| Some of you might have got in a rage when in an extremely important moment when you were working or expecting a vital e-mail, your laptop turned off, because its battery had gone low. In such cases the battery should be re-charged or replaced.There are 3 main types of laptop batteries - Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (LiON). They differ in price, weight and specific features. However, the charging procedures have much in common. All brand new batteries are to be charged within 14-16 hours. If you are going to re-charge old ones, at first let them cool off, as overcharging will significantly shorten their life. When purchasing NiMH laptop batteries, remember they have the so-called "memory defect". Thus, if a NiMH battery is not 100% discharged, it will "think" that it has, for example 50% of its original capacity, and will use only this half, threfore, decreasing the number of hours during which your laptop function properly.Laptop batteries are re-charged in different ways. The first way is when you use AC power. The so-called "trickle charge" automatically re-charges batteries as soon as a laptop is unplugged. Another way is an external laptop battery charger. All you need to do is to insert batteries into a charger that is plugged into an outlet.Batteries' life may also be extended if:- you fully charge and discharge batteries;- you have only those programs on at a time which you really need. Listening to music, browsing on the Internet, chatting on-line along with using other programs can considerably shorten batteries's life.- you use laptop batteries' energy reasonably;- you defrag the hard disk now and again, since it helps save space and, hence, power;- you adapt monitor brightness;- you make use of cooling devices (readily available on the market) for the laptop temperature to comply with the established requirements;- you make use of AC adapters when possible.Surely, it is a must to use a laptop and its diverse power devices in accordance with the manual to assure your laptop will help you longer. |
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