles, so while topping it off doesn't hurt it or affect the memory, it does shorten it's lifespan. Going flat with any battery is never good, but a laptop battery in good shape can literally last years without losing its charge.

2. "Triggering a recharge cycle" is the key. This is one of those differences between a $500 laptop and a $3000 laptop, the more expensive laptop will normally have more advanced circuitry for the battery which will "maintain" a charge without triggering a recharge cycle. So leaving your battery in with such a laptop won't hurt anything, and will keep the battery in peak condition. This might not be the case with an inexpensive laptop. Ask the manufacturer.. it's why manuals from one laptop might make a different recommendation than a manual from another laptop.

3. The same applies to the circuitry the laptop runs off of. Is the adapter always charging the battery, which the laptop runs off of.. or when you plug the charger in does it bypass the battery and run only off the adapter? Probably.. more new laptops do this, but again it's impossible to say for sure if yours does.. so check.

4. If you have a battery in the laptop, and the power goes out, the battery will surely power it. But now the question is how fast (latency) the battery will kick in and take over powering the laptop without causing damage. Again, this varies by the quality (expense) of the laptop and you should check your manual for the answer.

5. UPS? While it never hurts and almost always helps to use a quality UPS.. check how fast a UPS battery cuts in after an outage and compare it to how fast your laptop battery cuts in after a power outage. This comparison should tell you if a UPS will be advantageous to your laptop. Of course, a UPS is just one more layer of protection, so it will protect the adapter and battery from spikes and surges.. even if the laptop battery protects the laptop itself.

Lots of variables for sure. There are no one size fits all answers. You just need to examine what you have, sort the numbers, and compare them to the alternatives.

I hope it you get it sorted.