How to charge a laptop battery for the first time. How to properly charge a new laptop battery

A laptop is no longer a curiosity these days.

Almost every user who leads an active lifestyle has this device, since a laptop is more mobile than a desktop computer, and you can work on it anywhere. The only problem in operating the device is the battery charge, which tends to run out. Therefore, an important question for the user is how to properly charge a laptop so that it works as long as possible. There are many ways to solve this problem, and this article will outline some of them.

Charging depending on battery type

As far as you know, most modern laptops have lithium-ion batteries. This means that in order to charge the device, you do not need to completely discharge it, which is very convenient. On the other hand, if such a battery is installed in your device, then you should not allow it to be completely discharged, as this may lead to its failure. First you need to know how to properly charge your laptop battery the first time you use it. As a rule, the battery of a new laptop is not fully charged, but only five or ten percent. In this case, it is better to turn off the device completely and wait until it is fully charged. After this, the battery will be fully charged. During the first charge, it is better not to use the laptop at all.

How to save battery

If you are faced with the problem of how to properly charge a laptop, you should also know that the battery should always be charged when the device is turned off. This condition preserves the battery capacity, which, as you know, decreases over time. This will also allow the device to charge much faster. When deciding how to properly charge a laptop, you need to know how to use the battery while working. Of course, this depends on many factors, but there are general recommendations on this issue.

1. As a rule, the laptop has an already installed program or option that allows you to independently configure power consumption modes. With this option, you can disable some unnecessary features that waste energy. Therefore, if you are faced with the question of how to properly use a laptop battery, do not forget to adjust the power consumption mode.

2. You should also remember that a parameter such as screen brightness will also allow you to reduce power consumption if you reduce it, but not to the detriment of your vision.

3. Many laptop users also turn off network scanning and Wi-Fi on their device, which they say saves battery power. If you do not use the Internet while working, then it makes sense to disable these functions.

Expert advice

If you are faced with the question of how to properly charge a laptop, but in most cases the device runs on mains power, then it makes sense to remove the battery altogether. This will also allow you to preserve the battery capacity of your laptop. But in this case, experts recommend discharging the battery to fifty percent, since when fully charged, the above parameter will be reduced.

Do you know how to properly handle your laptop battery? Shouldn't you keep it plugged in all the time? Let the battery discharge to the “red” mark and fully charge it again? The bottom line is that such strategies are actually harmful to your laptop battery. It's time to learn how to charge your mobile friend correctly.

Isidore Buchmann is the Chief Executive Officer of Cadex Electronics. This company develops and produces chargers, as well as tools for express testing and diagnostics of batteries, including for industrial needs. In addition, the company supports research by Battery University, an educational web project designed to make information about the correct and most effective use of batteries more accessible.

In his interview with Wired, Isidore Buchmann spoke about the main and widespread mistake that laptop computer users make.

You cannot charge a laptop battery to 100% of its maximum capacity. Ideally, battery charging should begin when the charge level is 40%, and stop when the charge level reaches 80%.

This significantly increases battery life - in some cases by more than 4 times. The reason for this is the operating principle of lithium polymer batteries: the voltage in each cell is proportional to the charge level. A voltage level close to the maximum standard value wears out the battery faster, which ultimately leads to a reduction in the number of charging cycles and an accelerated decline in battery capacity.

Battery University research clearly demonstrates the veracity of the statement: when charged to 100%, the battery regularly produces 300-500 cycles, while when charged to 70%, the number of cycles increases to 1200-2000.

Unfortunately, maintaining the correct amplitude of battery charge can be extremely difficult. You cannot constantly monitor the battery indicator while working. The search for appropriate applications for OS X and Windows did not give a positive result. Some manufacturers provide laptops with special software that limits the charging level, but not all do this. The only optimal solution here may be to measure the time required to charge and discharge the battery to the desired level. In the future, time periods can be monitored quite easily using any timer with notifications.

Most modern laptops are equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Such a battery is light in weight and has quite high power, sufficient to ensure long-term battery life of the device even with intensive use of its functions. However, due to its advantages, a lithium-ion battery is relatively expensive, so users often wonder: how can they extend its service life? One of the most important moments in the “life” of a laptop battery is the process of its first charging and discharging.

• After you buy a new laptop, you need to fully charge it. Connect the laptop to the network, but do not start loading the operating system. Wait until the battery is fully charged - the charging status indicator LEDs located on the front or back of the laptop should go out. The first charge of a lithium-ion battery takes a minimum of four hours.
• After charging is complete, you can turn on the laptop and start working. In this case, it should not be connected to the network adapter, but the battery should be completely discharged (at the end of the battery life, take into account possible data loss). This is done so that the power supervisor chip and the operating system driver, which controls power, record the actual capabilities of your laptop’s battery and automatically configure the appropriate parameters.
• After the laptop battery is completely discharged, it is necessary to carry out another full charging cycle and then you can begin normal operation.

To increase the service life of the battery, it is advisable to constantly keep it charged, using a power connection whenever possible. On some forums you can still find statements that a laptop battery requires 100% battery discharge. In fact, this information is only relevant for old batteries built on the nickel-cadmium electrochemical system. Nowadays, such batteries are not found in modern laptops.

By the way, the tips for charging the battery for the first time, given above, apply not only to a laptop, but also to any other device that runs on lithium-ion batteries - a phone, a tablet, and so on.

Laptop users often face a very important question about how to use it correctly. This is, of course, due to the fact that the main feature of these computers is portability. Simply put, people buy a laptop so that they can always work with office applications and visit their favorite websites. And even where there is no outlet at hand. That is why the question of how to properly charge a laptop so that the battery charge lasts for a long time is so important. Moreover, in many ways, the period when the device will work depends on solving the issue of how to properly charge the laptop battery.

All modern batteries used on laptops are lithium-ion. These batteries differ from other classes in that they do not have a “memory effect”. The presence of this effect in old batteries led to the fact that the main thing when deciding how to properly charge a laptop was complete discharge. Otherwise, the battery could fail, resulting in the need to purchase a new computer. Therefore, if the problem arises of how to properly charge a laptop battery, it is important to find out what class it belongs to. If the battery is lithium-ion, this means that, first of all, it should not be allowed to completely discharge. Completely discharging such a battery can lead to its failure. Therefore, as soon as the charge level has reached five or ten percent, you need to start recharging. The following condition is also important when determining how to properly charge a laptop. It is best to charge the battery when the computer is turned off. Firstly, this will allow you to charge it much faster than when the computer is turned on. Secondly, this will preserve battery capacity. It is important to take into account that over time it decreases greatly, by an average of one percent per month. Therefore, the older the laptop, the more careful handling of its battery should be.

Two important questions that may arise when solving the problem of how to properly charge a laptop are the following. First, how to use the computer's battery if it is expected to run on mains power most of the time. In this case, experts advise removing the battery from the laptop, as this will preserve its capacity. In this case it will have to be fifty percent. Storing a battery with a full charge can significantly reduce its capacity. Secondly, how to use the battery to increase the battery life of the laptop. There is no universal answer to this question. Because battery life may depend on various factors. At the same time, there are general recommendations that will at least partially solve this problem. First of all, you need to use the built-in ones installed on the laptop to configure the optimal power consumption mode. All provide the ability to use special modes on computers. A feature of such modes is that when operating on battery power, some non-essential functions are automatically disabled, which can significantly save battery power. For example, in some cases it is possible to disconnect disks. In addition, the screen brightness can be automatically reduced, because it is no secret that it is the laptop screen that “eats up” the battery drain the most. Using these simple tips, you can significantly extend your battery life.

Details Updated 03/30/2017 19:23 Published 06/10/2013 14:37 To maximize the life of a laptop battery, it must be charged and discharged, adhering to some general rules and tips. It’s worth starting with the fact that each battery already has its own maximum cycle from the factory. A cycle will be the process of fully charging and discharging the battery to 0%. If you do not charge the battery properly, without adhering to certain rules, it will fail much earlier than it could. Today, most laptops have lithium-ion batteries.
How to properly charge a laptop battery during infrequent use without causing harm?
In fact, if you do not plan to use your portable device often and leave it turned off for a long time, then you only need to discharge/charge the battery to 20-30% of the total charge. With such a small charge, you will not cause any harm to the battery. It is not recommended to completely discharge the battery to “zero” each time, thereby losing those very precious cycles (we have a limited number of them).

How to properly charge a laptop battery, is charging up to 100% useful?

We can say with complete confidence that this is definitely not worth doing; it is better not to let the battery charging process reach its physical limit. After all, a full charge also leads to the consumption of the operating cycles designated by the manufacturer. The most optimal and painless option would be to charge to about 80%.
How to discharge?
When the laptop battery is discharged, it is also necessary not to bring it to the “zero” state, because of this the wear process increases exponentially. The most optimal discharge would be up to 20% percent, after which it is advisable to connect the power cable and wait for charging, but not fully charge.

At what temperature is it correct to charge a laptop battery?

Don’t forget about external factors when charging the battery, such as room temperature. For example, if you often charge in conditions of high summer temperature without ventilation in the room, then this is fraught with negative consequences for you. If you charge at high temperatures or under the scorching sun, you have a fairly high chance of the battery overheating and failing. When charging, do not cover the laptop or adapter with any pillows, towels, rags, etc. Under no circumstances should you close the cooling ventilation ducts of the laptop, which are usually located on the sides. For lithium-ion batteries, at least 5 degrees, but no more than 30-40, will be comfortable.
What to do if the battery fails?
If this happens, you should contact our computer service. We employ craftsmen with a high level of education, long working hours and extensive experience. We will definitely be able to help solve your problem and offer you a solution at the best price. Our service specialists NOUT - 911 pay great attention to the quality of installation of components, their replacement or repair. However, everything is completed in a short time frame without compromising quality. We are used to working according to the price-quality ratio.