All about laptop batteries: Updated

By Asher Moses, CNET.com.au & Brian Nadel, CNET.com on 26 June 2006

Battery technologies explained
With four battery technologies onstage and one waiting in the wings, there's sure to be a battery to suit your needs.

Although all batteries are not created equal, they all have the ability to turn chemical energy into electric current to power electronic devices -- from tiny digital music players to big notebooks. As with the battery in a car, a chemical reaction inside a notebook's battery frees electrons to flow from the positive terminal to the negative terminal, creating enough current to run the device.

That was then
The old-timer of mobile battery technologies is the nickel-cadmium cell (NiCd), once the mainstay of notebook design. Unfortunately, NiCd cells can only carry enough power to run a system for about an hour, and they contain toxic cadmium, which makes them hard to dispose of.

And despite their ability to be recharged about 1,000 times, nickel-cadmium cell batteries also suffer from something called 'memory effects'; over time, they lose the ability to hold a complete charge. Luckily, lighter and more powerful battery designs have surpassed the NiCd, and today, NiCds are used mostly in toys and inexpensive cordless phones. About a decade ago, most notebook makers switched to nickel-metal-hydride batteries (NiMH). Not only can these batteries hold about 40 percent more power, they aren't as susceptible to memory problems as NiCds are, and they are more environmentally friendly. On the downside, you can recharge them only about 200 times versus 400 charge cycles for newer designs.

Chemistry Peak watt-hours / number of recharges Problems Main use
Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) 80 / 1,000 Heavy for the power it holds, memory effects, contains toxic elements Toys, cordless phones
Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) 120 / 200 Moderate weight for power, limited lifespan Rechargeable batteries, older notebooks, mobile phones
Lithium-ion
(Li-ion)		 160 / 400 Hard to manufacture, expensive Notebooks, handhelds
Lithium-ion polymer
(Li-poly)		 130 / 400 Hard to manufacture, expensive Mobile phones and backup batteries
Fuel cell N/A Experimental, expensive Space shuttle, power plants, automotive research


This is now
Today, the lithium-ion cell (also known as Li-ion), which holds roughly twice the capacity of a nickel-cadmium battery, rules the notebook battery roost. Used on most notebooks, handhelds, and mobile phones, lithium-ion technology can hold a lot of power, but its exotic materials make it expensive. Part of the credit for its success goes to a tiny controller chip embedded in each battery that adjusts how quickly the battery discharges and prevents it from overcharging.

Coming soon
Look for lithium-polymer (Li-poly) technology to make its way into mobile phones, handhelds and notebooks in the near future. Extremely light and malleable, these batteries are capable of providing nearly as much power as lithium-ion cells but can also be shaped to fit into a device's hidden nooks and crannies. For a look at another battery technology, check out the next section on fuel cells.

Topics: laptop, turion, battery performance, battery power, lithium ion, fuel-cell, centrino, battery, notebook, core duo

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Comments (15)

  • Doraemon Collection commented on 19/08/2009 13:29 Report abuse

    Actually, many factors affect the amount of time that a Laptop Battery can deliver power before it must be recharged. How to extend APPLE 661-2998 Laptop Battery life? Here are some more tips to improve your APPLE 661-2998 Laptop Battery slife:
    If you do not use your Laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more), remove the APPLE 661-2998 Laptop Battery pack from the Laptop.
    Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can't create as much power.
    Make sure to plug your Laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly into a power outlet or surge protector.
    If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, completely drain and recharge the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.
    Fully charge new battery packs before use. New pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.
    For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.
    Leaving a battery in a Laptop while using an electrical outlet for long periods of time will keep the battery in a constant state of charging up and that will reduce the life cycle of the battery.
    http://www.laptopbatteryshop.com.au

  • lulu commented on 27/04/2009 16:58 Report abuse

    I would suggest the solution as using external laptop battery. I bought one

    from eBattery.com.au. ENB001 is one the best solution had even seen in my

    life. Pretty well designed battery with digital gauge and build-in usb port

    for $246. It works for me and may work for you too. Whenever have chance have

    a look at

    http://www.ebattery.com.au/outsource/outproduct.php/78+178+Universal%20External%20Li-Ion%20Laptop%20Battery+Universal%20External%20Li-Ion%20Laptop%20Battery.htm.

  • BatteryCharger commented on 06/03/2009 19:35 Report abuse

    Top 15 Ways to Extend Your Laptop%u2019s Battery Life from www.aussie-battery.com

    Laptops tend to lose their charm quickly when you%u2019re constantly

    looking for the nearest power outlet to charge up. How do you keep

    your battery going for as long as possible? Here are 15 easy ways to

    do so.Hopefully it would be a little help for you!

    1. Defrag regularly
    2. Dim your screen
    3. Cut down on programs running in the background
    4. Cut down external devices
    5. Add more RAM
    6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD
    7. Keep the battery contacts clean
    8. Take care of your battery
    9. Hibernate not standby
    10. Keep operating temperature down
    11. Set up and optimize your power options
    12. Don%u2019t multitask
    13. Go easy on the PC demands
    14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop
    15. Prevent the Memory Effect

    Laptop Battery,Laptop Batteries,Laptop Adapters
    http://www.aussie-battery.com/
    Laptop Batteries and laptop Adapters Manufacture High Quality & Superb Service!Special Season Promotion, 30% discount!

  • chandan commented on 23/01/2009 17:44 Report abuse

    it is very good

  • nick commented on 04/01/2009 20:53 Report abuse

    there are many laptop batteries there http://www.batteriesstore.co.uk

  • laptopbattery commented on 27/12/2008 01:28 Report abuse

    Welcome to online laptop battery store, we offer high quality laptop batteries: Sony laptop battery, TOSHIBA laptop battery, Dell laptop battery, Acer laptop battery, Compaq laptop battery, HP laptop battery ... ... ...
    http://www.laptop-battery.org.uk/

  • duh! duh! commented on 15/04/2008 21:57 Report abuse

    The title was "all about batteries". Obviously, it will define all about batteries duh!

  • 1powershop commented on 07/04/2008 16:30 Report abuse

    NiCad, NiMH and Li-ion are all fundamentally different from one another and cannot be substituted unless the device has been pre-configured from the factory to accept more than one type of rechargeable battery. The difference between them stems from the fact that each type requires a different charging pattern to be properly recharged. Therefore, the portable device's charger must be properly configured to handle a given type of
    <a href="http://www.my-batteries.net/laptop-battery.htm>Laptop battery </a>

  • lory commented on 15/10/2007 11:36 Report abuse

    The Sony <a href="http://www.batteryfast.com">laptop batteries</a> cells are known to be defective.
    Lenovo will not gurantee us that we have cells that are not defective. In fact they have confirmed that our Lenovo battery packs have the same battery cells that are know to be contaminated. I am very upset that Lenovo is not doing a similar recall of the known contaminated cells!

  • tanch commented on 11/08/2007 02:24 Report abuse

    How to prolong the lifetime of battery?
    1)Reason:
    a.Charger or electro circuit can't be fit for the battery.
    b.Overcharge and overdischarge, etc.
    c.Battery can't comply with the charging requirement
    2)Solution:
    a.Use the original charger.
    b.Charge the battery after it automatically powers off , then full charge the battery.
    c.Avoid erroneous usage of battery, such as heavy pressure, short circuit, fall off and so on.
    more info:
    http://www.battery-store.org

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