How long should Lithium Ion Laptop Batteries Last?

[fang37]

Informative read!

I have a Lenovo.

It has 2 options re batteries -

a) Balanced

Power Saver

It defaults to Balanced

Action required? NIL?

My understanding is that when the batteries are in , I should NOT have the PC plugged in to the electricity. Correct?

[jcisco]

Informative read!

I have a Lenovo.

It has 2 options re batteries -

a) Balanced

Power Saver

It defaults to Balanced

Action required? NIL?

My understanding is that when the batteries are in , I should NOT have the PC plugged in to the electricity. Correct?

Look on your keyboard, there should be a function key and on the F1-F12 keys one of the images in the same color as said function key will disable charging. You can switch off the battery charging easily if you so desire.

The answer to your question is, it should not be a problem. That charging circuit will detect 100% or high temp and disconnects the battery connection to the power.

Otherwise this only holds true if your battery or or the charger is faulty.

[Pib]

It's OK to have the laptop plugged in and battery remaining at 100%. It's just the lifespan of the battery will be impacted by remaining at 100% charged level for extended periods. How much the lifespan will be impacted I doubt you'll find a specific answer anywhere and I expect a lot of variables come into play.

I expect most laptop manufacturers do "not" provide a software utility to control the charge of the battery to a lower level than 100% if desired. Lenovo does for my Lenovo Z510 model and that utility is called Energy Manager. You might want to check the Lenovo support website for your Lenovo model and see if your model also provides the driver/utility named something along the lines of Lenovo Energy Management like shown in the snapshot below for my Z510.

Edit: I read a technical document before talking about the optimum charge level to get maximum "lifespan" out of a lithium-ion battery...that charge level was in the low 90% ballpark...93% keeps coming to mind for some reason. But in the real world where people want maximum battery "run time" when going mobile with their laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc., and the manufacturers' desire to have the longest battery "run time," lithium-ion batteries are routinely charged to 100% in order to get max battery "run time"....battery "lifespan" takes a backseat to "run time" since many devices can have their battery easily changed, may not be pricey to replace, many times people upgrade the device before the battery has a chance to fail, etc. But if changing the battery in your device requires a pricey visit to a service shop or you just simply want to get the most "lifespan" out of your battery then you need a utility which will manage the charge level or you intentionally let the device such as a laptop discharge X-amount periodically versus leaving it plugged in and charged to 100% for extended periods.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Pib

[connda]

Recently I was pleased to learn there are a number of sites that offer classes how to change the battery yourself; very inexpensive. They are called hacks. You can do your own battery hack, assuming those inards are available. I did and works as well as a brand new one would. There are some pretty smart people out there with some tips if you were interested. http://mods-n-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/hack-dead-laptop-battery-250860/

I just replaced my battery with a Samsung OEM battery. 555 on service at the Samsung store in Chiang Mai. I stopped by and they said it would take 2 or 3 days. I said 'no problem', paid for it up-front, and said I'd be back next week (wife and I make weekly trips up from Lamphun). We spent the night, did some chores the next day, got a call from Samsung, 'Battery ready for pickup'. Great. Found out they had it shipped by air. Less than 24 hour turnaround. Anyway, I digress.

The OEM battery didn't cost me any more than the cost of a set of Lith-ion battery you'd have to buy to DIY in the link above. Not saying it's a bad idea, just not in this case.

[connda]

Have you considered the possibility that the problem is not actually the battery at all but lies with the computer circuitry. When A/C power is removed from your laptop what should happen is that a circuit should immediately switch the power source over to battery. From the fault description you give it sounds like this is not happening.

I am a retired electronics / telecomms engineer with more than 40 years experience and very rarely have I found problems with any type of battery that just fails without giving at least some sort of indication that it is dying. Add to that the fact that your laptop and BIOS indicate the battery has a full charge then it may be possible that you are barking up the wrong tree.

An easy way to check is to take the laptop (and battery) to a dealer and explain the problem. Ask if they can try a new battery in your machine and when it is installed if the problem persists then the computer must be at fault. If all is OK then it will be up to you to decide if you want to shell out for a new battery or not.

There is also the remote possibility that it might be something as silly as corroded or dirty contacts between the battery and the machine. Worth giving it a look first just in case.

Good luck!

Nope. It's the battery. Dead as a door nail. lol Have the new battery in now after charging last night. Two hours of use and down to 46%. All's good.

[fang37]

If you own a Lenovo (I have a Z50 although the retailer states that it is a Z5070) & the battery usage is in balanced mode, it does not matter whether I have the electrical plug in or not.

For practical purposes, I am adjacent to an electrical point 90% of the time.

When I disconnect the electric source. the screen dims considerably - easy to adjust the cree brightness.

Summary - is it quite OK to use the electricity point rather the batteries?

[farangmick]

Battery on my old notebook down to 30 mins after five years use. Replaced very cheaply via Ebay. Still 2 hrs+ after two years. (Fujitsu Siemens).