20 Ways to Increase Laptop's Battery Life

Mobile computing has got better with lighter components, better chips and faster processors. But the Achilles heel of a laptop has remained its battery. So here are we are going to look at ways to increase laptop battery life.
Modern graphic intensive operating systems and resource hungry applications are cutting down the life of your laptop’s battery every day. The average battery life per continuous use still stands at a maximum of three to four hours. So, a fast depleting battery could very swiftly put the crutches on your ‘mobile’ road trip.
Falling just short of carrying an extra pack of batteries in the back-pack, are several ways to keep the juice flowing through the batteries.

1. Ship shape with a defrag

Regular defragmentation helps to arrange data more efficiently thus making the hard drive work less to access the data. The quicker the moving hard drive works lesser is the load placed on the battery. Thus, your batter can last longer. The effect is minimal, but this efficiency goes hand in glove with hard drive maintenance.

2. Kill the resource gobblers

End the background processes that are not vital. Monitor the resource usage through a “˜Ctrl-Alt-Del’ which brings up the Windows Task Manager (in Windows). If you’re not on the internet, it is safe to shut down the immediate non-essential programs running in the taskbar like the antivirus and the firewall. Weed out unnecessary programs running as start-ups by launching the System Configuration Utility from Run ““ Msconfig ““ Tab: Startup. Uncheck the programs which you don’t want to launch and reboot the computer once.

3. Pause the scheduled tasks

It may be a defrag or a virus scan, but make sure it is scheduled for a time when you are near a power outlet. If not then nix them for the moment.

4. Unplug external devices

USB devices are the biggest drainers of battery power. Unplug all external devices like an external mouse, PC cards, Wi-Fi, external speakers, Bluetooth and even an attached iPod.

5. Empty the CD/DVD Drives

Even if you don’t intend to use it, don’t leave any CD/DVDs as leftovers in the drives. A spinning drive sucks battery power like a sponge.

6. Go local

Desist using the DVD/external drives while running on batteries. Shift the content to the hard drive or run using (free) virtual drives like Pismo File Mount or even Microsoft’s Virtual CD ROM Control Panel.

7. Lower the lights

The LCD screen of a laptop is another huge power sink. Calibrate the brightness to the lowest level you can tolerate using the Function key toggles or using the Display Settings applet in the Control Panel.

8. Kill the sounds

Mute the speakers and try avoiding the use of multimedia software to maximize the battery life. Installed sound schemes also drain a battery perceptibly.

9. Rid the screensaver

To maximize battery life by a little, switch off the screensaver.

10. Visit Power Options

Get familiar with power management through the “˜Power Options’ applet in the Control Panel. Both XP and Vista come with advanced power management features which shut off components like the monitor and/or the hard drive after specified intervals. This again depends on the chosen “˜Power Schemes’ (for XP) in the same applet. For instance in XP, “˜Max Battery’ under Power Schemes can be selected for maximum battery optimization.

Similar settings can be found under “˜Mobile PC’ in the Control Panel of Vista.

11. Turn off the looks

Today’s OS’s like Windows Vista come with features like “˜Aero Glass’ which are resource guzzlers. One can turn it off and go for the “˜Classic’ appearance which consumes less power. In Vista, click on Desktop – Preferences – View Colour – Appearance – Classic Appearance and Windows Basic graphical interface. In XP it’s – Display Properties – Theme – Windows Classic.
Linux and even Macintosh are better optimized for longer battery life.

12. Hibernate is better than Sleep

In the Stand By mode (or sleep mode), the computer turns of the hard drive and the display but memory remains active while the CPU slows down. This draws on the battery. In contrast, hibernation mode is better because the computer saves the current state and shuts itself down completely thus saving power.

13. Get the most…work on the least

Working on too many programs while on the battery is a sure fire power drainer. Keep use of graphic intensive applications to a minimum. Working on a spreadsheet consumes much less than playing your favourite game. To increase the life of the battery open just one or two programs concurrently.

14. Ram in more RAM

Adequate RAM reduces the load on Virtual memory which by default resides on the hard drive. Though every extra bit of RAM uses up more power, it increases overall savings by short cutting access to the power hungry hard drive.

15. Keep it clean

A laptop with blocked air vents will generate more heat thus reducing the life of the battery. Clean the air vents regularly to keep operating temperatures low. Allow for open space around the vents for air to circulate freely. Keep the area around the laptop clean to avoid entry of dust.

16. Temperature is a silent killer

Undue heat kills off a battery slowly but surely. Avoid leaving the laptop under direct sunlight or inside a closed car.

17. Avoid the memory effect

A problem more for the older Ni-MH batteries than for Li-Ion batteries on which most modern laptops run. Memory effect relates to the loss of battery charge when they are repeatedly recharged after being only partially discharged. It can be prevented by discharging the battery fully and then completely recharging it. Li-Ion batteries on the other hand have no problems with partial discharges and re-charges and complete discharge is never recommended for this type.

18. Update software and drivers

This sounds a bit incongruous but then newer drivers and software are often designed to be more efficient (and hopefully less resource hungry).

19. Use the right adapter

Ensure that the adapter you use to charge the laptop battery is an original one or one with the correct specifications. A mismatch in the wattage could cause an overload thus damaging the laptop and the battery.

20. Pack it up

If you don’t plan to use the laptop on batteries for quite some time, ensure that the charge is nearly 40 percent – remove the batteries and store it in a cool place.
A typical lithium ion battery has an overall average life of 2-3 years. With some care and caution, its mortality can be delayed.
Have you found your own way to increase battery life of your laptop? Share the “˜life giving’ tips with us in the comments.

How to build external battery for Laptop

Building your own external laptop battery pack is cheaper than buying a ready-made replacement.

Replacement laptop batteries can cost a third, if not more, of the price of a new laptop. Discounted prices constantly offered on new laptops often result in people choosing a new laptop instead of a replacement battery, even though the laptop is fine. Build an external laptop battery using lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries to save a lot of money and keep your existing laptop. Wire a few LiPo cells in series and your laptop will be ready to go.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• LiPo batteries
• Electrical insulating tape
• Wire strippers
• Small knife
• AWG 16 wire

1. • 1
     Check your laptop's required input voltage. It's on the base of your laptop clearly labeled. Most laptops operate on 19 volts, though it does vary.
   • 2
     Calculate the number of LiPo battery cells you need to power your laptop. One single LiPo cell produces 3.7 volts, so if your laptop operates on 19 volts, you need five LiPo cells wired in series. Wiring in series combines the output voltage from each cell. Don't build an external laptop battery pack that exceeds the input voltage for your laptop: the damage is irreparable.
   • 3
     Place your batteries on a suitable surface and lay them flat. LiPo batteries are similar in size to regular AA batteries, except they are shorter and fatter. The positive battery terminal is on the top and the negative on the bottom.
   • 4
     Alternate the terminals of each battery. For example, if you are using four batteries, have two positive and two negative terminals at each end. Label the batteries numerically, so, if you're using four batteries, label then 1 through 4. Wrap electrical insulating tape around the batteries to form a tight pack.
   • 5
     Cut strips of AWG 16 wire using a small knife. Cut two strips long enough to be able to reach your laptop and the external battery. The other strips need to be only an inch long so they can attach to the battery terminals. The numbers of short strips needed depends on the number of batteries you are using. The rule when you're wiring in parallel is to count the number of batteries and then deduct one. The result is the number of strips of wire you need.
   • 6
     Remove ¼-inch of plastic coating off the ends of each strip of wire using wire strippers or a small knife. Each wire has ¼-inch of metal wire exposed. Label the two long strips of wire "+" and "-."
   • 7
     Attach the wire labeled "+" to the positive terminal of Battery 1 and attach the wire labeled "-" to the negative terminal of the last numbered battery. Use a strip of electrical insulating tape.
   • 8
     Attach a short strip of wire to the negative terminal of Battery 1 and the other end to the positive terminal of Battery 2 using insulating tape. Repeat the process connecting a short wire to a negative terminal, then a positive terminal, for all the batteries in numerical sequence until you use the last short wire to connect to the positive terminal of the last numbered battery.
   • 9
     Wrap the complete battery pack neatly in insulating tape. Ensure you keep the two long wires exposed but the other wires and the battery terminals should be concealed.
   • 10
     Attach the wire labeled "+" to the positive input of your laptop and the wire labeled "-" to the negative input of your laptop. Your external laptop battery is set.

How to Build an External Notebook Battery

Wire batteries in series to build an external notebook battery pack.

Notebook batteries average about 500 charges and discharges before they go dead. If you account for a full charge lasting between one and three hours, depending on the applications you are running, it's easy to see that your battery is likely to die before you need to replace your notebook. The problem is that replacement batteries can cost over one-third the price of a new notebook. However, building an external notebook battery using lithium polymer, or LiPo, batteries is a much cheaper alternative and can be done in a couple of hours.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

things you'll need:

• LiPo batteries
• Power jack
• Wire (AWG 16 gauge)
• Electrical insulating tape
• Small knife
• Wire strippers
• Soldering iron
• Solder

1. • 1
     Look on the bottom of your notebook to find the input voltage requirement. It's likely to be in the range of 14.8 to 19 volts. The input voltage determines the number of LiPo batteries you need to build your external notebook battery pack. Each LiPo battery produces 3.7 volts so you need four or five batteries, depending on the voltage requirement, wired in series. Wiring in series combines the voltage from each battery so four LiPo batteries produce 14.8 volts and five 18.5 volts.
   • 2
     Put your LiPo batteries on a flat surface. LiPo batteries are similar in design and size as regular AA batteries. They have a positive terminal on the top and a negative terminal on the bottom. Alternate the battery terminals. Using four batteries you have positive, negative, positive, negative facing one way and negative, positive, negative, positive facing the other way.
   • 3
     Label the batteries numerically, either 1 through 4 or 1 through 5. Wrap the batteries in electrical insulating tape so you form a battery pack.
   • 4
     Cut strips of AWG 16 wire using a small knife. AWG 16 is suitable to carry the volts the battery pack produces. Cut two wire strips about 12 inches long so they can reach between your notebook and battery pack. The other wire strips need to be short: about 1 1/2 inches long, as they only need to connect between the battery terminals in the pack. The number of short strips depends on the number of batteries in your pack. A simple way to calculate the number of short strips is to count the number of batteries you are using, then deduct one. For example, if you're using four batteries in your pack, you need three short strips, and if you're using five batteries, you need four short strips.
   • 5
     Label the two long wires "+" and "-" respectively. Remove ¼ inch of plastic coating from the ends of every wire using wire strippers or a small knife to expose the copper wire.
   • 6
     Attach the long wire labeled "+" to the positive terminal of battery 1 and then attach the other long wire strip to the negative terminal of the last numbered battery in your pack. Use electrical insulating tape to attach them.
   • 7
     Attach a short wire strip to the negative terminal of battery 1 and the opposite end of the strip to the positive terminal of battery 2. Repeat attaching the short wire strips to the negative and then positive terminals of the remaining batteries in numerical order. The last short wire strip connects to the positive terminal of your last numbered battery.
   • 8
     Wrap the entire battery pack in electrical insulating tape. Make sure the two long wires extend from the pack, as you need to connect them to your notebook. The other short wires connecting the battery terminals need to be covered in tape.
   • 9
     Heat the soldering iron to operating temperature. Meanwhile remove the cover from your power jack. The power jack must be the same size as the power input socket on your notebook. Slide the cover over the two long wires.
   • 10
     Place the "+" labeled wire on the positive terminal of the power jack, then introduce the solder and soldering iron. Let a little solder melt so it coats the wire and terminal. Remove the soldering iron and let the solder cool, then fuse the wire and terminal together. Repeat the process using the "-" labeled wire attaching it to the negative terminal of the power jack. Allow the power jack to cool. Turn off the soldering iron.
   • 11
     Slide the power jack cover down the wires and screw onto the jack. Insert the jack into the corresponding input socket on your notebook. You have built an external notebook battery.