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Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery?

From "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com>
Newsgroups comp.sys.laptops
Subject Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery?
Date 2015-01-01 12:55 +1300
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <m822dk$2hb$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References <108337cb-cd49-46bf-8dc6-c37039d77067@googlegroups.com> <m7vgc1$fck$1@dont-email.me> <m81kud$ird$1@dont-email.me>

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Once upon a time on usenet mike wrote:

[snip very useful if slightly disjointed info]

> I don't think I ever got a Thinkpad battery back.

I have - the one in this 15" UXGA IPS 4:3 screen T60 - It's labeled 'Lazarus 
Battery'. I got it in a second-hand machine that used factory presets for 
charging (whenever charge drops below 95% top up to 100% - a usage pattern 
designed to get you to buy a new battery every two years or so).

When I got it it reported only 10% of new capacity so I did a 'battery 
reset' using ThinkVantage Power Manager (TVPM). It died, it wouldn't take a 
charge, the battery LED in the ThinkPad just flashed yellow. When powered up 
(with adapter) power manager said 'battery dead - replace'.

I threw it in a drawer for 6 months. Then I thought it's either rubbish or 
it's not so put it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer for a week, then put it 
in a ThinkPad, plugged in the adapter but didn't turn the machine on 
(concerns about condensation as well as not wanting TVPM to make a hasty 
decision and 'mark it' dead again). The battery LED flashed yellow for 15 
minutes - then stayed on solid yellow (meaning charging at 5% capacity or 
above)! I left it for a day or two (the LED had been on solid green for 
quite a while) then started the laptop. It now said the pack held 25% of 
original capacity (yay!).

That was two years ago and I've been using it since then in this machine 
that is never taken out of it's dock, using it as a UPS, set to charge when 
below 50% and stop at 85%. However I've since used TVPMs battery reset 
feature a couple of times, about once a year, and the reported capacity has 
risen to 40% of original. I have the laptop set to maximum power (as it's 
essentially used as a low-power draw desktop) and when there's a power 
outage it usually runs for at least 30 minutes before I decide to turn off.

That's a heck of a lot better than a 10% battery only good for 5 minutes 
then dirty shut down - or a brick.

I have two new repack batteries (a 6 cell and a 9 cell) stored at 40% charge 
in the fridge as I also have a 14" SXGA+ T60 that is used infrequently as a 
portable machine (I'm an invalid and don't get out much). The 14" has a 90% 
good battery in it ready to go - which reminds me, I must cycle that 
battery.

Happy new year.
-- 
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a 
cozy little classification in the DSM."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1) 

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Thread

Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2014-12-30 11:53 -0800
  Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2014-12-31 13:35 +1300
    Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2014-12-31 11:06 -0800
      Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2014-12-31 11:54 -0800
        Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-01 15:13 -0800
      Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-01 12:29 +1300
    Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2014-12-31 12:05 -0800
      Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-01 12:55 +1300
        Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-01 14:51 -0800
          Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-02 14:16 +1300
            Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-01 18:11 -0800
              Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-02 01:15 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-02 09:34 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-02 10:46 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-02 14:25 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-04 12:28 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? andymhancock@gmail.com - 2015-01-03 16:48 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-07 14:47 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-06 19:38 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-09 13:36 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-08 17:34 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-10 14:59 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-09 20:22 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-13 12:18 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-12 17:20 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-15 13:35 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-01-14 17:37 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-16 12:33 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-02-08 14:24 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? mike <ham789@netzero.net> - 2015-02-07 21:02 -0800
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-02-11 11:09 +1300
                Re: Should I completely discharge my laptop battery? "~misfit~" <shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com> - 2015-01-03 11:47 +1300

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