He took the machine out and put it on for charging. But it would not charge. However, he was lucky — it was a MacBook and with a little bit of coaxing and tweaking, it started charging. But it gave him a clear warning: “Check your battery.”
Apple’s service centres provide first class service. My friend got the battery checked. There was a defect, which was, of course, due to his fault. But the service centre provided a spare battery for a day so he could make his presentation. He got the contract.
Not everybody is as lucky. And neither does everyone own a Mac. So you need to take care of your laptop battery to maximise its life.
All laptops use lithium-ion batteries, be it a Mac or a PC. But they come from different manufacturers and while some are great, some are terrible. If you are shopping for a PC that will give you a decent battery life, you need to make some smart choices. For example, look for:
* An ultra-low-voltage processor
* A solid-state storage drive, which requires less power and, since there are no spinning parts, suffers less wear and tear than a traditional hard drive.
* An LED display. Although high priced, LEDs use much less power than do LCDs.
* A smaller screen. A smaller screen means a smaller backlight, which will also save on battery drain.
How to charge your battery: Lithium-ion batteries come partially charged. You can start using the battery right away and charge it when needed. It is better to recharge more often; avoid frequent full discharges.
There is no need to fully charge your battery every time. Charging in stages is acceptable.
You do not have to remove the charger from the battery when it is full. The charger automatically cuts the charge current when the battery is full. A laptop may be connected to the AC when not in use. However, this is not true for all laptops. For Macs it would be best to use it on battery when you are travelling, and plug it in at the office to charge. If you are not going to use your notebook for a period, it is best to store it at 50 per cent charge. Cool storage is more important than state-of-charge. Do not fully deplete your battery because the Lithium-ion may turn off its protection circuit.
Do not allow the battery to heat during charge. Little heat is generated during charge. A large laptop battery may get lukewarm.
There is one thing you should know about chargers — they should be able to apply full charge. Avoid economy chargers that advertise one-hour charge. A laptop’s full charge time is about three hours.
Getting more minutes per charge: You can choose to use your Mac or PC notebook in a way that maximises its battery life.
Energy: The energy saver control panel offers several settings that determine power levels. Your machine knows when it’s plugged in and runs accordingly. When on battery power, it will dim the screen and use other components sparingly. If you change this setting to maximise performance, your battery will drain more quickly.
Brightness: Dim the screen to the lowest comfortable level to achieve maximum battery life. For instance, when watching a DVD on an airplane, you may not need full brightness if all the lights are off.
AirPort Wireless: AirPort consumes power even if you are not using its features to connect to a network. You can turn it off in its control panel to save power.
Bluetooth Wireless: Likewise, you can turn off Bluetooth to maximise your battery life, as it also consumes power when not in use.
Applications and peripherals: Disconnect peripherals and quit applications not in use. Eject CDs and DVDs if you are not currently accessing them.
Storage temperature: Store your laptop in places with temperatures that is between 10° and 35°C. An ideal condition is around 25°.
Do not expose the battery to extreme heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave it in the car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can’t create as much power. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, drain it completely and recharge it once a month to maximise its capacity.
