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Five tips for extending lithium-ion battery life

There’s lots of press about how to conserve battery power, but not much about how to take care of your batteries. Here are a few things you can do to increase battery longevity.

In today’s mobile world, battery life is precious. If you don’t believe me, go to an airport and watch the road warriors. It can get downright nasty when two spot the only available outlet at the same time.

It doesn’t take long to learn what helps preserve the current charge on the battery. What’s not well known is how to care for the battery itself. That’s just as important. Doing so allows the battery to operate efficiently. Here are a few ways to keep your lithium-ion batteries healthy.

1: Keep your batteries at room temperature
That means between 20 and 25 degrees C. The worst thing that can happen to a lithium-ion battery is to have a full charge and be subjected to elevated temperatures. So don’t leave or charge your mobile device’s battery in your car if it’s hot out. Heat is by far the largest factor when it comes to reducing lithium-ion battery life.

2: Think about getting a high-capacity lithium-ion battery, rather than carrying a spare
Batteries deteriorate over time, whether they’re being used or not. So a spare battery won’t last much longer than the one in use. It’s important to remember the aging characteristic when purchasing batteries. Make sure to ask for ones with the most recent manufacturing date.

3: Allow partial discharges and avoid full ones (usually).
Unlike NiCad batteries, lithium-ion batteries do not have a charge memory. That means deep-discharge cycles are not required. In fact, it’s better for the battery to use partial-discharge cycles.

There is one exception. Battery experts suggest that after 30 charges, you should allow lithium-ion batteries to almost completely discharge. Continuous partial discharges create a condition called digital memory, decreasing the accuracy of the device’s power gauge. So let the battery discharge to the cut-off point and then recharge. The power gauge will be recalibrated.

4: Avoid completely discharging lithium-ion batteries
If a lithium-ion battery is discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, a safety circuit built into the battery opens and the battery appears to be dead. The original charger will be of no use. Only battery analyzers with the boost function have a chance of recharging the battery.

Also, for safety reasons, do not recharge deeply discharged lithium-ion batteries if they have been stored in that condition for several months.

5: For extended storage, discharge a lithium-ion battery to about 40 percent and store it in a cool place
I’ve always had an extra battery for my notebook, but it would never last as long as the original battery. I know now that it’s because I was storing the battery fully charged. That means oxidation of lithium-ion is at its highest rate. Storing lithium-ion batteries at 40 percent discharge and in the refrigerator (not freezer) is recommended

Final thoughts
Lithium-ion batteries are a huge improvement over previous types of batteries. Getting 500 charge/discharge cycles from a lithium-ion battery is not unheard of. Just follow the above guidelines.

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Which battery is better polymer or lithium?

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Lithium Ion vs. Lithium Polymer Batteries – Which Is Better?

Lithium-ion or lithium-polymer? The (what seems like) endless debate on batteries in modern consumer electronics. Today, we’re going to talk about the differences between these battery types. While we may not be able to settle the score once and for all on which is better. we hope to give you the information you need to make the best possible choice!

What’s the Difference?
A lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable battery format that first grew in popularity thanks to their adoption by major electronics companies in the early 1990s. They are essentially a group of very rigid electricity generating compartments, which consists of three pieces: a positive electrode; a negative electrode; and an electrolyte, or liquid chemical compound between them. Most lithium-ion batteries, unlike more traditional ones, also include an electronic controller, which regulates power and discharge flows so your battery doesn’t overheat or explode.

The most significant difference between lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries is the chemical electrolyte between their positive and negative electrodes. In Li-Po batteries it isn’t a liquid. Instead, Li-Po technology uses one of three forms: a dry solid, which was largely phased out during the prototype years of lithium polymer batteries; a porous chemical compound; or, a gel-like electrolyte. The most popular among these is the last one, which is the type of battery you’ll find in newer laptop computers and electric cars. The catch is that plenty of companies are not actually selling you a true Li-Po battery, instead it’s a lithium-ion polymer battery, or a Li-ion in a more flexible casing.

Is One Better than the Other?
Both lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries have their pros and cons. Typically, the advantages of a lithium-ion is their high power density, lack of what’s called the memory effect (when batteries become harder to charge over time), and their significantly lower cost than lithium-polymer. In the words of Wired, “Lithium-ion batteries are incredibly efficient. They stuff freakish amounts of energy in a tiny package.” But, as anyone might have seen with the recent saga of a certain cellphone brand being banned from flights, lithium-ion batteries are inherently unstable, suffer from aging, and are potentially dangerous. If the barrier that separates the positive and negative electrode is ever breached, the chemical reaction can cause combustion (fire). As Li-ion batteries have become more popular in consumer electronics, businesses have tried to lower costs by cutting corners. While quality batteries are perfectly safe, you should always be careful when buying no-name brands.

Lithium-polymer batteries, on the other hand, are generally robust and flexible, especially when it comes to the size and shape of their build. They are also lightweight, have an extremely low profile, and have a lower chance of suffering from leaking electrolyte. But lithium-polymer batteries aren’t perfect either: they are significantly more costly to manufacture, and they do not they have the same energy density (amount of power that can be stored) nor lifespan as a lithium-ion.