Is it necessary to "teach" your recharable battery?
Question:I heard somewhere that it is a good idea to let your rechargable battery (for cell phone or power tool) work down to near dead and then recharge it. Doing this several times when the battery is still new will "teach" your battery operate effectively through a longer range between charging. It this true?
Answers:
This is true for Lithium Ion batteries such as found in cell phones. It is called "conditioning" the battery. When you first get the battery or a new phone, let it charge overnight and then run down low 3 times. After that charge as needed. You should be able to get 300-500 charges out of a Lithium Ion battery ( they are marked li-on most times in a cell phone.)
Additionally every 30 charges or so you should let the battery run down low to keep the internal protection circuit running smoothly and the phone's fuel gauge reading properly.
*Ni Cad batteries are the older batteries and it is best to let them run down low all the time to prevent what is called "the memory effect". That way the battery will accept a full charge every time.
Again note there are 2 different technologies here. Lithium Ion batteries have a different make-up and therefore should be treated differently.
If you need a battery for your cellphone try www.batteries4less.com
Not ALL batteries are the "Memory" type, but certainly if yours happens to be then any instruction would alert you to the fact that INITIALLY at least the batt. should be fully charged, completely drained, then fully charged again, to "install" the maximun memory into the battery, possible.
By not doing that you effectively give the battery a smaller charge capacity, and eventually a shorter life span.
Brands differ but the ones I have come across recommend draining the battery before charging each time.
I normally will tape the trigger and leave it to run down and the put it in the charger.
To continue to work I have a spare battery so that as one recharges I still have a charged one.
yes it is for the first few charges you should run the battery dead before charging
More Related Questions & Answers...