Laptop batteries
Notebook adapters and laptop batteries
|
A battery is an electrical storage device. Batteries do not make electricity, they store it. As chemicals in the battery change, electrical energy is stored or released. In rechargeable batteries this process can be repeated many times. Batteries are not 100% efficient - some energy is lost as heat and chemical reactions when charging and discharging. If you use 1000 watts from a battery, it might take 1200 watts or more to fully recharge it. By virtue of their usage goals, laptops prioritize energy efficiency and compactness over absolute performance. Desktop computers and their modular components are built to fit much larger standard enclosures, along with the expectation of AC line power. As such, energy efficiency and portability for desktops are secondary design goals compared to absolute performance. You can take steps to get better total battery life and longer battery life per charge. Older laptops tended to last a bit longer because their larger components required larger, thicker plastic cases, but that isn't the case anymore. Since silver colored everything seems to be all the rage, modern Mac laptops are made out of aluminum. Drop that on a hard surface, and it will certainly sustain damage. Even though it was completely possible to have a laptop die because of overheating 10 years ago, these days it's even more likely of an occurrence. A laptop battery should last more than four years. After all, a $2,000 computer should last longer. Five years would be slightly disappointing as well - it's certainly not a useless computer. A normal laptop battery should usually have a life span of at least 5 years. If you're lucky and careful with the laptop, maybe it'll last you a bit longer. While dropping the unit or just handling it poorly will cause damage, there are other design flaws inherent in laptops. The most notable is heat. Regardless of how well designed the chip or the heat sink or fans are, it will still generate a fair bit of heat. And if the computer is on a lap or a bed, the heat can built up inside the case and shorten the life of other components. As time goes by, you will need to recharge any rechargeable battery more often. When the battery life is about 25 percent of its original level, get a new battery. With normal use, expect about half the per-charge life claimed by the manufacturer. Use the laptop manufacturer's power-management software only in those rare instances when you can sacrifice performance for battery life. Finally, if you're buying a laptop, get one with a lithium-ion battery. |
|
| Copyright © 2008 LaptopsTech. All rights reserved. | |
|
|