How OCD are you about the battery level?

[beesknees]

+1

I am exactly the same no joke. I try to keep mine always above 80. Not just my ipad but for my phone and laptop as well.

Right, because you never know if something unexpected will happen and you find yourself needing a nearly depleted iPad. We lose power quite often and in the last 12 months we have had to deal with a tornado and 3 different medical emergencies that meant a lot of time being spent in hospital waiting rooms.

So, yeah, we might be a little crazy but it is not totally irrational.

 

[jaymarvin]

I go nuts if my charge goes below 40%. But now you're saying I shouldn't use while charging? Ouch! Thanks for the tip because that's what I've been doing. Hard not to put down to charge when your in the middle of something. Like a good book!

 

[5er driver]

O Don't use while charging.

I never heard that before. Why not? I know it takes longer to charge the battery while using the device, but that shouldn't hurt anything.
Heat in the battery is detrimental. The battery gets hottest during stage 1 charging, when the battery is between 0% and 40% full. Maybe using the device while charging in the 0% to 40% full range would cook the battery longer than when not using the device?

Oh no! My iPad's battery level is at 36% at the moment!

Sent from my iPhone 4S or iPad 3rd gen, whichever I happened to have in my hands at the time, using iPF.net

 

[beesknees]

I never heard that before. Why not? I know it takes longer to charge the battery while using the device, but that shouldn't hurt anything.
Heat in the battery is detrimental. The battery gets hottest during stage 1 charging, when the battery is between 0% and 40% full. Maybe using the device while charging in the 0% to 40% full range would cook the battery longer than when not using the device?

Oh no! My iPad's battery level is at 36% at the moment!

Sent from my iPhone 4S or iPad 3rd gen, whichever I happened to have in my hands at the time, using iPF.net

I haven't heard that either and would like an explanation. While the screen pulls the most juice it is not like the iPad is not pulling power in standby mode. The GPS stays active and it stays connected to the internet. Any app that has notifications are also active.

You might be right about the heat. If you are in a warm place doing stage 1 charging with brightness at 100 and a graphics intensive app running you might generate an unhealthy amount of heat. I have used mine a lot while plugged in at it is never worse than slightly warm.

I would think it might mess up the battery calculation more than damage the battery.

88 percent so I am still mostly comfortable.

 

[AQ_OC]

Man...why are people sweating the battery? Apple designed the device to serve our needs, not for us to serve it's needs. The battery likes to be charged and doesn't like to run flat. I charge mine all the time if I am near a charging station...and I use it when I am not near charging station. The notion of not using it while charging is nonsense from a user point of view. I don't expect the battery to last forever and most likely I will get a replacement for it well before the battery life nears its end. I have better things to worry about than acting a certain way to extend the battery life to infinity.

 

[bassman99]

Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

 

[beesknees]

Man...why are people sweating the battery? Apple designed the device to serve our needs, not for us to serve it's needs. The battery likes to be charged and doesn't like to run flat. I charge mine all the time if I am near a charging station...and I use it when I am not near charging station. The notion of not using it while charging is nonsense from a user point of view. I don't expect the battery to last forever and most likely I will get a replacement for it well before the battery life nears its end. I have better things to worry about than acting a certain way to extend the battery life to infinity.

I agree with this. I read the article about the parasitic demand during charging and it being better to power it down during charging but that is not how the iPad is designed to work anyway. Anyone who has powered it down then plugged in the cord can tell you it boots back up and goes back into standby where it definitely pulls power.

My compulsion is to keep it charged not to extend the life of the battery or even the tablet. I use reasonable precautions to keep it tip top shape but I bought it to use not sit in its original packaging surrounded by bubble wrap. For instance I think scratches to the back of the tablet are more likely than the screen so I don't bother with a screen protector.

T

 

[youngun]

My home has 6 different places to charge. I know some of you are care-free about letting it run down this thread is for the obsessed which I doubt I am the only one.

Obviously nothing makes me happier than 100 percent.
When I fall below 60 I find myself thinking about the battery more.
Below 50 and I am really thinking about charging.
Below 35 and I am nearly panicked.
Below 20 and I will knock people over if they are between me and a charger.
Below 10 and the nice men in white outfits have to restrain me.

I do run them down from time to time but it always bothers me.

Wow, you are just like me. I have exactly the same thought process!

 

[AmazingGraceTx]

I've been letting mine run down to about 30%, then charging overnight. So far, no real battery concerns.

 

[zphone]

Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

The new batteries are lithium polymer so there are significant differences in characteristics.

 

[drathbun]

The new batteries are lithium polymer so there are significant differences in characteristics.

But this section of that article seems to relevant as they claim the lithium polymers have the same characteristics:

Simple Guidelines for Charging Lithium-based Batteries

A portable device should be turned off while charging. This allows the battery to reach the threshold voltage unhindered and reflects the correct saturation current responsible to terminate the charge. A parasitic load confuses the charger.

Charge at a moderate temperature. Do not charge below freezing.

Lithium-ion does not need to be fully charged; a partial charge is better.

Chargers use different methods for “ready” indication. The light signal may not always indicate a full charge.

Discontinue using charger and/or battery if the battery gets excessively warm.

Before prolonged storage, apply some charge to bring the pack to about half charge.

Over-discharged batteries can be “boosted” to life again. Discard pack if the voltage does not rise to a normal level within a minute while on boost.

Sent from my iPad3 using iPF

 

[beesknees]

But this section of that article seems to relevant as they claim the lithium polymers have the same characteristics:

Simple Guidelines for Charging Lithium-based Batteries

A portable device should be turned off while charging. This allows the battery to reach the threshold voltage unhindered and reflects the correct saturation current responsible to terminate the charge. A parasitic load confuses the charger.

Charge at a moderate temperature. Do not charge below freezing.

Lithium-ion does not need to be fully charged; a partial charge is better.

Chargers use different methods for “ready” indication. The light signal may not always indicate a full charge.

Discontinue using charger and/or battery if the battery gets excessively warm.

Before prolonged storage, apply some charge to bring the pack to about half charge.

Over-discharged batteries can be “boosted” to life again. Discard pack if the voltage does not rise to a normal level within a minute while on boost.

Sent from my iPad3 using iPF

But they are never off in normal use. Also, unless I see some bench data that using them while plugged in is either a safety concern or causes a dramatic reduction in battery life I don't think I care. I doubt I use any of my electronics in absolutely ideal conditions/ways all the time.

 

[drathbun]

Ok. I know this is about an iPhone but it relates directly to the battery discussion here. My son has an iPhone 3S and he just showed me what has happened to it. He has left it plugged into a Pioneer bedside stereo unit as his music machine (he has a new Windows phone as a phone). So basically, after being left in a charger that obviously does not turn off the charge, the iPhone 3S's battery as expanded to the point it has pushed the glass out the front and pushed out the back. It still works but does not hold a charge.

So the question is, if you leave your iPad in the charger (I assume the Mac 10w charger just keeps charging?), then your iPad will grow fat?

Sent from my iPad3 using iPF

 

[AQ_OC]

Ok. I know this is about an iPhone but it relates directly to the battery discussion here. My son has an iPhone 3S and he just showed me what has happened to it. He has left it plugged into a Pioneer bedside stereo unit as his music machine (he has a new Windows phone as a phone). So basically, after being left in a charger that obviously does not turn off the charge, the iPhone 3S's battery as expanded to the point it has pushed the glass out the front and pushed out the back. It still works but does not hold a charge.

So the question is, if you leave your iPad in the charger (I assume the Mac 10w charger just keeps charging?), then your iPad will grow fat?

Sent from my iPad3 using iPF

Interesting. It probably depends on the type of battery involved. I've had my blackberry curved plugged into power everyday for the last two years....just a regular USB plug. I use it as an alarm clock.....no exploding battery or getting fat....yet. I'm now doing the same with my android phone....

Now....speaking of rechargeable batteries and a charger ..... I left some batts in my charger to a while....and this nasty white crap came out....had to toss the batts and clean up the charger.

 

[zphone]

The current iPhone and iPad batteries have a smart circuit that shuts down current to the battery when it gets full. That is built into the battery itself.

What you show happening is pretty unusual. Likely because one of the cells leaked oxygen. It's lucky it did not catch fire.