January 23, 2013

How To Perform A Full Battery Discharge/Calibration

The most adequate method to do a full discharge, also known as battery calibration, consists of the following procedure:
  • Fully charge the battery to its maximum capacity (100%)
  • Let the battery "rest" fully charged for at least 2 hours in order to cool down from the charging process. You may use the computer normally within this period.
  • Unplug the power cord and set the computer to hibernate automatically at the minimum percentage possible as described by the image sequence below:


  • Leave the computer discharging until it hibernates itself. You may use the computer normally within this period.
  • When the computer shuts down completely, let it stay in the hibernation state for a minimum of 5 hours.
  • Plug the computer to the A/C power to perform a full charge until it reaches its maximum capacity of 100%. You may use the computer normally within this period.

After the calibration process, the reported wear level is usually higher than before. This is natural, since it now reports the true current capacity that the battery has to hold charge. Lithium Ion batteries have a limit amount of discharge cycles (generally 200 to 300 cycles) and they will retain less capacity over time.

Many people tend to think "If calibrating gives higher wear level, then it's a bad thing". This is wrong, the calibration is meant to enable your battery to report the true capacity it can hold, and it's meant to avoid surprises. Such as, being in the middle of a presentation when suddenly the computer shuts down with 30% of power remaining.

NOTE: If the calibration does not fix your problem then you might need a new battery. You can purchase a high quality alternative at a very reasonable price from us on Amazon or directly through Limewit.com.

PRO TIP: Thinking of buying more than two batteries through Limewit.com? Send us a message for a special discount ;)

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