The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    AC power affect battery?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by allthaticanbe, Aug 1, 2006.

  1. allthaticanbe

    allthaticanbe Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I just got my new Dell Inspiron 6400 :) Anyways I was wondering wheter running the notebook in AC power will affect the battery health or does it have nothing to do with it at all?
    (Might be a silly question to some but I really don 't know and I tried searching it )
    Thanks
     
    allthaticanbe, Aug 1, 2006
    #1
  2. Zero

    Zero The Random Guy

    Reputations:
    422
    Messages:
    2,720
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    It's not a silly question. I don't think that leaving the laptop connected to the AC adaptor, will do do anything to the battery.
     
    Zero, Aug 1, 2006
    #2
  3. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,659
    Messages:
    5,066
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Personally, I suggest to take the battery out if you are planning on using the ac power for several hours (although I need to practice what I preach). The reason is because your battery might be fully charge, but with the a/c plugged in, your battery will keep trying to charge. Basically this lowers your battery life if you continue to do this all the time.
     
    Amber, Aug 1, 2006
    #3
  4. s4iscool

    s4iscool Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I dont think thats completely right, most power management systems I know of will stop charging a battery that has a full load, meaning its already received the minimal trickle charge...I could be wrong, but that is what I always understood.
     
    s4iscool, Aug 1, 2006
    #4
  5. allthaticanbe

    allthaticanbe Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Well when its in AC power it does not charge the battery if the battery is at 100% it just switches to AC power.
     
    allthaticanbe, Aug 1, 2006
    #5
  6. s4iscool

    s4iscool Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    if you knew that then you answered your own question
     
    s4iscool, Aug 1, 2006
    #6
  7. socarwolverine

    socarwolverine Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    6
    Messages:
    134
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    31
    true, the power management software will stop trying to charge the battery once it reaches 100% and go to AC power, but there is a belief that the heat generated from being on AC power will shorten the life of your battery. I dont have anything to verify and i'm not completely sure I buy it, but the logic is that heat is bad for Li-Ion batteries thus heat from the AC power is bad for the batteries.
     
    socarwolverine, Aug 1, 2006
    #7
  8. Gautam

    Gautam election 2008 NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,856
    Messages:
    3,564
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I think the bottom line is that the power lost by the battery (and thus its overall life) is far less than the hassle of having to always remove it every time one wants to go on pure AC mode.
     
    Gautam, Aug 1, 2006
    #8
  9. allthaticanbe

    allthaticanbe Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thanks for all the responses
    s4-I was just stating that the battery wasn't charging on AC power but I still didn't know wheter it affected the battery. Sorry if it came off as a "Know-it-all"
     
    allthaticanbe, Aug 1, 2006
    #9
  10. s4iscool

    s4iscool Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    oh np, Im sure there may be some minute negative issue with leaving it on the charger, but unless you were planning to run the AC for 1 week straight, id just leave the bat in.
     
    s4iscool, Aug 1, 2006
    #10
  11. Amber

    Amber Notebook Prophet NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,659
    Messages:
    5,066
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Maybe I was thinking of a different issue. I know it is recommended if you plan on using your ac for a long time, then you should unplug your battery. I thought it was because your battery would dip down to 99% so then it would try to charge back up to 100%, but I'm probably completely wrong on it. If you need more info:
    http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-38.htm

    SG
     
    Amber, Aug 1, 2006
    #11