Maintaining The Battery; Storing Batteries - Gateway C-120 Reference Manual

Maintaining the battery

The life span of a convertible notebook battery is about 1.5 to
3 years, under normal conditions. As the battery begins to die,
you will have to recharge the battery more frequently because
it cannot hold a full charge.
Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing
temperatures. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold
ones cannot create as much power. Short battery life is more
likely to be caused by heat than by charge/discharge patterns.
Keep your lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car, for
example.
Charge often, but do not try to fully discharge the battery
frequently. This only adds strain. Several partial discharges
(regular use), with frequent recharges, are better for
lithium-ion than one total discharge. Recharging a partially
charged lithium-ion battery does not cause any harm because
it has no memory.
Batteries with fuel gauges (convertible notebooks) should be
recalibrated once every 30 charges. If ignored, the fuel gauge
becomes increasingly less accurate and in some cases will cut
off the device prematurely. For more information about
recalibrating the battery, see
page
Using the right charger is important. By now you probably
know that each kind of battery has its own technology, its own
rate of charge, and so on. Charging lithium batteries correctly
is one way to extend their life and to avoid damage.
Clean the gold or silver connector on the battery (the part of
the battery that makes contact with the convertible notebook)
with alcohol or electronic contact cleaner. Cleaning helps
maintain good contact, which improves the transfer of power
from the battery to the convertible notebook.

Storing batteries

Do not charge up a battery, then store it away. A stored battery
should be used every three to four weeks. Let the battery fully
discharge, then recharge to 40% if you plan to store it again.
If you store a battery for longer than three to four weeks, the
battery could fully discharge because the battery circuitry itself
consumes power.
If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one exclusively and
keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Make sure
that it is wrapped protectively and that nothing will be dropped
on it. Do not freeze the battery.
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CHAPTER 7: Maintaining Your Notebook
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"Recalibrating the battery" on