Program to drain a laptop battery fast?
- Thread starter finsfree
- Start date
UnholyVision
Active Member
If you're just trying to drain a battery via usage then you don't exactly need a special application. Open a task heavy program. A game, a benchmark tool, or something else that would normally get the machine humming & leave it be for a bit.
However, if you're wanting to extend a batteries life I wouldn't suggest doing this. Use it like normal until you drain the battery with actual usage and just charge it when needed. Charging a battery frequently doesn't help its life cycle.
However, if you're wanting to extend a batteries life I wouldn't suggest doing this. Use it like normal until you drain the battery with actual usage and just charge it when needed. Charging a battery frequently doesn't help its life cycle.
This is correct. In another life when I worked in communications we had a battery cycling routine. We had expensive equipment that discharged batteries in programmed sequence in an attempt to prolong the life of portable communication equipments battery life. It didn't extend the lifespan much, if any, and we still ended up having to buy new batteries from the equipments manufacturers at stupidly inflated prices. Bit like laptop manufacturers really.
OmniDyne
Active Member
Newer laptops mostly use lithium-ion batteries. You're doing more harm than good each time the battery is fully discharged; lithium-ion batteries don't have issues with memory like previous batteries did.
If I remember correctly, the last few smart phones I purchased (Apple, LG, Samsung) stated in the manual that the lithium-ion batteries should be charged as frequently as possible, because the more the batteries are discharged, the shorter the lifespan.
Fully discharging the battery every few months can help with reporting accuracy by the OS, that's about it.
The technology has improved substantially, and I doubt whatever you do it'll make much of a difference either way.
If I remember correctly, the last few smart phones I purchased (Apple, LG, Samsung) stated in the manual that the lithium-ion batteries should be charged as frequently as possible, because the more the batteries are discharged, the shorter the lifespan.
Fully discharging the battery every few months can help with reporting accuracy by the OS, that's about it.
The technology has improved substantially, and I doubt whatever you do it'll make much of a difference either way.
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AlienMenace
Well-Known Member
If you want to learn more about batteries in general, especially the Lithium-ion's. Here is a link, that I refer to for my R/C stuff.
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries/1
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries/1
This is 100 percent accurate. So many old myths about how to take care of a battery continue to be propagated but this is it right here. Just charge it whenever you can, and do a good full drain every once in a while to kind of recalibrate it.
OmniDyne
Active Member
I bought some Duracell AA rechargeable batteries around a year ago. They're Ni-MH and according to the manual behave quite similar to Lithium-ion batteries; no memory and charge whenever. Interestingly, apparently the more you use and charge Ni-MH batteries, the longer they last. If they sit unused for longer than 30 days it actually reduces performance and longevity. The tech has evolved quite a bit.
All of our power tools at work even use lithium-ion batteries now. Pretty nice always having them charged as opposed to older style batteries where you had to drain them before charging.
All of our power tools at work even use lithium-ion batteries now. Pretty nice always having them charged as opposed to older style batteries where you had to drain them before charging.
AlienMenace
Well-Known Member
Lithium-ion batteries are a heck of a lot safer than the Lithium polymer batteries that I use in my radio control planes. The li-pos storage charge is around 55-60% percent no lower. And at that storage rate, they can sit a very long time. And they are kept in a fireproof battery bags, that sits in an ammo cans that has holes drilled into it to ventilate the can, just in case of a meltdown. 