Comments on: The Hard Truth About Your Laptop Battery

By: JoshS

JoshS — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:58:38 +0000

If you are worried about your battery dying, you should check out an app called Low Battery Saver. It makes sure your Mac sleeps before the battery completely runs out and let’s you set a warning to alert you that the computer is about to sleep. (http://www.lowbatterysaver.com/) It won’t fix your battery problems but at least you won’t lose your work, have to restart your computer etc

By: 246

246 — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:38:50 +0000

I learned that about AC adapters already. My question was can i take my battery out, and power my laptop with a power cord ? instead of an AC adapter ?

By: Anthony Vito

Anthony Vito — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:54:11 +0000

246: “Charge the laptop” doesn’t make any sense, you power a laptop, you charge a battery. Laptops can, and are, powered by their AC adapters alone when they are plugged in. Laptops _never_ draw power from the battery when the AC adapter is plugged into a functioning outlet.

Rose: If a battery is not used for a period of time, months, years, it will have higher “internal resistance”, as I explained above. Depending on the storage conditions, such as charge level and temperature, this may affect the performance of the battery. If the internal resistance of the battery is too high the battery can not supply enough current to power the device. Or, more likely, since voltage level when discharging Li-Ion batteries is non-linear, it will only power the device for an unusable short period of time.

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:40:49 +0000

So will a battery still work, if not used much initially, but sat for a period of years?

By: 246

246 — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:47:59 +0000

Can you charge the laptop without the battery using a power cord, like you can with a ac adapter ????

By: Rebekah Mark

Rebekah Mark — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:45:51 +0000

http://t.co/ilxqqVy

By: qaz111111

qaz111111 — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:56:16 +0000

It appears that while the battery is in the computer and charging the computer will run from the charger. The laptop definitely runs without a battery or with a dead battery if the charger is connected. So once the battery is up to 100% the charging of the battery stops and the computer continues running off of the charger. I cannot see how using your laptop powered by the charger with a fully charged battery can harm the battery.

By: Anthony Vito

Anthony Vito — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:40:47 +0000

I fail to understand how I am “incorrect”. The question was whether a laptop will run while the battery is removed. The answer was yes then, and still is now.

If you read my previous comments I went into depth detailing the damages done to batteries by the heat in laptops. Often times convenience over rides the absolute best practices for battery care. As with everything in life, it’s a cost benefit problem.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:04:44 +0000

Anthony is incorrect. Charging while using is bad. Constantly keeping the battery at 100% wears It down (that is why batteries charge slowly from 80-100% – to be delicate with the battery in that sensitive range). In addition, attempting to charge the battery when it is warm/hot (I.e. when you’re using it) is one of the worst things for a battery. You’re better off just leaving the laptop unplugged while you use it. If you have the choice, do not charge something while simultaneously using it.

By: jennelle

jennelle — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:48:32 +0000

this is brilliant! i have been having this debate with people for years, and now i finally feel that i understand the mechanism so that i can believe the logic! thank you thank you thank you matt! you have made me a changed laptop user