how to keep life in an ipod battery?

unbrok3npp · #1 05-01-2007, 04:28 PM

Im getting an 80gb ipod video soon, and in the past i have had really bad luck with allowing my rechargable batteries to hold their charge for a long time. I dont want this to happen this time. Are there any tips to helping an ipod battery last its longest? If the battery wasnt integrated I would just buy a spare and switch them out....please help!
Do generic wall chargers, car chargers etc. kill the battery? thanks!!

gazpacho · #2 05-01-2007, 04:44 PM

IPods are charged with the 5V power on the USB cable. So all of the charging smarts need to be in the Ipod. The cable just needs to deliver 5V +/- 10% with at least 500 mA. This is not a very stringent requirement for generic charges so most should be OK but somewhere I am sure there exists a cheap charger that does not meet this and somehow harms things.

bouv · #3 05-01-2007, 04:53 PM

Keep it plugged in as much as possible. Li-ion batteries are best when kept as close to max charge as possible, and the chargers on expensive electronics (like iPods) are good enough that they won't overcharge.

unbrok3npp · #4 05-01-2007, 05:07 PM

Keep them plugged in? I have an LG chocolate and the battery is fried because of that...are you sure??

gazpacho · #5 05-01-2007, 07:08 PM

How do you know the battery is fried because you left it plugged in?

unbrok3npp · #6 05-01-2007, 10:03 PM

i think it was because i talked while it was plugged in....

Mindfield · #7 05-01-2007, 10:39 PM

Lithium ion batteries (used in pretty much all rechargeable devices these days) are always best when left to trickle charge. I suspect the reason your Chocolate died was not specifically related to the charging itself -- possibly a power surge or a battery that was bad to begin with. I keep all of my LIon devices on their chargers when not in use and they've all done very well.

It is true that this was not the case with old NiCd and NiMH batteries; those worked best when used the opposite way -- used until drained and only then charged. (NiMH did not have as significant a memory effect like NiCd batteries did, but they did require a "smart" charger, as they were pretty volatile due to their higher charge capacity and the use of cheap or unstable chargers could potentially cause them to explode.) LiIon batteries do not have a memory effect, though, so they are best conditioned by simply keeping them charged.

unbrok3npp · #8 05-04-2007, 10:09 PM

ok, im getting my ipod tomarrow. The problem is that I need it tomarrow night and Im gonna be gone all day. Will it hurt the battery in any way if I let it charge for 6 hours or more for its first charge?(does overcharging affect it?) pelase let me know asap. I cant wait to get it!
thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Brainiac4 · #9 05-05-2007, 10:59 AM

Nope, leaving it plugged in is a good thing, not a bad thing. I leave mine plugged in almost all the time in the car (connected to a charge/radio dongle thingy). Plus, it'll take a while to get your music set up.

A tip: If you've not already downloaded iTunes, do so. That way, you canimport your music (from files or by burning CDs) before the iPod shows up.

Walloon · #10 05-07-2007, 11:04 PM

A reply from a hardware engineer who worked on the battery of the original iPod:

Quote:

Overcharging is good. The first time it is actually good to overcharge the battery.

lexan · #11 05-08-2007, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unbrok3npp

Will it hurt the battery in any way if I let it charge for 6 hours or more for its first charge?(does overcharging affect it?) pelase let me know asap. I cant wait to get it!

Others have responded, but it's worth pointing out that the instruction manual recommends charging for at least 4 hours for its first charge. So they recommend leaving it plugged in for a long time, as everyone here does.

Thanks for bringing this question up; I was actually going to post myself this evening and ask if I was doing any damage by leaving my iPod plugged in most of the time. Thanks everybody.

DrDeth · #12 05-08-2007, 02:19 AM

Buy another company's product? One where you can just buy another damn battery?

Surok · #13 05-08-2007, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrDeth

Buy another company's product? One where you can just buy another damn battery?

I can't put a new battery in my iPod when the old one dies?

lexan · #14 05-08-2007, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surok

I can't put a new battery in my iPod when the old one dies?

No, you have to send it back to Apple to replace it, and they charge $65. Here's a link to their battery replacement program.

Surok · #15 05-08-2007, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexan

No, you have to send it back to Apple to replace it, and they charge $65. Here's a link to their battery replacement program.

Oh God. Thanks lexan. I think.

Dumb as a stump, me. I always thought you could just...put a new battery in.

Now I have to go track down the ex who gave me the iPod in the first place and ask him why he got me addicted to such an impractical piece of kit.

ETA: fix coding