[accesscomp] Fw: How to Calibrate Your Laptop's Battery For Accurate Battery Life
- From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "access comp" <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 10:53:20 -0700
How to Calibrate Your Laptop's Battery For Accurate Battery Life
----- Original Message -----
From: dan thompson
To: dan thompson
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2013 7:23 AM
Subject: How to Calibrate Your Laptop's Battery For Accurate Battery Life
How to Calibrate Your Laptop's Battery For Accurate Battery Life Estimates
http://www.howtogeek.com/172271/how-to-calibrate-your-laptops-battery-for-accurate-battery-life-estimates/
So you're using your laptop and, all of the sudden, it dies. There was no
battery warning from Windows,, in fact, you recently checked and Windows said
you had 30% battery power left. What's going on?
Even if you treat your laptop's battery properly, its capacity will decrease
over time. Its built-in power meter estimates how much juice available and how
much time on battery you have left, but it can sometimes give you incorrect
estimates.
Why Calibrating the Battery Is Necessary
Batteries need to be cared for properly, they're a critical part of our mobile
devices and
If you're taking proper care of your laptop's battery, you should be allowing
it to discharge somewhat before plugging it back in and topping it off. You
shouldn't be allowing your laptop's battery to die completely or even get
extremely low each time you use it. Performing regular top-up will extend your
battery's life.
However, this sort of behavior can confuse the laptop's battery meter. No
matter how well you take care of the battery, its capacity will still decrease
as a result of unavoidable factors like typical usage, age, and heat. If the
battery isn't allowed to run from 100% down to 0% occasionally, the battery's
power meter won't know how much juice is actually in the battery.
How Often Should You Calibrate the Battery?
Manufacturers generally recommend calibrating the battery every 2-3 months.
This helps keep your battery readings accurate.
In reality, you likely don't have to do this that often if you're not too
worried about your laptop's battery readings being completely precise. However,
if you don't calibrate your battery regularly, you may eventually find your
laptop suddenly dying on you when you're using it - without any prior warnings.
When this happens, it's definitely time to calibrate the battery.
Basic Calibration Instructions
Calibrating - or recalibrating, really, as the battery was calibrated in the
past when the battery had more capacity - involves letting the battery run from
100% capacity straight down to almost dead, then charging it back to full. The
battery's power meter will then see how long the battery lasts and get a much
more accurate idea of how much capacity the battery has left.
Some laptop manufacturers include utilities that will calibrate the battery for
you. These tools will usually just make sure your laptop has a full battery,
disable power management settings, and allow the battery to run to empty so the
battery's internal circuitry can get an idea of how long the battery lasts.
Check your laptop manufacturer's website for information on using any utilities
they provide.
You should also look at your laptop's manual or help files. Each manufacturer
may recommend a slightly different calibration procedure or tool to ensure your
laptop's battery is properly calibrated. Some manufacturers may even recommend
against doing this. Apple says its newer laptops don't require this calibration
procedure, although older models do.
How to Manually Calibrate a Battery
While it's a good idea to use any included utilities or just follow
instructions specific to your laptop, you can also perform battery calibration
without any specialized tools. The basic process is simple:
· 1. Charge your laptop's battery to ful, that's 100%.
· 2. Let the battery rest for at least two hours, leaving the computer
plugged in. This will ensure that the battery is cool and not still hot from
the charging process. You're free to use your computer normally while it's
plugged in.
· 3. Go into your computer's power management settings and set it to
automatically sleep or hibernate at 5% battery.
(Below are instructions how to reach "powermanagement" for Windows-xp, vista
and Windows Seven."
· 4. Pull the power plug and leave your computer discharging until it
automatically sleeps or hibernates. You can keep using your computer normally
while this happens.
(Note: If you want to calibrate the battery while you aren't using the
computer, be sure your computer isn't set to automatically sleep, hibernate, or
turn its display off while idle. If your computer automatically enters
power-saving mode while you're away, it will save power and won't discharge
properly.)
5. Allow your computer to sit for five hours or so after it automatically
shuts down.
· 6. Plug your computer back into the outlet and charge it back up to
100%. You can keep using your computer normally.
· 7. Ensure any power management settings are set to their normal
values. For example, you probably want your computer to automatically power off
the display and then go to sleep when you're not using it to save battery power
Below are links to two RELATED articles for further reading. HTG Explains:
Should You Shut Down, Sleep, or Hibernate Your Laptop?
http://www.howtogeek.com/128507/htg-explains-should-you-shut-down-sleep-or-hibernate-your-laptop/
How to Increase Your Windows Laptop's Battery Life
http://www.howtogeek.com/169720/how-to-increase-your-windows-laptops-battery-life/
· Computers can sleep, hibernate, or shut down. Sleep allows you to
quickly resume using your laptop.
·
· Your laptop should now be reporting a more accurate amount of battery
life, sparing you any surprise shutdowns and giving you a better idea of how
much battery power you have at any given time. The key to calibration is
allowing the battery to run from 100% to almost empty and then charging it all
the way up to 100% again, which may not happen in normal use.
Accessing Power Management
1. Windows-xp
A. Press the start button or click on the "start menu.
B. If the start is in "classic view", press the letter s until reaching
"settings" followed by hitting enter.
If using a mouse, click into "settings.
C. Press enter on the default of "control panel, or click on this same
option.
D. Press the letter p until reaching "power options" and hit enter.
Mouse users click on "power options."
e. Pressing control plus tab moves between property sheets and tab will
move through the options on each sheet. The spacebar iis used to check or
uncheck aa checkbox. It would probably be useful to explore all the property
sheets and make any changes you prefer for your personal laptop.
f. When finished making changes, tab to "apply" and hit the spacebar or
enter. Mouse users, click on "apply when finished.
2. Windows Vista and Seven:
a. Press the start button or click into the search edit field on the start
menu.
B. Type in "power management" without any quotes.
C. Arrow to any of the following choices that are now available and hit
enter or click your mouse.
"change what the power buttons do"
"change battery settings"
"change what closing the lid does"
"change when the computer sleeps"
d. When entering of the above options, tab through the choices and make
your choices. Remember to always click on apply or hit the spacebar on apply
when finished making changes.
Today's Bible Verse:
Jesus In Your Boat:
Matthew 14:32-33
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat
worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (ESV)
Today's Inspiring Thought: Jesus in Your Boat
In this verse, Peter has just walked on stormy waters with Jesus. While taking
his eyes off the Lord and focusing on the storm, he began to sink under the
weight of his troubling circumstances. But when he cried out for help, Jesus
caught him by the hand and raised him up out of his seemingly impossible
surroundings.
Though we may not walk across water like Peter, we will go through difficult,
faith-testing circumstances. In the end, as Jesus and Peter climbed into the
boat, the storm immediately ceases. When we have Jesus "in our boat" the storms
of life are calmed so that we can worship him.
Today's Bible Verse:
Jesus In Your Boat:
Matthew 14:32-33
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat
worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (ESV)
Today's Inspiring Thought: Jesus in Your Boat
In this verse, Peter has just walked on stormy waters with Jesus. While taking
his eyes off the Lord and focusing on the storm, he began to sink under the
weight of his troubling circumstances. But when he cried out for help, Jesus
caught him by the hand and raised him up out of his seemingly impossible
surroundings.
Though we may not walk across water like Peter, we will go through difficult,
faith-testing circumstances. In the end, as Jesus and Peter climbed into the
boat, the storm immediately ceases. When we have Jesus "in our boat" the storms
of life are calmed so that we can worship him.
This week's verse, inspirational thought and prayer:
Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his
lips is pToday's Inspiring Thought: Keep Your Mouth Shut
An easy way to keep yourself from getting into trouble is to simply be quiet.
Especially if you are offended, upset, or angry-let your words be few and
you'll be less apt to say something you'll regret later. Not only will it keep
you out of trouble, silence may lend to your success in life.
According to the Christian Register, Albert Einstein considered this to be the
best formula for success: "If a is success in life, I should say the formula is
a equals x plus y plus z, x being work and y being play."
"And what is z?" inquired the interviewer.
"That," Einstein answered, "is keeping your mouth shut."
Prayer for the work day:
Almighty God, thank Thee for the job of this day.
May we find gladness in all its toil and difficulty, its pleasure and success,
and even in its failure and sorrow. We would look always away from ourselves,
and behold the glory and the need of the world that we may have the will and
the strength to bring the gift of gladness to others; that with them we stand
to bear the burden and heat of the day and offer Thee the praise of work well
done.
In the name os Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen!
--Bishop Charles Lewis Slattery (1867-1930)
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