| It might have already happened to you a few times when in a very important moment when you were working or expecting a vital e-message, your laptop went dead, because its battery had gone low. In this case the battery should be re-charged or replaced.
Laptop batteries can be of 3 kinds - Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (LiON). They differ from each other in price, weight and specific characteristics. However, the charging procedures have much in common. The charging time for brand new laptop batteries should not be less than 14-16 hours. If you are going to re-charge old ones, at first let them cool off, as overcharging can greatly shorten their life. If using NiMH batteries, keep in mind they have the so-called "memory defect". So, if a battery is not discharged to the fullest, it will "think" that it has, for example 50% of its original power, and will use only this 50 percent, threfore, decreasing the number of hours within which your laptop function properly.
Laptop batteries are re-charged differently. The first method is when you use AC power. The so-called "trickle charge" automatically re-charges batteries as soon as a laptop has been disconnected. A second option is by using an external laptop battery charger. All you need to do is to put batteries into a charger that is connected to the supply of electricity via an outlet.
Batteries' life can also be lengthened if:
- you 100% charge and discharge laptop batteries;
- you have only those programs on at a time that you really need. Listening to music, surfing the Net, chatting on-line along with using other programs can make battery' life far shorter.
- you exploit batteries' power reasonably;
- you defragment the hard disk now and again, since it helps save space and, hence, power;
- you adjust monitor brightness;
- you make use of cooling devices (widely available on the market) for the laptop temperature to comply with the established limits;
- you use AC adapters when possible.
Certainly, it is a must to exploit a laptop as well as its various energy devices observing the safety requirements to secure your laptop will function longer. |
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