Gateway M-6882h, Reference Manual

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CHAPTER 7: Maintaining Your Notebook
86
Maintaining the battery
The life span of a notebook battery is about 1.5 to 3 years,
under normal conditions. As the battery begins to die, you will
have to recharge the battery more frequently because it
cannot hold a full charge.
Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing
temperatures. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold
ones cannot create as much power. Short battery life is more
likely to be caused by heat than by charge/discharge patterns.
Keep your lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car, for
example.
Charge often, but do not try to fully discharge the battery
frequently. This only adds strain. Several partial discharges
(regular use), with frequent recharges, are better for
lithium-ion than one total discharge. Recharging a partially
charged lithium-ion battery does not cause any harm because
it has no “memory.”
Batteries with fuel gauges (notebooks) should be calibrated by
applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges.
Running the battery down in the equipment does this. If
ignored, the fuel gauge becomes increasingly less accurate and
in some cases will cut off the device prematurely.
Using the right charger is important. By now you probably
know that each kind of battery has its own technology, its own
rate of charge, and so on. Charging lithium batteries correctly
is one way to extend their life and to avoid damage.
Storing batteries
Do not charge up the battery, then store it away. A stored
battery should be used every three to four weeks. Let the
battery fully discharge, then recharge to 40% if you plan to
store it again. If you store a battery for longer than three to
four weeks, the battery could fully discharge because the
battery circuitry itself consumes power.
If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one exclusively and
keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Make sure
that it is wrapped protectively and that nothing will be dropped
on it. Do not freeze the battery.
Do not use old batteries. Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion
batteries and storing them for later use. Do not buy old stock,
even if it is sold at clearance prices. While it makes sense to
have 2 or 3 extra batteries, so that you always have a fresh one
charged up and ready to go, if you buy batteries and store
them for years, they may not work when you decide to use
them.