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Poll: Do you keep your portable electronics fully charged all the time?

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  1. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    So do you keep your cell phone/mp3 player/camera/etc... fully charged all the time? Do you use a charging dock to keep the battery at full power? Or do you charge overnight and then let the battery drain before recharging?

    With my old Dell mp3 player I'd charge it overnight and then play it at work the next day. Then I'd recharge it after it drained. It died last weekend and I bought a Zune to replace it. Now I have an official docking station for it and I keep it charged all day at work. I love that. Now I don't have to remember to charge my mp3 player at night because it is already charged.

    How about you?
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  2. Cell phone - drain then recharge. I no longer have any other portable devices that have rechargeable batteries.
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  3. Member Epicurus8a's Avatar
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    Drain then recharge. Only one exception my XM radio is always docked.
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  4. Member mats.hogberg's Avatar
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    I always charge my cell phone during the night (my only portable device), as it rarely lasts for 2 days.
    AFAIK, the memory effect in older batteries is no more, and the "full discharge before recharging" procedure is now reduced to a meaningless ritual.

    /Mats
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  5. Member waheed's Avatar
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    I usually charge most of my devices during the night when not in use like my mobile phone, bluetooth mouse etc...
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  6. Member Conquest10's Avatar
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    I usually recharge overnight every other day unless I don't really need it.
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    NiCads always needed to be fully discharged to keep "bad memory" at bay. Lithium and other batteries these days love to be "warm" all the time. USB rechargeable devices make keeping these things charged at all times easy. My HP smartphone's manual says to keep it plugged in and charging whenever you are not using it or on the road...

    My MP3 player, cameras, PocketPC, Smartphone and Bluetooths are always charged and ready for use...in the car too.
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  8. Disgustipated TooLFooL's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Video Head
    NiCads always needed to be fully discharged to keep "bad memory" at bay. Lithium and other batteries these days love to be "warm" all the time.
    Exactly..
    NiCd and NiMH both like to be cycled regularly. this increases thier performance and extends thier life, as keeping them charged can actually reduce thier capacity. They also like to be stored in a discharged state. NiMH offer better performance and are more tolerant to abuse.
    Newer Li-Ion batteries are very different, though. Fully discharging one will cause irreversable damage to the cell. They also should be stored with at least half-charge. Devices which use Li-Ion cells should have built-in circuitry to help protect the cells from abuse. Overcharging any type of cell is damaging, but again, most devices should have circuitry built in to properly charge a device that is always plugged in.
    When in doubt, check the temperature. A fully charged cell will be 'slightly' warm. When the temperature starts to rise beyond the point of slightly warm, they are beginning to overcharge, and gasses are beginning to vent from the cell, creating heat.

    The best thing to do is find out exactly what type of cell is in your device, then Google thier proper care and maintenance.
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  9. Member Xylob the Destroyer's Avatar
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    just the phone and camera here....
    use them until I suddenly (& usually at a really bad time) realize I can't anymore, then charge 'em back up.
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  10. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    You know they have those instant charge accessories. They even have one that runs on a normal aa or aaa battery that hooks into the cell phone. I've also seen those survivalist gear stuff that you crank to get mechanical energy charges without a charger.

    Might be overkill for most of us but if you really need a backup on hand.
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  11. Member dadrab's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by yoda313
    You know they have those instant charge accessories. They even have one that runs on a normal aa or aaa battery that hooks into the cell phone. I've also seen those survivalist gear stuff that you crank to get mechanical energy charges without a charger.

    Might be overkill for most of us but if you really need a backup on hand.
    I've got a "crankable" lantern. It uses LEDs as the light source and runs a good looooong time on a few cranks.

    And, make no mistake, if I need a few volts to power something besides the lantern in an emergency situation, I'm not afraid to dissect. 8)

    I, personally, don't use anything rechargable regularly but a cell phone. It's now almost two years old and it gets used until it starts to die (battery meter). Then I charge it. Usually about every fourth day is sufficient barring heavy use. I'm not a big cell phone talker and give my number out to very few. Besides, if I'm in the car, the stereo's so loud I can't hear it ring anyway. Bwahahaha.
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  12. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    I've got a bunch of Nikon batteries that are recharged when fully discharged, the EN-EL3 and EN-EL4.

    The phone gets recharged only when it hits the last bar. In the last 17 months that I've had this exact phone, I've only let it die twice, and the phone shuts itself off (battery not actually "dead", just too low to power phone).

    Everything else is AA, and I buy in bulk of 100 at a time. About 20 cents each. Just the cheap ones, alkaline is not needed -- these are used so fast in flashes and other equipment that it's a waste of money, there will be no time to decay. Only remotes get alkalines.
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  13. "...NiCd and NiMH both like to be cycled regularly. this increases thier performance and extends thier life, as keeping them charged can actually reduce thier capacity...."

    NiCads yes, but did not know it applied to NiMH too. is that true?
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  14. This poll can also be used as followed :

    Do you drink?

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  15. This poll can also be used as followed :

    Do you use 2-ply?

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  16. Disgustipated TooLFooL's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by noki
    "...NiCd and NiMH both like to be cycled regularly. this increases thier performance and extends thier life, as keeping them charged can actually reduce thier capacity...."

    NiCads yes, but did not know it applied to NiMH too. is that true?
    yes.. NiMH cells are better than NiCd as they have a flatter discharge curve, can be cycled more frequently, and are more tolerant to misuse. but they are similar technology and benefit from full-cycle use as opposed to partial discharge/charge cycles.
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  17. Member Radixmind's Avatar
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    i cant stand the rigamarole of getting out my charger, plugging it in, plugging it into the device...even usb is only useful if you leave your computer on for long periods, which i dont.

    thankfully, chargers are dead tech.

    http://shinyreport.net/index.php/2008/03/01/splashpower-intros-wireless-charging-dev

    soon, this kind of stuff will be built into your coffee table - just walk in, throw the contents of your pockets on the table, and it'll start charging.

    and about time. this tech is common in toothbrushes already.
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  18. Member
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    Originally Posted by Radixmind
    i cant stand the rigamarole of getting out my charger, plugging it in, plugging it into the device...even usb is only useful if you leave your computer on for long periods, which i dont.

    thankfully, chargers are dead tech.

    http://shinyreport.net/index.php/2008/03/01/splashpower-intros-wireless-charging-dev

    soon, this kind of stuff will be built into your coffee table - just walk in, throw the contents of your pockets on the table, and it'll start charging.

    and about time. this tech is common in toothbrushes already.
    Cradles or charging stands are a good alternative...
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