Computersight -

Batteries have been around a while now, and in all those years, they have developed from cattle prods into energy blasters that help our cars drive and our airplanes fly. Somewhere around 500 AD, Mesopotamians built several devices capable of emitting a small electrical charge (even though they did not know what electricity was). These devices have been given the name ‘Baghdad Batteries’ and they are seen as the first batteries.

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But the battery evolved, and in this time, everybody has heard about the Lithium-ion battery (Li-ion in short), as this battery is one of the most used types. They are in your laptop, your iPod, your cell etc. But very often, these batteries are not treated the way they should be, which makes them last much less longer. Here are some (battery-) life-saving tips that will prolong your batteries’ life span.

Before using a battery for the first time, make sure it is fully charged. Then let it be drained entirely. This will maximize the possible life span.

After every 30 or more charges, pull out the power cord and let the battery be depleted completely. This allows any power monitoring tool to be re-calibrated and thus measure your power level more accurately.

If your laptop is constantly connected to a power cord, or if you won’t use your laptop for more than a few days, take your battery out of your laptop and put in the freezer. As a Li-ion battery will only start freezing at -40°C, there is no danger involved. Li-ion batteries last longer as they are kept in colder temperatures. That’s also why it’s not a good idea to let your laptop get too hot: don’t put it on your lap, cover the fan or leave it in your car during hot days.

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Do not buy any spare batteries, no matter what a bargain they are. Li-ion batteries start to deteriorate the moment they are manufactured, so even a battery that hasn’t been used for five years will be in a bad state.

Power save modes. When you leave your laptop for a short time, use the Sleep/Standby function. If you leave it for a long time, use Hibernate.

Before storing a battery, make sure it is fully charged.