Keep plugged in or run on Battery?

[larryg-aia]

just wondering if keeping my surfacepro 4 plugged in all the time has any impact on battery life. I do obviously unplug when travelling, but never for too long and then just plug it in again. I know today these batteries don't have memory, but just wondering if there is any suggested way to keep the battery conditioned properly or is it something I don't need to worry about.

 

[leeshor]

At least once a month, preferably more, you should run it down to 10%-15% then fully charge it. Try not to keep topping it off as the number of total charge cycles counts against you.

 

[surfacebookinuk]

When you say topping it off what do you mean by that?
And if I i.e. keep it plugged in how does the cycling thing work?

 

[leeshor]

Explaining it in a different way don't go to 60% or 80% then plug it back in to go to 100% again. It's not the leaving it plugged in that hurts it's the total number of time you plug it in to top it off, (go to 100%) that hurts. All current generations of batteries have a limited number of charge cycles. If you change it once a day you'll get the expected lifetime from the device, Charging it 3 times a day will cut that back by 2/3.

 

[dcoplien]

Actually for this type of battery a cycle = 100% so if you charge every time it's at 50%, two charges=1 cycle, at 25% down takes 4 charges to equal 1 cycle. Time not usage should be used as to when to let it get down to 10% then charge. Unfortunately not all LI-ion batteries are the same. I have a Li-ion battery for a Torqeedo motor where that should only be done once a year, 3 different types for cameras, where each have different run-down times.

 

[surfacebookinuk]

So to get to the original post's question leaving the Surface plugged in all the time when I m home how does that affect the battery?

 

[leeshor]

So to get to the original post's question leaving the Surface plugged in all the time when I m home how does that affect the battery?

Probably not.

 

[leeshor]

Actually for this type of battery a cycle = 100% so if you charge every time it's at 50%, two charges=1 cycle, at 25% down takes 4 charges to equal 1 cycle. Time not usage should be used as to when to let it get down to 10% then charge. Unfortunately not all LI-ion batteries are the same. I have a Li-ion battery for a Torqeedo motor where that should only be done once a year, 3 different types for cameras, where each have different run-down times.

In theory that's correct, and maybe according to the text books that may be correct but I know a lot of people who followed that theory and now can't operate their devices without it being plugged in and wonder why. The sad thing is that some of those devices are only a couple years old. I only base my opinion on the experience of my customers but that's a lot of experience to draw on.

 

[dcoplien]

So to get to the original post's question leaving the Surface plugged in all the time when I m home how does that affect the battery?

It will last longer but you should from time to time unplug it and use the battery. Exactly how often is really unknown. I almost always work unplugged. My last windows tablet has been going for three years. I plug it in at night to recharge. That doesn't mean the SP4 battery will last as long but my guess is you should let it run down at least once a month. The app BatteryBar will show you battery wear. You should see more battery wear the first 50~100 hours and then (assuming you use the tablet battery approx. the same every day) it should equalize out. Some Li-ion batteries on their last leg will go quite quickly, others have a slow death.

 

[surfacebookinuk]

At least once a month, preferably more, you should run it down to 10%-15% then fully charge it. Try not to keep topping it off as the number of total charge cycles counts against you.

In theory that's correct, and maybe according to the text books that may be correct but I know a lot of people who followed that theory and now can't operate their devices without it being plugged in and wonder why. The sad thing is that some of those devices are only a couple years old. I only base my opinion on the experience of my customers but that's a lot of experience to draw on.

So leeshor you are saying that leaving it plugged in throughout the whole time that someone is at his office or home (not away) is the best option for the battery, as long as you cycle it some times per month?

 

[dcoplien]

In theory that's correct, and maybe according to the text books that may be correct but I know a lot of people who followed that theory and now can't operate their devices without it being plugged in and wonder why. The sad thing is that some of those devices are only a couple years old. I only base my opinion on the experience of my customers but that's a lot of experience to draw on.

That's more likely due to the build of the battery. Not all Li-ion have the same total cycles. I never trust the cycles quoted by the mfg.

 

[surfacebookinuk]

I so far managed to get 5-6ish hours from my device depending from the way I use it that is.
But what leaves me frustrated is that the other day I was using it with power saver almost the entire time however it did not prolong my battery in any way!! I don't know how that is even possible. When I was using my Surface Book with the power saver I would get 4 hours more of battery life.