Quote:
Originally Posted by Sideman
Let me clarify things, Brosko. Well, with lithium cells, there is somewhat of a limit to how many charge cycles they will accept. Now, they don't have a "memory" like the old NiCad batts did...Lithium can be charged without any damage at any time. But to get the most life out of the battery, we should only charge them when the battery level is very low. This will help the battery last a longer time when compared to the same battery being charged a couple times a day to keep it "topped off".
So, in general, let the battery level drop until you get the low-battery warning. (you still have a little while before it will shut down) Then charge it to full. I know this is not always possible, or practical, but it should be the goal....the goal being to charge as few times as possible.
Again, topping it off doesn't cause damage, but doing so on a constant basis will eventually cause the battery to fail sooner than expected.
Hope this helps, my friend.
|
Sideman is correct. To add to it as well.
All batteries benefit from being charged/discharged fully every time (it gives them full storage capacity by doing so). You can top them up after this, but every 4th go should be a full discharge/recharge cycle for protection purposes.
Most modern chargers do shut down when charged. I charge mine when off for minimum charge times (3 1/4 hours in UK).
8 months on my battery is as good as when I got it, 9 1/2 hours of video playback!
marcel
PS
by doing this my 12 year old video cameras batteries still work fine..