To Charge Or Not To Charge? That Is The Question

April 11, 2018

Lithium batteries have replaced almost all of the competing rechargeable battery technologies across nearly every product segment from mobile phones to electric cars.

Most lithium batteries that are used in consumer products are designed with a life expectancy of between 300 and 500 discharge/charge cycles. This factor is normally specified to 80% depth of discharge.

However, it is important to note that many usage factors can both extend or decrease the life of a lithium battery.

General guidelines to be aware of when using lithium battery to get the longest life & capacity:

Do not fully discharge - lower depth of discharge decreases battery life.
Do not fast charge - this will decrease battery life

Additionally:

High temperature operation will lower battery life
High temperature storage will lower battery capacity
High state of charge storage will lower battery capacity
High load discharges will lower cycle life and battery capacity
As cycle life nears its end, peak discharge rates are reduced

As you can see there are a number of competing factors which control the life and use of a lithium battery.

So what does this mean to you?

If you can avoid it, don’t fully discharge your devices before recharging them.
If you have a choice of charge rates, use the slower rate if possible.
Avoid exposing, storing or using your devices in high temperature environments (over 50C)
If not using your devices for an extended period of time, store them at between 40% and 50% charge in an environment below 25C, but not freezing.
If you have more than one battery for your device, use all batteries evenly to distribute the life across all batteries.
If you find your device’s battery level meter is no longer accurate, you might need to re-calibrate it with one complete discharge and charge cycle.
Lithium batteries have no memory - this was unique to nickel cadmium and they are rarely used today.
Lithium batteries can be left on charge and in general don’t suffer rapid self discharge.
To be extra safe, do not leave lithium batteries on high capacity chargers unattended.
Only use the charger designed for the product and make sure it is not damaged.
Never use a physically damaged lithium battery.
Never short circuit a lithium battery.
Never put a lithium battery in a fire.

michaels camera stocks the widest range of replacement lithium batteries for all brands of cameras and often we can provide the choice of the original manufacturers brand or reasonably priced Promaster batteries. All Promaster batteries meet or exceed the manufacturer's specifications and come with unique 3 year replacement warranty.