[Q] lengthen battery condition by limit charge to 90% - Galaxy S I9000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

keeping battery charge levels between 20-80% will allow your battery to maintain its maximum capacity.
drain the battery to 0% and you might find it dies just that little bit quicker the next day.
likewise, you know when charging the progress slows down around 90-100%? - that's the battery inefficiency around the max mark; this is damaging the battery too.
so, is there an app out there that will stop charging the battery when we get to 90%?
tasker can recognise the battery level but it has no action to stop the charging so presume ably its too low level. its also not available in the secure settings add on.

Do you have any links to back up these claims?
Using GT-I9000 my sent Tapatalk 2 from.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries/

Some kernels have these options. Battery life extender, where you can change the maximum charging level. I would guess though that by the time you're really affecting your battery life it will be time to upgrade anyway!

Some kernels have these options. Battery life extender, where you can change the maximum charging level. I would guess though that by the time you're really affecting your battery life it will be time to upgrade anyway!
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll look into that. I'd probably leave it at 90% or 95% but 80% is the value I heard. Personnally I find charge doesn't really slow down until 98%.
Mugen batteries can be upto $100 each so I think it's worth protecting the investment and Lithium batteries are the same technology in the brand new Galaxy3 or iPhone4s than it is in a GalaxyS1 etc. So that's my motive.

I experience this too! when my phone are only charged at 90 percent it last more longer !

Battery calibrate.
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vinogradska5a said:
Battery calibrate.
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Does calibration really needa 0-100. 100-0 then charge again from 0-100 (is the phone needs to ne off while charging?)
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using xda app-developers app

Here's a technical explanation for why this kind of app needs to exist (and why I was Googling this charge-limiting idea tonight to find this thread):
jago25_98 brushed the surface of it in an earlier post, but was blown off. He's dead-on. The top 90-100% of a battery's capacity is very slightly damaging to the battery, which likes to stay in the 3.7-4.0V range (about 30% to 90%). 4.0v to 4.1v is about 90 to 100%, and 4.1v to 4.2v is "you can cram in about 5% more at your own risk" territory. The charge lingers around the 100% mark to cram more power in without exceeding 4.2v. This is why devices are shipped half-charged, not full-charged: the batteries are manufactured at a stable mid-range voltage and charge level. Then, they're tested and returned to that half-charged state for storage (!) and shipping. They like to stay in the middle, not the extreme ends (and definitely not fully discharged).
Charge algorithms are designed solely with capacity in mind, because not much care is put into "how long" something will last. They'd much rather abuse the battery and have the battery (or the device) replaced, than to put a larger battery in to make up for lost capacity by charging only to 80%.
For some of us, we understand that, and we'd like to limit our battery charge so the life of the battery (the capacity it will hold over time) will stand up to the test of time. If treated right, these batteries could last over 10 years. Charging to 100% each day and staying there all night (most of the time, it charges within an hour, leaving it sitting about a quarter of its life at a full charge) is pretty destructive, compared to using an app that caps it at 80% each night, saving the full cycles for monthly battery-meter refreshes.
If it can be done, I'd like to know... I might just dust off my SDK and crack open a "how-to" book to get started. About time I had a good app idea...
Here's some recent media that's brought this issue back to be bumped: http://gizmodo.com/you-should-try-to-keep-it-north-of-50-percent-as-much-619313207

Is that extender in NStools?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda app-developers app

If I remember correctly Mackay kernel - at least up to 4.3 Mackay - has allowed BLX. I think Semaphore allowed this as well in the manager app.
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Soryuu said:
If I remember correctly Mackay kernel - at least up to 4.3 Mackay - has allowed BLX. I think Semaphore allowed this as well in the manager app.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
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Yes, I'm using Mackay Kernel+Rom ( 4.4.2 KK ) and you can find the BLX (battery life extender) in Mackay Settings tab.

Sorry for digging up this long submerged thread.
I'm quite interested in the idea of getting my phone to charge between 40-80% while I plug in my phone overnight. I wish to maximise the longevity of the battery on my phone. I'm thinking about using the app "Tasker" together with a Wifi controlled power switch. Has anyone done that?
(PS. I don't use a Galaxy S I9000 phone. Just searched and found this randomly)

FalconFour said:
Here's a technical explanation for why this kind of app needs to exist (and why I was Googling this charge-limiting idea tonight to find this thread):
jago25_98 brushed the surface of it in an earlier post, but was blown off. He's dead-on. The top 90-100% of a battery's capacity is very slightly damaging to the battery, which likes to stay in the 3.7-4.0V range (about 30% to 90%). 4.0v to 4.1v is about 90 to 100%, and 4.1v to 4.2v is "you can cram in about 5% more at your own risk" territory. The charge lingers around the 100% mark to cram more power in without exceeding 4.2v. This is why devices are shipped half-charged, not full-charged: the batteries are manufactured at a stable mid-range voltage and charge level. Then, they're tested and returned to that half-charged state for storage (!) and shipping. They like to stay in the middle, not the extreme ends (and definitely not fully discharged).
Charge algorithms are designed solely with capacity in mind, because not much care is put into "how long" something will last. They'd much rather abuse the battery and have the battery (or the device) replaced, than to put a larger battery in to make up for lost capacity by charging only to 80%.
For some of us, we understand that, and we'd like to limit our battery charge so the life of the battery (the capacity it will hold over time) will stand up to the test of time. If treated right, these batteries could last over 10 years. Charging to 100% each day and staying there all night (most of the time, it charges within an hour, leaving it sitting about a quarter of its life at a full charge) is pretty destructive, compared to using an app that caps it at 80% each night, saving the full cycles for monthly battery-meter refreshes.
If it can be done, I'd like to know... I might just dust off my SDK and crack open a "how-to" book to get started. About time I had a good app idea...
Here's some recent media that's brought this issue back to be bumped: http://gizmodo.com/you-should-try-to-keep-it-north-of-50-percent-as-much-619313207
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am thinking, if Android app can't limit battery charging level, at least there should be an app that shows some sort of notifications when charging has reached a certain level set by users.

There is an app for it. Battery Charge Limit.
jago25_98 said:
keeping battery charge levels between 20-80% will allow your battery to maintain its maximum capacity.
drain the battery to 0% and you might find it dies just that little bit quicker the next day.
likewise, you know when charging the progress slows down around 90-100%? - that's the battery inefficiency around the max mark; this is damaging the battery too.
so, is there an app out there that will stop charging the battery when we get to 90%?
tasker can recognise the battery level but it has no action to stop the charging so presume ably its too low level. its also not available in the secure settings add on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get this app https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/root-battery-charge-limit-t3557002 here. It also has tasker integration

Related

Managing the Battery - First few days

Will be buying the note in the next 2 days(my first smart phone).. Had a little question about managing the battery..
Should i let the battery drain out completely and then charge it till full 100%??
How many cycles should i do this for??
Or any other way or tips to manage the battery in the first few days...
No it s a Li-ion battery charge as you wish. No problems.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
I think it is recommended to charge fully the first time, but that has been debunked. It cannot hurt however, but most people are too eager to play! As stated, there are few real conditions, but there are some:
Generally keep it charged. Small charges often is better than single full charges from flat. In fact, try not to let it get flat ever, as it can harm a Li-ion battery (I have never found this, however).
Also recommended is to charge while the phone is off, as while it is on can confuse the charging circuits. I use the note as my alarm clock, so charge it while on (and doing a backup) overnight every night. On the weekends I charge it while off.
I am not certain what is best, but there are many opinions out in the interwebs. It works fine for me using it like this, however.
aditya_reds said:
Will be buying the note in the next 2 days(my first smart phone).. Had a little question about managing the battery..
Should i let the battery drain out completely and then charge it till full 100%??
How many cycles should i do this for??
Or any other way or tips to manage the battery in the first few days...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy Note comes with a huge battery and we don't need to worry seriously.. Still if you would like to save more battery you can use juice defender (for better traffic control) and screen filter for extra dimming. This will do good and am ending up d day with 40% remaining battery. Note : am using HSDPA+ all day.
Thks to everyone for the heads up.. i shall remember the tips given here...
aditya_reds said:
Thks to everyone for the heads up.. i shall remember the tips given here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_ion_battery#Prolonging_battery_pack_life:
- Avoid deep discharge and instead charge more often between uses, the smaller the depth of discharge, the longer the battery will last.
- Avoid storing the battery in full discharged state. As the battery will self-discharge over time, its voltage will gradually lower, and when it is depleted below the low-voltage threshold (2.4 to 2.9 V/cell, depending on chemistry) it cannot be charged anymore because the protection circuit (a type of electronic fuse) disables it.
- Lithium-ion batteries should be kept cool; they may be stored in a refrigerator.
- The rate of degradation of Lithium-ion batteries is strongly temperature-dependent; they degrade much faster if stored or used at higher temperatures.

3500mAh battery

Hello, I recently purchased the 3500mAh 3.7V extended battery for my dinc. Can someone tell me what voltage I should charge it up to? I am not seeing amazing results, so I believe that my battery is not completely calibrated. I did run it through multiple complete uses (fully charged, to drain, and repeat) so I don't know what the problem could be. Thanks.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
What were you expecting for battery life? Depending on the brand it may not be a real 3500mAh battery. One full discharge and recharge should be enough to calibrate the software though Li-Ion batteries have no memory in them. Check this out. It mentions extending the life on the battery but is still interesting stuff.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries.
In fact that whole site has a lot of info on batteries.
Hey tiny. Well, from what I was reading about this battery, users got two full days with heavy usage (they described heavy usage to be streaming music, surfing the Web, testing, playing games, etc.) but, this is what I get, and it's the best I got (3 hours display,half an hour talk time). I even went down to gb to see if it would be good, but I didn't see much of a difference. And I did look at battery university a bit, but I didn't delve into the material. I'll check that link out.
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ra9b said:
Hey tiny. Well, from what I was reading about this battery, users got two full days with heavy usage (they described heavy usage to be streaming music, surfing the Web, testing, playing games, etc.) but, this is what I get, and it's the best I got (3 hours display,half an hour talk time). I even went down to gb to see if it would be good, but I didn't see much of a difference. And I did look at battery university a bit, but I didn't delve into the material. I'll check that link out.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Wow, that's pretty abysmal for a 3500mAh battery, especially in a lower consuming device like the incredible. How does that compare to your stock battery? It should be at least 70-80% better assuming that it's not really a 3500mAh battery. It may be a false claim that it's 3500mAh from the makers. I think 4 hours screen time on 3500mAh should be more reasonable for about 35 hours total time. I usually get about 1-3 hours screen time over a period of 10-30 hours total on my Galaxy Nexus. On my Inc on CM7 with stock battery my usage allowed me to go up to 30 hours, usually 20 on a charge with 30% left I think but it's been a while and I don't know the screen on time. It might have been about 2 hours.
tiny4579 said:
Wow, that's pretty abysmal for a 3500mAh battery, especially in a lower consuming device like the incredible. How does that compare to your stock battery? It should be at least 70-80% better assuming that it's not really a 3500mAh battery. It may be a false claim that it's 3500mAh from the makers. I think 4 hours screen time on 3500mAh should be more reasonable for about 35 hours total time. I usually get about 1-3 hours screen time over a period of 10-30 hours total on my Galaxy Nexus. On my Inc on CM7 with stock battery my usage allowed me to go up to 30 hours, usually 20 on a charge with 30% left I think but it's been a while and I don't know the screen on time. It might have been about 2 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's why I am worried. And actually, my stock battery usually have me like a day with good use. When you put it in perspective, my 1300mAh battery gives me about 67% of the battery life that I get from a 3500 mAh battery. Is there any way I can measure the power of the battery? I take physics, so even finding a way to calculate the current, voltage, and/or resistance of the battery would help.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda app-developers app
Check batteryuniversity.com, they have a link for calculating the actual capacity, or if you know your model which you should you can Google for actual capacity. Someone probably has posted capacities of a battery.
just going to add that in my experience(I have 3 Dincs), just a 3500 mah battery isn;t going to give you amazing results on it;s own. power management on the Dinc requires some attention. i find that charging the battery in the phone doesn;t necessarily yield a full charge, especially if you are charging it while the OS is loaded(topping it off). so my strategy has been to run my batteries down to empty,replace with a fresh one and charge them in an external battery charger-but not just any charger but a RAVpower universal charger. I have an "official" Seido charger and that doesn;t charge my batteries fully either even though it thinks it has by showing a green LED. I know some people will say that batteries shouldn;t be treated like this and that they don;t suffer from memory effect so you are free to not do what I am doing.
the biggest things that use up the battery is the 3G radio and the Display so of course if you are just using your phone to do stuff non stop of course you'd be lucky to get 4-6 hours of usage. Even if you have your phone doing useful stuff over wifi like checking for email in the background, it does consume battery. but with my phone in Airplane mode(like overseas where I would have no 3G or Wifi), I;ve gotten a couple of days of Standby time.
other stuff I have done is remove any apks in memory that might be consuming cpu cycles and memory. less is more on a limited platform like the Dinc. biggest cpu hogs on my phone believe it or not is Facebook and Amazon App Store(my guess is that it;s periodically checking my licensing for some apps that I got from them). it;s not uncommon for me to boot up the phone and for the battery to go from 100% to 90% in 5 minutes as the phone is initializing and doing whatever it;s doing. then slowly deplete from from 90% to 80% in 8 hours or so.
tekweezle said:
it;s not uncommon for me to boot up the phone and for the battery to go from 100% to 90% in 5 minutes as the phone is initializing and doing whatever it;s doing. then slowly deplete from from 90% to 80% in 8 hours or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your battery gauge is lying to you (and it's not such a bad thing)
So, I looked through all of battery university, but i still have 1 unanswered question. The website states that most Li-ion batteries should be charged to a mximum voltage of 4.20 V. However, does this apply to all batteries? I mean, my extended battery is a 3.7V battery. Was the htc dinc original battery a 3.7 v battery? If the voltages are different, then wouldn't the 3.7V battery need to be charged to a higher voltage so that the potential difference would equal that of the original battery and thus store the same charge? (theoretically)
ra9b said:
So, I looked through all of battery university, but i still have 1 unanswered question. The website states that most Li-ion batteries should be charged to a mximum voltage of 4.20 V. However, does this apply to all batteries? I mean, my extended battery is a 3.7V battery. Was the htc dinc original battery a 3.7 v battery? If the voltages are different, then wouldn't the 3.7V battery need to be charged to a higher voltage so that the potential difference would equal that of the original battery and thus store the same charge? (theoretically)
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Click to collapse
You could check wake lock detector on the play store to see what apps may be causing a partial wake lock... I know gmail and uccw cam cause a decent wake lock time
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
zachf714 said:
You could check wake lock detector on the play store to see what apps may be causing a partial wake lock... I know gmail and uccw cam cause a decent wake lock time
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
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I did check that and I didny find anything very abnormal, since I already greenified those apps.
Sent from my Droid Incredible using xda app-developers app

[Q] Battery Memory

So, I'm nervous about the fact that I can't replace the battery on my ONE. So far every night I've been staying up late until the phone dies, then plugging it in, waiting til the light stops flashing, then powering it up to charge while on overnight.
Problem is, this phone has awesome battery life. Right now at 10.30pm, I'm sitting at 41%, and debating just leaving it unplugged all night.
So what's the deal with memory on these batteries? How much, say over a 2 yr span, will charging a non-drained battery shorten its lifespan or lessen its capacity?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
MadDogMaddux said:
So what's the deal with memory on these batteries? How much, say over a 2 yr span, will charging a non-drained battery shorten its lifespan or lessen its capacity?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Lithium ion batteries are awesome. They are lighter, smaller and do not suffer from "memory effect."
Do not drain then fully recharge this phone on a regular basis. That will accelerate capacitance loss. Keep it charged as much as possible, avoid fast charging, try to use your PC to charge it overnight. Do not leave it charging for too long (i.e. days on end). Though on board computers can refuse charging, it is best to stay on the safe side.
2 years, you will definitely notice a decrease in battery life, but by the time it becomes intolerable, you will have upgraded. I can almost guarantee that.
EDIT: Please add to/refute any statements I made if you have greater knowledge on this subject, people.
Thanks! Can you explain why using mr PC to charge is better?
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MadDogMaddux said:
Thanks! Can you explain why using mr PC to charge is better?
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Because it's a slower charge at a lower amp rating prolongs battery life by not boiling the cells
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customhdrider said:
Because it's a slower charge at a lower amp rating prolongs battery life by not boiling the cells
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Click to collapse
Gottit. Thanks!
No problem,glad I could shed some light on the subject
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MadDogMaddux said:
So, I'm nervous about the fact that I can't replace the battery on my ONE. So far every night I've been staying up late until the phone dies, then plugging it in, waiting til the light stops flashing, then powering it up to charge while on overnight.
Problem is, this phone has awesome battery life. Right now at 10.30pm, I'm sitting at 41%, and debating just leaving it unplugged all night.
So what's the deal with memory on these batteries? How much, say over a 2 yr span, will charging a non-drained battery shorten its lifespan or lessen its capacity?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As was previously noted, what you're doing is actually the worst possible thing you can do to a lithium ion battery. In general, best practice is to keep your battery somewhere between 10%-95% charge whenever possible. Once a month, you should "cycle" your battery under 10% (but not fully drained) to keep everything in peak condition. If you're ever not going to use the phone for any length of time, best practice is to drain to 40% and store in a cool, dark area.
When you first get a new device, you do want to condition it by doing three to five (varies on the device) full charge/discharge cycles, but after that, once a month with a conditioning cycle will take care of things for you. And again, as was previously noted, it's not a great idea to leave your phone charging overnight because you can't always depend on the battery controller chip.
These newer cells are all rated to relatively high cycle lifetimes, so I wouldn't worry overmuch. At that point, capacity is supposed to start degrading, although naturally it's going to happen a bit earlier for any number of reasons. I'd be much more worried about avoiding heat though than overcharge.
I'm assuming charging it slowly would keep it slightly cooler than a wall socket and closer to room temp, the better.
There is probably some other reason, but I'm not the person to ask. you can do some independent research. :good:
Just charge your phone when it needs it and don't when it doesn't. Do that and you'll be good until you upgrade no problem.
EDIT: Oh, beat me to it... haha
EDIT: Also, does the 40% apply to phones? Mobile devices never really turn off, they just go into deep sleep, I'm told. I was going to say that too, but then I remembered this. Does the 40% rule apply to non-removable batteries?
sauprankul said:
I'm assuming charging it slowly would keep it slightly cooler than a wall socket and closer to room temp, the better.
There is probably some other reason, but I'm not the person to ask. you can do some independent research. :good:
Just charge your phone when it needs it and don't when it doesn't. Do that and you'll be good until you upgrade no problem.
EDIT: Oh, beat me to it... haha
EDIT: Also, does the 40% apply to phones? Mobile devices never really turn off, they just go into deep sleep, I'm told. I was going to say that too, but then I remembered this. Does the 40% rule apply to non-removable batteries?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a question of how much voltage you're chucking into the battery. If you use a low-voltage wall adapter it'll be the same as if you were charging from your PC.
The 40% rule applies to any battery, and they'll all discharge over time anyway (connected or no). If you shut your phone off, everything powers down except (if memory serves) what's necessary to run the internal clock. The impact that has should be pretty minimal (unless you're trying to bury your One for a thousand years, in which case...can't help you there).
Rirere said:
It's a question of how much voltage you're chucking into the battery. If you use a low-voltage wall adapter it'll be the same as if you were charging from your PC.
(unless you're trying to bury your One for a thousand years, in which case...can't help you there).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who would buy a low voltage wall adapter?
And yes, I would like to bury my One safely for a thousand years, so when it is found by the generation of humadroids, they will see it and be amazed that a civilization so primitive could achieve such technological mastery.
sauprankul said:
Who would buy a low voltage wall adapter?
And yes, I would like to bury my One safely for a thousand years, so when it is found by the generation of humadroids, they will see it and be amazed that a civilization so primitive could achieve such technological mastery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know that I bought any, but I have a few lying around from yesteryear's gadgetry.
And at that point, why not launch it into space instead, a la HTC Nexus One?
So I use my phone as my alarm clock and also run the Relax and Sleep app all night. Otherwise I'd just plug it into my lappy throughout the day and not worry about it.
But that raises another question: running the phone overnight while charging it at the same time. Bad juju?
I plugged into my lappy last night around midnight, woke up this morning and had about 95% charge, rather than the usual 100%. I'm assuming this is the result of power output for Relax and Sleep cutting int power input from charging.
I've also been in the habit of leaving my EVO 4G plugged in while tethering. I assume this is also a bad plan?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
sauprankul said:
Lithium ion batteries are awesome. They are lighter, smaller and do not suffer from "memory effect."
Do not drain then fully recharge this phone on a regular basis. That will accelerate capacitance loss. Keep it charged as much as possible, avoid fast charging, try to use your PC to charge it overnight. Do not leave it charging for too long (i.e. days on end). Though on board computers can refuse charging, it is best to stay on the safe side.
2 years, you will definitely notice a decrease in battery life, but by the time it becomes intolerable, you will have upgraded. I can almost guarantee that.
EDIT: Please add to/refute any statements I made if you have greater knowledge on this subject, people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MOST of this advice is 100% true.
The only part that is not correct information is the advice to not let it die. It is perfectly OK to do this as long as you don't deep discharge the battery... Example like let it die then not charge it for like a week or something.
The science behind this is the fact that lithium ion batteries actually have a nominal voltage operating range which is like 3.2 - 4.3 volts or something like that. Your device is designed to shut itself down when it gets to about 3.5... This is done to protect the battery from deep discharge cycles.
Letting it die is perfectly alright. Just make sure you charge it soon after.
Also, you don't need to use your PC to charge it. That is in no way necessary. Your device came with a wall charger for a reason...
There are safety features built into the kernel and cable to keep you from damaging the device during charge. Use the wall.. It is perfectly safe and faster / more practical.
MadDogMaddux said:
So I use my phone as my alarm clock and also run the Relax and Sleep app all night. Otherwise I'd just plug it into my lappy throughout the day and not worry about it.
But that raises another question: running the phone overnight while charging it at the same time. Bad juju?
I plugged into my lappy last night around midnight, woke up this morning and had about 95% charge, rather than the usual 100%. I'm assuming this is the result of power output for Relax and Sleep cutting int power input from charging.
I've also been in the habit of leaving my EVO 4G plugged in while tethering. I assume this is also a bad plan?
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your battery will automatically cycle between 95%-99.9999% to prevent overcharge, so you're fine on this front. You probably just caught it on the low end of the cycle.
The issue with charging + tethering is that a phone draws more power when plugged in (ramping up processor, etc.), and tethering eats a lot of power. More importantly, both charging the battery and running the antennas for tethering generate a lot of heat. So long as you watch your battery temp (most good tethering apps will toss in a temperature gauge, although if you're using stock you'll need another solution), you should be fine, but heat is one of the fastest ways to kill a Li-ion battery.
Admiral Sir Manley Power said:
MOST of this advice is 100% true.
The only part that is not correct information is the advice to not let it die. It is perfectly OK to do this as long as you don't deep discharge the battery... Example like let it die then not charge it for like a week or something.
The science behind this is the fact that lithium ion batteries actually have a nominal voltage operating range which is like 3.2 - 4.3 volts or something like that. Your device is designed to shut itself down when it gets to about 3.5... This is done to protect the battery from deep discharge cycles.
Letting it die is perfectly alright. Just make sure you charge it soon after.
Also, you don't need to use your PC to charge it. That is in no way necessary. Your device came with a wall charger for a reason...
There are safety features built into the kernel and cable to keep you from damaging the device during charge. Use the wall.. It is perfectly safe and faster / more practical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although a full normal discharge (phone powering off) won't kill your battery in one go, it's a deeper discharge than I would recommend on a regular basis. Things are built with margins of safety, but I don't like playing on the edge when I can avoid it. The difference between 10%-15% isn't too much either when it comes to my use-case either, so I'm content to bounce between 20/30-95 most of the time.
Rirere said:
Your battery will automatically cycle between 95%-99.9999% to prevent overcharge, so you're fine on this front. You probably just caught it on the low end of the cycle.
The issue with charging + tethering is that a phone draws more power when plugged in (ramping up processor, etc.), and tethering eats a lot of power. More importantly, both charging the battery and running the antennas for tethering generate a lot of heat. So long as you watch your battery temp (most good tethering apps will toss in a temperature gauge, although if you're using stock you'll need another solution), you should be fine, but heat is one of the fastest ways to kill a Li-ion battery.
Although a full normal discharge (phone powering off) won't kill your battery in one go, it's a deeper discharge than I would recommend on a regular basis. Things are built with margins of safety, but I don't like playing on the edge when I can avoid it. The difference between 10%-15% isn't too much either when it comes to my use-case either, so I'm content to bounce between 20/30-95 most of the time.
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Click to collapse
That is certainly a good point as well. No need to play on the edge of the cliffs. lol
You see my point tho
About safety margins

Concerning the Nexus 5 battery, how do you recharge your device?

Hi guys, good afternoon, how are you?
As I was looking after the Nexus 5 and the battery life of the device began to get discussed, I was unaware of the fact that nowadays we can just charge the device however we like, using Lithium-ion polymer batteries, different from the past, when a full recharge was recommended for the battery performance not get affected.
Considering that, for some users the battery life shouldn't be a concern, mainly for those who have a power outlet nearby, making an option to recharge it at any % level before getting it to fully recharge during the night.
I'd like to know from you guys: how do you recharge your devices? Do you wait for it to drain every % of the battery before recharging it or just plug it on the power outlet whenever needed?
Also, do you guys believe that recharging it at any % level does not affect battery performance?
Thanks a lot!
Modern batteries have a finite number of charging cycles before they being to lose performance. Generally speaking, 100%-0% is one discharge cycle, so if you want to maximize battery longevity you should do your best to minimize the number of discharge cycles you subject the battery to. It is not strictly speaking a direct relationship, but the battery should last longer if you charge it when it reaches 50% as opposed to 0% (that would qualify as "half" a discharge cycle).
When I'm using my device heavily and I have access to an outlet, I leave it plugged in. That saves on discharge cycles. Also, when I am sitting at my desk at work I generally keep it plugged in.
The following link is an excellent source of information regarding batteries:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/
right now with my current phone i'll usually just top it off after work from a wall outlet, or top it off in the morning when i wake up and get ready for work. i also have a usb cable at work to top off whenever needed throughout the day. i try to keep the battery over 50% most of the time, just because, but i rarely leave it plugged in throughout the entire night, and this is even with running sleep tracking apps. i imagine battery use/charging will be the same with the nexus 5 -- topping off in the morning while getting ready for work, maybe charge a bit while at work via usb cable, and topping off after work via wall outlet.
i guess i charge my battery in intervals throughout the day, instead of the daily 8 hour overnight charge. however, i usually keep it at least half full
Plug it in at night before I go to sleep.
If i'm using it heavily and it gets below 50%, I'll plug it in.
Some days at the office I'll plug it in about an hour before I leave so it'll be almost 100% after work.
If i'm going somewhere and feel I may run the battery down before I get home, I'll carry my portable charger with me (Anker 5600mAh).
matthewr87 said:
Modern batteries have a finite number of charging cycles before they being to lose performance. Generally speaking, 100%-0% is one discharge cycle, so if you want to maximize battery longevity you should do your best to minimize the number of discharge cycles you subject the battery to. It is not strictly speaking a direct relationship, but the battery should last longer if you charge it when it reaches 50% as opposed to 0% (that would qualify as "half" a discharge cycle).
When I'm using my device heavily and I have access to an outlet, I leave it plugged in. That saves on discharge cycles. Also, when I am sitting at my desk at work I generally keep it plugged in.
The following link is an excellent source of information regarding batteries:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't heavy usage while its charging put too much heat on the battery? Which is worse for it then worrying about charge cycles?
I do a backflip spin 360 before charging my phone...
thfreedumb said:
Wouldn't heavy usage while its charging put too much heat on the battery? Which is worse for it then worrying about charge cycles?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends whether/how much heat is generated during heavy usage. On my N7 while browsing the net or watching videos the heat is non-existent. Certain games cause more heat than others. If the device starts to become "hot" then yeah, keeping it plugged in will only exacerbate the problem.
Also, having a case on the device can increase heat soak.
It depends on the situation.
You are right though that heat is the enemy when it comes to batteries. About an hour in my back-back on a beach on Oahu killed my GNex battery, and it was in the shade too.
I plug mine into a wall charger or my laptop...
At the end of the day though, if you don't bake or freeze your phone, the battery should last at least a couple of years without losing too much capacity I think.
The battery longevity discussion with mobile devices is similar to the oil change debate in automotive circles. Some people swear by certain brands and oil change intervals, whilst others just buy what is on sale and change the oil when the car tells them too. It probably makes very little difference in the end.
Yakandu said:
I do a backflip spin 360 before charging my phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mr.Mischief said:
I plug mine into a wall charger or my laptop...
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Click to collapse
Smart alecks. Granted, I got a chuckle.
To OP:
Today's lithium ion batteries are way better than what they were 10 years ago. As posted above, go to battery university and learn all about it. My advice? Don't worry about special ways to charge your phone. You'll break, sell, or permanently store this phone long before your battery gives out due to charge cycles.
matthewr87 said:
Modern batteries have a finite number of charging cycles before they being to lose performance. Generally speaking, 100%-0% is one discharge cycle, so if you want to maximize battery longevity you should do your best to minimize the number of discharge cycles you subject the battery to. It is not strictly speaking a direct relationship, but the battery should last longer if you charge it when it reaches 50% as opposed to 0% (that would qualify as "half" a discharge cycle).
When I'm using my device heavily and I have access to an outlet, I leave it plugged in. That saves on discharge cycles. Also, when I am sitting at my desk at work I generally keep it plugged in.
The following link is an excellent source of information regarding batteries:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This!
Once upon a time I used to wait till my phone drained to 0-5% before I charged it. But I quickly realized that doing so turned my battery into trash.
So now with my 2 latest phones I usually charge it when they are at 30-40% or higher if possible and not only do I get excellent battery time but also its lifespan & performance doesn't deteriorate over time.
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
The only advice you need: DO NOT FULLY DISCHARGE LI-ION BATTERIES. These aren't NiCads, you do not need to power-cycle them periodically.
For best Li-ion life, try and avoid discharging below 20% or above 80%. Manufacturers will often add some 'headroom' to the 100% level (so that a battery that reads 100% is actually only charged to 80%-90% of capacity) in order to maximise longevity. within that range, charging and discharing will have little effect on battery life. charge and discharge rates do have an effect, but again ythe battery controller will limit these to prevent damage to the battery, so this is not something you need to worry about yourself.
Keep the battery topped up and avoid discharging it completely. Anything else is hocus-pocus or incorrect advice for the wrong battery chemistry.
i replace my phone once a year so i dont bother with saving the battery etc.. ive never had any measurable degradation to the battery the way i charge in less than a year. I usually charge it from what ever % its at to full. Most of the day at work it stays on my wireless charger, but it stops charging it after its full.
Thanks everyone for the feedback this far, in just a couple of minutes I already learned a lot.
Please let's continue the talk and vote if you can!
Thanks again.
On the charger before reaching 10%, around 20% or higher if it's possible.
EdZ said:
The only advice you need: DO NOT FULLY DISCHARGE LI-ION BATTERIES. These aren't NiCads, you do not need to power-cycle them periodically.
For best Li-ion life, try and avoid discharging below 20% or above 80%. Manufacturers will often add some 'headroom' to the 100% level (so that a battery that reads 100% is actually only charged to 80%-90% of capacity) in order to maximise longevity. within that range, charging and discharing will have little effect on battery life. charge and discharge rates do have an effect, but again ythe battery controller will limit these to prevent damage to the battery, so this is not something you need to worry about yourself.
Keep the battery topped up and avoid discharging it completely. Anything else is hocus-pocus or incorrect advice for the wrong battery chemistry.
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Click to collapse
this +1.
I put emphasis on 'so this is not something you need to worry about yourself'.
EdZ said:
The only advice you need: DO NOT FULLY DISCHARGE LI-ION BATTERIES. These aren't NiCads, you do not need to power-cycle them periodically.
For best Li-ion life, try and avoid discharging below 20% or above 80%. Manufacturers will often add some 'headroom' to the 100% level (so that a battery that reads 100% is actually only charged to 80%-90% of capacity) in order to maximise longevity. within that range, charging and discharing will have little effect on battery life. charge and discharge rates do have an effect, but again ythe battery controller will limit these to prevent damage to the battery, so this is not something you need to worry about yourself.
Keep the battery topped up and avoid discharging it completely. Anything else is hocus-pocus or incorrect advice for the wrong battery chemistry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BoneXDA said:
On the charger before reaching 10%, around 20% or higher if it's possible.
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Click to collapse
Thanks to this two people.
Before i read this, me always charge the @ 10% or below.
+1 :good:
I just discharge to 20%-40%, then charge it with the included charger overnight...
I've tried using slow chargers but didn't really make the battery any better.
I agree that discharging it fully is bad. Very bad.
I just charge it how it's mean to be charged and I don't have any problems
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I've been charging wrong this whole time! Will start charging before I hit 10% from now on. Glad I saw this, just got a new phone and am hoping to keep it for as long as possible...
I charge it every night because I have to use it all day.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Battery mods have terrible battery life?

I've been using both the incipio offgrid, and tumi powerpack battery mods (both are wireless charging variants) and have noticed just awful battery life. from 100% it charges my phone up maybe 15-20 percent, and thats with the screen off, just streaming music. If I'm using the phone (just surfing the web or instagram) the battery dies in around 30-45 minutes, is this normal? I expected alot more out of these. I can just stare at the notification bar and watch as the battery drops, my software is up to date, and I was just wondering if this is normal? Is everyone else getting this awful performance? I expected way more for like 70-80 bucks each...
Sky's Divide said:
I've been using both the incipio offgrid, and tumi powerpack battery mods (both are wireless charging variants) and have noticed just awful battery life. from 100% it charges my phone up maybe 15-20 percent, and thats with the screen off, just streaming music. If I'm using the phone (just surfing the web or instagram) the battery dies in around 30-45 minutes, is this normal? I expected alot more out of these. I can just stare at the notification bar and watch as the battery drops, my software is up to date, and I was just wondering if this is normal? Is everyone else getting this awful performance? I expected way more for like 70-80 bucks each...
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Click to collapse
This is not normal. While I don't have either of these, based on the reading I've done and reports I've seen from people who do, the Incipio off grid should be able to charge your phone up 50-75% when attached. Not sure if you have some crazy wakelock that's keeping your CPU maxed out all the time or what, but dying in 30-40 minutes makes no sense.
xxBrun0xx said:
This is not normal. While I don't have either of these, based on the reading I've done and reports I've seen from people who do, the Incipio off grid should be able to charge your phone up 50-75% when attached. Not sure if you have some crazy wakelock that's keeping your CPU maxed out all the time or what, but dying in 30-40 minutes makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I got it to die In 30-40 min I was on a phone call and surfing instagram. Took the tumi out yesterday with 80% battery in it and had my phones screen off streaming music over Bluetooth. The phone charged up about 25% before the battery pack died. Any ideas on how I could improve the battery life? My moto mods manager is up to date and I don't get any prompts to update anything whenever I snap on the mods
I was surprised when I found this post, so I checked how many percent of battery do I get with a my incipio battery mod. I plugged the mod, my phone's battery was at 15% and the battery mod was at 100%.
Now the Incipio battery mod is empty and my phone's battery is at 50%. So it charged my phone by 35%.
Pretty disappointing for a 2220 mAh battery that costs almost 100€ ...
To me the best use of the mod is to snap it on when the Moto Z Play is fully charged and to chose the option to keep the phone battery at 80%. With normal use, i've seen the mod keep the phone at 80% for up to a day. To me the mod is not meant to charge the phone but more to keep it from discharging.
To me the idea of the battery mod makes no sense.
There is an Aukey 16000 mAh power pack with QuickCharge 3.0 available which boosts the battery in nearly no time. I paid less than 20 Euro.
Who needs such a battery mod with a Moto Z Play which lasts all day under heavy usage?
Who needs such a battery mod when power packs are big, cheap and fast?
Who even needs the power pack if you have a wall outlet with a QuickCharge 3.0 charger boosting the battery percentage in no time? I needed that power pack when the previous phone (Moto X Play) had some hardware defect making it lose power.
Edit: These questions are meant honestly. Are you living in the desert for several days and can't afford to carry a bag?
tag68 said:
To me the idea of the battery mod makes no sense.
There is an Aukey 16000 mAh power pack with QuickCharge 3.0 available which boosts the battery in nearly no time. I paid less than 20 Euro.
Who needs such a battery mod with a Moto Z Play which lasts all day under heavy usage?
Who needs such a battery mod when power packs are big, cheap and fast?
Who even needs the power pack if you have a wall outlet with a QuickCharge 3.0 charger boosting the battery percentage in no time? I needed that power pack when the previous phone (Moto X Play) had some hardware defect making it lose power.
Edit: These questions are meant honestly. Are you living in the desert for several days and can't afford to carry a bag?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery mods are not particularly useful for the Z Play because if you charge every night, you have basically unlimited battery life. Battery packs are extremely useful for the regular Z, though, which has extremely poor battery life on its own. They're basically mandatory for the Z.
I'm shocked that battery mods can only charge your internal battery and can't be used directly (discharging the mod battery instead of the internal battery), the same way Thinkpads that have more than one battery can do. That makes the $80 (vs maybe $10 for a 2000 mah ravpower) cost all the more eyebrow-raising.
I'd love to use them as a way of preserving the sealed in internal battery's longevity, making the internal battery the backup battery and wearing out the easily replaceable, easily swappable mods instead.
fortunz said:
I'd love to use them as a way of preserving the sealed in internal battery's longevity,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you think how a battery should be treated to prolong its lifetime?
This is a serious question. I'm not sure if charging cycles do matter these days. The point which makes batteries getting weak is the age. An additional battery will not help reduce the age.
Of course you should be careful not to be in extreme cold or heat. If the battery is below 30 percent, you should consider to charge it. You should not charge it again if it's over 80 percent. But trying not to use it seems not to really be helpful for the battery to have a longer life, although battery lifetime usually is given in battery cycles. At least this is my experience. If it does not get hot when used or charged, all batteries nowadays start getting weaker a bit after about 2 years, it gets really recognizable after 4 years, and when they are 6-8 years old, they get so low that they may not fulfill there purpose anymore. Cycles? Never recognized any influence for the lifetime. But one hot day with a usage above average where the battery gets hot may really cause a recognizable decrease in capacity.
If you have some source comparing battery lifetime for different use cases (storage, low usage, middle usage, frequent usage, under different conditions of temperature, fast charge and slow charge) I'd be really interested.
tag68 said:
What do you think how a battery should be treated to prolong its lifetime?
This is a serious question. I'm not sure if charging cycles do matter these days. The point which makes batteries getting weak is the age. An additional battery will not help reduce the age.
Of course you should be careful not to be in extreme cold or heat. If the battery is below 30 percent, you should consider to charge it. You should not charge it again if it's over 80 percent. But trying not to use it seems not to really be helpful for the battery to have a longer life, although battery lifetime usually is given in battery cycles. At least this is my experience. If it does not get hot when used or charged, all batteries nowadays start getting weaker a bit after about 2 years, it gets really recognizable after 4 years, and when they are 6-8 years old, they get so low that they may not fulfill there purpose anymore. Cycles? Never recognized any influence for the lifetime. But one hot day with a usage above average where the battery gets hot may really cause a recognizable decrease in capacity.
If you have some source comparing battery lifetime for different use cases (storage, low usage, middle usage, frequent usage, under different conditions of temperature, fast charge and slow charge) I'd be really interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same sources as you, personal experience and basic knowledge (battery life being measured in cycles). I'm not even completely worried about average aging, but out of a batch of millions of batteries, plenty will start to experience rapid discharge early, even without abnormal heat, not to the point of being completely dead, but certainly no longer tolerable. Today's phone batteries might actually tolerate heat better than in the past, having been built for quick charging, which is the hottest a sd625 seems to get.
I've read manuals and battery university and a few tech blog articles all of which have differing advice, just like you and me, but I have yet to find a source I find credible (based on diverse large scale testing not limited anecdotal evidence or in the case of manuals, insanely outdated nicad-era stuff). And, sincerely no offense intended, I'm unlikely to decide cycles don't matter and weight your anecdotal evidence over mine anymore than you'd weight mine over yours. But if you ever find a good source with those comparisons, I'd be pleased to check it out too.
tag68 said:
Who needs such a battery mod with a Moto Z Play which lasts all day under heavy usage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I'm a very heavy user of my phone and don't want to worry about power even if I can't get to a outlet during the day.
Who needs such a battery mod when power packs are big, cheap and fast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the bat mod is easy to slap on and keep on all the time (when I'm not using a different mod). Then I never have to worry about taking the pack with me or not or carrying the extra cable with me or not.
Who even needs the power pack if you have a wall outlet with a QuickCharge 3.0 charger boosting the battery percentage in no time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I don't want to have to worry about having the charger with me or finding a spot to charge.
I fully admit that I tend to be more paranoid about running out of power than I need to be, but I like to be secure knowing that I should have more than enough battery life, even if I can't charge overnight. I like to know that I can grab my phone at any point of the day and walk out the door with it without having to worry about taking a charger with me.
RedRamage said:
I fully admit that I tend to be more paranoid about running out of power than I need to be, but I like to be secure knowing that I should have more than enough battery life, even if I can't charge overnight. I like to know that I can grab my phone at any point of the day and walk out the door with it without having to worry about taking a charger with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I quite like just not having to charge for three days. I have the battery mod which I use on the efficiency mode, and I got over a full day out of it. At the end of day three I had nearly 30% battery left. Probably enough for most of one more day.
The other thing for me is using wireless charging. I like just slapping my phone on a stand overnight when I do charge it. It charges slowly, yes, but it doesn't matter if I am charging overnight. I still have access to the quick charger if I need to get a full battery quick!
I use mine on my motorcycle where I'm riding for 10 hours a day. I'm at about 50% in 4 hours and dead by 7 or 8, so I'm hoping with the additional battery MOD that I can get at least 12 hours charge. I'm really bad about remembering to plug my phone in when I stop for a break!
@tag68 : dude I think you totally missed to read what @fortunz was saying, he was only pointing that he would like the Mods to be used as a primary source battery instead of being a "ultra-portable power bank".
Given that there is also a fraction of the power being lost in the form of heat, during charge/transfer, it is even more silly from Motorola not to have the battery used directly. I can say by the 25-35% charge from the Mods estimated from other users, that the efficiency is somewhere around 50%, HORRIBLE to say the least.
And yeah I was reading through both of your posts and good information was provided, although unnecessary friction used (not naming anyone).
I actually have kind of the same idea from @fortunz to prolong the battery life of my Z-play even with the mod just being a power bank.
Saying that the mods (~2220mah) charge your phone anywhere between 25-35%, I can actually take the top 25-35% out of my internal battery use and move it to the Mod.
So I can charge my phone up to 70% before going to bed, and then when my phone reaches 30% during the use next day, I'll just slap the mod.
I can allow myself a lot of variation to this, I will not be religious about it, the topic is to avoid hitting 100% charge, and instead, moving the wear of that 30% usage to the Mod.
According, to many articles, citing just one below, considering the depth of discharges and voltage levels, you guys might do the equation if you like, but according to the charts and theory:
charging my phone twice a day trying not to exceed 70%, will give me WAY more longevity run than charging up to 100% every day.
First charge will be from around 15% which is my normal deadline to around 70% with a wall charger, before going to bed.
Second charge will be from the mod from around 30% to around 60% (hopefully), which will give me portability while charging.
Total screen on time during the day, should be around 10% less, but well worth and I can definitely take the hit if getting more battery longevity as a trade.
Source:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries
Huh, it even makes sense when explaining to other people...
In re: friction, I took no offense from the exchange. Hopefully I didn't cause any either.
Good luck with your efforts. I have considered using this app to to stop charging early: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/root-battery-charge-limit-t3557002 Haven't started using it yet.
fortunz said:
In re: friction, I took no offense from the exchange. Hopefully I didn't cause any either.
Good luck with your efforts. I have considered using this app to to stop charging early: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/root-battery-charge-limit-t3557002 Haven't started using it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly that application requires root... and I don't want to unlock the bootloader and then having to worry about SafetyNet...
For me SafetyNet is green using Magisk 12.0 as root solution, but that may change of course. But it would help for the battery.
Short rant about this topic: It is strange that the owner of a device can be forbidden to restrict the charging. You bought it, you should be able to do these things with it. Introducing SafetyNet is a bad idea by Google. Security should be made by algorithms, not by hardware. Using public key anyone may modify anything, and you can still assure the content to be trustworthy. There no need to prove the Android not to be modified, it is just a bad idea, unnecessary restricting the user. Owner.
tag68 said:
For me SafetyNet is green using Magisk 12.0 as root solution, but that may change of course. But it would help for the battery.
Short rant about this topic: It is strange that the owner of a device can be forbidden to restrict the charging. You bought it, you should be able to do these things with it. Introducing SafetyNet is a bad idea by Google. Security should be made by algorithms, not by hardware. Using public key anyone may modify anything, and you can still assure the content to be trustworthy. There no need to prove the Android not to be modified, it is just a bad idea, unnecessary restricting the user. Owner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said
Thanks for the tip! I'll have it mind!
At the moment I don't feel like unlocking the bootloader because I'm planning to use the moto Mods and these can't be used with custom ROMs yet, and I have no use for root other than changing the work mode on Greenify but it already works well enough in No-Root mode, so for me there is no true benefit.
A good resource for lithium batteries are rc helicopter forums. Helis use speed controllers of many tens of amps, drain the batteries in minutes versus days to low levels and charge them at high speed. What reduces their life is heat, overcharging the voltage or over discharging the voltage. They do not age if left in a partial charge. You can let them sit for years unused and they will lose very little capacity. If you only run them at 70%cycle, they last about 3000 cycles.
Well, that was weird.
Phone at 9%, mophie mod at 100%. Put it on, barely used the phone (even took a nap). About an hour later, the mophie mod is at 50%, but the phone actually went down to 8%. Took off the mod and the phone went immediately to 4%. Ouch.
Mod normally works fine. It'll keep the phone at 80% for most of the day just fine. Not sure what was going on.

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