A modern mobile device, in addition to its original purpose – a means of communication – performs many other functions. This includes access to the Internet, a photo and video camera, the ability to watch movies, listen to music and play games, and much more. Therefore, the batteries of such devices have to be charged frequently. How to do this correctly to extend the life of the battery and increase its resource?

Contents

Types of telephone batteries

IN modern smartphones lithium-ion (li-ion) and lithium-polymer (li-pol) batteries are used. Lithium-ion replaced their predecessors - nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride - and surpassed them in many respects. However, during operation, their shortcomings were also revealed. Lithium electrodes turned out to be unstable. Therefore, this material was no longer used in its pure form, replaced by various compounds. The resulting batteries met all the requirements, and therefore firmly occupied their niche.

Modern smartphones also use lithium polymer batteries. It uses the principle of the transition of polymers to a semiconductor. Electrolyte ions are introduced into polymers, this improves conductivity.

Today the following types of batteries are produced:

polymer electrolytes with lithium salts embedded in them;
dry polymer-based electrolytes;
microporous matrices into which non-aqueous solutions of lithium salts are embedded.

Developments in this direction are ongoing to this day, so the technology continues to improve.

Older phones usually use nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride.

How to properly charge a new smartphone battery

Many have heard that new battery You need to charge it in a special way, otherwise it will break down faster. But if the battery is non-removable, then replacing it will not be easy at all.

Completely discharge the battery to zero. There is no need to do this on purpose, torturing the smartphone in every way - let the discharge occur gradually, during normal use. The main thing is that it is complete.
Then put the device on charge. You need to look in the manual for it to see how long a full charge and discharge cycle takes, and add a couple of hours to the battery recovery time.
After fully charging, use the phone as usual, but again wait until it is completely discharged and repeat the procedure. And so - 3-4 times. This increases the battery life and allows it to last longer.

Important! Such a “buildup” is acceptable only for new smartphones; if the device has been in use for a long time, then the reception can, on the contrary, be harmful.

How to properly charge a new phone with a li-ion battery

There are some nuances here. Lithium-ion batteries do not handle full discharge and charge very well. Therefore, even at the very beginning of operation, you should not abuse the “swing”, limiting yourself to 2-3 times. In the future, the battery charge should be kept within 20-80%; you should not allow it to completely discharge, nor should you keep it plugged in all the time. It would be optimal to not allow the battery to charge completely, leaving the charge at 90-95%.

How to properly charge a new smartphone with a li-pol battery

Li-polymer batteries do not like deep discharge at all. Manufacturers recommend charging the battery completely the first few times, but in this case it is better not to let it drop to zero. At an indicator of 10-15 percent, it is worth connecting the device to the mains. In the future, it is recommended to recharge it at every convenient opportunity - in small portions.

There are different opinions about whether it is worth new phone completely discharge and charge. On the one hand, li-ion and li-pol do not have a memory effect, so this makes no sense. On the other hand, during production, an inhibitor is added to the battery, which should extend the life of the battery, and it is during the first charging and discharging that it is destroyed, which allows for maximum life expectancy and capacity to be achieved.

How to extend your phone battery life

Different batteries require different approaches, but there are general rules which should be followed for all types of batteries to extend their service life:

You should only use the “native” charger - when it reaches full charge, it stops supplying power to it, even if you do not disconnect it from the network. Therefore, recharging will not occur in any case. Using someone else's charger can damage the battery's performance. “Native” chargers also meet all the requirements for this particular model: voltage, output current, power.
It is necessary to maintain the optimal temperature both during operation and during storage of the smartphone. This is room temperature. Both overheating and hypothermia, as well as sudden temperature changes, are equally harmful to the device.
If no one will use the mobile device for a long time, then you should not fully charge it before doing so, nor should you discharge it to zero. This will damage the battery. It is optimal to turn off and put away the phone when the charge level is about 50%.

How to properly charge a smartphone with a li-ion battery

Lithium-ion batteries do not like to be completely discharged (except for calibration) and recharged. It is optimal to maintain the charge level between 20 and 90%.

You can charge in different ways:

Standard charger. Its characteristics are optimal, so it is advisable to use it. Only if this is not possible, resort to other methods.
While working at the computer, you can also connect your mobile device to it and charge it. However, this will take much longer than charging through a wall outlet.
Cigarette lighter in a car. Convenient for those who drive, but the process may also not be quick, depending on the device parameters.
Universal memory. Such a device is popularly called a “frog”. Suitable for different types of batteries.

How to properly charge a phone with a li-pol battery

Lithium-polymer batteries do not like overdischarge and 100% charge. It is better to keep it in the range from 20 to 90%, and when this indicator is reached, disconnect from the network. If, while discharging, you still miss the moment and the device turns off, you do not need to keep it in this state, but should immediately put it on charge.

With lithium-polymer batteries, you should not be afraid of recharging too often - on the contrary, this should be done in small portions whenever possible. The main thing is not to keep it on charge for several hours and not reach 100% of the scale.

It is harmful for such a battery to be constantly connected to the electrical network. The controller built into the charger will disconnect it from charging at the right moment, but heat will continue to flow. This harms the lithium polymer battery.

All batteries have a built-in controller that controls the charging and discharging process. That is, when the battery is discharged to zero, there is still some amount of charge left, and when it reaches 100%, the controller stops sending current into the battery; as soon as the charge level drops to 99%, the voltage will flow again.

Do not charge your phone while lying on a fabric surface as this will cause the battery to heat up.

How to properly charge a phone with a ni-mh battery

Nickel-metal hydride (ni-MH) batteries are less durable than modern ion batteries. They also have a memory effect. That is, the battery “remembers” what state its charge reached before and begins to discharge faster.

To prevent this from happening, such batteries need to be “trained”: periodically completely discharged and then fully charged. This allows you to increase capacity by an average of 5%.

What is not allowed when charging a phone battery

All batteries, without exception, do not tolerate:

hypothermia;
overheating;
blows and other physical damage;
sudden change in temperature;
use of non-native memory;
permanent connection to the power grid.

Depending on the type, they also have some other “predilections”.

With li-ion battery

frequent complete discharge;
constant 100% charge;
storage in a discharged form;
too frequent charge calibration;
overheating and hypothermia.

It’s better to keep the battery charge up to 90%, and do a “training session” every few months, and everything will be fine.

With li-pol battery

The following should not be allowed with this type of battery:

full discharge;
training or calibration;
full charge;
permanent connection to the power grid;
overheating and hypothermia.

Just like with li-on, the optimal charge will be in the range from 20 to 90%.

With ni-mh battery

The following should not be allowed with this type of battery:

recharge;
frequent charge “little by little”;
storage fully charged or completely discharged;
overheat.

In order not to lose the capacity of such a phone, it is recommended to charge it completely and discharge it as much as possible. “Train” periodically.

Video: How to properly charge your phone battery

Conclusion

It's worth understanding that whether you have an Android, an iPhone, or an old black and white cell phone, none of these devices can last forever. Battery aging and failure is an inevitable process. However, with proper handling you can slow it down and extend the life of your mobile device.

It is installed in all laptops, tablets, mobile phones and other equipment. The rated voltage of such a battery is 3.7-3.8 V, the maximum is up to 4.4 V, and the minimum is from 2.5 to 3.0 V.

From the history of creation

Li-ion batteries first appeared in the early 90s. Their leading manufacturer was initially Sony. This battery contains two electrodes. The cathode is placed on an aluminum foil, and the anode is placed on a copper foil. Separators containing liquid or gel electrolyte are placed between the electrodes. Lithium ions with a “+” charge are current carriers, ions that can penetrate other chemical elements, thereby giving rise to an electrochemical reaction that provides power to a particular device.

Lithium batteries of the previous generation were “famous” for their increased explosion hazard due to the use of a lithium metal anode in them and the occurrence of gaseous chemical compounds inside the battery. With multiple charge-discharge cycles, a short circuit could occur, and then an explosion of the lithium battery. Explosions also occurred because lithium ions reacted dangerously with other substances in the batteries.

When the anode chemical was finally changed to graphite, this was completely corrected. By the way, everyone modern devices for charging, through which the batteries receive power, protect them from overheating and “excess” of current. In lithium ferrum phosphate batteries, this serious drawback is completely eliminated. However, it took about 20 years to develop safe battery devices.

To avoid spontaneous combustion of a lithium battery when charging it, manufacturers began to build a battery charge controller into the case. The controller regulates the temperature inside the battery, the depth of discharge and the amount of current consumed. But not all lithium batteries equipped with a controller. Often the manufacturer does not install it - in order to save money and increase capacity. It is for this reason that some batteries still explode.

However, unlike its predecessors in the form of batteries, ion batteries have much best characteristics. The low level of self-discharge in such batteries ensures they are more long term suitability, and high capacity allows them to work much longer. In addition, not a single lithium cell requires additional maintenance, and if it finally fails, it is better not to restore it, but to replace it.

How to properly use and store a lithium-ion battery

It is important to ensure that the battery always has at least a minimum amount of charge. Any ion battery cannot be allowed to fully discharge. If it is not in use and is completely discharged, it will result in a short battery. The temperature factor greatly affects the safety of the battery.Do not charge or storelithium batteriesat excessively high and low temperatures, as their capacity indicator will quickly begin to fall.

Li-ion is sensitive to voltage changes. If U in the charger is increased even slightly (for example, by only 4%), the battery will lose capacity with each charge-discharge cycle.

The best storage conditions for Li-ion: the charge should be at least 40% of the capacity of the ionic cell, and the temperature should be from 0 to +10°C.

Despite all the positive characteristics, it makes no sense to purchase Li-ion for future use: the battery loses about 4% of its capacity in 2 years. When purchasing, be sure to pay attention to the date of manufacture. If more time has passed since production, it is not recommended to buy such a battery.

The usual one is 2 years, but now manufacturing companies have invented a method that allows them to be stored for a longer time. A special preservative is added to the battery, allowing it to be stored for more than two years. If there is a preservative in the electrolyte, before using it for the first time, the battery should be completely discharged by giving it a kind of training in the form of two or three charge-discharge cycles. With this reactivation, the electrolyte in the battery gradually disintegrates, and the battery returns to its normal capacity level.

If this is not done with lithium cells, the battery will acquire a “memory effect”, and then, since the preservative is still inside, when a charge is applied and the battery current increases, it will begin to quickly disintegrate, and the battery may swell.

If ion batteries are handled carefully and carefully, observing all storage conditions, with proper use they will last a long time, and the capacity level in such batteries will remain at a high level for a long time.

Lithium polymer battery as an alternative to Li-ion

Polymer batteries are an improved version of lithium-ion batteries. Technical progress does not stand still, and now they are already being considered as a serious alternative to previous lithium-based batteries. The goal of creating batteries based on polymer materials was, first of all, possible elimination disadvantages of Li-ion in the form of high cost and increased risk of spontaneous combustion.

The main difference between a polymer battery and Li-ion is that not liquid or gel, but solid polymers are used as the electrolyte in its manufacture. Changing the electrolyte is a big achievement because these batteries are safer and you can now worry much less about potential explosions when using them.

Solid materials have played a major role in current conduction before - for example, using a film of plastic, and their use inside a Li-pol battery, instead of a porous liquid-impregnated separator between its two poles, was a significant step forward.

Li-pol batteries also have improved characteristics in terms of convenient shape, since polymers make it possible to obtain different sizes and types of such batteries. The minimum thickness of polymer batteries can be only 1 mm.

Along with the differences, there are also similarities between Li-ion and Li-pol. For the most part, this means that not all shortcomings have been eliminated, and the possibilities for further work by manufacturers have not yet been fully exhausted. For example, there is not much difference between them in terms of service life and the problem of “aging” if they are not used.

Polymer batteries, like Li-ion, are used in cell phones, radio-controlled equipment, and portable electric tools, such as electric drills and screwdrivers.

Some manufacturers of polymer batteries claim that they do not have a memory effect, and they can allegedly operate in a wider temperature range: from -20 to +40-60°C, which makes it possible to use them in hot tropical climates. Since the danger of spontaneous combustion has not yet been completely eliminated, polymer batteries are usually equipped with a built-in electrical circuit that prevents overcharging and overheating.

How to restore a Li-ion battery

Despite the fact that the service life of many modern batteries is quite long, there comes a time when the charge of any chemical current source is depleted. The capacity drops, and the battery can no longer work for a long time and properly. Especially if the discharged power source has been stored for a long time without recharging. There are several common ways to bring it back to life. The reconditioned battery will not last long, but this will buy you time before it needs to be replaced.

The most unexpected and sometimes completely illogical methods are described on the Internet. For example, there are articles that you can effectively stretch a battery if you charge and discharge it several times in a row. Of course, this is a myth, and this “method” should not be used. Also on one of the popular forums a real life example about how one person rocked a battery by putting it in the refrigerator. It swelled to enormous sizes and burst after it was removed from the freezer - naturally, due to the temperature change.

To the serious question of how to really recharge a cell phone battery, you can give a simple and clear answer: take any battery charger with a voltage of 5-12 V and a resistor with a resistance of 330 Ohms to 1 kiloOhm. The connection diagram is extremely simple: the “minus” of the power source is connected to the “minus” of the battery, and the “plus” to the “plus”, through a resistor. Now you need to plug in the charger and regularly check the voltage increase using a multimeter for 10-15 minutes. The voltage gradually increases, and when it reaches approximately 3.31 V, the phone “finds” the battery and accepts it.

Swinging up Li-ion, turned off by the controller, with quickly bringing the battery into working condition is also possible . IN in this case, when measuring the current voltage, its value will be about 2.5 V. The battery is “alive” and can still work for some time, although, at first glance, it looks almost discharged. We restore it like this: for this you will need a “people’s charger” Imax B6 and a multimeter. The protective circuit of the battery is unsoldered and connected to Imax. And how to check the voltage is already clear: it is always monitored with a multimeter.

We rock the battery as carefully as possible. The charging program is set to Li-Po, the charging mode is selected depending on the type of battery: for Li-ion - 3.6 V, or 3.7 V for Li-pol. Important: during the recovery process, set the Auto parameter - without it, the start will not start due to the low battery charge. The current value is selected using the “+” and “–” buttons. 1 A is the safest and optimal current for boosting.

When the voltage reaches 3.2-3.3 V, the battery will begin its full operation.

Is it possible to fix a swollen battery?

There is information on this topic on the Internet a large number of popular articles and even videos like “I restore swollen batteries in a simple way" What follows is a description or filming of the process of disassembling the battery, piercing it with a needle or awl in order to “release gases”, and then inserting the battery back into the phone.

Unfortunately, the unlucky authors of such videos and publications do not explain to people why the battery is swollen, but boldly proceed to very dubious actions that may be unsafe both for the person and for the device in which such a battery is placed.

“Training the intellect” and engaging in such restoration is strongly discouraged. It should be understood that any lithium-ion battery is, first of all, a source of chemical reactions that can be both toxic and explosive.

Battery swelling can occur either as a result of a disruption in the chemical processes inside it due to a manufacturing defect, or due to the fault of the gadget owner if the operation was incorrect.

If, for example, a cheap battery is swollen due to a defect in its manufacture, you should think about whether the manufacturer was trusted, and next time it is better to purchase a battery at a higher price, but with a guarantee of quality.

Batteries also swell when moisture gets inside, which most often occurs due to the negligence of the owner of the phone or tablet. If you use the wrong device when charging your phone, the battery will sooner or later swell due to high level current, due to which the speed of chemical processes inside it is disrupted. If the phone is designed for a current of 1A, charging with a current of 2A can no longer be used. As an alternative, you can take a device with a lower, but not higher current rating - in case the “original” charger is lost or fails.

Using the battery in hot climates can also cause it to swell. You should not leave a fully charged phone in the heat, and if the battery is swollen for some reason, it should not be disassembled and pierced, but replaced with a new one.

How to properly charge a lithium-ion battery and why is it even needed? Our modern devices operate thanks to the presence of autonomous power sources. And it doesn’t matter what kind of devices they are: electric smartphones or laptops. This is why it is so important to know the answer to the question of how to properly charge a lithium-ion battery.

A little about what a lithium-ion battery is

Autonomous power supplies, which are used in modern smartphones and other devices, are usually divided into several different groups. There are quite a lot of them. Take the same ones. But it is in portable equipment, that is, in smartphones and laptops, that lithium-ion batteries (English designation Li-Ion) are most often installed. The reasons that led to this are of different nature.

The advantages of these types of batteries

The first thing to note is how simple and cheap it is to produce these energy sources. Their additional advantages are excellent operating characteristics. Self-discharge losses are a very small indicator, and this also played a role. But the supply of cycles for charging and discharging is very, very large. Together, all this makes lithium-ion batteries leaders among other similar devices in the field of their use in smartphones and laptops. Although exceptions to the rule exist, they account for about 10 percent of the total number of cases. That is why many users ask the question of how to properly charge a lithium-ion battery.

Important and interesting facts

A smartphone battery has its own specific features. Therefore, you need to know certain rules and be familiar with the relevant instructions before you begin the process of forced charging or discharging. It should be noted first of all that most batteries of this type are specially equipped with an additional monitoring device. Its use is determined by the need to maintain the charge at a certain level (also called critical). Thus, the control device, built into, among other things, the battery for a smartphone, does not allow us to cross that fatal line, after which the battery simply “dies,” as service specialists like to say. From the point of view of physics, everything looks like this: during the reverse process (critical discharge), the voltage of the lithium-ion battery simply drops to zero. At the same time, the flow of current is blocked.

How to properly charge digital equipment based on this source of battery life

If your smartphone is powered by a lithium-ion battery, then the device itself must be charged when the battery indicator shows approximately the following numbers: 10-20 percent. The same is true for phablets and tablet computers. This is a short answer to the question of how to properly charge a lithium-ion battery. It should be added that even when reaching 100 percent rated charge, the device must be kept connected to the electrical network for another one to two hours. The fact is that the devices interpret charging incorrectly, and the 100 percent that a smartphone or tablet gives is in fact no more than 70-80 percent.

If your device is equipped with a lithium-ion battery, you should know some of the intricacies of its operation. This will be very useful in the future, because by following them you can extend the life of not only this element, but the entire device as a whole. So, remember, once every three months you need to completely discharge the device. This is done for preventive purposes.

But we’ll talk about how to charge a discharged battery later. For now we will simply point out that desktop computer and a laptop are not able to provide a sufficiently high voltage when connecting a mobile device to these miracles of technology via a port USB standard. Accordingly, in order to fully charge the device from these sources, you will need large quantity time. Interestingly, one technique can extend the life of a lithium-ion battery. It consists of alternating charging cycles. That is, once you charge the device completely, 100 percent, the second time - not completely (80 - 90 percent). And these two options alternate in turn. In this case, it can be used for lithium-ion batteries.

Terms of use

In general, lithium-ion power supplies can be called unpretentious. We have already talked about this topic and found out that this characteristic, along with others, has become the reason for their widespread use in computing. However, even such a smart battery architecture does not fully guarantee their long-term performance. This period depends primarily on the person. But we are not required to do anything out of the ordinary. If five simple rules, which we can remember forever, apply them successfully. In this case, the lithium-ion power supply will serve you for a very, very long time.

Rule one

It lies in the fact that it is not necessary completely. It has already been said that such a procedure should be carried out only once every three months. Modern designs of these power supplies do not have a “memory effect”. Actually, that’s why it’s better to have time to charge the device before it completely runs out. By the way, it is quite noteworthy that some manufacturers of relevant products measure the service life of products in the number of cycles. High-end products can “survive” about six hundred cycles.

Rule two

It states that the mobile device needs to be completely discharged. It should be carried out once every three months for preventive purposes. On the contrary, irregular and unstable charging can shift the nominal minimum and maximum charge marks. Thus, the device in which this source is built battery life, begins to receive false information about how much energy actually remains. And this, in turn, leads to incorrect calculations of energy consumption.

Prophylactic discharge is designed to prevent this. When this happens, the control circuit will automatically reset minimum value charge. However, there are some tricks here. For example, after a complete discharge, it is necessary to “fill in” the power source, holding it for an additional 12 hours. Apart from an ordinary electrical network and a wire, we don’t need anything else for charging in this matter. But the operation of the battery after a preventive discharge will become more stable, and you will be able to immediately notice it.

Rule three

If you don't use your battery, you still need to monitor its condition. At the same time, the temperature in the room where you store it should preferably be no more and no less than 15 degrees. It is clear that it is not always possible to achieve exactly this figure, but still, the smaller the deviation from this value, the better it will be. It should be noted that the battery itself must be charged 30-50 percent. Such conditions will allow you to maintain the power source for a long time without serious damage. Why shouldn't it be fully charged? But because a “full to capacity” battery, due to physical processes, loses quite a large part of its capacity. If the power source is stored for a long time in a discharged state, then it becomes practically useless. And the only place where it will really be useful is in the trash. The only way, although unlikely, is to remanufacture lithium-ion batteries.

Rule four

The price of which ranges from several hundred to several thousand rubles, should be charged only using original devices. This applies to a lesser extent to mobile devices, since adapters are already included in their package (if you buy them in the official store). But in this case they only stabilize the supplied voltage, and the charger, in fact, is already built into your device. Which, by the way, cannot be said about video cameras and cameras. This is exactly what we are talking about, here the use of third-party devices when charging batteries can cause noticeable harm.

Rule five

Monitor the temperature. Lithium-ion batteries can withstand heat stress, but overheating is detrimental to them. And low temperatures for a power source are not the best that can happen. Although the greatest danger comes precisely from the process of overheating. Remember that the battery should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Temperature range and their acceptable values starts at - 40 degrees and ends at + 50 degrees Celsius.

A modern person cannot imagine his life without a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, portable drill, screwdriver, flashlight and other devices that can operate either from the mains or from a battery. Often, such devices use lithium-ion power sources.

Many will ask why this type is most often used in electrical appliances. The answer is quite simple and obvious - lithium ion batteries They are small in size and also have a fairly long service life - from 300 to 2000 charge-discharge cycles. Precisely because there are so many power sources of this type around us, every person should know how to charge a lithium-ion battery.

What is Li-ion battery

Despite the fact that every person has encountered such a power source, not everyone understands what kind of battery it is and how it works. The simplest and most common option is a lithium-ion power supply for mobile phones. It has the following design: on top there is a controller for charge-discharge control, and below is a battery element (bank).

In 99% of batteries for cell phones Only one battery cell is used; in their jargon, experts quite often call it a can. The nominal voltage of this power supply is 3.7 volts.

The device also has a special controller (a regular board with a microcircuit), thanks to which the battery does not overcharge. Therefore, the manufacturer, for its part, did everything possible to ensure that no emergency situations occurred that would lead to a quick breakdown of the power source.

How to charge for the first time

Many probably remember how everyone said that a new battery must be completely discharged, and then fully charged, and this must be done three times. There really is such a process of first charging, it is actually necessary, but for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. Such batteries were installed in quite ancient telephones, which are now practically not produced.

Not everyone knows how to properly charge a lithium-ion battery for the first time and begins to carry out the procedure of completely discharging it. Batteries of this type are designed completely differently, and the process of deep discharge is very harmful to them. That is why such devices are sold with a charge of 2/3 of the capacity, and not so that a person can check a phone or other device.

Unfortunately, quite often consumers, before charging a lithium-ion battery for the first time, remembering the old days, begin to completely discharge it, thereby almost immediately taking away half of their service life. Therefore, be careful and avoid common mistakes that lead to battery failure.

How to properly charge a lithium-ion battery?

The most optimal operating environment for a conventional Li-ion power supply is a charge level of 20-80%. These devices really do not like to be overcharged, and although there is a special controller on the battery that will not allow this, there are some consumers who keep the battery on charge for days. This is completely useless, and thus does not prolong the operation of the device, but vice versa.

Li-ion battery 18650

This battery has a cylindrical shape and appearance completely resembles a regular battery. It is worth noting that unscrupulous manufacturers, trying in every possible way to increase sales, begin to indicate inflated characteristics. Today there are no more energy-intensive 18650 Li-ion batteries than 3400 mAh. If a number greater than this is indicated on the battery, then it should be understood that the manufacturer is deliberately overestimating the characteristics of its product. In this case, there is a high probability that in fact the battery will have no more than 2200 mAh.

How to charge a 18650 Li-ion battery

Such batteries can only be charged using a special charger, which is sold in almost any electrical goods store. To charge lithium-ion batteries, it is necessary where the minimum voltage will be at least 2.2 V, and the maximum - no more than 4.35. The discharge current should not be greater than twice the battery capacity. That is, if the battery has 2000 mAh, then the current on the charger should not be more than 4000 mAh.

What are the dangers of overcharging and deep discharge?

Due to the fact that people do not know how to charge a lithium-ion battery, they often make mistakes and may keep it on charge for too long or, conversely, forget about it for a long time. What are the dangers of improper battery use? The thing is that in this case, lithium ions move from one electrode to another. The material used to make the electrodes themselves may vary, but in this topic these details are not so important.

Simply put, the more charged the battery, the more lithium ions are present in the electrode. If their value is constantly at the maximum, then in this case the device wears out quite quickly.

How to charge batteries

Li-ion batteries have also become very popular because there are quite a large number of options for how to charge them.

The most logical and correct way to charge a lithium-ion battery is with a standard charger. Thanks to a special device, the battery will receive maximum charge in the shortest possible time. Moreover, it is completely safe for the battery.

For those who do not know how to charge a lithium-ion battery if they do not have a standard charger at hand, we inform you that this can also be done using a computer and a USB cable. However, in this case, the current will reach only 0.5 amperes.

It is also possible to charge the Li-ion battery through the cigarette lighter in the car. Today, many stores sell special USB adapters that deliver different currents. It is best to find out what current to charge lithium-ion batteries in the documentation that comes with your phone, laptop or other device. The bulk of batteries are charged from 3.7 to 19 volts. However, there are battery models that require more or less voltage. In any case, you shouldn’t take risks, but it’s better to look at the instruction manual once again.

If none of the previous charging methods worked, you can use an old, but still relevant device to this day, which is popularly called “frog”. Such devices are mostly designed for cell phone batteries. The design of the “frog” is quite simple: there is one dock where a lithium-ion battery is installed, as well as contacts that are adjustable in width. Thus, this charger is suitable for almost any battery of this type.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to charge a battery. But before you charge a lithium-ion battery, you should make sure that it really is not possible to use standard charging. Other methods are used if necessary. They do not bring, but still the original charger should be a priority over the others.

If a person does not know how to charge the lithium-ion battery of a screwdriver, then we inform you that this should only be done with the specialized charger that comes with the device. It is worth noting that if the charger fails and it is not possible to purchase a new one, for example, more this model is not produced, then in this case you can connect several 18650 batteries together and insert them into a box with the original charger. It is impossible to say how many 18650 batteries are needed, it all depends on the voltage of the screwdriver.

Calibration

Calibration is necessary approximately once every three months. To do this, allow the battery to completely discharge. In this case, the battery controller will be able to independently calibrate the limits of the full charge and discharge of the device. This is necessary so that the device in which the Li-ion battery is installed displays up-to-date information about its charge. If the battery has not been completely discharged for a long time, unreliable information about the battery percentage may be displayed.

After the battery is completely discharged, it must be fully charged to 100% with the device turned off. You can see the battery charging time in the instructions. If at the end of this time you turn on the device and the charge shows less than 100%, then you need to turn it off again and continue charging until the charge level is full.

Storage

If you do not plan to use the battery for a long time, you should pay special attention to how it should be stored. The optimal charge is considered to be 30-60% of the capacity. The battery should be located in a fairly cool room where the air temperature remains around 15 degrees. If the battery is stored in a fully charged state, then the next time you turn it on you will find that its capacity has decreased significantly.

When the device is left completely discharged, it is even worse. With a high degree of probability, in six months it will need to be recycled. It is prohibited to store for a long time in deep discharge.

External overheating

Another worst enemy of Li-ion batteries is high temperature, which they absolutely cannot tolerate. The owner of this type of battery should not expose it to sunlight and should not place it near a battery or other sources of heat radiation. The maximum permissible temperature for using the battery is +50 degrees. If you neglect temperature conditions, then probably within a few months new element food will turn into spoiled.

Conclusion

Now you know whether it is possible to charge lithium-ion batteries and how to do it correctly. Summarizing all of the above, we can highlight the following main points:

If possible, the battery should always be charged with original chargers.
It is best to charge the batteries to 80%, but do not lower the discharge value below 20%.
Do not keep the battery constantly on the charger, and it is also not recommended to completely discharge it.

If you follow a few simple rules, a Li-ion battery can last for a fairly long period of time, while the energy intensity will remain at a high level.

How to properly charge and operate a lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery?

In modern life, a person is surrounded by many electronic assistants. In everyday life we use tablets, mobile phones, laptops, etc. At work we use screwdrivers, portable drills, flashlights, power bank and starting-charging batteries for cars. All of these devices use different types rechargeable batteries. But the most common are lithium-ion batteries. They have become popular due to their small size and weight combined with high energy intensity. At a reasonable cost, they have a decent service life (300-400 charge-discharge cycles). Since these batteries are widely used in different devices, which surround us, we need to understand how to charge them correctly. Therefore, today’s material is devoted to charging Li─Ion batteries.

Since many users have a vague idea of what a lithium-ion battery is, let’s say a few words about its structure. If you look at the example of a mobile phone battery, the battery there has the following design.

In the vast majority of cases, a mobile phone battery has one battery element in its design, which is often called a can. The voltage rating of the can is typically 3.7 volts. In laptop batteries there can be from 2 to 12 such elements. But there they are not rectangular, but cylindrical (type). The battery also contains a controller, which is a board with a control chip soldered on it. It controls the process of charging and discharging the can, preventing it from overcharging or deep discharge.

Thus, battery manufacturers have already taken care to avoid emergency situations when charging and discharging the battery. And the user can only follow some operating rules, which will be discussed below.
If you are interested, you can read detailed material about it in the article at the link.

How to properly charge a lithium-ion battery?

When charging a Li-Ion battery, you need to remember that it is best to maintain the battery charge at 20-80% of full capacity. Lithium-ion batteries do not like to be overcharged. As mentioned above, the controller controls the state of charge of the battery cell or cells, if there are several of them. He will not allow them to recharge. But this does not mean that the battery can be charged for days. This is completely useless.

Why is overcharging and deep discharge critical for a lithium-ion battery? The fact is that the current in such batteries is provided by the movement of lithium ions from one electrode to another. The composition of these electrodes may vary. In this case, these details are not important. The important thing is that lithium ions are introduced into the crystal lattice of the electrode substance. As a result, gradual changes in the volume and composition of the electrodes occur. The more charged or discharged a battery is, the more lithium ions are present in one of the electrodes. Such operation leads to the fact that the battery life is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is better not to create such borderline states and keep the charge at a level of 20-80% of the nominal value.

In any case, the controller does not allow overcharging and deep discharge of the can. He simply disconnects the jar from the outside world. In addition, many lithium-ion batteries have built-in overheating protection.

Now we list several options for charging a Li─Ion battery.

Standard charger. This is the best and recommended option. It is recommended to charge the Li─Ion battery using standard charging. It's safe and as fast as possible;
From USB connector computer. The option is also safe, but quite lengthy. The point is that in case USB port current is limited to 0.5 ampere;
From the cigarette lighter in the car. If this is a standard USB adapter, then the process may also take longer. But now there are quite a few devices on sale that have a set of USB ports with different current strengths. There are even models that allow you to charge laptop batteries with a nominal voltage of 19 volts with a current of 4 amperes. Find out the maximum permissible charging current battery You can find out about your device from the documentation or look at the standard charger. For smartphone batteries it is usually 1, and for tablets – 2 amperes;
"Frog". This is what they call universal charging device. They are usually used to charge lithium batteries for mobile phones. One of these “frogs” is shown in the image below. Design includes a dock for battery installation and width-adjustable contacts for various models. There is an LED indication to inform you about the end of charging.

As you can see, you can charge a lithium-ion battery different ways. But it is recommended to charge the battery using standard charging, and use other methods only if necessary. Immediately after purchasing a gadget, get used to charging it correctly. You can read about it at the given link.