Tips for Choosing the Right Laptop Battery

Tips for Choosing the Right Laptop Battery

Although laptop batteries have some of the same characteristics of regular household batteries, they have other features that are not the same. The basic electrochemical reaction that is generated by household batteries is the same process used by laptop batteries. They also have both the negative and positive terminals although they may be in a different location on each battery depending upon the brand used by a particular laptop.

Laptop batteries have a small circuit board inside and have many internal cells. The circuit board inside the battery is responsible for controlling the manner in which the internal cells are charged. They also are rechargeable unlike most household batteries. As we all know, household batteries except for a nine-volt are cylinder shaped. This is where the laptop battery and the household battery differ as well. The batteries designed for laptops are made to fit the model in which they will be used. They are lighter in weight and smaller therefore one battery does not fit all models of laptops.

Charging the Laptop Battery

Because laptop batteries require 3 full hours of charge to be at top performance, the voltage as well as the charging current must follow an exact route. The laptop battery also has a special circuit that limits the current at the point when the battery is close to being fully charged. If you have noticed, the control panel on your laptop has an application that will tell you approximately how much battery time you have left and settings for power utilization.

Although it takes 3 hours to fully charge a laptop battery the major charging is done in the first hour and 20 minutes. This can be a bit of knowledge that will come in handy if you are in a hurry to finish a project and do not want to wait for the full charge light to tell you it is ready. Although this can be done, if your laptop battery is new the first few times it should be charged for the full three hours. This will ensure the battery works as efficiently as possible thereafter.

Laptop batteries are mainly used by the screen, the processor, the drives and networking cards. The screen is a big power user especially when the brightness is used on high. Dimming the screen will save power and make the battery's charge last longer. This is why when people watch movies on their laptop the battery runs down faster. Both the screen and the drive are being powered and the battery is under a high output.

Finding the Right Battery

Laptop batteries are normally lithium-ion. The search is still on for a super battery that will provide maximum power and last for the longest time period. The size of the battery is one of the major concerns when it comes to building a battery that will last longer. You should know that when the manufacturers state the runtime of a battery they are most likely using idle time. This is when the computer is just powering enough to stay on without being used for the Internet or for other applications that take more power. This is why you are confused when the manufacturer says a specific runtime and your computer battery is low long before this time is up.

The batteries in laptops are used up faster than most because of the heat they are subject to when in use. The inside of a laptop can be 113 degrees when it is being used. When your computer is in optimum use, the battery will only last about half the time it would last when running at a lower rate. If you are guilty of leaving your laptop in your vehicle during the heat of the day, this can also affect the usage time. This is not good for any type of battery but the lithium-ion battery is more sensitive to higher temperatures than any other type.

Manufacturers could make a larger battery but it would weigh more and this defeats the purpose of portability for the laptop. According to surveys, most people given the option of a larger battery and the weight it would require are apt to stick with the laptop batteries already in use. There is an improvement of about 10% a year when it comes to the energy contained in laptop batteries however, the requirements for power increase as well. What this ends up being is the same basic runtime and laptops that are more advanced.

There are some computers being manufactured in Japan that have a battery that mounted to the outside. This is a sub-notebook computer and the life of the battery is extended since it is not subject to the heat inside the computer. Certain models are made to allow several sizes of batteries for different uses.

If your laptop is a new one, the battery is most likely a lithium-ion battery. The older ones either use nickel metal hydride batteries or nickel cadmium. The lithium-ion battery normally will not work in a laptop that uses either of the other types. The best way to tell what type of battery will work in your laptop is to check the model number. You can find a list of what type of batteries will work by searching online.

Should you buy a new or a used laptop battery? There are many computer repair shops that sell used parts for laptops. They may seem like a good deal when it comes to the price of a used battery vs. a new one but laptop batteries have a life of about three years. This is not dependent on their use either. Even for a battery that has not been used, this is the typical life. So it really depends on how old the battery is as to whether it is a good deal or not.

Many people have an expansion bay with their laptop which can actually double the time you can use the computer before needing to charge the battery. If you do not have one, keeping a spare laptop battery will allow you to continue with your work after the main battery needs a charge. This will allow you the freedom that laptops were designed to provide. After all, if you have to stay tied to an electrical outlet to run your laptop you may as well use a regular computer.

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