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Silly laptop question!
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andy_fozzy
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What a great thread!!I was at Alby's last week, and he's got two Amiga's.
I wondered why the hell he would have these, but when he showed me this music editing and graphic visual type of program and WOW
It sounded and looked fantastic!
Sound was clear and crisp, and the graphics were stunning. As god if not BETTER than a modern computer!!
cowasaki
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I was at Alby's last week, and he's got two Amiga's.
I wondered why the hell he would have these, but when he showed me this music editing and graphic visual type of program and WOW
It sounded and looked fantastic!
Sound was clear and crisp, and the graphics were stunning. As god if not BETTER than a modern computer!!
I had an Amiga until last month when I sold it. It was an A1200 into which I fitted an internal hard drive. They only wanted it to play SUPER FROG brilliant
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I was at Alby's last week, and he's got two Amiga's.
I wondered why the hell he would have these, but when he showed me this music editing and graphic visual type of program and WOW
It sounded and looked fantastic!
Sound was clear and crisp, and the graphics were stunning. As god if not BETTER than a modern computer!!
Would that have been qbase then ? - in my dim a distant past i used to put that into recording studios and connect up desk's and sequencers 1/4" tape etc...... mind you it made a change from replacing the heads / platters on crashed disk drives in a mainframe environment
cowasaki
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Oh and the standard format for an A3000 was the built in 3.5" drive on the right hand side like an Amiga or ST had. A lot of A3000s were fitted with an external 5.25" drive to load BBC discs with the emulator though.
Talking of BBCs......
Who was a fan of ELITE ??
If you were then check out OOLite for the Mac and PC.
I got to ELITE again.........
Then I hacked the save game file and had the best ship in the galaxy
Dangermouse
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Eileen has ALWAYS left her battery in and uses it plugged into the mains and it is still coming up as a perfect battery so it seems Cowasakis advice is not only free....but true
Thanks mate
Thanks mate
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I have to completely agree with this.
chargers should work 24/7 without problems, just don't leave them covered up etc. so that they can cool as they work
how do you think docking stations work??
modern laptops can be left plugged in with the battery intact.
infact taking the battery out all the time is a bad idea I think.
as per Cowasakis's advice etc.
also two other things not mentioned.
what if your battery is out and you trip on the lead, work lost? maybe
also laptops are designed to run faster with mains power and generally, (unless tweaked) clock themselves lower on battery power to make it last longer. I don't want a nice powerful laptop running more slowly when I'm on at desk...waste of time to be honest.
p.s OOO elite
loved this game, didn't have a BBC micro to play it on though
there is rumour of another sequel coming out soon
25th anniversary and all that
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Oh and the standard format for an A3000 was the built in 3.5" drive on the right hand side like an Amiga or ST had. A lot of A3000s were fitted with an external 5.25" drive to load BBC discs with the emulator though.
Talking of BBCs......
Who was a fan of ELITE ??
If you were then check out OOLite for the Mac and PC.
(snip)
I got to ELITE again.........
Then I hacked the save game file and had the best ship in the galaxy
yar thats right the old BBCs i used had 5.25" and the A3000 had 3.5"s.
i vauguely remember that game. i cant remember where or when i played it though..
Blimey - that's pretty good!My battery is on 524 cycles and iStat gives it a health figure of 93%.
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If you remove the battery and the power drains you will permanently damage it - FACT. My advice is free and correct, a new battery is not. Do as you like
...A 'fact' that hasn't occured in any of the schools I work in for the last 4 years, strangely enough. :shrug:
I run my laptop on mains 90% of the time, and the battery is just starting to show signs of failing to hold full charge after 3 years of heavy use. That's normal.
I was thinking of replacing the laptop, because I'd prefer a 13" type, and browsed around a couple of stores last weekend. The dealers I spoke to reckoned that running off mains most of the time is fine, because modern notebooks/laptops have some sort of isolation circuit built in. I haven't a clue if this is correct, though.
I didn't buy another machine in the end. I use computers, but I'm not very interested in them, and decided I had better things to do with the money (like just about anything!) I'll just run this one to death and then think about it again.
I was thinking of replacing the laptop, because I'd prefer a 13" type, and browsed around a couple of stores last weekend. The dealers I spoke to reckoned that running off mains most of the time is fine, because modern notebooks/laptops have some sort of isolation circuit built in. I haven't a clue if this is correct, though.
I didn't buy another machine in the end. I use computers, but I'm not very interested in them, and decided I had better things to do with the money (like just about anything!) I'll just run this one to death and then think about it again.
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an interesting read here (if you like that kind of thing)
The bit that stood out for me was about li-ion not liking heat when fully charged, heat such as from a laptop.
Some laptops are very good at staying cool, some are very bad. The ones that run hot tend to be ones drawing a lot of juice too which would compound the problem.
like anything it tends to be a case by case basis.
just my 2p
The bit that stood out for me was about li-ion not liking heat when fully charged, heat such as from a laptop.
Some laptops are very good at staying cool, some are very bad. The ones that run hot tend to be ones drawing a lot of juice too which would compound the problem.
like anything it tends to be a case by case basis.
just my 2p
Gary Coyle
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Syndicate, Alien Breed and Flashback on the Amig, classics games.Oh and the standard format for an A3000 was the built in 3.5" drive on the right hand side like an Amiga or ST had. A lot of A3000s were fitted with an external 5.25" drive to load BBC discs with the emulator though.
Talking of BBCs......
Who was a fan of ELITE ??
If you were then check out OOLite for the Mac and PC.
I got to ELITE again.........
Then I hacked the save game file and had the best ship in the galaxy
Chaz Photos
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Can you back this up with details please. Statements need proof
As it is not how I understand it being an electronic engineer
cowasaki
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Everything there is a variation on DO NOT LET L-ION BATTERIES GO TOTALLY FLAT!! If you really want to take them out for a week, put them back in and recharge them then that fine but rather daft if you ask me. L-ions loose power over time so storing them lets them discharge and going flat is their biggest killer. There are lots of people giving the advice to let them go flat then recharge them etc but that is all basically irrelevant as long as they do not drop much below their shutdown fresh hold power level it really doesn't matter they should be good for 2-3 years.
Some people report batteries lasting for 3-6 months and having to be replaced. Well there are several reasons for this which include faulty or poor recharging circuits, faulty or poor batteries to begin with, over heatings or being left to discharge then storing them at the discharge state so that they fall too low.
If you take the battery out and re-install it every week or two it will be fine just make sure that it is not stored at too low a level but the reality is that you loose the UPS effect of having the battery in the laptop and the portability without actually gaining anything at all.
Chaz Photos
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The worst condition is keeping a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures, which is the case with running laptop batteries. If used on main power, the battery inside a laptop will only last for 12-18 months. I must hasten to explain that the pack does not die suddenly but begins with reduced run-times.
The voltage level to which the cells are charged also plays an important role to longevity. For safety reasons, most lithium-ion cannot exceed 4.20 volts per cell. While a higher voltage boosts capacity, the disadvantage is lower cycle life.
If possible, store the battery in a cool place at about a 40% state-of-charge. Some reserve charge is needed to keep the battery and its protection circuit operational during prolonged storage. Avoid keeping the battery at full charge and high temperature. This is the case when placing a cell phone or spare battery in a hot car. Running a laptop computer on the mains has a similar temperature problem. While the battery is kept fully charged, the inside temperature during operation rises to 45°C (113°F).
Removing the battery from the laptop when running on fixed power protects the battery from heat.
The voltage level to which the cells are charged also plays an important role to longevity. For safety reasons, most lithium-ion cannot exceed 4.20 volts per cell. While a higher voltage boosts capacity, the disadvantage is lower cycle life.
If possible, store the battery in a cool place at about a 40% state-of-charge. Some reserve charge is needed to keep the battery and its protection circuit operational during prolonged storage. Avoid keeping the battery at full charge and high temperature. This is the case when placing a cell phone or spare battery in a hot car. Running a laptop computer on the mains has a similar temperature problem. While the battery is kept fully charged, the inside temperature during operation rises to 45°C (113°F).
Removing the battery from the laptop when running on fixed power protects the battery from heat.
cowasaki
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My laptop is run mainly from the mains for hours at a time (often 6-8), it is 2 years old, on 500+ cycles with a health status of 93%. They have a life expectancy of 2-3 years and nobody that has followed my advice has reported a dead battery in less than that time. Batteries are designed to be kept on the laptop. if the rubbish design of a particular laptop allows it's battery to fry within a shorter period then I would be taking it back under the sale of good act. It is a laptop it is designed to work off battery and/or mains.
People can chose what they want to do they can follow my advice, they follow your advice. My advice is what is given out by Apple it is also backed up by running lots of laptops in this way for years. I always found that my SPARE battery always died first.
Any combination of tips that involve not letting them go flat and not overheating (or freezing) will give them a long life. If you have a badly designed laptop then, fine, whip the battery out just don't leave it out too long!
Chaz Photos
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I end and say
Simple Guidelines
* Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.
* Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.
* Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.
* Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)
* Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.
* If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.
Simple Guidelines
* Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.
* Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.
* Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.
* Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)
* Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.
* If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.
cowasaki
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I wouldn't disagree with any of that lot, it adds to the advice given earlier.
I think the remove/don't remove debate is the only real thing that seems to be of any real argument with anyone and I think its really going to be down to the actual laptop more than anything else. Does your laptop allow the battery to get to hand burning temperature? - If so then it could well be worth doing but if mine did it would be going back
The MBP gets very hot but the battery still remains quite cool.I think adding - Don't run them on a bed, cushion or other soft furnishing and get a laptop cooler would help - I use one they avoid sweaty nads too !
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andy_fozzy
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I had an Amiga until last month when I sold it. It was an A1200 into which I fitted an internal hard drive. They only wanted it to play SUPER FROG brilliant
Nice one!Would that have been qbase then ? - in my dim a distant past i used to put that into recording studios and connect up desk's and sequencers 1/4" tape etc...... mind you it made a change from replacing the heads / platters on crashed disk drives in a mainframe environment
Wow, that sounds fantastic!!
Not sure what Alby uses, but that does sound quite familiar.....
D
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Hahaha Alby has lots more Amigas then you saw Andy
Blimey! All this discussion about batteries... I think the conclusion is... they make them with them to be used so chances are they are to be left plugged in when your not roaming about, and if you get 1000 or 2000 cycles (which is what, probably 2 years of use) out of them then I think it's a pretty good deal for say a £100 replacement one, not exactly breaking the bank!
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£30 tesco
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andy_fozzy
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Thanks for that
Moving on..........
Thanks to everybody for the advice and input on the subject.
I did end up buying the laptop from my work colleague and I'm very very pleased with it.
stunning machine, happy with the price I got it for.
Now I've got a PC for sale if anybody's interested
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Cowasaki is correct, there is a problem with older NiCad batteries, they developed a memory if recharged after a small discharge, this is why it was always said to run them flat and then recharge. It is not the case with Lithium Ion, it probably does it no harm to exercise it by running the laptop off the battery sometimes but you should not take it out of the laptop when on mains or let it go dead flat.
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Oooh! I was hooked on Elite. Couldn't believe it was their 25th anniversary two weeks ago! Downloading OOLite now.
As for batteries in or out, it's worthwhile checking your machine's manual. Mine explains how it's quite intelligent when it comes to charging and that leaving it in while on mains is the best idea.
cowasaki
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You will love oolite it's great! As for the batteries in or out question, the better brands seem to live longer - probably not coincidental! Just don't let them go totally flat and leave them that way.