HP Notebook PCs - Understanding Lithium-Ion and Smart

Battery Technology
Introduction
One of the most common questions asked by notebook computer users is "How long will the battery
last?" The answer is not simple. Users inevitably discover that battery run time varies depending on
how and where the notebook is used however! most users don"t understand why the battery
sometimes does not last as long as predicted by the battery fuel gauge #$ower %eter&.
The temperature o the battery! the applications running on the notebook! any attached
de"ices! the brightness o the display! and the notebook po#er management settings all
determine the run time and lie span o the battery$
's mobile computing becomes more prevalent! users need to understand how environmental and
usage factors impact battery run time and life span. This document e(plains these factors! describes
the )mart *attery Technology built into H$ notebooks! and recommends practices to ma(imi+e
battery life.
*attery )afety
,hat is a -ithium./on battery?
,hat is *attery 0ycle -ife?
,hat is *attery 0apacity?
How does H$ determine the ,arranty $eriod?
,hat is )mart *attery Technology?
,hat is )mart *attery 0alibration?
%a(imi+ing the capacity and life span of the battery
Tips for conserving battery power
Battery Saety
H$ takes safety very seriously and makes battery %aterial )afety 1ata )heets #%)1)& #in 2nglish&
available that provide general safety information about the third party #non.H$& batteries used in
H$ products and throughout the industry. /n addition! H$ works closely with third.party battery
suppliers to drive continuous safety and design improvements that help deliver higher levels of
safety and reliability. /n the unlikely event of a potential safety issue! H$ uses proven best.in.class
processes and works closely with the appropriate worldwide regulatory agencies to help deliver the
highest possible level of safety and best customer e(perience.
%hat is a Lithium-Ion battery&
' lithium.ion #-i./on& battery pack is made of multiple cells connected in series and in parallel
based on the voltage and current requirements of the device. H$ notebooks use 3 different types of
-i./on battery cells4 cylindrical! prismatic! and polymer.
Cylindrical cells are appro(imately 56 mm #7.8 in& in diameter by 9: mm #;.9 in& in length!
and they are commonly referred to as 569:7 cells. These cells are frequently used in battery
packs that are about ;7 mm #7.6 in& thick.
Prismatic cells have a slim! rectangular form factor the most common types are 9.cell and
6.cell -i./on battery packs that are about 5; mm #7.: in& thick! such as H$ %ulti*ay and
tablet $0 batteries.
Polymer cells are thinner than prismatic cells. They are often used in products such as the
/$'< $ocket $0 and some ultra.portable $0s! which require battery packs less than 57 mm
#7.= in& thick.
Li-Ion batteries are lighter! store more energy! and retain their charge longer than nickel-
based batteries o comparable si'e$ (lso! Li-Ion batteries can be charged beore they are ully
discharged because they are not susceptible to the memory eect$
' typical 9.cell -i./on battery pack takes ;.: to 3 hours to fully charge to its ma(imum voltage with
the system in off mode. 'fter the battery is fully charged! current flow to the battery is stopped by a
built.in protective #charge control& circuit. The protective circuit prevents the battery from being
charged or discharged beyond safe limits.
'lthough the protective circuit uses a small amount of energy from the battery to operate! the -i./on
battery self.discharge rate is a fraction of that of nickel.based rechargeable batteries. )ome
conditions that increase the self.discharge rate of -i./on batteries! and should be avoided! are
described in the ,hat is *attery 0apacity section of this document.
%hat is Battery Cycle Lie&
Battery cycle lie is the total number o discharge-charge cycles )*igure +, a battery yields
beore it can no longer hold a useul amount o charge$ 2stimating the cycle life of a
rechargeable -i./on battery is difficult because cycle life is affected by the average operating
temperature of the battery and its energy discharge rate.
*asically! higher temperatures and higher energy discharge rates decrease battery cycle life. The
operating temperature of the battery depends on the air temperature as well as the heat generated by
the notebook itself and by its immediate environment! such as a docking station. The energy
discharge #drainage& rate depends on the type of applications running on the notebook and by its
power management settings.
>or e(ample! running computer.intensive applications such as 0'1! gaming! and 1?1 movies
drains the battery faster and decreases its cycle life more than running word processing applications.
*igure +- .ischarge Cycle
' cycle for a rechargeable lithium.ion battery is the cumulative amount of discharge appro(imately
equal to its full charge capacity. >or e(ample! 57 occurrences of a 57@ depth of discharge or ;
occurrences of a :7@ depth of discharge represent one cycle.
%hat is Battery Capacity&
*attery capacity is e(pressed in ampere.hours #'h&. *attery energy! e(pressed in watt.hours #,h&!
is the product of the battery capacity #'h& and the battery voltage #?&. The operating "oltage
range o a Li-Ion battery pack remains relati"ely constant throughout its useul lie/ ho#e"er!
its capacity begins to decrease in a roughly linear manner as soon as it is put into ser"ice$ Aew
batteries are classified by their rated capacity.
Over time! the actual battery capacity decreases due to electrochemical inefficiencies within each
cell. This loss in capacity #aging& is irreversible it cannot be restored by cycling the battery.
Bradually! less and less active material is available within each cell to electrochemically store a
charge. 0onsequently! the user e(periences reduced computer run time.
' practical way to e(press the actual capacity of a battery over time is called ull charge capacity
#>00&. >00 is e(pressed as a percentage of the initial rated capacity of the battery. >00 is
influenced by the typical discharge load on the battery and by the user profile. Under normal
discharge loads! -i./on batteries have a life span of between 377 and :77 cycles. ,ith moderate
use! -i./on batteries are e(pected to deliver appro(imately 67@ of their rated capacity after 377
cycles or about one year of use #>igure ;&. This estimate covers typical users who completely cycle
the battery each working day by running low to medium power applications #word processing! e.
mail! and spreadsheets& in wired or wireless modes.
*igure 0- 1oderate Usage o *ully Charged Battery
>ull charge capacity with moderate use is about 67@ after 377 cycles.
Ho# does HP determine the %arranty Period&
H$ provides a 5;.month warranty for -i./on batteries. The #arranty period is based upon the
e2pectation that the battery #ill deli"er 345 o its initial capacity ater 644 cycles at lo# to
moderate po#er loads$ High power loads may cause a battery to reach 67@ of initial capacity in
less than the 5;.month warranty period. -i./on batteries will continue to operate below the 67@
capacity threshold however! the capacity #run time& delivered between charges will continue to
decrease.
The following table summari+es >00 proCections after one year based on ; user profiles and
various power loads. The first profile is for a mobile user who fully discharges and charges the
battery almost every working day #377 cycles per year& in a normal environment. The second
profile is for a stationary user who only cycles the battery once per week in a high.temperature
environment! such as in a docking station. 's shown in the table! the additional heat generated by
running high power applications or by using a docking station accelerates the loss of capacity.
High power applications may also reduce the battery cycle life by as much as ;:@.
*ull charge capacity pro7ections ater one year o use
Po#er load )applications,
1obile user
Battery cycled daily
)089C! ::9*,
Stationary user )#ith docking
station, Battery cycled #eekly
);689C! <89*,
-ow #word processing!
/nternet! e.mail& D
67@ 67@
%oderate #wireless!
spreadsheets! database
management&
67@ 87@
HighE #0'1! 31 games!
1?1s! high -01
brightness&
97@ :7@
%hat is Smart Battery Technology&
2stimating battery run time is further complicated by the inaccuracy of the system that monitors and
reports the battery charge status to the user. )ome notebooks estimate the battery charge state based
on manufacturer testing of the specific product model with a particular configuration. This method
is inaccurate when another battery with a different state.of.charge is inserted! because charge status
of each battery is estimated based on its history in the system.
To aid users in monitoring and managing -i./on batteries! HP Compa= notebooks pro"ide
accurate and instantaneous status inormation using Smart Battery Technology$ H$ )mart
*attery Technology is based on the )mart *attery )ystem #)*)&! which was established by maCor
battery manufacturers in 5FF: to promote an industry standard for rechargeable battery technology.
The )*) features a )mart *attery that maintains and reports its own status! thus providing users
with accurate information! whether they use different batteries in the same notebook or the same
battery in different notebooks.
>or more information about the )mart *attery )ystem! go to http4GGwww.sbs.forum.orgG #in
2nglish&.
%hat is Smart Battery Calibration&
Hepeated short discharges and recharges cause increasing inaccuracy between the state.of.charge of
the battery and the $ower %eter readings. Periodically! the battery needs to be calibrated to
>relearn> its usable capacity so it can synchroni'e its charge status #ith the Po#er 1eter$ The
calibration procedure ma(imi+es the notebook run time by giving the user an accurate estimate of
the remaining battery charge. 0alibration also prevents data loss that can occur during the
Hibernation process if sufficient power is not available to complete critical save.to.disk operations.
)mart *atteries calibrate their >00 each time they undergo a full discharge.charge cycle! whether
they are recharged in the notebook or in a stand.alone chargerGconditioner. 0alibration using the
notebook is less convenient because it can take up to = hours however! it can lead to more relevant
results than using a stand.alone charger.
0alibration results using the notebook are more relevant because the battery relearns its >00 while
undergoing a realistic power load. /n a stand.alone charger! the battery is discharged using a fi(ed
load. /f the fi(ed load is less than the load typically e(perienced by the notebook! the learned
capacity of the battery may be higher than its actual capacity. /n other words! the newly calibrated
battery may not deliver the run time predicted by the $ower %eter if it is subCected to a greater load
than the load used to calibrate the battery.
The accuracy of todayIs )mart *attery enables precise calibration when the battery is discharged to
about :@ of its remaining capacity. 0onsequently! the user can set the battery alarm at :@ of
remaining capacity so that the )mart *attery will calibrate its capacity during normal use.
The user simply has to periodically discharge the battery until the :@ capacity alarm is received.
The need to perform this procedure will vary with individual use. /n general! a -i./on battery should
be calibrated a minimum of once every 3 months. ' battery that is seldom discharged completely
should be calibrated about once a month.
1a2imi'ing the capacity and lie span o the battery
'fter reading the information presented in this document! you should be aware that following
conditions negatively impact battery run time and life span.
*actors that contribute to loss o battery capacity
-i./on battery cells suffer gradual! irreversible capacity loss with each discharge.charge
cycle. )uch aging occurs more rapidly as temperature and discharge loads increase.
The self.discharge rate of a -i./on battery is higher if the battery is left in an unpowered
notebook.
1uring prolonged storage or non.use! the battery charge will decrease below its
recommended low.voltage level.
-eaving the battery in a depleted condition for an e(tended period will accelerate the
decrease in >00. -eaving the battery at a high level of charge in a high.temperature
environment for e(tended periods #for e(ample! running a notebook computer in a
docking station under a heavy load& will also accelerate the loss of capacity.
Hunning high.end applications using the battery accelerates the loss of capacity. >or
e(ample! playing 31 games will lower >00 faster than using word processing
applications.
?ecommended battery care practices
Hecommendations for battery use and storage are covered in the H$ User Buides for each model.
'dditional battery care practices are as follows4
)tore -i./on batteries between ;7J0 and ;:J0 #96J> and 88J>& with 37@ to :7@
charge.
1o not disassemble! crush! or puncture a battery do not short the e(ternal contacts on a
battery and! do not dispose of a battery in fire or water.
1o not leave batteries e(posed to high temperatures for e(tended periods. $rolonged
e(posure to heat #for e(ample! inside a hot car& will accelerate the deterioration of -i.
/on cells.
Hemove the battery if the notebook will be stored #turned off and not plugged into '0
power& for more than ; weeks.
Hemove the battery from the notebook if the notebook will be plugged into '0 power
continuously #via a wall adapter or docking station& for more than ; weeks.
Use the type of battery with the highest capacity #'h& rating if the notebook will run
high.end applications on battery power.
0alibrate the battery based on the usage model. Under normal usage! batteries should be
calibrated a minimum of once every 3 months however! a battery that is rarely
discharged fully should be calibrated about once a month
Keep the battery away from children.
Use only the battery provided with the computer! a replacement battery provided by H$!
or a compatible battery purchased as an accessory.
Tips or conser"ing battery po#er
Lou can manually change the power consumption of your notebook $0 and conserve battery power.
?educe the brightness o the screen to the minimum readable le"el$ Use the >n and >8 or
>6 keys to adCust the brightness.
?emo"e peripherals #hen not in use$ 2(ternal hard drives! 01.HO%s! Mip drives! $0
cards! and other peripheral devices can draw power from your battery even when they are
not in active use. 1isconnect them when you have finished using them.
?educe the speed o your processor$ The faster your computer works! the more quickly it
uses up the supply of power. *y cutting down on processor speed! you can e(tend the charge
of your battery. %ethods to reduce processor speed vary from model to model! and your
manual should provide instructions for doing so.
Turn o the %ireless @n-@ button #hen it is not in use$ /f your notebook has one! press
the ,ireless On.Off button so that the light turns off.