MX Revolution vs. VX Revolution

[nagromme]

Most (not all) modern device batteries last longer if you use just the top of the charge--so nightly charging would be smart. That's true of iPods and laptops. I wonder what kind of battery the MX has?

The ideal to me would be rechargeable AA (or use any AA you happen to have). Instead of a cradle, you'd just plug in an included lightweight cord--and the mouse would function corded even with no battery installed at all. Meanwhile, on the computer end, the cord would plug into the wireless dongle--but could be removed. So you could keep the cord plugged in or put it away--your choice. And for travel, the dongle (but not the cord probably) could store in the mouse.

So instead of a cradle, you'd just have a little proprietary cord from the dongle to the mouse. No other cords or gizmos.

 

[numbersyx]

I don't "need to" charge it every night. But I put it in the cradle when I'm not using the mouse and thus it never gets very far from a full charge and is always good to go.

Why do you need to wait until it gets down to no bars and the lock sign?

Maybe I'm wrong here but aren't you effectively using up the amount of charges to your Li-ion battery?

 

[nagromme]

Maybe I'm wrong here but aren't you effectively using up the amount of charges to your Li-ion battery?

It's my understanding that the number of "charge cycles" for a lithium battery does not mean how many times you charge it, but rather how many times you do the equivalent of a full charge. So 100 drain-and-full-charges are 100 cycles. But draining 50% and charging 200 times is also just 100 cycles. And using the "top of the charge"--charging often--maximizes the life of a lithium battery.

That's always been the recommendation for iPods and MacBooks, which use lithium batteries, so if the MX uses the same kind of battery, I'd say daily charging would give you longer usage. And the way Logitech has set it up with a desktop cradle suggests they've planned for that.

I forget what's best for NiMH batteries. Don't apply this advice to all battery types.

 

[numbersyx]

It's my understanding that the number of "charge cycles" for a lithium battery does not mean how many times you charge it, but rather how many times you do the equivalent of a full charge. So 100 drain-and-full-charges are 100 cycles. But draining 50% and charging 200 times is also just 100 cycles. And using the "top of the charge"--charging often--maximizes the life of a lithium battery.

That's always been the recommendation for iPods and MacBooks, which use lithium batteries, so if the MX uses the same kind of battery, I'd say daily charging would give you longer usage. And the way Logitech has set it up with a desktop cradle suggests they've planned for that.

I forget what's best for NiMH batteries. Don't apply this advice to all battery types.

I'm not so sure about that. My understanding is that once they go below a certain level (e.g. on a Mac laptop the level is 96%) they begin to charge and regardless of how low the battery is being charged from it constitutes a cycle.

 

[nagromme]

I can confirm that for lithium-ion batteries, a "charge" is definitely not equal to a cycle: a cycle will often consist of multiple charge sessions.

I'd forgotten that Apple has a page on this:

http://www.apple.com/batteries

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

I cannot vouch for what kind of battery is actually in an MX mouse though.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I cannot vouch for what kind of battery is actually in an MX mouse though.

The MX uses a Li-ion battery as well. Thank you for confirming this excellent information.

 

[numbersyx]

I can confirm that for lithium-ion batteries, a "charge" is definitely not equal to a cycle: a cycle will often consist of multiple charge sessions.

I'd forgotten that Apple has a page on this:

http://www.apple.com/batteries

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could listen to your iPod for a few hours one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

I cannot vouch for what kind of battery is actually in an MX mouse though.

I stand corrected. My apologies...