When to Recharge

MickeyC · 01-11-2008, 09:26 AM

Got a new 505 and noticed, after a week of steady use, the battery icon has reduced by one bar and wonder if I should recharge now or wait till it's more depleted.

Seem to recall that rechargeable batteries can develop a memory and that it's a good practice to let them drain way down before recharging them. Don't know if this is the case with the 505 and this technology or not.

Anybody have problems with this?

NatCh · 01-11-2008, 09:30 AM

The 505 (and 500 for that matter) uses a LIon battery, they aren't susceptible to memory effects like the old-fashioned NiCd ones were. You're not likely to harm it by charging at 3 bars. Typically, I charge mine (500) when it gets down to 1 bar, but that's mostly because I don't care to charge it every week.

dhbailey · 01-11-2008, 10:14 AM

One thing to keep in mind is that rechargeable batteries have a fixed number of times they can be recharged. That isn't the total number of full recharges, it's the number of times you put it on the recharger, period. So recharging when 1 bar down uses up one of those recharges just as much as waiting until 3 bars are gone does.

That's one factor that manufacturers of these devices don't always make public. Some such batteries can be recharged 300 times, some 1000 times, some 800 times. Sometimes manufacturers will make it known, such as Canon did with the battery I have in my new point-and-shoot camera. It'll recharge 300 times, so I certainly won't be recharging it every day!

So if you can recharge the Sony Reader once a month or so, you'll get many years out of it before the battery won't accept a charge any more. If you recharge it once a week, you'll reduce that number of years by a factor of 4.

Since I haven't seen any longevity numbers on the Sony Reader battery, I'm working hard to recharge only once a month. Of course, whenever you attach it to a computer to delete books or load some more books, it uses up a recharge cycle and you can't do anything about it.

Which is another argument in favor of keeping a large number of books on the reader, to reduce the number of times you attach it to a computer via USB cable. Also it is in favor of using a memory card and simply copying files using a card reader/writer.

DougFNJ · 01-11-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhbailey

One thing to keep in mind is that rechargeable batteries have a fixed number of times they can be recharged. That isn't the total number of full recharges, it's the number of times you put it on the recharger, period. So recharging when 1 bar down uses up one of those recharges just as much as waiting until 3 bars are gone does.

That's one factor that manufacturers of these devices don't always make public. Some such batteries can be recharged 300 times, some 1000 times, some 800 times. Sometimes manufacturers will make it known, such as Canon did with the battery I have in my new point-and-shoot camera. It'll recharge 300 times, so I certainly won't be recharging it every day!

So if you can recharge the Sony Reader once a month or so, you'll get many years out of it before the battery won't accept a charge any more. If you recharge it once a week, you'll reduce that number of years by a factor of 4.

Since I haven't seen any longevity numbers on the Sony Reader battery, I'm working hard to recharge only once a month. Of course, whenever you attach it to a computer to delete books or load some more books, it uses up a recharge cycle and you can't do anything about it.

Which is another argument in favor of keeping a large number of books on the reader, to reduce the number of times you attach it to a computer via USB cable. Also it is in favor of using a memory card and simply copying files using a card reader/writer.

Sorry DHBaily, that is inaccurate. This may be helpful to know.

When they are talking about charge cycles, they are referring to charging from completely empty to full.

When you regularly charge from 2 or 3 bars, you are actually extending the battery life. For example, if I charge the battery 2 times from half empty, that counts as 1 charge cycle.

If I charge it from 3/4 full to full, 4 times, those 4 quarter charges equal 1 charge cycle. It is suggested to every once in awhile deplete the battery completely and charge from empty to refresh the battery meters.

I learned this from researching around the internet about my first iPod's battery. With that Class Action Lawsuit against Apple, they had articles and websites about LIon batterys all over the place.

paspas · 01-11-2008, 12:45 PM

battery of my prs-505 has only 6 days of life

.... and i'm from europe... bad luck.

Penforhire · 01-11-2008, 01:01 PM

Li-ion is not supposed to have any memory (unlike NiCd and NiMH). I had read a while ago that Li-ion batteries, unlike NiMH, are best cared for by never letting them run down too far before recharging. Anyone know if that advice is still true?

MerLock · 01-11-2008, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Li-ion is not supposed to have any memory (unlike NiCd and NiMH). I had read a while ago that Li-ion batteries, unlike NiMH, are best cared for by never letting them run down too far before recharging. Anyone know if that advice is still true?

I believe that is correct. And to further extend the battery life, I read that you don't want to keep it in hot temperatures.

dhbailey · 01-11-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougFNJ

Sorry DHBaily, that is inaccurate. This may be helpful to know.

When they are talking about charge cycles, they are referring to charging from completely empty to full.

When you regularly charge from 2 or 3 bars, you are actually extending the battery life. For example, if I charge the battery 2 times from half empty, that counts as 1 charge cycle.

If I charge it from 3/4 full to full, 4 times, those 4 quarter charges equal 1 charge cycle. It is suggested to every once in awhile deplete the battery completely and charge from empty to refresh the battery meters.

I learned this from researching around the internet about my first iPod's battery. With that Class Action Lawsuit against Apple, they had articles and websites about LIon batterys all over the place.

Thanks for setting me straight -- there is still a finite number of recharge cycles but it's good to know that doing a partial charge isn't use a complete one of those cycles, so recharging one bar a week or once a month for all 4 bars makes no difference.

Now, has anybody read anywhere how many recharge cycles the Sony Reader battery can handle?

NatCh · 01-11-2008, 02:16 PM

Not I, they're pretty closed mouthed about the battery.

HarryT · 01-11-2008, 02:21 PM

It's nice to have a reader with a user-replaceable battery

.

NatCh · 01-11-2008, 02:21 PM

yvanleterrible · 01-11-2008, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Totally zen like !

NatCh · 01-11-2008, 02:57 PM

You noticed!

yvanleterrible · 01-11-2008, 02:58 PM

Always do, you're pretty creative with those.

yvanleterrible · 01-11-2008, 03:01 PM

BTW I hate being watched.

01-11-2008, 09:26 AM	#1
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	When to Recharge Got a new 505 and noticed, after a week of steady use, the battery icon has reduced by one bar and wonder if I should recharge now or wait till it's more depleted. Seem to recall that rechargeable batteries can develop a memory and that it's a good practice to let them drain way down before recharging them. Don't know if this is the case with the 505 and this technology or not. Anybody have problems with this?

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01-11-2008, 09:30 AM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	The 505 (and 500 for that matter) uses a LIon battery, they aren't susceptible to memory effects like the old-fashioned NiCd ones were. You're not likely to harm it by charging at 3 bars. Typically, I charge mine (500) when it gets down to 1 bar, but that's mostly because I don't care to charge it every week.

01-11-2008, 10:14 AM	#3
dhbailey Guru Posts: 604 Karma: 733 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: HP iPAQ211 / PRS 500, 700 and 505	One thing to keep in mind is that rechargeable batteries have a fixed number of times they can be recharged. That isn't the total number of full recharges, it's the number of times you put it on the recharger, period. So recharging when 1 bar down uses up one of those recharges just as much as waiting until 3 bars are gone does. That's one factor that manufacturers of these devices don't always make public. Some such batteries can be recharged 300 times, some 1000 times, some 800 times. Sometimes manufacturers will make it known, such as Canon did with the battery I have in my new point-and-shoot camera. It'll recharge 300 times, so I certainly won't be recharging it every day! So if you can recharge the Sony Reader once a month or so, you'll get many years out of it before the battery won't accept a charge any more. If you recharge it once a week, you'll reduce that number of years by a factor of 4. Since I haven't seen any longevity numbers on the Sony Reader battery, I'm working hard to recharge only once a month. Of course, whenever you attach it to a computer to delete books or load some more books, it uses up a recharge cycle and you can't do anything about it. Which is another argument in favor of keeping a large number of books on the reader, to reduce the number of times you attach it to a computer via USB cable. Also it is in favor of using a memory card and simply copying files using a card reader/writer.

01-11-2008, 12:45 PM	#5
paspas Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 11 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: prs505	battery of my prs-505 has only 6 days of life .... and i'm from europe... bad luck.

01-11-2008, 01:01 PM	#6
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	Li-ion is not supposed to have any memory (unlike NiCd and NiMH). I had read a while ago that Li-ion batteries, unlike NiMH, are best cared for by never letting them run down too far before recharging. Anyone know if that advice is still true?

01-11-2008, 02:16 PM	#9
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Not I, they're pretty closed mouthed about the battery.

01-11-2008, 02:21 PM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's nice to have a reader with a user-replaceable battery .

01-11-2008, 02:57 PM	#13
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	You noticed!

01-11-2008, 02:58 PM	#14
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	Always do, you're pretty creative with those.

01-11-2008, 03:01 PM	#15
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	BTW I hate being watched.

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