Best way to recharge the netbook battery

[aprnavich]

I believe the question I post might be applicable to all portable computers.And that is, what is best way to recharge the netbook battery ..... Nightly, or as required (having used the battery down until, you are reminded to do so ....
Thanks,

[Regina]

There are two different types of batteries in common use;
Li-Ion and Li-Polymer; with different recharge procedures.

Which type does your Sammy have?

[aprnavich]

Lithium ion I believe

[Bon-Z]

Shortened battery life in a laptop computers is mainly cause by heat stress rather than charging or discharging. The best advice is to avoid frequent full discharges because this puts strain on the battery. Partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep full discharge & recharge. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries)

If you want the gauge on your machine to read the "charge" correctly over it life you might have to fully discharge and then fully charge the battery. But don't do that more then once every eight weeks. Also, if you plan to use it a lot while plugged in take out the battery ... just don't kick out the plug! Plugging-in with the battery full and the system heating up will eventually kill the battery for sure. With some common sense the battery should last two years, and longer if you don't mind it slowly becoming less efficient.

[Pugsly]

One serious comment on Li-Ion batteries - stolen from several manufacturer's data sheets - --

When out of the machine, store at a reduced temperature - the 'vegetable bin' of your
refrigerator should do just fine.
Two notes:
*) The battery should not be fully charged when stored (80% - 90% of full charge).
It will self-discharge, so - --
*) Check it from time to time, recharge when it reaches the range of 20% -30% of full charge.
So don't just toss it into the vegetable bin and forget it, it takes a special charging
routine to recover them from an over-discharged state

[timon]

a full discharge of a l-ion battery turns it into a brick. Most l-ions nowadays have a chip inside the computer and the charger to prevent this from happening. Also, no memory in lithium based batteries, so you can charge it anytime in the cycle: dead, half-dead, makes no difference.

you also don't have to do a full charge. you can unplug it when it's 3 / 4 full or full and it's all the same to the battery. the way the chemistry works in lithium based batteries, as in most, will make it very quick to charge to about 3 / 4 capacity and very slow for the last 4th. but you'll do no long term damage to the battery by not waiting for the last 4th each time. and most modern batteries for laptops (and netbooks) are good for several hundred charges. so do follow monkey's rec for removing the batter when running off the wall for extended periods.

one last thing ... l-ion and li-polys lose their charge at generally less than 3-4% per month (for dumb batteries) and less than 10% for smart batteries (built in charge monitor) ... so from a full charge to sitting on a table at room temp it would take a LONG time to do any damage.

[jnh2602]

NiCd (Nickel-cadmium): Deep discharge is a necessary evil to avoid memory effects.
NiMh (Nickel-metal hydride): Deep discharge once every 3 months, but otherwise avoid deep discharge.
Li-Ion (Lithium-ion): Avoid deep discharge. Avoid heat. If leaving unused for a long period of time, discharge to 40% and store in a cool place.

Source: http://www.tekhowto.com/articles/how...arge-a-batter/