Battery charging recommendation

Hello,
I have a question regarding the best thing to do in the following situation:
Say I am using the battery on the laptop until it runs low and needs charging, and I plug in and uses the computer for a bit while it charges. But before it finishes charging (100%), I had to shut off the computer (first) then unplug. What should I do subsequently?

Should I resume the charging process the next time I'm to use it? Or should I just start using it at the charge level (which would be below 100%)?

Thanks.

 

That would, in the first instance, depend on how close (or far away) you are from a power source.

If you are not near a power source, you would have to use the battery. It is generally advised that you don't drain the battery completely. Maybe a good idea to shut down the system when you have between 15-20% of the battery power left.

OTOH, if you are at a power source, you can plug in and keep working. Your battery will charge up as you work - albeit a slightly slower pace (at least so I have noticed) than if the machine was shut down and connected to the mains.

If you have Lenovo's Power Manager installed, you can also set limits as to when your battery should start charging and stop charging. From what I have understood, it is best not to charge the battery right up to 100% all the time. Equally, it is not advised - as I mentioned above - to drain the battery down completely. Often I have seen it suggested to set the upper limit at 96% or so and the lower limit at around 40%. There are also some tools in Power Manager that lets the system optimize/ manage the charging and discharging of the battery (personally, I have chosen to go with this option and have not run into any problems).

I just hope I made sense in what I write above!

 

Thanks for the reply.

So there is no negative effect on battery if you top-up the charge when it's at below 40% (e.g. at 38%)?

 

In general, consumer electronic batteries recommendedto be charged when they reach 40%.

And never, never let the battery totally dies out.

 

usually lithium ion battery should never be discharged to below 5% in order to prevent irreversible damages.

 

The bottom-line is that you should use your machine (including the battery) as you wish (within reasonable limits, of course). Your battery - regardless of how you handle it - will degrade over time. All this care is about slowing down that eventual degradation.