Is Docking Station ruining the battery ?

[Stephan]

Hi,

I was wondering if the docking station is ruining the battery life of the SP3.

SP3 has lithium battery. In order to increase the battery life of lithium battery it is recommend to :
- Charge it when it's possible (for the cycles)
- not charge it when it's in use (and that's the problem with the docking station).

With a docking station the battery is constantly charging.

Do you think that has a huge impact on the battery life ?

 

[Grumpy2]

When plugged into the charger that came with the SP3 or when connected to the docking station, when the device is fully charged when you hover over the charging icon it says "Fully charged" or "Plugged in not charging (99%). So in other words when the device is fully charged it stops charging until the device drops below a certain level and then charges again. I am not an expert on battery life but I would not worry about it. What does worry me though is that this is an $2,000 device and you cannot replace the battery. So what happens when the battery dies. I guess that one then has to use it plugged into power all the time. I do not understand why manufacturers do this. should come with a user replaceable battery at this price point.

 

[kundas1]

Hi,

I was wondering if the docking station is ruining the battery life of the SP3.

SP3 has lithium battery. In order to increase the battery life of lithium battery it is recommend to :
- Charge it when it's possible (for the cycles)
- not charge it when it's in use (and that's the problem with the docking station).

With a docking station the battery is constantly charging.

Do you think that has a huge impact on the battery life ?

where did you hear/read this? it changes nothing to the battery whether the SP3 is in use or not, the only thing that shortens the battery life is 1) excessive heat 2) letting the battery die completely for long duration or 3) inconsistent charging cycles... those are the only things that shorten the battery life. so no the dock will not shorten the battery life so don't worry and enjoy your devices

 

[bugmenot1234]

ALL lithium rechargeables will stop charging BY DESIGN once it's "fully charged", otherwise you'll have some nasty expansion, explosion, and fire.

http://batteryuniversity.com/

 

[MikeB]

Lithium batteries are curious things. They lose lifespan from lots of little things. They age faster when they cycle repeatedly. They age faster when they are kept at 100% charge all the time. They age faster if you drop them to near 0% charge repeatedly. They age faster if you charge them up and then let them sit untouched on the shelf. For absolutely the best lifespan, you want to discharge them to near 50% charge and then store them in the freezer. Except it's pretty hard to use your tablet while it's in the freezer (I've noticed the light goes out when you close the door, and there's not much headroom unless you remove[eat] all the ice cream).

So the best advice is to use the tablet pretty much the way you want to use it. If you have a docking station, use it. If you need to run down the battery every day because you're on the move, then do so. Get the most out of your investment, and don't worry about squeezing an extra 5% out of your battery by jumping through flaming hoops while riding a unicycle and gargling a live goldfish.

And yes, the battery charger is smart enough to cut off when the battery is full, but the battery does age slowest when it stays near the 50% mark.

 

[bluegrass]

Any device that has a rechargeable battery can be left connected to the charger all the time. We do it with our phones, laptops, and all our devices. Don't worry about it. As far as not being able to replace the battery, use the warranty extension as a hedge against the battery going bad. More than likely you will have depreciated your unit one hundred percent by the time the battery dies, and even than you can still get use out of the unit with it plugged in.

 

[NClens]

Usually, batteries are rated by charge cycles (100% charged to 0% charge) and warranties specify how many cycles a battery can run through before degrading to 80% of rated capacity. Going from 99% to 100% isn't considered a full cycle, so I don't think it makes much difference if a charger lets a battery cut to 90% before charging versus letting it cut to 99%.