At what point is it the healthiest for the battery to start recharging?

[shmutheprophet]

If I unplug my computer to take it with me for say 30 minutes, the battery is now at 87% - should I keep using it awhile before I plug it back in, or is it cool to just plug it back in. I read somewhere lithium-ion batteries should be recharged at 20-40% or something.

 

[macbooker15]

hmmm i have the same question. Any answers?

 

[PrettyNPink]

I'm not exactly an expert on this but based on my experience it's best to wait till the battery level is low.
My friend and I had identical HP laptops which we got around the same time and we both used them for the same purposes (mostly for school.) She would plug her laptop in whenever she was near an outlet but I liked to wait until my battery level was at 10%. A year later her battery completely died. It's been a year since then, and my battery is at just under 50% health.

 

[me_94501]

This is one of those questions where you'll get a fair amount of differing opinions. My take? It's not going to kill the battery if you plug it in after a half hour's use on battery, so long as you cycle the battery from time to time.

And Apple puts it this way: http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

So in other words, drain your battery periodically, but there's no need to be too anal about it.

My two cents.

 

[Mord]

I've hammered my macbook over the years and the battery is in top notch

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 5176
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 5185
Health Information:
Cycle count: 1013
Condition: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12562

Use it or you'll lose it.

 

[199708]

I guess its important to wait for it to be low,

but I'm not going to bother with this, I rather spend another $140 or what ever and get a new batter down the track when i notice a considerble difference in battey life. same with my phone $20). for me having a charged battery at all times is more important especially when a client calls me and asks me to meet them.