I never use a laptop without AC power. That wouldn't damage the laptop over time, would it? Because I've had this HP dv6000 for two and a half years. When I actually do use the battery, maybe a few times a year 🙂o) I only get thirty minutes of life. Granted, it only came with an hour or two of normal battery use. I have never calibrated it either. 🙁
It won't damage your laptop, but as you've seen, it reduced the capacity of your battery faster. You'd be wise to use it once or twice a month (at least one "cycle" per month, i.e., one full recharge--but you don't have to do it all at once and can do it as, say, two times of using the battery down to 50%, then recharging, etc.). It's also good to avoid excessive heat--so, for example (unless you live in a cold area), don't leave it in your car during the day, especially in the summer.
Lithium-ion (and probably lithium-ion polymer, like in the MacBook) batteries permanently lose capacity over time, but in addition to time, which you can't control, factors you
can control include temperature, frequency of use/cycling (already explained), and the capacity at which the battery is "stored." They permanently loose less capcity when around a 40%-60% charge and stored close to 32 °F (some studies say as little as 2% loss per year) compared to 100% charge at room temperature (which may lose as much as 20% per year, maybe more due to higher temperatures such as those created near the laptop by the laptop itself). Unfortunately, refrigerating a battery is inconvenient, and most (all?) laptops don't really let you keep the battery installed but maintain a 40%-60%, rather than 100%, charge. Thus, while good to do, this may be difficult or inconvenient.
But back to your battery, bascially, next time, you may want to use the battery a bit more frequently (at least once a month) and, if you're not going to use it for an extended period of time, store it charged to around half- rather than full-capacity, and, if you feel so inclined, maybe even pop it in the fridge (although I was always nevous about moisture when I did that)...if you care about your battery that much. I guess if you never use it anyway, it might not matter.
🙂
