[Davie]

Haven't found this addressed directly in the material I've found on iPod or other Lithium batteries. Is it a problem if I start recharging and stop before the battery is fully charged?

 

[Eagle_Driver]

It is a problem with all types of rechargeable batteries. Stopping a charge above 40% but below 100% will permanently destroy a battery's ability to accept a full charge. And stopping a charge between 30% and 40% is okay only for long-term storage (no use or little use).

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver It is a problem with all types of rechargeable batteries. Stopping a charge above 40% but below 100% will permanently destroy a battery's ability to accept a full charge. And stopping a charge between 30% and 40% is okay only for long-term storage (no use or little use).

When I connect the iPod to my PC, it always starts to charge through the USB cable. Does this mean I have to leave the #!%!@^ connected until it's fully charged if I want to synchronize?

 

[funnytimes]

Taken from

http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthr...threadid=19556

Quote:

Should I charge my battery partially or fully? Does not matter. Charging in stages is acceptable. Full charge termination occurs by reading the voltage level and charge current. Charging a full battery is safe and does not cause harm.

I had a scare when I first got my iPod..

 

[Davie]

Thanks. I didn't read all 17 pages, but it seems from the Battery University quote that partial charging (charging in stages, as they call it) is *not* a problem.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Actually, my opinion is from the viewpoint of someone who uses the unit after only a partial charge. If you repeatedly stop charging after only a partial charge, and then start using the device immediately after the partial charge, you will start permanently destroying the ability of the battery to accept a full charge. But if you stop charging in mid-charge (partial charge), and then put the device into storage without using it, just make sure you charge it back up to full charge before you start using the device.

 

[AdamWill]

It's just not true. li-ion batteries are not susceptible to any kind of memory effect. The only thing you can do to degrade them _faster_ than usual is to run them completely dry; each time you completely empty an li-ion battery you slightly reduce its max capacity. They DO degrade over time, though, and there's nothing at all you can do about this, which is why Apple had the whole dying-ipod-battery PR fiasco; they should've known it would happen, given that li-ion batteries have about a two to three year useful lifespan on the average. (Nintendo are smart - their battery packs are designed to be easily accessible and cheaply replaceable). Dan of Dan's Data is good on battery myths....read this page for starters:

http://www.dansdata.com/gz011.htm

Basically, the worst things you can do to a lithium-ion battery are:

1. charge it with a bad charger
2. run it flat

Anything else isn't going to hurt it, but it will die in a couple of years, and there's nothing you can do about it. li-i is tricky to charge, especially at the end of the cycle, hence the 'bad charger' thing. Really bad chargers can blow the battery up, just plain bad ones dramatically shorten its life. Which is why I'm always suspicious of cheapo USB chargers for phones and things, and never go near 'em.

 

[jpr703]

Partial charging is absolutely not a problem with Lithium Ion batteries like the one on the iPod. With other types of rechargeables, it can be. I used to manage product development for a major cell phone company, so I do know a thing or two about batteries.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpr703 Partial charging is absolutely not a problem with Lithium Ion batteries like the one on the iPod. With other types of rechargeables, it can be. I used to manage product development for a major cell phone company, so I do know a thing or two about batteries.

Oh, I was using info for nickel-based batteries in judging this.

Lithium ion batteries don't have the same charging characteristics as NiMH or NiCd batteries. Thus, what I said does not apply for the iPod or the high-end Sony MD units which use built-in Li-ION batteries.

However, it is bad for ANY rechargeable battery to be stored with a full charge - in fact, all rechargeables should be stored for the long term with a partial charge (30 to 40 %).

 

[easypeasy]

Phew! I was getting scared there...

Another point with Lithium batteries is heat, does no good to the batteries,
especially with 100% charge in a hot car (take from batteryuniversity again).

 

[easypeasy]

And another point when buying equipment from chainstores.
The shop assistant _always_ tells us to charge the equipment for
eight bl**dy hours before use

Now we all know this is
not the case with Lithium.

Think of all them hour we could have started playing with our new
iPods/phones/notebooks !!

 

[Davie]

Thanks, all. I'm always impressed with the knowledgeable people at head-fi.