Why is it better to charge a Lithium Polymer battery to 80% (ish) than to 100% every time? I have heard this reduces wear, but why?
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Best comparison is rubber bands. Every time you charge it to full you are pulling the rubber band to its limit. This will cause it to fail sooner than if you only ever pulled it to 75% of its limit. This is why, on android at least, there is an option in the settings to limit the charging to ~75%
Because higher voltage puts more stress on the chemical constituents of the battery. So does higher temperature, which is mostly produced during the last stage of charging, when the battery’s inner resistance to current in that direction is high.
Other batteries have different vulnerabilities. For instance, lead-acid batteries are the most stable when fully charged, and I think NiMH don’t really care.
Resistance in the cells goes up in the top 15-20% and also in the bottom 15-20%. It’s why your phone battery may get hot when charging or discharging in that zone. Most devices have an oversized battery that will keep your phone or other devices working when it’s near a full charge or discharge. Almost all devices designed to run on lithium batteries are designed to shut off before the cells are fully discharged to help prevent cell damage and possible fires.
Source: RC hobby and fear of fires forced me to do a lot of research on lipo batteries.
I’d like to ask a follow up question. So when the lifespan of thr battery is done, does that mean the phone can’t turn on for good?
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