"Work in progress, please do not move to another forum, per EarlyMon"
This is a thread for all battery info, etc. It will approximately follow the layot detailed below by EarlyMon:
So...I am making the thread now with merely a link to another post I made. I am student, so time is precious. However, over the next three or so weeks, I will complete this and it will be a self contained item.
The seed post
11/11/11
So I am going to use Hide tags for almost all info until this is done. That way everything can be compartmentalized and this post will not be absurdly long. When it is done, I will cut and paste into a more logical organizational structure.
FAQ
Thanks,
Nkk
*Any product recommendation I give is based on my past experience with said product. Past performance in now way guarantees future reliability. My recommendations are made in good faith and I accept no return or compensation from anyone for making them. I am not responsible for any event which occurs as a result of you following or not following my recommendation.
EDIT: If you have any questions you would like to see answered here, please post them. I am sort of at a loss for common FAQ material, so do not be shy.
Changelog
This is a thread for all battery info, etc. It will approximately follow the layot detailed below by EarlyMon:
EarlyMon said:
So...I am making the thread now with merely a link to another post I made. I am student, so time is precious. However, over the next three or so weeks, I will complete this and it will be a self contained item.
The seed post
11/11/11
So I am going to use Hide tags for almost all info until this is done. That way everything can be compartmentalized and this post will not be absurdly long. When it is done, I will cut and paste into a more logical organizational structure.
FAQ
What Charger can I use? What should I look for?
Is there any procedure I should do to break in my battery?
So...I got my phone and did not calibrate my battery. What now?
Can I charge my battery in the middle of the day? What are the consequences (n terms of battery lifetime, etc) of partial charges for the battery?
Does it hurt the battery to leave the phone plugged in all the time?
How do I store my battery for the long term (2 weeks or longer)?
You need a charger that fits standard USB Spec. Now, instead of reciting spec here (if you are interested, usb.org has it and it is fairly interesting) I will say this:
Look at the charger that came with your phone. It should have a few important values in two different fields.
It will say input, and under that it should accept 120-240 Volts (V), meaning the charger will work internationally. It will also have a frequency. If it accepts the correct votage range, the frequency is good.
Under output, it will say something like 5.5V, 1A. This means it will put a difference of 5 volts across the charging pins and will max current out at 1 ampere.
Whenever you but a new charger, make sure it matches those specs. Voltage MUST match (overvolting a cell causes explosions and undervolting it is less than effective). The max current is a bit more lenient. If it is less than your OEM charger, the charger will work just not as quickly. If it is more, that means that it will allow more current through. I would be super safe and stick with same or under, but not over.
I recommend monoprice.com as a place to get cheap but reliable chargers.*
Look at the charger that came with your phone. It should have a few important values in two different fields.
It will say input, and under that it should accept 120-240 Volts (V), meaning the charger will work internationally. It will also have a frequency. If it accepts the correct votage range, the frequency is good.
Under output, it will say something like 5.5V, 1A. This means it will put a difference of 5 volts across the charging pins and will max current out at 1 ampere.
Whenever you but a new charger, make sure it matches those specs. Voltage MUST match (overvolting a cell causes explosions and undervolting it is less than effective). The max current is a bit more lenient. If it is less than your OEM charger, the charger will work just not as quickly. If it is more, that means that it will allow more current through. I would be super safe and stick with same or under, but not over.
I recommend monoprice.com as a place to get cheap but reliable chargers.*
Is there any procedure I should do to break in my battery?
Yes and no. You do not need to do anything to break your battery in. Various manufacturers have processes to break in their cells, but these processes are not necessary and proprietary. As a consumer, you have nothing to do.
Having said that, you probably should start with a full charge and then go until a full discharge. That way the internal battery meter (which bases its battery% on voltage levels) will be properly calibrated from the start.
Having said that, you probably should start with a full charge and then go until a full discharge. That way the internal battery meter (which bases its battery% on voltage levels) will be properly calibrated from the start.
So...I got my phone and did not calibrate my battery. What now?
Do not worry. There are two options, depending on if you are rooted or now.
If rooted:
Go into your recovery and find the option for clear battery stats (it is under advanced in CWM, and I cannot say if all recoveries have it). Now, proceed to the stock directions.
If stock:
Do a full battery cycle or two by doing the folliwng:
Turn your phone off and charge until full. Turn it on and take it off the charger. Use it (with no charges in between) until it dies by itself due to the battery. If you can avoid restarting it during this time that would be great. IF you want to give the phone an additional data point (probably a good idea), do the full cycle again.
Note that it is a bad idea to do this too often. As I have said in other questions, fully discharging your battery too often is bad and will result in an accelerated degradation of capacity.
If rooted:
Go into your recovery and find the option for clear battery stats (it is under advanced in CWM, and I cannot say if all recoveries have it). Now, proceed to the stock directions.
If stock:
Do a full battery cycle or two by doing the folliwng:
Turn your phone off and charge until full. Turn it on and take it off the charger. Use it (with no charges in between) until it dies by itself due to the battery. If you can avoid restarting it during this time that would be great. IF you want to give the phone an additional data point (probably a good idea), do the full cycle again.
Note that it is a bad idea to do this too often. As I have said in other questions, fully discharging your battery too often is bad and will result in an accelerated degradation of capacity.
Can I charge my battery in the middle of the day? What are the consequences (n terms of battery lifetime, etc) of partial charges for the battery?
Li-ion batteries work well with partial charges. A given battery is rated to a lifecycle of X charges (usually in the thousands). This number represents the number of cylces before your battery holds a significantly less amount of charge then it did out of the factory. Usually it is 60% of original capacity, so it is quite a decrease. These numbers are ballpark figures are vary (sometimes greatly) with things like average operating temperature, average discharge current, and other general operating conditions.
So, you might think that if I get about X charge cycles before the battery has a significant loss of capacity, then I should only charge it when it dies completely. That logic is sound, but wrong. Li-ion batteries do not use a full cycle when doing a partial charge. When you charge a battery from 60% to 100%, you used about 0.4 of a cycle. From 30% to 90%, about 0.6. So, partial charges or good.*
Now, on the other side of this, I can say that full discharges are bad. Now, you may want to do them every once in a while to calibrate your battery stats (see the question regarding calibration for more info), but that is a situation where the downside is outweighed by the good. If you fully discharge your battery every cycle, you will see an increased rate of capacity degradation.
*A gain, remember that since the total cycles is a ballpark statistical average given by the OEM based on testing that may or may not match your usage profiles, there is no real precise accounting to be done here, just theoretical partial and full cycles and a theoretical max
So, you might think that if I get about X charge cycles before the battery has a significant loss of capacity, then I should only charge it when it dies completely. That logic is sound, but wrong. Li-ion batteries do not use a full cycle when doing a partial charge. When you charge a battery from 60% to 100%, you used about 0.4 of a cycle. From 30% to 90%, about 0.6. So, partial charges or good.*
Now, on the other side of this, I can say that full discharges are bad. Now, you may want to do them every once in a while to calibrate your battery stats (see the question regarding calibration for more info), but that is a situation where the downside is outweighed by the good. If you fully discharge your battery every cycle, you will see an increased rate of capacity degradation.
*A gain, remember that since the total cycles is a ballpark statistical average given by the OEM based on testing that may or may not match your usage profiles, there is no real precise accounting to be done here, just theoretical partial and full cycles and a theoretical max
Does it hurt the battery to leave the phone plugged in all the time?
Yes, in the long term it will. What happens is that the battery will do two things:
1. It will stay in the 90-100% charge range, which is less than ideal for long term storage.
2. It will probably run a bit hot (70 to 80 deg F). This depends on phone model, ambient temperature, etc.
Now, you have to think. If you have an old phone in a dock that you use as an alarm, does it really matter if the battery life eventually degrades to 20 or so minutes? If no, the go one and just leave it plugged in. If yes, then reevaluate your options (change your habits or buy a new battery every so often).
1. It will stay in the 90-100% charge range, which is less than ideal for long term storage.
2. It will probably run a bit hot (70 to 80 deg F). This depends on phone model, ambient temperature, etc.
Now, you have to think. If you have an old phone in a dock that you use as an alarm, does it really matter if the battery life eventually degrades to 20 or so minutes? If no, the go one and just leave it plugged in. If yes, then reevaluate your options (change your habits or buy a new battery every so often).
How do I store my battery for the long term (2 weeks or longer)?
Follow what I call the 60-60 rule. Charge it to 60% and leave it at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Optimal storage for a Li-ion batter is in the 40% to 60% charge range and around 55-65 deg F (these are approximate numbers. You may see things like 50% charge and 60 deg F, or whatever. Different, but all in the same range).
Your battery will eventually discharge a bit from 60% to around 40% charge, so you should check up on it every couple of weeks and charge it back up to 60%. If it discharges to below 40%, then it is entering conditions not conducive to being stored properly. For temperature, it should be relative stable at around 60 deg F. Small fluctuations are fine (again, it is a range not a single value).
Optimal storage for a Li-ion batter is in the 40% to 60% charge range and around 55-65 deg F (these are approximate numbers. You may see things like 50% charge and 60 deg F, or whatever. Different, but all in the same range).
Your battery will eventually discharge a bit from 60% to around 40% charge, so you should check up on it every couple of weeks and charge it back up to 60%. If it discharges to below 40%, then it is entering conditions not conducive to being stored properly. For temperature, it should be relative stable at around 60 deg F. Small fluctuations are fine (again, it is a range not a single value).
Thanks,
Nkk
*Any product recommendation I give is based on my past experience with said product. Past performance in now way guarantees future reliability. My recommendations are made in good faith and I accept no return or compensation from anyone for making them. I am not responsible for any event which occurs as a result of you following or not following my recommendation.
EDIT: If you have any questions you would like to see answered here, please post them. I am sort of at a loss for common FAQ material, so do not be shy.
Changelog
1.6.2011: added questions, changed some formatting for easier reading (bolded FAQ questions).
). I intend to buy one of those multimedia docks for it and use it as my alarm clock/radio, and I'll probably never remove it from the dock and leave it constantly plugged in.
