Discharge battery properly - how it works
If you want to prevent the so-called memory effect, you should always discharge your batteries correctly. In this practical tip, we will show you how it works and which batteries are still necessary.
Discharging the battery correctly - when does that make sense?
- For a long time, nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries were used in most mobile devices. These batteries brought with them the so-called memory effect.
- The memory effect occurs when the battery is not properly charged and discharged. If you charge the battery more frequently when the charge level is not yet critical, the battery loses its memory and no longer charges to full capacity.
- For this reason, you should only charge nickel batteries when the battery level is quite low and do not interrupt the charging process prematurely. If the memory effect has already occurred, completely discharging the battery helps to return to full capacity. All you have to do is let the battery run completely empty and then charge it 100%.
Fully discharged battery: hardly necessary today
- The industry has been relying on lithium-ion batteries or lithium polymer batteries for several years. The old nickel batteries are no longer used in any modern device.
- The lithium-ion batteries have no memory effect, and completely discharging the battery is also harmful. If the battery is completely empty, i.e. deeply discharged, copper bridges form inside, which in the worst case lead to a short circuit or fire.
- For this reason, smartphones and Co. switch off automatically, although there is still a little capacity in the battery. If you leave an empty battery for several weeks, it can be completely discharged. Usually the capacity of the battery suffers, a complete failure of the battery rarely occurs.
In the next practical tip, we will show you how to charge your cell phone battery correctly.