Troubleshooting battery question

[willaful]

I try to let my batteries run down before recharging them, but my Kindle Voyage has reached a point where it no longer gives me a warning that it needs to be charged. It just suddenly gives me an exclamation point screen. (This occasionally happens randomly long before it seems like it should need to be charged.)

I'm wondering if it's a better from a battery standpoint to wait to charge until I get the exclamation point screen, or if I should charge when I know from experience it's likely to run out (at about 12 percent.)

[Gripweed]

After reading many articles about Li-Ion best charging practices I try to keep my devices in the 30-80% range. When I reach the low 30s I charge but only until it reaches 80%.
So, in answer to your question, no, I would not wait for the exclamation point nor 12%.

[willaful]

My understanding was that charging it early "trained" it to need charging earlier. Which seems to be the case, since it ran out at around 25% right after I wrote that original message. But I guess I should continue to keep trying to avoid it shutting down.

[Gripweed]

I'm far from being an expert on batteries. All I know is what a Google search allows me to know. But one thing I've read over and over again is that Lithium-Ion batteries do not have a memory. You are thinking of Ni-Cad batteries. Here is but one example of an article that turns up on the many pages that appear when you Google "Lithium battery charging" or something similar. In particular read tip #3.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/fiv...-battery-life/

[willaful]

I'm afraid that left me more confused than ever. Because it says in tip 3 that Lithium-Ion batteries do have a memory.

[cvkemp]

I have read so many articles on how to keep rechargeable batteries a live, but in the end for me all I do is use my devices during the day and recharge at night while I am a sleep. Almost all my devices have managed to serve me well for many years

[Gripweed]

Originally Posted by willaful

I'm afraid that left me more confused than ever. Because it says in tip 3 that Lithium-Ion batteries do have a memory.

Read it again. It is saying the power gauge of the device has developed a memory. That needs to be recalibrated.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by willaful

I'm afraid that left me more confused than ever. Because it says in tip 3 that Lithium-Ion batteries do have a memory.

Looking at the tip, it does not say that it's a memory in the sense of a Ni-Cd battery where the ability of the battery to hold a charge is affected. What it does say is that the battery charge accuracy becomes inaccurate. Evidently a full discharge will re-calibrate the battery charge gauge.

This is also why you'll see advice about charging and discharging the battery fully when you first get a device to calibrate the battery power gauge.