Inspiron 630m laptop: should I keep battery disconnected ?

I'am almost always on main power. It can go months between times where I work on
battery.
Battery (big 9 cell one) will soon be 1½ year old.
I wish to keep it alive as long as possible.
Some people tells me that it shortens battery life to keep it on charge all the time.
But may be this do not apply to newer Li-ion types???

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Preben Q" wrote:

I'am almost always on main power. It can go months between times where I work on
battery.
Battery (big 9 cell one) will soon be 1½ year old.
I wish to keep it alive as long as possible.
Some people tells me that it shortens battery life to keep it on charge all the time.
But may be this do not apply to newer Li-ion types???



This has been already discussed a lot. Read previous posts regarding
batteries.

I keep mine on charge because the battery serves as a UPS.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

You have probably already largely destroyed the battery.

Try a test: Take the battery out of the laptop for one week. Then
unplug the laptop, but the battery (which has been sitting for a week)
back into the laptop (still unplugged), turn it on and see how long it
will last. Should be about 3 hours (actually, you have the extra large
battery, so perhaps it should be more like 4-5 hours). I will not be
surprised if you are WAY less than that.

It's an oversimplification .... and maybe even just plain wrong .... to
day that what damages the battery is "keeping it on charge". In fact,
there are multiple things going on here, all at once, and they vary from
model to model. What's clear is that in most laptops, it is best to
remove the battery if you are almost always on AC. Get a UPS, if you
feel that you need one (and almost everyone probably does), a 350VA UPS
for $30 is a lot cheaper than a $200 lithium ion battery.

[Part of what shortens battery life is just the heat that the laptop
generates and exposes the battery to.]


Preben Q wrote:
I'am almost always on main power. It can go months between times where I work on
battery.
Battery (big 9 cell one) will soon be 1½ year old.
I wish to keep it alive as long as possible.
Some people tells me that it shortens battery life to keep it on charge all the time.
But may be this do not apply to newer Li-ion types???

The logic is technically sound, but a UPS costs $30 or so, and the
battery may cost as much as $200+. Technically sound, but perhaps not
economically sound.

Ron Hardin wrote:
I keep mine on charge because the battery serves as a UPS.

Barry Watzman wrote:
[Part of what shortens battery life is just the heat that the laptop
generates and exposes the battery to.]

I find that the laptops draw about a half watt or less when turned off, which
means no heating of anything is happening. It's probably the LED in the
Dell power cord, in fact.

If you mean heating from charging, which cheap chargers expose batteries to
(instead of converting the current into chemical energy, the battery when
full converts it to heat; but a good charger shuts down before that happens),
that is.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Preben Q" wrote:

I'am almost always on main power. It can go months between times where I work on
battery.
Battery (big 9 cell one) will soon be 1½ year old.
I wish to keep it alive as long as possible.
Some people tells me that it shortens battery life to keep it on charge all the time.
But may be this do not apply to newer Li-ion types???

I have never had any battery problems, even with the laptops I kept
for 3 years. I do though use the battery at times, even while at home
so that may be part of it.

I sold a laptop that had been giving me good battery life to a friend.
My friend always used AC, and I was surprised when she told me that
the batteries didn't work. I think the fact that she always had it on
AC is what caused that.

Laptops that are always plugged in are also frequently left on.
Sometimes 24x7, sometimes less but still far longer than they are
actually being used.

Separately, SOME laptops simply overcharge their batteries.


Ron Hardin wrote:
Barry Watzman wrote:
[Part of what shortens battery life is just the heat that the laptop
generates and exposes the battery to.]

I find that the laptops draw about a half watt or less when turned off, which
means no heating of anything is happening. It's probably the LED in the
Dell power cord, in fact.

If you mean heating from charging, which cheap chargers expose batteries to
(instead of converting the current into chemical energy, the battery when
full converts it to heat; but a good charger shuts down before that happens),
that is.

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Preben Q" wrote:

I'am almost always on main power. It can go months between times where I work on
battery.
Battery (big 9 cell one) will soon be 1½ year old.
I wish to keep it alive as long as possible.
Some people tells me that it shortens battery life to keep it on charge all the time.
But may be this do not apply to newer Li-ion types???



I agree with Barry. Take the battery out and never use it and I
guarantee that it will last longer than using it like most people do.

Barry's theory is basically don't use it much or at all and it will
last longer. I don't disagree but I have yet to find anyone who
agrees with him probably because it's not that he is wrong but that
that is not how most people use a laptop.

You decide... inconvenience for longevity or convenience for shorter
battery life.