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How much battery life does it take off the ipod in sleep?
- Thread starter quagmire
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Really, that's interesting, I don't listen to my 3G iPod much, so it stays in the Dock charger for weeks or months at a time. I hope that isn't hurting the iPod...
...cause I'd just be heartbroken if I had to go out and buy a new 4G iPod
.
Seriously though, anyone know more about this?
...cause I'd just be heartbroken if I had to go out and buy a new 4G iPod
.Seriously though, anyone know more about this?
My iPod (3G, 15GB) will be dead in 2-3 days if it's off the charger--even if I don't use it.
There is a good website about battery life and care but I don't have it bookmarked, unfortunately. Being on a charger all the time won't hurt the battery. Discharging and recharging is what takes the life out of the battery over time. You get a finite number of charge cycles, so anything that keeps the battery from getting discharged is a good thing.
There is a good website about battery life and care but I don't have it bookmarked, unfortunately. Being on a charger all the time won't hurt the battery. Discharging and recharging is what takes the life out of the battery over time. You get a finite number of charge cycles, so anything that keeps the battery from getting discharged is a good thing.
That's what I have never understood about these batteries. If you can recharge your batteries through 300 to 600 charge cycles before it dies, then doesn't leaving your PB and/or iPod plugged in bad for it? If my PB fills to 100%, after a day or so, the charge will drop to 95% or less, but once a Powerbook batter drops below 96%, it starts to charge back to 100% so that the battery is always topped off. Is this 96 to 100% recharge considered a "charge cycle" by these companies, or is a charge cycle a complete charge-discharge (ie: from 0% to 100%)??
I went through a period of continually sync-ing and charging my 2G 10GB, which basically killed the battery - I ended up getting about an hour of playback. However, doing some (not-so-clever) cable engineering and turning my 6-pin Firewire port into a '4-pin' one meant it wasn't getting the beginning of a charge three or four times a day. I also ran it all the way down a few times, and after each did a nice 16-hour charge. It went back up to 'as-new' battery life pretty quickly
The charge cycles go empty to full. You may get 300 full charge cycles, but that's also 600 half cycles--get it? So you may reach 100% charge and then drop down to 96%, then charge back up to 100% ( I hear that's what they do but I don't know for sure) and it will eat a little off of your battery life (I guess). But taking it off the charger for a period of time to avoid that drain is just a waste of time because it will drain while it's off the charger too--probably faster.
I wouldn't even think about it. While we're not thinking about things, don't think about checking out Activity Monitor or running Drive 10 "just for the hell of it". You'll drive yourself crazy with all the little details that don't matter. And don't think about the arsenic and poisons you're probably exposed to every day. It's not enough to hurt you. It's not even close. There are just some things in life you have to relax and not worry about.
I wouldn't even think about it. While we're not thinking about things, don't think about checking out Activity Monitor or running Drive 10 "just for the hell of it". You'll drive yourself crazy with all the little details that don't matter. And don't think about the arsenic and poisons you're probably exposed to every day. It's not enough to hurt you. It's not even close. There are just some things in life you have to relax and not worry about.
Well that's the way I generally feel about it. I just use my Powerbook however is most convenient for me. If my PB battery lasts for 20 months instead of 24 months because I charge it in weird situations and cycles, then I guess I'll buy a new battery 4 months early.
12ibookg4 said:
No, but why charge it as 2 seperate operations. It won't hurt anything but it seems like an inconvenience.
In answer to the original post, Apple estimated about 5% of the battery per day while asleep. But, for instance, we're giving away an iPod at work, and i had opened it a few weeks ago-- it was a refurb, so it had about half a charge on it. 3 weeks later, it has about 1/4th of a charge. So, it probably depends on the battery.
And no, as they've said, keeping it plugged in won't really hurt it. Mine is plugged in whenever it's not being used, so it has a full charge at all times--
paul
And no, as they've said, keeping it plugged in won't really hurt it. Mine is plugged in whenever it's not being used, so it has a full charge at all times--
paul
Abstract said:
Does your PB really dip down far enough (96%) while on wall-plug power to start charging again? My iBook never does this. That's kinda strange. But from what Apple says (I'm not sure I believe this whole fraction of a charge cycle thing), you are using a small fraction of a charge cycle each time.
But FWIW, the previous PC laptops I've used, I used almost always on wall plug, and used the battery primarily to move it around and occasionally as the primary power source for short stints. After a couple years of this the battery life seriously sucked. I'm actually using my iBook on the battery more, but I also switched my pattern to running the battery down when I do use it (that is, I don't plug back in at 80% or 90%. Whatever Apple says, my consistent experience has been using full charge cycles on Li-Ion batteries (my iPod, my phones, my iBook, my camera) works better than using partial charge cycles....
Ok, you people answered my orginial question. So after I calibrate my battery every time I have an access to an power outlet I should charge it because if I drain it then charge it it will hurt the battery more then from like 60-80%.
Horrortaxi said:
That doesn't seem right. What kind of battery life are you getting when using the iPod?
so, with laptops, the power must come through the battery? why don't they have some kind of bypass so that if you're plugged in and you're battery has finished charging, then it runs straight from the powerpack plugged into the wall, using the battery only when the laptop is unplugged?
That's not what my PB states. When its plugged in, my battery indicator will state "Charged", or "Battery Is Charged". However, by Apple's definition, if your battery is between 96% and 100%, it is charged. It only charges again on it's own when the battery life actually drops below 96%. However, your battery indicator will always state that it's "Charged", and yet your laptop is actually programmed to charge a bit just to top off the battery. Your iBook does the same, as do all Apple laptops.mkrishnan said:
Its not just what Apple says. Li-Ion batteries from ANY company have no charge memory, so you can charge them at any time, even if your battery is 62% full, for example. However, many people say that running on battery power from full charge to empty every month is a good idea. I plug my PB into the wall whenever I want (I use my PB on battery 2 times a week), but I make sure I do a full charge and discharge once in a while to keep that mofo in check.
Abstract said:That's not what my PB states. When its plugged in, my battery indicator will state "Charged", or "Battery Is Charged". However, by Apple's definition, if your battery is between 96% and 100%, it is charged. It only charges again on it's own when the battery life actually drops below 96%. However, your battery indicator will always state that it's "Charged", and yet your laptop is actually programmed to charge a bit just to top off the battery. Your iBook does the same, as do all Apple laptops.
You mean that there's a maintainence trickle current? That I know. But your power doesn't actually drop from the 98-100 that it reaches as full charge after some time of driving on wall power, does it? This sounded like what you were describing the first time. I thought I had heard of someone on here complaining that their laptop did exactly that -- but I don't think it should / mine doesn't.
Its not just what Apple says. Li-Ion batteries from ANY company have no charge memory, so you can charge them at any time, even if your battery is 62% full, for example. However, many people say that running on battery power from full charge to empty every month is a good idea. I plug my PB into the wall whenever I want (I use my PB on battery 2 times a week), but I make sure I do a full charge and discharge once in a while to keep that mofo in check.
Yeah, I guess the thing I've seen on different batteries all has to do with calibration too and not permanent deterioration of the battery. That is, if I use my cell several times with charges from 50% instead of close to zero, I get flaky battery life as a result. But if I run it through a cycle or two, after that it returns to normal. I know that the voltage depression issue is not supposed to affect LiIon batteries but strange still....
mkrishnan said:
If I charge my battery from empty to full, it will show up as 100%, or "battery is charged". When the battery is full, the PB/iBook then uses power from the AC adapter, not the battery. However, if you were to leave your battery plugged into the wall for a month like some people do, the battery loses charge regardless of whether it was used or not. The battery would be drained in a week of non-use, so Apple design their computers so that once the battery is below 96%, it is topped back up to 100%. Your battery indicator will always state that it's fully "Charged" because Apple's definition of "Charged" is between 96-100%, so as long as it keeps your battery above 96%, its charged. If Apple didn't top the battery off for you, you wouldn't be able to use your iBook on battery power after a week, or when you need to.
Notice that if you run your iBook battery from 100% down to 97%, the glowing green ring around your AC plug will still be green, not amber/orange. Even when plugged in, your iBook's AC adapter will still not charge your iBook until it reaches below 96%. And even when it DOES charge it back to 100%, the charge indicator will STILL be green because its not really considered charging the battery. Its considered a top-up, which is what they have to do to make your iBook useful.
I don't know. I've never run it until it shuts off--it's just an hour here and an hour there, back on the charger. The longest I can remember before putting it back on the charger was 6-7 hours of use.Elan0204 said:
If you're one to let your iPod sit, plugged in for extended periods of time, make sure you run it through a full battery cycle at least once a month. It doesn't hurt the iPod to leave it plugged in as once the iPod's battery climbs to 80% the current being sent to the iPod slowly starts to dwindle down until it eventually reaches a trickle charge when the iPod nears 100% charged.
Good read: http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.html
Good read: http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.html