Lithium ion battery question.

[Sephiroth Strife]

I had been told that when i use my laptop to check its battery type. According to a friend some should be unplugged when fully charged. Is this one of them or can i leave it plugged in when its fully charged?

[Sombra]

It actually is not nearly as much of a problem leaving a laptop plugged in when the battery is fully charged. The problem comes more when you plug in a laptop when the battery is partially charged. At that point, voltage depression can set in, but otherwise it's not too big of an issue.

[Sephiroth Strife]

So wait... i shouldn't plug it in when it is on if the battery isn't fully charged? I'm not sure I understood your post.

[Sombra]

Well, it's okay to do it now and again, just as long as you're aware that if you make a habit out of charging your battery when it still has a fair amount of power left, it has a greater chance of developing voltage depression or "memory" that will shorten its life over the long term.

See, voltage depression is when a battery begins to "remember" a certain point at which it was charged and eventually will not charge beyond that point.

[Sephiroth Strife]

So should i always have my laptop pluged in? If i wait till my computer is beeping at me demanding to be pluged in, will it hurt it?

[Sombra]

You can do either of those things safely. Leaving it always plugged in won't hurt it. As for waiting until the last minute, that's fine too. As a matter of fact, it's recommended that every couple months or so, you let your battery die and recharge completely. This helps clear any "memory" it may have been developing over time, and thus helps optimize your battery's longevity.

[Sephiroth Strife]

You can do either of those things safely. Leaving it always plugged in won't hurt it. As for waiting until the last minute, that's fine too. As a matter of fact, it's recommended that every couple months or so, you let your battery die and recharge completely. This helps clear any "memory" it may have been developing over time, and thus helps optimize your battery's longevity.

Thats good to know. I belive my computer shuts off before the batery completly dies out. so i should let it do that once in a while?

[Sombra]

Yes, let it do that, not constantly mind you..........once in a blue moon, I guess you could say.........