How do you guys keep your batteries?

I rarely use the battery. Should I keep it seperately or sticked with the laptop?

 

Keep it with the laptop, if power goes out you have a backup.

 

as long as you aren't heating it up a lot, its ok if you keep it in the machine.

personally, i take it out if i plan on playing games, because i know the chassis is going to heat up, and i have to be plugged in anyway to go for any length of time at all.

 

Heres a battery guide.

Unless you're worried about power outages you should keep it in a fridge in a bag, it'll get warm if you keep it hooked up to your notebook. Heat = battery's enemy.

 

if you are charging it at 100% non stop, thats bad, and will kill the bat faster.
use the Thinkvantage Power Manager to set a lower threshold for the max bat charge, explained in the attached screenshot

 

Apple recommends users to keep batteries 50% charged as unused. http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

So we can take the advice and set the value of "stop charging at" to around 50%. Is that good?

 

im not sure how much their results can be generalized to other manufactures. I would stick with IBMs recommendation, and also remember to reset the battery gauage when needed.

 

Under the battery charge thresholds in the battery maintenance window is a radio button option that reads...Optimize for battery lifespan (automatically change for me), and the secondary option (checkbox) reads...notify me when thresholds change.

Is selecting these 2 options the best/easiest way to go for battery maintenance?

Are there any start and stop recharging thresholds that have been shown to work better than others?

 

Since upgrading to Business 32 i never let my battery attached with the notebook. Even in public places like cafes, i always can find power outlet.

The only time i am using it is when i am upgrading my BIOS. The battery is required to be attached with the computer.

 

i guess if you intend for your laptop and battery to last you 5 years of use, then be anal about its charging, but ive been charging and discharging my batteries at least 3 times a day for over a year, and they still hold good charges.

 

With the exception of storing it completely empty or leaving it in a really hot environment, you really don't need to worry about it too much. There is circuitry that controls the charge and discharge of the batteries... As an average user, you really can't do too much damage.