The Unexpected Usefulness Of 500 mA Chargers

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers USB Power Devices
1

“500 mA? Is that even charging?” you scoff.
“Ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat.”
Do you have a Li-ion battery charger that charges too fast? Want to charge 16340/14500 batteries on one of those magnetic wire chargers like by Olight and Nitecore, but not at 750/1000 mA? I realized “slow” USB chargers have a use after all - you can limit the charging speed of batteries!

Now I’m wondering if you can maximize battery life with slow charging. Many expensive devices today have non-replaceable batteries. Also, we usually charge them overnight, so speed is not an issue. If I charge my phone on a 500 mA USB charger instead of a high current charger (1-2 A), can I extend its battery life?

Note: 500 mA is the input, not the actual charge current. The actual current going into the battery will be higher as the voltage is reduced from 5 V to 3-4 V. A lot of people talk about the current in as if it’s the actual charging current.

2

I have a bluetooth speaker (UE Megaboom) which I constantly use EVERYDAY in my workshop. The OEM charger is extremely fast and can charge the included 3400mA battery unit in less than 2 hours. But what I learnt is that any Li-Ion battery life can be extended to beyond the normal 500 cycles by simply charge it less than 4,2V. Industrial/solar cell Li-Ion batteries usually only charge up to 50% - 80% of their rated capacity to extend the life to beyond 3000 - 5000 cycles. My old Vaio laptop also has a built in software to limit the charging to only 50% or 80%.
So, I use my 250mA shaver micro USB charger constantly plugged in and turn it on only when I need to use the speaker. This way, the charge capacity kept constant between 50% - 60. I have this speaker since 2015 and the battery life seems still in a very good condition. When I go travelling, a full charge (100) can still lasts for a full week with normal uses (3-4 hours/day normal volume level in the hotel room).

- Clemence

3

That’s good idea, Clemence. I like my Dell laptop. since it can be set to only charge the battery when it drops below 50. It’s almost always plugged in, but the battery stays at 50-70 and isn’t charged when the computer is in use as long as it’s between the set limits. In the past I used to remove the battery altogether, but that’s not possible with modern laptops.

4

Yup, something like that. Instead my Vaio has only three options: 50, 80, and 100%

5

Hey.

My 6mth old Inspiron 15 runs without battery. Has done from new.
Just trickle the battery occasionally. and install when we go away.
But nowadays I tend to take my 10in Samsung Tablet instead.
Check yours mate.

6

Hey.

My 6mth old Inspiron 15 runs without battery. Has done from new.
Just trickle the battery occasionally. and install when we go away.
But nowadays I tend to take my 10in Samsung Tablet instead.
Check yours mate.

7

A complete waste of time. Modern Windows will manage your battery far more perfectly than you ever could, with crude policies as discussed.

In Win10, open a powershell and command “powercfg /?” to see the options.

Or if you just want a report, “powercfg /batteryreport” which will be saved as an html file in e.g. “Battery life report saved to file path C:\Users\xyz\battery-report.html.”

Such as this one, for my sturdy Tosh that sits on my desk, permanently powered for over 7 years, enters standby after an hour, re-boots only when an OS or AV upgrade demands it, or I suspect some other trouble, or I kill the power before leaving the house for a holiday or business trip: The memory is maxed-out and I’ve fitted an SSD, but otherwise it is a very humble machine.

The battery still has 80% of the original capacity (which I never checked originally.)

Battery report

Installed batteries

Information about each currently installed battery

BATTERY1

NAME KATMAI
MANUFACTURER TOSHIBA
SERIAL NUMBER 00002
CHEMISTRY LiIo
DESIGN CAPACITY 4,500 mWh

FULL CHARGE CAPACITY 3,597 mWh
CYCLE COUNT -

Recent usage

Power states over the last 3 days

START TIME STATE SOURCE CAPACITY REMAINING

2018-09-24 02:47:24 Active AC 99 % 3,568 mWh
04:07:09 Suspended 99 % 3,567 mWh
13:33:38 Active AC 99 % 3,561 mWh
2018-09-25 05:48:04 Suspended 99 % 3,550 mWh
15:02:57 Active AC 99 % 3,544 mWh
2018-09-26 03:14:08 Suspended 98 % 3,535 mWh
08:18:42 Active AC 98 % 3,532 mWh
11:31:03 Suspended 98 % 3,529 mWh
18:20:11 Active AC 98 % 3,525 mWh
2018-09-27 02:42:22 Report generated AC 98 % 3,520 mWh

Battery usage

Battery drains over the last 3 days

START TIME STATE DURATION ENERGY DRAINED

Usage history

History of system usage on AC and battery

BATTERY DURATION AC DURATION
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY

2016-09-19- 2016-09-30 - - 0:41:13 -
2016-09-30- 2016-10-03 - - 34:46:56 -
2016-10-03- 2016-10-10 0:00:40 - 46:18:30 -
2016-10-10- 2016-10-17 7:17:49 - 26:20:37 -
2016-10-17- 2016-10-24 0:00:01 - 66:52:43 -
2016-10-24- 2016-10-31 1:43:06 - 39:31:14 -
2016-10-31- 2016-11-07 1:25:29 - 61:45:20 -
2016-11-07- 2016-11-14 - - 84:49:52 -
2016-11-14- 2016-11-21 - - 83:08:42 -
2016-11-21- 2016-11-28 - - 157:58:43 -
2016-11-28- 2016-12-05 - - 80:47:53 -
2016-12-05- 2016-12-12 - - 67:44:16 -
2016-12-12- 2016-12-19 - - 83:20:43 -
2016-12-19- 2016-12-27 0:00:07 - 52:45:56 -
2016-12-27- 2017-01-02 10:40:24 - 25:49:12 -
2017-01-02- 2017-01-09 6:41:11 - 47:10:41 -
2017-01-09- 2017-01-30 30:05:10 - 135:09:18 -
2017-01-30- 2017-02-07 5:02:07 - 9:37:04 -
2017-02-07- 2017-02-13 - - 20:07:26 -
2017-02-13- 2017-02-20 8:25:54 - 18:54:02 -
2017-02-20- 2017-02-27 5:29:14 - 65:52:10 -
2017-02-27- 2017-03-06 0:03:27 - 82:50:45 -
2017-03-06- 2017-03-13 8:31:24 - 32:12:44 -
2017-03-13- 2017-03-20 0:27:41 - 61:52:49 -
2017-03-20- 2017-03-27 - - 74:14:57 -
2017-03-27- 2017-04-03 0:00:11 - 42:31:11 -
2017-04-03- 2017-04-10 1:25:03 - 74:43:05 -
2017-04-10- 2017-04-17 - - 71:08:16 -
2017-04-17- 2017-05-19 - - 74:38:53 -
2017-05-19- 2017-05-22 0:00:05 - 25:51:03 -
2017-05-22- 2017-05-29 - - 65:29:57 -
2017-05-29- 2017-06-05 - - 72:24:08 -
2017-06-05- 2017-06-12 - - 81:57:23 -
2017-06-12- 2017-06-19 - - 96:06:53 -
2017-06-19- 2017-06-26 - - 102:07:51 -
2017-06-26- 2017-07-03 0:00:02 - 73:02:52 -
2017-07-03- 2017-07-10 - - 77:23:56 -
2017-07-10- 2017-07-17 - - 74:49:59 -
2017-07-17- 2017-07-24 0:00:02 - 671:41:04 -
2017-07-24- 2017-07-31 0:00:02 - 683:16:48 -
2017-07-31- 2017-08-07 - - 45:01:17 -
2017-08-07- 2017-08-14 - - 78:02:03 -
2017-08-14- 2017-08-21 - - 69:14:42 -
2017-08-21- 2017-08-28 - - 65:10:35 -
2017-08-28- 2017-09-04 - - 61:52:49 -
2017-09-04- 2017-09-11 3:07:13 - 52:57:10 -
2017-09-11- 2017-09-21 - - 22:20:49 -
2017-09-21- 2017-09-25 - - 43:19:13 -
2017-09-25- 2017-10-02 3:18:18 - 91:14:13 -
2017-10-02- 2017-10-09 0:01:17 - 65:07:59 -
2017-10-09- 2017-10-18 - - 58:20:33 -
2017-10-18- 2017-10-31 - - - -
2017-10-31- 2017-11-06 - - 63:43:23 -
2017-11-06- 2017-11-13 - - 90:39:21 -
2017-11-13- 2017-11-20 - - 70:22:21 -
2017-11-20- 2017-11-27 - - 66:47:57 -
2017-11-27- 2017-12-04 - - 41:54:04 -
2017-12-04- 2017-12-11 - - 66:38:15 -
2017-12-11- 2017-12-18 - - 63:44:56 -
2017-12-18- 2017-12-25 - - 285:26:38 -
2017-12-25- 2018-01-19 2:45:51 - 45:40:06 -
2018-01-19- 2018-01-22 - - 32:10:22 -
2018-01-22- 2018-01-29 - - 64:41:54 -
2018-01-29- 2018-02-26 - - 164:25:16 -
2018-02-26- 2018-03-05 - - 87:30:10 -
2018-03-05- 2018-03-12 - - 325:45:40 -
2018-03-12- 2018-03-19 - - 78:36:36 -
2018-03-19- 2018-03-26 - - 428:16:11 -
2018-03-26- 2018-04-02 6:36:18 - 79:11:34 -
2018-04-02- 2018-04-09 - - 78:03:17 -
2018-04-09- 2018-04-16 3:14:49 - 85:33:06 -
2018-04-16- 2018-04-23 0:01:11 - 79:50:28 -
2018-04-23- 2018-05-07 0:46:34 - 159:57:46 -
2018-05-07- 2018-05-14 - - 69:33:15 -
2018-05-14- 2018-05-21 0:47:14 - 309:59:14 -
2018-05-21- 2018-05-28 0:04:01 - 84:44:20 -
2018-05-28- 2018-06-04 - - 77:31:11 -
2018-06-04- 2018-06-11 - - 87:30:31 -
2018-06-11- 2018-06-18 0:04:01 - 346:40:17 -
2018-06-18- 2018-06-25 - - 86:54:07 -
2018-06-25- 2018-07-02 - - 81:01:55 -
2018-07-02- 2018-07-09 - - 166:52:10 -
2018-07-09- 2018-07-16 - - 85:56:09 -
2018-07-16- 2018-07-23 - - 80:38:32 -
2018-07-23- 2018-07-30 - - 11:03:49 -
2018-07-30- 2018-08-06 - - 75:13:32 -
2018-08-06- 2018-08-13 - - 81:49:45 -
2018-08-13- 2018-08-20 - - 72:11:47 -
2018-08-20- 2018-08-27 1:20:43 - 65:57:03 -
2018-08-27- 2018-09-03 0:03:29 - 90:10:36 -
2018-09-03- 2018-09-10 - - 89:32:28 -
2018-09-10- 2018-09-17 - - 56:06:53 -
2018-09-17 - - 11:48:48 -
2018-09-18 - - 12:24:49 -
2018-09-19 - - 11:55:11 -
2018-09-20 - - 12:05:32 -
2018-09-21 - - 9:09:54 -
2018-09-22 - - 5:31:47 -
2018-09-23 - - 7:28:10 -
2018-09-24 - - 11:14:53 -
2018-09-25 - - 8:58:47 -
2018-09-26 - - 11:46:33 -

Battery capacity history

Charge capacity history of the system’s batteries

PERIOD FULL CHARGE CAPACITY DESIGN CAPACITY

2016-09-19- 2016-09-30 4,199 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-09-30- 2016-10-03 4,195 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-10-03- 2016-10-10 4,193 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-10-10- 2016-10-17 4,188 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-10-17- 2016-10-24 4,183 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-10-24- 2016-10-31 4,183 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-10-31- 2016-11-07 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-11-07- 2016-11-14 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-11-14- 2016-11-21 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-11-21- 2016-11-28 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-11-28- 2016-12-05 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-12-05- 2016-12-12 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-12-12- 2016-12-19 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-12-19- 2016-12-27 4,175 mWh 4,500 mWh
2016-12-27- 2017-01-02 4,138 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-01-02- 2017-01-09 4,195 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-01-09- 2017-01-30 4,144 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-01-30- 2017-02-07 4,145 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-02-07- 2017-02-13 4,439 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-02-13- 2017-02-20 4,309 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-02-20- 2017-02-27 4,124 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-02-27- 2017-03-06 4,040 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-03-06- 2017-03-13 4,070 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-03-13- 2017-03-20 4,054 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-03-20- 2017-03-27 4,054 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-03-27- 2017-04-03 4,052 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-04-03- 2017-04-10 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-04-10- 2017-04-17 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-04-17- 2017-05-19 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-05-19- 2017-05-22 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-05-22- 2017-05-29 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-05-29- 2017-06-05 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-06-05- 2017-06-12 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-06-12- 2017-06-19 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-06-19- 2017-06-26 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-06-26- 2017-07-03 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-07-03- 2017-07-10 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-07-10- 2017-07-17 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-07-17- 2017-07-24 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-07-24- 2017-07-31 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-07-31- 2017-08-07 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-08-07- 2017-08-14 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-08-14- 2017-08-21 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-08-21- 2017-08-28 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-08-28- 2017-09-04 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-09-04- 2017-09-11 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-09-11- 2017-09-21 4,050 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-09-21- 2017-09-25 4,049 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-09-25- 2017-10-02 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-10-02- 2017-10-09 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-10-09- 2017-10-18 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-10-18- 2017-10-31 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-10-31- 2017-11-06 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-11-06- 2017-11-13 4,001 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-11-13- 2017-11-20 3,997 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-11-20- 2017-11-27 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-11-27- 2017-12-04 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-12-04- 2017-12-11 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-12-11- 2017-12-18 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-12-18- 2017-12-25 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2017-12-25- 2018-01-19 3,993 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-01-19- 2018-01-22 3,979 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-01-22- 2018-01-29 3,875 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-01-29- 2018-02-26 3,937 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-02-26- 2018-03-05 3,875 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-03-05- 2018-03-12 3,920 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-03-12- 2018-03-19 3,875 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-03-19- 2018-03-26 3,875 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-03-26- 2018-04-02 3,830 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-04-02- 2018-04-09 3,640 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-04-09- 2018-04-16 3,640 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-04-16- 2018-04-23 3,638 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-04-23- 2018-05-07 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-05-07- 2018-05-14 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-05-14- 2018-05-21 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-05-21- 2018-05-28 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-05-28- 2018-06-04 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-06-04- 2018-06-11 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-06-11- 2018-06-18 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-06-18- 2018-06-25 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-06-25- 2018-07-02 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-07-02- 2018-07-09 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-07-09- 2018-07-16 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-07-16- 2018-07-23 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-07-23- 2018-07-30 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-07-30- 2018-08-06 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-08-06- 2018-08-13 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-08-13- 2018-08-20 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-08-20- 2018-08-27 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-08-27- 2018-09-03 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-03- 2018-09-10 3,637 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-10- 2018-09-17 3,625 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-17 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-18 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-19 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-20 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-21 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-22 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-23 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-24 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-25 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh
2018-09-26 3,597 mWh 4,500 mWh

Battery life estimates

Battery life estimates based on observed drains

AT FULL CHARGE AT DESIGN CAPACITY
PERIOD ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY ACTIVE CONNECTED STANDBY

2016-09-19- 2016-09-30 - - - -
2016-09-30- 2016-10-03 - - - -
2016-10-03- 2016-10-10 4:14:07 - 4:32:43 -
2016-10-10- 2016-10-17 3:56:59 - 4:14:38 -
2016-10-17- 2016-10-24 - - - -
2016-10-24- 2016-10-31 2:55:05 - 3:08:22 -
2016-10-31- 2016-11-07 3:10:20 - 3:25:09 -
2016-11-07- 2016-11-14 - - - -
2016-11-14- 2016-11-21 - - - -
2016-11-21- 2016-11-28 - - - -
2016-11-28- 2016-12-05 - - - -
2016-12-05- 2016-12-12 - - - -
2016-12-12- 2016-12-19 - - - -
2016-12-19- 2016-12-27 2:42:21 - 2:55:00 -
2016-12-27- 2017-01-02 2:46:55 - 3:01:31 -
2017-01-02- 2017-01-09 2:41:01 - 2:52:43 -
2017-01-09- 2017-01-30 3:01:03 - 3:16:37 -
2017-01-30- 2017-02-07 3:06:12 - 3:22:09 -
2017-02-07- 2017-02-13 - - - -
2017-02-13- 2017-02-20 3:42:16 - 3:52:08 -
2017-02-20- 2017-02-27 2:18:43 - 2:31:22 -
2017-02-27- 2017-03-06 2:31:30 - 2:48:45 -
2017-03-06- 2017-03-13 3:02:58 - 3:22:18 -
2017-03-13- 2017-03-20 3:59:48 - 4:26:11 -
2017-03-20- 2017-03-27 - - - -
2017-03-27- 2017-04-03 4:07:37 - 4:35:00 -
2017-04-03- 2017-04-10 3:41:30 - 4:06:07 -
2017-04-10- 2017-04-17 - - - -
2017-04-17- 2017-05-19 - - - -
2017-05-19- 2017-05-22 5:37:30 - 6:15:00 -
2017-05-22- 2017-05-29 - - - -
2017-05-29- 2017-06-05 - - - -
2017-06-05- 2017-06-12 - - - -
2017-06-12- 2017-06-19 - - - -
2017-06-19- 2017-06-26 - - - -
2017-06-26- 2017-07-03 2:15:00 - 2:30:00 -
2017-07-03- 2017-07-10 - - - -
2017-07-10- 2017-07-17 - - - -
2017-07-17- 2017-07-24 2:15:00 - 2:30:00 -
2017-07-24- 2017-07-31 2:15:00 - 2:30:00 -
2017-07-31- 2017-08-07 - - - -
2017-08-07- 2017-08-14 - - - -
2017-08-14- 2017-08-21 - - - -
2017-08-21- 2017-08-28 - - - -
2017-08-28- 2017-09-04 - - - -
2017-09-04- 2017-09-11 3:44:11 - 4:09:06 -
2017-09-11- 2017-09-21 - - - -
2017-09-21- 2017-09-25 - - - -
2017-09-25- 2017-10-02 3:45:39 - 4:13:47 -
2017-10-02- 2017-10-09 3:33:56 - 4:00:37 -
2017-10-09- 2017-10-18 - - - -
2017-10-18- 2017-10-31 - - - -
2017-10-31- 2017-11-06 - - - -
2017-11-06- 2017-11-13 - - - -
2017-11-13- 2017-11-20 - - - -
2017-11-20- 2017-11-27 - - - -
2017-11-27- 2017-12-04 - - - -
2017-12-04- 2017-12-11 - - - -
2017-12-11- 2017-12-18 - - - -
2017-12-18- 2017-12-25 - - - -
2017-12-25- 2018-01-19 3:22:53 - 3:48:39 -
2018-01-19- 2018-01-22 - - - -
2018-01-22- 2018-01-29 - - - -
2018-01-29- 2018-02-26 - - - -
2018-02-26- 2018-03-05 - - - -
2018-03-05- 2018-03-12 - - - -
2018-03-12- 2018-03-19 - - - -
2018-03-19- 2018-03-26 - - - -
2018-03-26- 2018-04-02 2:44:26 - 3:13:12 -
2018-04-02- 2018-04-09 - - - -
2018-04-09- 2018-04-16 3:23:53 - 4:12:03 -
2018-04-16- 2018-04-23 3:24:59 - 4:13:34 -
2018-04-23- 2018-05-07 2:59:24 - 3:41:58 -
2018-05-07- 2018-05-14 - - - -
2018-05-14- 2018-05-21 2:59:30 - 3:42:06 -
2018-05-21- 2018-05-28 2:42:19 - 3:20:50 -
2018-05-28- 2018-06-04 - - - -
2018-06-04- 2018-06-11 - - - -
2018-06-11- 2018-06-18 2:42:19 - 3:20:50 -
2018-06-18- 2018-06-25 - - - -
2018-06-25- 2018-07-02 - - - -
2018-07-02- 2018-07-09 - - - -
2018-07-09- 2018-07-16 - - - -
2018-07-16- 2018-07-23 - - - -
2018-07-23- 2018-07-30 - - - -
2018-07-30- 2018-08-06 - - - -
2018-08-06- 2018-08-13 - - - -
2018-08-13- 2018-08-20 - - - -
2018-08-20- 2018-08-27 3:02:13 - 3:45:27 -
2018-08-27- 2018-09-03 2:46:41 - 3:26:15 -
2018-09-03- 2018-09-10 - - - -
2018-09-10- 2018-09-17 - - - -
2018-09-17 - - - -
2018-09-18 - - - -
2018-09-19 - - - -
2018-09-20 - - - -
2018-09-21 - - - -
2018-09-22 - - - -
2018-09-23 - - - -
2018-09-24 - - - -
2018-09-25 - - - -
2018-09-26 - - - -

Current estimate of battery life based on all observed drains since OS install

Since OS install 2:41:36 - 3:22:11 -

8

i use one vaio battery about 6 years with 80% setting, and dont notice any decrease standby time. This have panasonic cell inside. Is good idea an li-ion charger with 4.1v ending charge

9

I have both an old Sony Vaio and new-ish Dell XPS13 with the aforementioned software. I find it really useful, especially since the Vaio is pretty much not leaving the house at all. For the Dell I don’t use it much, because I travel with it and I want to have the highest amount of battery possible at any time.

As for charging devices, I have a Nitecore D2 which can change the current from 300/500/1000mA I think, depending on the battery. Usually I use the lower amount, because I leave it to charge overnight.
Also with my phones I rarely use a fast charger. For leaving the phone connected overnight, should be better to use 1A charger, instead of the provided 3A (I have Pixel 2). However I don’t want to sacrifice my own convenience and if I need a quick charge, I will always use the fastest charger that I have nearby.

10

D2 only charges at 500 mA max. I was disappointed in Nitecore’s 2nd best charger.

11

Slower chargers are also nice if you’re using a solar panel for power.

There are times when you might not have perfect conditions - weak sunlight shining through hazy clouds, for example. If the panel can only sustain 750mA, the 500mA charger will work, but a 1A charger will try to draw too much power and the panel voltage will crash. Many chargers will simply refuse to work under those circumstances; they won’t even fall back to a lower current.

This is a case where you’re better off with a simple charger using something like the venerable TP4056 chip instead of the latest LCD multi-current, multi-chemistry, microcontroller-based charger. As long as the solar panel voltage is at least a little higher than the cell voltage, you’ll at least get some charge, even if not much.

Only if the charger has a buck converter. Chargers with linear regulators just dump the extra power as heat and the cell actually does get the same current as you see going into the charger.

12

Are linear regulators common? Any guidelines to identifying which type a charger uses?

13

You’re right. Never had to use 1A, I guess I remembered the specs incorrectly.

14

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a manufacturer specify that, so the only real way to find out is by testing it with meters.

HKJ’s reviews include information about power going into the charger and power going into the cell, along with efficiency curves, so that might be a place to start if he happens to have reviewed a charger you’re interested in.