Some people believe we’re now in the technological age. No, others would argue and say it’s a digital world. And there is also the rest who would call it a mobile world. Regardless of the nomenclature you decide to tag the world with, one thing is certain; and that’s the fact that batteries have become essential to our daily lives.
Our digital cameras, mobile phones and most other gadgets too, all run on batteries. However, one prevalent complaint about these batteries is that they don’t last long enough. And the reasons for the decrease in battery longevity is quite obvious. What’s not common knowledge is how to care for the battery to keep it healthy. If you use lithium-ion batteries, here are a few tips to keep them healthy.
# Store at Room Temperature
A normal room temperature for your battery should be between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius. You’re going to cause a brutal damage to your battery life when you charge it full and subject it to a hot temperature. Always remember to keep your phones away from the oven, cars and any other place that may be hot. When it comes to reducing t a lithium-ion battery life, heat remains the #1 factor.
# Carry a Higher Capacity Lithium Battery Instead Of a Spare
Whether you use your batteries or not, at some point, they begin to deteriorate. So a spare battery would also not last longer than the one currently in use. But when you have a battery with a higher capacity, it’d take much more time before it starts aging.
# Allow Partial Discharges
Lithium-ion batteries are unique. And unlike NiCad batteries, they lack a charge memory. That implies that deep-discharge cycles are not always required. Matter of fact, it’s beneficial to use a partial-discharge cycles.
Battery experts recommend that lithium-ion batteries should be completely drained after every 30 charges. It is said that a continuous partial discharge allows for a digital memory – a condition that decreases the accuracy of how your device gauges power. Experts believe that when you let the battery discharge to the cut-off point, the power gauge will become recalibrated when you recharge.
# For Long-Term Storage, Discharge Lithium-Ion to About 40%
Try it out too. Charge your spare battery up to 100%, keep for an extended period before use, and you’d find out that it never lasts like the removed battery. This is because charging a lithium-ion battery to full capacity means it’s at its highest oxidation rate. To elongate the life of your lithium-battery ion, discharge to about 40% capacity and store in a cool place – like the refrigerator.
Lithium-ion batteries are an excellent improvement to other existing types of batteries. When you properly take care of a lithium-ion battery, you should be able to get close to 500 charge or discharge cycles.
