iPad: completely running down the battery

[Fantoni]

Apple web site says that "for proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)". But what exactly means "completely running down the battery"? 5%? 2%? Or do I have to wait that my iPad shut down itself for battery exhaustion?
Thank you.
Fantoni

 

[Comeagain?]

Down as in it shuts itself off.

 

[Fantoni]

Down as in it shuts itself off.

But I have read here the following advice:

Don't drop the battery charge to low.Each battery cell has its own safe-voltage-limit (~ 3 V). Except the cells in the battery are perfectly matched for capacity and voltage, whereas you both charge and discharge them as a whole battery, there is a chance that sooner or later individual cells will be driven outside their safe voltage range even if the pack, as a whole, stays within it. The cells will start out balanced and tend to stay that way.It can cause the failure of the battery as a whole and/or, worst case, results in its explode or catching fire.So,a good counter is to charge your iPad or iPad 2 when the battery is 15%. The red indicator that will pop-up on your iPad screen is a good signal to start the recharging cycle.

Could it be dangerous to let the iPad shut itself down?

 

[xraytech]

Apple web site says that "for proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)". But what exactly means "completely running down the battery"? 5%? 2%? Or do I have to wait that my iPad shut down itself for battery exhaustion?
Thank you.
Fantoni

My advice is to keep it simple and just plug your iPad in to charge before you go to sleep.

That's it!!!

That's all you need to do.

Once and a while you will forget to plug it in and eventually your iPad will run down. Then you can use that as an opportunity to calibrate the power management.

 

[TheWheelMan]

But I have read here the following advice:



Could it be dangerous to let the iPad shut itself down?

So you're going to doubt advice directly from Apple and instead believe advice from another website entirely?

Bottom line. Running it down every once in a while is all right. Just don't do it very often.

 

[dedwarmo]

The Wikipedia article for Lithium-ion batteries says, "Rechargeable batteries degrade with use, the capacity decreasing until it is unusably small. Li+ batteries last longer if not deeply discharged (depleted) before recharging. The smaller the depth of discharge, the longer the battery will last."

 

[ntrigue]

Ultimately, you are talking about delaying the purchase of a $70 battery swap from four years to four years and three months.

Battery University has detailed information to support the ideal being:

Do not charge if above 80% and try to charge before you go below 20%.
Discharge 100% to 0% then leave plugged in until 100% once a month.

Twelve discharges per year will not hurt your battery and the sites that say so are hold-overs from NiCad batteries.

 

[Rodster]

By the time your battery fails you will have seem anywhere between 3-4 generations of iPad's and you will have long got rid of it by then. So IOW, don't worry and just enjoy your iPad.