On Nov 27, 2005, at 11:33 PM, Clem Bacani wrote:
I have a PBG4 500 Mhz and I wonder what is the expected life of the
battery. I only have an hour to keep it running now. Is that
normal? Any recommendations? Or do I need to recondition my
battery? What steps will I take to maximize power of my battery?
Clem
How old is this battery?(I don't know when the PBG4 500MHZ came
out). Assuming it is Lithium-ion:
There was a thread about this a bit ago. Lithium batteries usually
lose about 50% of their initial capacity after a couple years, no
matter what you do, just due to aging. You know how old your battery
is, so you can judge how well it is doing. that sounds... not too
bad for an older battery, to me.
If you use the battery (full discharge then recharge) it's not the
best for the battery, but probably best for the MacOS power manager,
which seems to need an occasional discharge then recharge. You
should try and avoid complete discharges if at all possible for best
lithium battery life.
Other items about prolonging life:
-------------------------------------------
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
is one good spot; the wikipedia entry for LiIon is pretty good.
Googling finds others.
Charles Moore has a good summary here, for powerbooks but really it's
the same thing:
<http://www.applelinks.com/p5/index.php/print/1217/>
Basically:
LiIon batteries lose capacity over time whether you use them or not;
storage condition makes a difference. 50% charged and cool helps a
lot for storing, so if you have a spare battery that you don't use
much that is a good thing to try for.
For the battery you are using, it's best to keep it compatatively
topped up rather than letting them go totally down. BUT leaving the
powerbook plugged in always can let it get hot which is bad.
HEAT IS BAD for all batteries, but it has a marked effect on LiIon.
It's a good thing to keep them cool at all times you can manage. So
take that iPod out of its protective case when charging, don't charge
your laptop when it's on the sofa, put it on the wood table, etc.
Replies I got from makers of replacement LiIon batteries when I was
buying spares indicated 50% loss of max capacity after 2 years
whether they are used or not; so stocking up on many spares was not
recommended, even by the guys who sold the batteries I was buying
(www.laptopsforless.com, battery for my Sony Clie UX-50 -I highly
recommend these guys for batteries for many devices).
HTH.
Brian
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