Not to excuse beowulff’s brusqueness, but to be frank, a lot of the "Why is it this way?’ questions you ask are answered pretty commonsensically and directly by market supply and demand economics relative to existing technology. And when you get the answer you then launch into some further round about why aren’t manufacturers looking to serve these fringe users.
The simple answer is because it just does not pay to serve a small population of users with fringe concerns.
How can I identify this kind of battery?
I’d be curious to know, too, but is there any way of knowing how much of the battery lifespan will be saved in either case? Whenever they advertise battery usage time, they always say, “…depending on use…” Really, doesn’t this just mean that there’s no way to predict how long any given battery’s lifetime is supposed to last within less than a year or so measurement? Aren’t there just so many variables, and so much variation in design, that you can’t really be sure how long a particular battery’s lifespan will last, and what kind of capacity it will hold as its usage progresses?
As I mentioned in one of these other threads, I once bought an extra battery with a laptop that I charged and used about 5 times, and it died the same time as the one I always kept tethered and charging.
Looks nice, but doesn’t that battery effectively do exactly what astro says is desired by only “fringe” users, and so therefore isn’t made? Doesn’t that battery just cave in to the obscure OCD expectations of the OP?
I don’t think so. You can leave the machine plugged in all the time, and expect to have the battery at 100% charge whenever you need it. The OP’s proposal would have the charge controller float the battery at 60% (or some such), meaning that if you grabbed the laptop off the charger, you would only get 3 hours of runtime vs. 5.
Right, but what I’m getting at is that if one is willing to pay enough for it (i.e., get a MacBook Pro), then the battery itself will do what a battery should do with regard to the OP’s ultimate purpose, and you can just forget about playing with the charger.
My thinking is that–for my purposes (and I never really give this topic much thought except for here)–that kind of battery technology will have to come down in price quite a bit before it is favorable over simply getting a new $40 battery every two or three years. I usually have my machine tethered, but always have at least 2 hours of life when it isn’t.
That’s true.
Of course, on of the reasons that Apple uses these cutting-edge batteries is that they are not user-replaceable, so they a) need to have a really impressive capacity and b) need to have a decent lifespan. Of course, they (Apple) also get a few side benefits out of not having them changeable - bigger batteries, lighter weight, and stronger, sleeker cases for the computer.
I’m sure this battery technology will trickle down to less expensive machines (at which point Apple will switch to fuel cells :D).
If all you want is software, economics doesn’t enter in as much as you think, as there are many people who will just design a program for their own needs. The impetus of producing it is not that it would sell to other people, but that the programmer wants the feature. In fact, much of that stuff is offered for free.
So, my question is, is there a reason why such software would be hard to develop, particularly in Windows? An example would be if there’s really no way to manipulate the power settings, as whether the battery charges or not is regulated either by the hardware, or some low level API.
Just as a data point, my Lenovo laptop has a Power Manager with a Battery Maintenance section. I can choose “Fully Charge” where it recharges starting at 96% power. “Custom” where I can set the lower threshold, and “Optimize Battery Lifespan” where the computer will change the lower threshold for me.
It also allows me to reset the battery gauge by automatically charging, discharging, and recharging the battery.
I would be interested in maintaining more battery time. I have a HP purchased in September. I use it mostly plugged in but occasionally I need the battery. When it was new it had 3-4 hours of battery life now it has around two. That’s a huge decrease in a very short time. My battery thingy says 100% all the time once it’s charged and plugged in.
I don’t think it’s all that micromanaging to want to maximize battery life for when it’s needed.
If I start not letting it fully charge will I regain some battery time or is it too late?
I’ve been told to unplug it occasionally when it’s on the desk, to “cycle the battery”. Can’t really tell whether it works, though: this particular laptop was “battery dead” for two years, then one day I took the battery off to check out its specifications thinking of buying a new one… and it revived! Apparently the previous problem was a combination of bad technicians and a bad contact, but in any case it’s spent two years being used plugged in exclusively and now its battery lasts about half an hour if the DVD drive is not used (less if it is).
I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator, and if practical less then fully charged. From years ago 40% charged seems to give the longest expected life, though a more practical level would be 80%, still plenty of power, yet closer to the sweet spot of long life.
My laptop has a setting in BIOS that you can set that charges the battery only 80% to be used in high heat or if you are going to leave it plugged in all the time. the battery will still show charge to 100% but in reality will only be 80% to extend life in the above situations. Have you checked your BIOS it might have a similar setting
edit:I see Cheesteak has the same sort of thing
If you do, I’d recommend putting in a ziplock bag, to avoid condensation when you first remove it from the refrigerator.