I have seen lots of people ask about properly maintaining their batteries. Here are some tips provided by IBM for it's computers:
Here are some tips to help maximize your battery life:
1. If your battery is left out of the system for a long period of time without charging, or if the system is not plugged in for several months, it will take longer to charge.
2. Make sure that you are using the correct AC adapter for your computer. Using the incorrect adapter will prevent the battery from charging fully, and will cause the battery meter to display incorrect battery information.
Using the proper AC adapter
3. Recondition your battery by letting your battery run to less than 3% at least once a month. Reconditioning the battery can restore some of your battery capacity.
4. If you primarily use your computer with the AC adapter attached and only infrequently use battery power, you can increase the lifespan of the battery by changing the charge thresholds. (to say max charge 70%, warn at 30%)
5. When the computer uses a large amount of electricity from the battery (for example, for intensive calculations or high-end graphics applications), the temperature of the battery and the computer may rise. In this case, the battery might automatically stop charging to so that the battery operates at a level that ensures comfortable usage and normal battery life. If the battery has stopped charging, it might not start charging immediately when you plug in the AC adapter or it may take more time to completely charge. When the battery is restored to its normal temperature, the battery will start to recharge.
6. Do not place your battery or your computer in a high temperature environment, such as a car on a hot day.
7. Battery performance will be temporarily degraded if the battery is used in a cold environment.
8. When you store your battery outside of your computer, store it with a charge of less than 50% to reduce the battery wear.
Occasionally, it may be necessary to "deep cycle" your battery one to three times to give it optimum performance. This will require you to let your battery run completely down, and then to recharge it fully. It is recommended that you charge your battery overnight for a full charge from a deep recharge condition without leaving your computer powered on. A brand new battery should be fully charged overnight before its first use.
Here are some tips to help maximize your battery life:
1. If your battery is left out of the system for a long period of time without charging, or if the system is not plugged in for several months, it will take longer to charge.
2. Make sure that you are using the correct AC adapter for your computer. Using the incorrect adapter will prevent the battery from charging fully, and will cause the battery meter to display incorrect battery information.
Using the proper AC adapter
3. Recondition your battery by letting your battery run to less than 3% at least once a month. Reconditioning the battery can restore some of your battery capacity.
4. If you primarily use your computer with the AC adapter attached and only infrequently use battery power, you can increase the lifespan of the battery by changing the charge thresholds. (to say max charge 70%, warn at 30%)
5. When the computer uses a large amount of electricity from the battery (for example, for intensive calculations or high-end graphics applications), the temperature of the battery and the computer may rise. In this case, the battery might automatically stop charging to so that the battery operates at a level that ensures comfortable usage and normal battery life. If the battery has stopped charging, it might not start charging immediately when you plug in the AC adapter or it may take more time to completely charge. When the battery is restored to its normal temperature, the battery will start to recharge.
6. Do not place your battery or your computer in a high temperature environment, such as a car on a hot day.
7. Battery performance will be temporarily degraded if the battery is used in a cold environment.
8. When you store your battery outside of your computer, store it with a charge of less than 50% to reduce the battery wear.
Occasionally, it may be necessary to "deep cycle" your battery one to three times to give it optimum performance. This will require you to let your battery run completely down, and then to recharge it fully. It is recommended that you charge your battery overnight for a full charge from a deep recharge condition without leaving your computer powered on. A brand new battery should be fully charged overnight before its first use.