The original title of this article was going to be something along the lines of "Why does my laptop's battery life suck?" because that is exactly the question most of us ask once our battery life starts getting shorter and shorter. It isn't uncommon to find an old laptop that has a lifespan of about 20 minutes. They are basically nothing more than an expensive Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). This seriously limits the laptop's portability.
Jerry Foutz is a respected power supply designer who provided much of the information for this article.
It turns out that the most important factor for maximizing your battery life is something most of us would never have thought of: matching your battery to the right charger. According to Jerry, you need to be sure that the charger and battery match and that the charger is of high quality. Really, the only thing you can do to ensure this is to buy your laptop supplies from the manufacturer and only buy them for your exact model.
The truth is that even a tiny difference in output voltage between chargers can have a serious effect on the overall lifespan of your battery by either over- or under-charging the battery.
You can get a cheaper charger almost anywhere, but if it is off by even as little as 10 millivolts, you will get less of a charge and will not get optimum performance. For example, a 4.1V battery charged with a 4.05V charger will be good for about 4,000 charges. Increasing the voltage of the charger to 4.250 volts, can reduce that number to less than 100!
Not only is it a good idea to purchase chargers and extra batteries from the laptop manufacturer, but it is best to purchase these things at or close to the same time as you get your laptop. This will reduce the chances of manufacturing changes or differences within the accessories.
The second important aspect of battery life is temperature.
It's strange but true: laptops are not actually designed for laps. Looking at the bottom of a laptop shows rubber bumpers or feet, which keep it lifted off of surfaces just enough for proper ventilation. Once that space is blocked (for example, by putting it on your lap), you close that space and the laptop is forced to run much hotter than it should. Doing this on a regular basis will probably shorten the life of the laptop's battery.
As a general rule, if your laptop top is burning you or is too hot to be comfortable in your lap, the cooling system is being interrupted and you are shortening its lifespan.
Instead of placing the laptop directly in your lap, try using a laptop desk, which are designed to rest in your lap but still allow the laptop sufficient airflow.
You also want to avoid temperature cycling (allowing your laptop to get very warm and very cold repeatedly) can also seriously damage your battery life. This means you should try to avoid leaving your laptop in the elements or even in your car on a very hot or cold day.
One common concern is whether leaving the laptop plugged in too long would damage the battery. Today's models, however, are made for this type of practice, so it is a non-issue.
Of course, all of this advice assumes your laptop has a well designed power supply and charger. Some lower end models are not perfect and our common minds may not be able to tell the difference. Most of us just have to trust that the manufacturers know what they're doing.
Thanks to Jerrold Foutz for his help in this article.
| Get more free tech help and advice from Leo Notenboom by visiting http://ask-leo.com With over 30 years of industry experience, including an 18 year career as a software engineer with Microsoft, Leo gives real answers to real questions from ordinary computer users at Ask Leo! Subscribe to Leo's weekly newsletter now and receive a free ebook: "Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet", a collection of steps, tools and concepts you need to know to keep your computer and your information safe. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leo_Notenboom |
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