Lithium Batteries - Tips to Make Your Laptop Lasts Longer

!±8± Lithium Batteries - Tips to Make Your Laptop Lasts Longer

The basic makeup of each battery type is very similar. Each has a positive electrode (cathode), a negative electrode (anode), a separator and an electrolyte. However, the chemistry in each is different. The differences offer various levels of performance.

Much of our newest technologies demand much more power than its predecessors. The features and sophistication of the newer electronics have truly increased the power demanded from batteries. It is this power demand that motivated the industry to develop power sources to keep up.

A lithium is different from an alkaline.

Both the chemistry and construction of lithium and alkaline differ. It is the lithium design that helps this newer power source meet the high drains of many of today's devices.

These new and powerful batteries are used in various portable electronic devices, and are widely used as a mobile laptop computer power source.

Here are some tips to make your laptop power source last longer:

Heat Kills!

Heat truly decreases the life span of lithium batteries. You may notice that if you use your laptop as a replacement for a desktop, the battery capacity decreases greatly. Some measure the decrease at 60% to 80% of the original capacity after about a year.

If you use your laptop as a desktop, you should remove the battery while using the plug-in power source. And before storing your laptop battery, you may want to first check with the manufacture on the effects of moisture and dust in the casing.

Correct Storage

If you don't plan on using your lithium batteries for a while, you may want to put them in your refrigerator - not the freezer!

Ideally, you should store at a 40% charge level. At 100%, you may have unnecessary stress and internal corrosion. But if the charge is too low, the battery can eventually become unusable because it will self discharge.

Calibrating Helps

Most manufacturers agree that there is some benefit to completely discharging your lithium batteries periodically, especially for your laptop. If you completely drain the laptop cell, it will help to recalibrate which will allow for more accurate measure of the life span.

You should try this every 30 charges or when you notice readings are off.

Calibration does not extend the discharge time - it only resets it to show the remaining charge accurately.

Memory is not what it once was ...

When I got my first cell phone, I was told to let it completely die before recharging. This idea is that of memory. This process of completely discharging before recharging to the max, would supposedly give my phone the complete battery capacity.

If I recharged with 50% capacity already, the battery would assign the half way point as the empty point, and cut the capacity in half.

But this does not apply to lithium cells - only for nickel based. In truth, fully discharging your lithium battery often can be harmful to its battery's health, possibly making it completely unusable if levels go too low.

The modern lithium has a safety circuit to make sure it doesn't reach the point of no return. The safety circuit isn't guaranteed. If you leave it completely drained for a few days, the safety circuit probably won't save it.

Lithium Batteries - Tips to Make Your Laptop Lasts Longer

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RV Tip: Troubleshooting a 12-volt DC Problem

!±8± RV Tip: Troubleshooting a 12-volt DC Problem

If you enjoy RVs you already know that a major part of the fun with RVing is getting away from everything. You can just pack up the RV and head out to get some well deserved rest and relaxation without having to deal with the hassles of day-to-day living. These restful, relaxing, memory making RV trips should not be jeopardized by something as simple as a 12-volt electrical problem ruining your vacation.

If you've been RVing for any amount of time you are already aware that a good portion of the devices and accessories in your RV operate off of 12-volt DC power. 12-volt DC or Direct Current is electricity supplied by the RV batteries. DC electricity flows in one direction, from negative to positive. 12-VDC electricity is stored in the RV batteries and supplies power for components, devices and appliances that operate off of 12-volts.

These 12-volt devices include overhead lights, the water pump, vent fans, furnace fan, range hood fan, LP gas leak detectors, stereos, 12-volt TVs and the refrigerator when it's operating in the LP gas mode. When you go camping you rely on these 12-volt items to operate properly, especially if you're dry camping without hook-ups. So what do you do when one of these 12-volt items quit working?

For the sake of an example let's say that we are dry camping and our 12-volt water pump quits working.

I am convinced that just about anybody is capable of troubleshooting a 12-VDC problem, and in many cases repairing the problem without it ruining your camping trip. For starters you will need a couple of simple tools to assist you in troubleshooting your RV's 12-volt electrical system.

1). An inexpensive 12-volt test light.

2). A multi-meter that can test for DC power.

Both of these are available at local auto parts stores. You should also keep some electrical tape, various size wire nuts, 12-volt light bulbs and 12-volt fuses on hand. Check the amperage of the fuses used in the power distribution box and keep an assortment. If you're aware of any inline fuses used on any of the 12-volt devices keep these on hand too.

Now, try to determine the last time the water pump actually worked. Did you leave the RV for a period of time with the pump on? Is there water in the fresh water holding tank? Were you working on or around something else that could have affected the operation of the water pump? Try to think of all possible scenarios. Something might jar your memory resulting in a quick fix to the problem.

If not, the first step is to verify that the coach battery or batteries are charged enough to supply power to these 12-volt items. There are a couple of ways to perform a quick test on the coach batteries. You can use the monitor panel to check the condition of the coach batteries. To get an accurate reading make sure the RV is not plugged into electricity and turn on a couple of overhead lights to place a small load on the battery. Check the reading at the monitor panel. (If you check the reading at the monitor panel when the RV is plugged in to electricity it will give you fully charged reading) A more accurate method is to test the battery with a multi-meter. Set the meter to read 12-VDC and place the negative test probe on the negative battery terminal and the positive test probe on the positive battery terminal. A fully charged battery will read in the range of 12.6 to 12.7 volts. If it reads less than 12-volts it is below a 50% state of charge and will need to be charged.

If the battery is fully charged, the next step is to make sure that any battery disconnect switch for the coach battery is turned on. If the battery disconnect switch is on, verify that other 12-volt devices in the RV are operating properly. If there is 12-volt power to the interior of the RV you need to check the fuse for the water pump in the power distribution center. Determine which fuse is for the water pump (fuses are normally labeled) and find a suitable ground for the 12-volt test light. Test both sides of the fuse for 12-volt power. If the test light only lights on one side of the fuse replace it with the proper size fuse and try the water pump again. If there was power at both sides of the fuse check for 12-volts at the water pump switch. If there is voltage, and the switch is operating properly check the water pump wiring for an inline fuse.

Find a good ground for the 12-volt test light and probe the wire on both sides of the fuse. If there is only power on one side of the fuse replace it with the proper size fuse and test the pump again. If there is power on both sides of the fuse check the water pump wiring connections at the wire nuts. It's possible for connections to come loose due to excessive vibration. Correct any loose connections and try the pump again. If the pump still doesn't work feel the motor to see if it is hot to the touch. If the motor is hot, a thermal breaker may have been triggered. Allow the pump time to cool off and see if it re-sets itself.

If you complete all of these tests and there is 12-volt DC power coming to the water pump motor, and it still doesn't come on, chances are the water pump is bad and it will need to be replaced.

Troubleshooting a 12-volt electrical problem in your RV is not that difficult. Follow the logical path of the device you are troubleshooting and see if you can determine where the problem is. It might be possible for you to save your well deserved vacation, some money and a trip to the RV dealership too.

Note: If you don't feel comfortable performing your own maintenance or troubleshooting the 12-volt electrical system, take your RV to a reputable repair center to have it checked out and repaired

Happy Camping!

Copyright 2006 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101

RV Tip: Troubleshooting a 12-volt DC Problem

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DC To AC Power Inverters

!±8± DC To AC Power Inverters

Inverters are the essential step between a battery's DC power and the AC power needed by standard household electrical systems. In a grid connected home, an inverter connected to a battery bank can provide an uninterruptible source of backup power in the event of power failures, or can be used to sell extra alternative energy power back to the utility company.

A "DC to AC" power inverter, also termed DC to AC converter, electronically converts DC power from a battery to 60 hertz AC power at 120 volts like in homes. Batteries produce power in direct current (DC) form, which run at very low voltages but cannot be used to run most modern household appliances. Inverters take the DC power supplied by a storage battery bank and electronically convert it to AC power. An inverter used for backup power in a grid connected home will use grid power to keep the batteries charged, and when grid power fails, it will switch to drawing power from the batteries and supplying it to the building electrical system.

Most modern inverters also include over voltage and under voltage protection, protecting sensitive equipment from dangerous power surges as well. All the DC to AC power inverters requires a 12-volt input, but there is a wide range of models available in the market depending on the output wattage that they supply. A few of the most widely used models are 150 watts, 325 watts, 600 watts, 1500 watts and 3000 watts. The lower wattage, models can be directly connected to a cars cigarette lighter socket, while the larger ones must be directly wired to bigger batteries.

Typical applications for a DC-AC power inverter include microwave ovens, televisions, video recorders, computer and power tools and monitoring/communications equipment.

DC To AC Power Inverters

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