[P1] Prolonging Battery Life

[RP McKay]

On 22/6/04 8:11 pm, "Bob Gir." <bobgir at earthlink.net> wrote (in part):

>     VERY interesting stuff, that.  I have never heard of pulling it when it
> is in the 40~50% charge range. I had never even thought of using it plugged
> in w/o a battery in it.

This was new to me as well until I read an extensive article on batteries
done by a trusted and respected German magazine called C't that compared
different makes of batteries and also what the best methods were for long
battery life and care...

>     Please confirm that I have this right.  Discharge the battery down to
> the 40~50% level, remove the battery and when you use the iBook, do so by
> plugging it into the charger. (No threat of shock here from the empty
> battery bay???)

Yes, you are correct in your understanding. I will not suggest it is
impossible to get a shock from the empty bay but in 4 years I haven't done
so yet...I wouldn't go wetting my fingers and rubbing them around the
contacts though... ;-)

>     Finally, how long would you recommend before popping the battery in and
> charging it back to 100% then down to the 40~50% level and unplugging it
> again?

If you have the battery charged to between 40 - 50 percent when you store
it, it should be fine for up to 10 months or so before needing topping up
and repeating the procedure.

HTH,

Richard