4 ms·

Interesting. Last I looked, the supposed optimal way to prolong a Li-Ion battery was to not let it get below 50% (ie, plug it in to charge when it gets to 50%).

Interesting. Last I looked, the supposed optimal way to prolong a Li-Ion battery was to not let it get below 50% (ie, plug it in to charge when it gets to 50%). I think it was from a link off of Lifehacker a while back. Storing at 40-60% was recommended as well. I do typically use a smart charger on my NiMHs, and make sure to "break-in" (full discharge -> trickle charge to full -> full discharge -> trickle charge to full) every three months (12 for the new LSDs); I've managed to keep some AAs for well over a decade doing that, albeit I have plenty of spares, so I cycle through them and most are kept at room temperature storage. I used to freeze, but read that that might not be good for them long term (not to mention you have to wait for them to warm up before you can swap, defeating the purpose of spares; also, there's the possibility of thermal shock if you don't warm them up slowly/gently in the fridge).

JimmaDaRustla 13y ago
I too read the 50% capacity rule, but I read it in a very professional battery book, but I remember the gains were very minimal. Something like 10-15% increase in lifespan. When a battery is only lasting 2-3 years as it is, that is less than half of a year. Going back to my link, it looks like 50% is the sweet spot in the DoD chart; multiplying the number of discharges by the DoD results in 50% DoD being the highest return on capacity. But...also remember in an application where you can use the device while its charging changes the concept of maximizing life span. I don't believe the act of discharging will avoid shortened lifespan, but rather it avoids degradation on the battery CAUSED by discharging itself. Batteries hurt my brain...