[Tfug] Source for notebook batteries?

[Bexley Hall]

> > Personally, I so rarely use my laptop "on battery" that I
> > just get used to using the AC adapter all the time.  I am
> > never disappointed by "short runtime"  :>  (though this
> > makes travel in airports tedious, at times, as many
> > *hide* their power outlets in places that are uncomfortable
> > to work)
> 
> FYI, for best battery life with lithium ion batteries, you
> need to run them through at least one charge/discharge cycle per

Yup.  Most folks with laptops typically see the opposite extreme;
i.e., one charge/discharge per day (or two).  So, you're damned
if you do and damned if you don't -- because there is a (rough)
limit on the total number of such cycles that the battery can
tolerate before going flat.

> month.   Apple has a page on this:
> 
> http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
> 
> I've had customers that leave a laptop plugged in on a desk
> for a year, and then are shocked to find that the battery is dead
> when they finally unplug it.

I think that might be related to the design of the *charger*.
Many chargers "switch off" when the battery is completely
charged -- applying just a float charge while the battery
sits.  For lead acid, this can kind-of work.  But, for
almost any battery powered device, leaving it on its charger in
the anticipation that it will be "ready to go" is just wishful
thinking.

Batteries are *so* frustrating!  It would be so much nicer if
they were like paper towels:  leave them on a shelf indefinitely
until *needed*!  :-/

(this is doubly frustrating for things like UPS's as you have
to replace them periodically -- even if you haven't had any
outages!)