Archive for category Batteries

Different Types of Batteries

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Different electronic devices have different power requirements. And based on these specific power requirements, different type of batteries are built to suit a specific type of power need.

Just as different types of batteries supply different types of needs of electronic gadgets, there are also different types of technology being used by each of these battery types. They are based on different kinds of chemical principles to produce the power. The elements used for each type of chemical principle are different from one battery type to the next.

Listed below are the most common battery types being used for today’s various electronic gadgets.

NiCd Battery

A NiCd battery is also a type of rechargeable battery. It uses metallic cadmium as negative electrodes. The advantage of NiCd batteries are that they are lighter in weight when compared to their counterparts. It has good charging efficiency and has a small variation in voltage during discharge. They are lower capacity batteries when compared with NiMH batteries. Major area of usage for NiCd batteries are cordless and wireless telephones, emergency lighting, model airplanes, as well as power tools. NiCd batteries are also being used in various electronic devices as well as in electronic toys.

NiMH Battery

A NiMH battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses hydrogen-absorbing alloy as negative electrodes. These batteries are high capacity batteries if compared to other rechargeable battery types (like NiCd). These batteries are used in all-electric plug-in vehicles, as well as in hybrid vehicles. NiMH technology is used extensively in rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics. Due to their high capacity, long-lasting attribute and easy recharge functions, they are extremely popular among electronic gadgets users.

Li-Ion Battery

This is the most popular and easily identifiable battery type in these gadget-crazy times. One can find these batteries in any or almost every mobile phone being used by people in all parts of the world. A Li-ion battery is a rechargeable battery in which a lithium ion moves between the anode and cathode. During discharge, lithium ion moves from anode to cathode; and from cathode to anode while charging. Due to their high energy efficiency Li-ion batteries are not only being used in electronic devices such as mobile and laptops but also in defense, automotive, and aerospace applications.

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Problems with Laptop Battery Charging

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Troubleshooting for your laptop battery that would not charge should be done before bringing your laptop to a service center, or buying a new laptop battery. Just follow these instructions below to pinpoint the cause of the problem in charging your laptop batteries.

First, make sure that the problem is not with the laptop charger. Remove the laptop battery from the laptop. Plug in the laptop charger directly into the battery-less laptop and try to see if you can power up the laptop. If it does not power up, and not even a single indicator light turns on, then the problem is with your laptop charger. If you have a voltmeter, test if there is power being produced by the laptop charger. Also, test if the power cord has no breaks along the line, and that power is not disconnected from the power source up to the output plug.

If the problem is not with the laptop charger, then try considering a software problem. Sometimes the problem can be caused by a software-related issue. And the laptop is not reporting the correct status and power charge of the laptop battery. Try to read up on you laptop’s user manual to determine if the problem is not software-related.

If the battery charges but would not complete itself up to its full capacity of 100%, it might just be a problem of calibration. If this is the case, it is necessary for you to drain the power off your laptop battery completely. And you can only do this by turning your laptop power on until it dies off. It would not happen if you have automatic hibernation mode activated when a certain battery level is reached. O to your laptop’s Control Panel first. Then go to Power Management. From there, adjust the setting on when the laptop automatically hibernates. Usually it is set at around 3%-5% so that laptop users won’t lose the information they are working on if the battery dies up while they are still using it. Adjust that setting to zero. And leave the laptop on until the battery is drained. When the battery dies up, recharge it. See if the procedure has recalibrated your laptop battery, and would allow your laptop to be charged to full capacity at 100%.

Sometimes power resetting the laptop solves the battery problem. You can do this by unplugging it and removing the battery. Then hold on the power button of the laptop for one minute. This would make sure that there is no power remaining within the laptop’s motherboard when the battery went down causing the problem in the laptop battery charging. Return the battery and plug the laptop charger and see if the battery charges now.

If the above solutions still do not work, then the problem may be with you laptop battery itself. It is best to replace your laptop battery with the specific battery that is provided by your laptop manufacturer. Contact your laptop dealer and see if they still have stocks of the said battery. Otherwise, you can also order from online shops offering various types and brands of laptop batteries. Just make sure that you get the right kind of battery which fits the specifications of the original laptop battery.

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Laptop Battery Care

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Laptops which are manufactured nowadays are most likely to come with Lithium-Ion batteries. This type of battery suits the typical usage of laptops where frequent charging occurs even if the battery has not been fully discharged yet. However, this is not to say that laptop users can use and abuse the Lithium-Ion batteries of their laptops. Proper care for laptop batteries should still be observed.

Below are a few tips on proper laptop battery care.

  • When you purchase your laptop, the battery that comes with it is usually empty. Charge the laptop battery as long as possible before using it. It is advisable to plug in the laptop without using it for at least 4 hours
  • It is advisable to keep or store your laptop battery in a cool and dry place. Heat hastens the deterioration of battery life. But this does not necessarily mean that you should store your laptop battery inside the refrigerator or freezer as this can also deteriorate the quality of your laptop battery.
  • When using your laptop at home where you have easy access to a power outlet, remove your laptop’s battery while using it. Use the power of the AC adapter for your laptop. Using your laptop while charging it should be avoided if possible for it will contribute to the overall deterioration of battery life.
  • It is not advisable to buy a back-up battery if your purpose is to prolong the battery life of your batteries. Lithium-Ion batteries have a functional lifetime whether you use it or not. You can only prolong its life up to a certain level through proper care. But using two laptop batteries alternately will prove to have shorter combined life compared to purchasing the second laptop battery when the first one is already showing signs of deterioration.
  • Do not always wait for the laptop battery to fully discharge before recharging it. You may be confusing the laptop battery with another battery type (Ni-Cd) where a complete charge-and-discharge cycle is needed to prolong its life. When your laptop charge falls to 10%-15%, you can already charge your laptop battery
  • The optimal level of leaving you laptop with a charge is at 40%-60%. Studies have proven that batteries normally left with this amount of charge have longer battery lives. Charging your batteries fully-charged all the time before storing it is not exactly optimal for battery life. Of course, you should take into consideration your foreseeable immediate usage when charging batteries. If you know that you shall be using you laptop on batteries the following day, the normal thing to do is to fully-charge it to avoid batteries getting drained while you still need to use it.
  • Allow your laptop battery to fully discharge when you notice that it is not calibrating correctly. When you notice that the battery life being rated by your laptop does not represent an accurate estimate of the actual power remaining within your laptop battery, just do one complete discharge up to the point where the battery is fully drained. Then recharge it fully before using it.

Just try to follow the above tips for laptop battery care and it can help prolong the life of your laptop battery.

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Dispose Your Batteries Properly

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Battery Disposal Is A Serious Matter

Did you know that if you live in California, it is illegal to dispose of your batteries in your normal everyday trash?

Yes, that is how serious this matter is. Disposing of your batteries is an extremely important matter that various groups are now pushing for stricter laws on disposing matters which can be harmful to the environment.

Millions and millions of batteries are manufactures each and every year. In the United States alone, around 3 billion batteries are sold each year. And with the booming economy of countries such as China, with the corresponding demand for power supplies to power the millions of gadgets being bought by their increasing consumer population, this figure is only expected to grow every year. Batteries run electronic gadgets like laptops, cellphones, flashlights, and numerous electronic toys. And with the growing popularity of everything becoming mobile and wireless, the tendency to provide power to these devices in mobile cells can be expected to increase in use.

Harmful Elements From Batteries

The problem is that some batteries contain metals such as cadmium, mercury, lead and nickel that can seriously damage the environment through contamination if not disposed properly. Incinerating them would not actually solve the disposal problem properly as the ash which becomes the remnant of the burning still contains the metals. And the burning process can also release some harmful elements into the air. Batteries can also explode when it comes into contact with fire or exposed to extreme heat.

Organization To Help You Dispose Your Battery

Thankfully, there are various groups who care enough in helping individuals dispose their batteries properly. Sites like earth911.org can help you locate the nearest recycling and disposal stations in your area. Just enter in your zip code in the website’s interface and you will be provided a list of all the places where you can bring your batteries (and other recyclable material) to be disposed of.

Battery manufacturers also have their own disposal facilities where you can bring your batteries for disposal. Call the phone number printed in the product packaging, or visit the company’s website to know the details. Some cities and municipalities also have their separate depots where you can dispose your batteries. Just give your local government a call to find out.

Buy The Right Kinds Of Batteries

But aside from this, there are other things that people can do to help in preserving the environment and protecting it from the harmful effects of chemicals from these batteries. We can all start by buying the right kinds of batteries in the first place. Buy alkaline batteries which can be disposed together with your other household garbage simply because the chemicals found in alkaline batteries do not pose a threat to the environment. Or better yet, buy rechargeable batteries. They would even prove to be economically wise for you as a battery user since you can use a rechargeable battery over and over just by recharging it.

Technology should help us all move forward without destroying the environment in which we live in. Let us all do our share in protecting our environment. And we can start by doing the simple things like disposing our batteries properly.

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Rechargeable Camera Batteries

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It has never been easier and cheaper to take up photography as a hobby than today. Although the initial costs of purchasing a camera has risen up, the overall expenses of buying the traditional films and developing costs has now been replaced with cheaper processing costs due to digital photography. And in addition to the reduced processing costs, the usage of rechargeable camera batteries in today’s cameras have significantly reduced the costs of continuously operation your camera. With the rising popularity of digital photography, proper rechargeable camera battery care must be learned by these photography enthusiasts to be able to get the most out of their equipment.

Today’s digital cameras are powered by typical rechargeable camera batteries. This is opposed to using special batteries supplied by the manufacturer that is used specifically only for that device. This is a big advantage as consumers now have to option to search for cheaper alternatives for their camera batteries.

From the very start, it is extremely important that users follow the recommended initial charging of the batteries stated in the manufacturer’s operating manual. We all know how hard this can be especially if you are just itching to try out the new digital toy that you just bought. But this is where discipline can ensure a longer life for your rechargeable camera battery.

Today’s digital cameras usually come with Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries. Lithium Ion batteries are the most popular and easily identifiable battery type in modern electronically hyped world. This type of battery does not require that the user fully discharge the battery before charging it once again. This is typically referred to as the “memory effect”, which is not applicable for Li-Ion batteries. This means that the users can use and recharge these batteries anytime they want.

On the operation side of the digital camera, there are a number of ways that one can prolong battery life. And one very practical tip that you can follow is to adjust the power-saving setting of your digital camera. Your digital camera’s LCD screen eats up a lot of power when displaying images. If you can shorten the amount of time that the images are displayed every time you take a shot, then that is one way to extend your battery’s life.

Also, if you have a DSLR as your camera, you may opt not to use the LCD screen when taking pictures. Since most DSLP users prefer peeking thru the optical viewfinder, it shall save you a lot of battery power if you turn off the electronic viewfinder or LCD display when taking shots.

When you are not going to use your digital camera for a long period of time, it is advisable to remove it from the digital camera and store it safely in a storage that is not exposed to humidity and high temperature. This can also improve your rechargeable camera battery’s life.

And lastly, buy and replace batteries in whole batches. For example, if your digital camera uses 4 AAA batteries to operate, and you sense that battery life is slowly deteriorating that it is already time to replace them with new rechargeable camera batteries, replace all four of them at the same time. Do not make it a habit to replace just two of them, hoping that the two new ones can pull the remaining power from the two old ones. This would just effectively shorten battery life even for the new rechargeable camera batteries that you just bought. And your camera’s usage time would not improve as expected with the new rechargeable camera batteries.

These are just a few tips on how you should take care of your rechargeable camera batteries to maximize the power that you can get from them. Extending your rechargeable camera battery’s life can certainly add up to the cost savings you can get from digital photography.

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