Recharging battery

It doesn't matter either way - Li-ion batteries don't exhibit a memory effect :)
 
If you have only the one battery, then you will have to charge at whatever the charge state. But I have three battery's on the go, all numbered from 1 to 3, so I just run them until almost flat and then use the next battery.
 
The memory effect is something that Ni-Cad batteries suffer from. If you don't fully discharge them periodically then they 'remember' the level that they discharged to and won't discharge beyond that point any more.

The newer technology batteries don't have this problem :)
 
If you have only the one battery, then you will have to charge at whatever the charge state. But I have three battery's on the go, all numbered from 1 to 3, so I just run them until almost flat and then use the next battery.

Cheers, Barry, I have 2 batteries and just ordered a third - I'll be numbering them...:thumbs:
 
posiview said:
Cheers, Barry, I have 2 batteries and just ordered a third - I'll be numbering them...:thumbs:


I prefer not to run a battery completely flat in camera while shooting if I can help it, the only time I have had a memory card corruption is when the battery died while shooting.
 
As much as many people say Li-ion don't have a memory and you can charge them whenever I'm still stuck in the habit of running everything I own that runs on batteries right down until it needs charging again. I used to race radio control cars when I was younger, and back then 90% of people used NiMh batteries (most people use Li-ion now, but only the most flush could afford them for RC cars a few years ago) and you had to cycle them properly or your car probably wouldn't finish a race. These batteries are put under an incredible amount of strain when racing cars and a 3000-4000mah pack would last you just over 5 minutes when racing, which means the motor was pulling something like an average of 42 amps, which is a lot for such small components.

Having spent a few years having to look after my batteries, it just feels wrong to charge something up half way through it's cycle. I know it's a different kind of technology but by adopting it my MacBook still gets 2 and a half hours of use on a charge, nearly 3 years after I bought it. That becomes even more of a feat when you realise I run down and charge my Macbook fully at least once every single day, if not twice. Over three years that's roughly 1000 charge cycles, if not a lot more, and I'm still getting 70 odd % of the original battery life.

I have two batteries for my camera so I run one down as I charge the other and I keep myself, if not anyone else, happy :)
 
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I tend to not run mine completely flat. I noticed that Apple iPods and iPhones which I think have lithium ion batteries usually have a disclaimer about the batteries only being good for something like 1000 complete cycles (which I think counts only if you fully discharge). If you don't fully discharge, it doesn't count.

I've just copied this from Apple's website:

Question: Does the battery ever wear out?
Answer: Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. As with other rechargeable batteries, you may eventually need to replace your battery.

Question: What is a "charge cycle"?
Answer: Lithium-ion batteries can be charged a finite number of times, as defined by charge cycle. A charge cycle means using all of the battery's power, but that doesn't necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle. Each time you complete a charge cycle, it diminishes battery capacity slightly, but you can put your iPod's battery through many charge cycles before it will only hold 80 percent of its original battery capacity.
 
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