Hi there. Today, lets talk about batteries. They are the key component that guarantees portability, but how do you get the maximum benefit from them? I’ll share a few tips and tweaks on extending the life, reconditioning and replacement of the battery. All in a bid to improve and increase the chances of you getting the best out of your notebook.
First off, how efficiently do you use your computer? Do you open 10 different programs and forget to close them? Did you know that the amount of time your battery lasts depends on a number of factors, including:-
- The amount of tasks you are running simultaneously on your notebook. Playing graphic-intensive games, blasting out music at the same time WILL drain the battery much faster;
- The complexity of the programs being run – I used to regularly have 2 browser windows with up to 20 + tabs open in each, a couple of Word documents open for editing, a graphic program or two, a few more software running in the background and I wondered why my laptop only survived 2 hours on battery.
- A buildup of dust inside and around the processor will cause the fan to work harder to keep the interior cooler. This draws up more power than you would normally use. I talk about how to sort that out in this post.
One thing to bear in mind is that the advertised manufacturers run time (the length of time in which you can use your laptop on battery power) is never totally accurate. Expect about 50 minutes less than the advertised time.
So it runs low and you pop it back on the charger, get it up to 100% again and disconnect it. Read that last bit again. Get it up to 100% again and disconnect it. I cant tell you how many people I know who have their laptops plugged into the mains 24/7 and then wonder why the batteries don’t last.
The charging cycle is good for about 500 – 750 charges; then the battery stops holding its charge. At this point, you would be advised to replace it, but I can give you a tip or two on squeezing out a few more months of use before you have to do that.
A classic example of a Catch-22 is that the more often you charge your battery, the less the amount of time you will get out of it in the long run.
Now, these tweaks may come a bit late, but as long as you can still charge the battery, there is another thing you can do to improve its performance. This is the flip side to the memory effect, and can be triggered by recalibrating or reconditioning the battery. This is simply ‘reminding’ the battery of how it is supposed to work.
- Connect your laptop to the mains using the supplied power adapter
- Ensure no programs are running at this time and charge your laptop till it shows that the battery is at 100%.
- Now, disconnect the laptop from the power adapter and use it as you normally do.
- The aim of this is to drain the battery of all, I mean ALL its power. You can hasten this by setting the screen to the brightest settings, while carrying out all the tasks you would do on a regular day.
- Keep this level of use up until the computer goes to sleep due to low battery.
- Plug the laptop in and leave it to charge until the battery is full again.
Repeat these steps every 6 – 8 weeks to recalibrate your laptop battery.
NOTE: This should be done only when your laptop has been steadily losing charge and has drastically reduced the run time it had at the time of purchase. Do NOT do this with a new laptop.
At some point, you WILL have to finally replace the battery, it is important to get the correct battery that will work. One trick of the manufacturing trade is that many parts are OEM and individual companies simply whack their brand name on it.
While it may gall you that you are paying top dollar for a part that you can also find in a computer up to $200 cheaper than yours, you should revel In the fact that you can now replace parts for cheaper too.
- Go to Amazon and type in the model number on the dead battery. This will bring up a bunch of options. Don’t be alarmed if none of them are the same as the model of your computer. Remember OEM?
- Sort by the Star rating on the lower left of your screen. I choose products with ratings of 4 Stars and up.
- Pick the first option and zoom in on the picture of the battery to examine the connecting points. Compare it to the battery you have in your hand. Looks the same?
- Make your purchase.
The beauty of Amazon is that you can return goods you are not satisfied with, as long as its within the warranty period.
Applying the tips and tweaks outlined in the article above will help you get the best out of your laptop battery.
A few more tips to help you maximize battery life include:
a. Don’t store your laptop in a hot place or direct sunlight.
b. If you are leaving your laptop unused for an extended period, take out the battery and store separately.
Do you have any more tips other notebook users can benefit from? Please share in the comments below.