How best to charge batteries in camera/laptop etc?

[stinkwheel]

Always used to be that you were supposed to run a battery totally flat before recharging to get the best life out of them.

I suspect this may no longer be the case.

So, internal Li-ion batteries such as are in my digital camera and mini notebook. Should I run them flat then recharge or keep topping them up?
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[T1z3R]

id just charge as you need them. i wouldnt be concerned about fully discharging them first.
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[ms51ves3]

I'd just charge when needed as T1z3R said. Batteries are cheap anyway.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

I just discharge them as much as it pratical occasionally, but normally just charge them as and when....
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[Silver]

I believe it makes no difference nowadays.

[el_oso]

i've read in a few places that older batteries that suffered from 'memory' effects nowadays no longer have this effect.
these are not particularly reliable sources. just web pages/forums etc. i always keep them charged to a reasonable level but never let them go completely flat
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[tsmith]

nicads suffered from the memory effect and needed the old drain and charge technique every now and then.

li-ions don't need it. just top it up when its low.

[stinkwheel]

Cheers guys.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[neil.]

Lithium ion batteries will naturally lose 10-15% total capacity per year whatever you do. The fuller the charge and higher the storage temperature, then the faster this rate of 'decay' will be. If you don't use them, then it's good practice to drain them to 50% and store in the fridge. As to whether it's better to charge from empty or top up, then topping up is preferable and completely discharging them can be bad for them, and in extreme cases, deep discharge can result in the cell being unable to take a charge ever again.

As for Ni-MH cells, they can also be topped up without problems but they'll self-discharge (which is not to be confused with loss of capacity) faster if they're stored at high temperatures so I tend to store ones I'm not using in the fridge in a sealed box. Higher capacity Ni-MH's (2000mAh+) get worse, apart from a few brands that have re-jigged the chemistry to avoid this.

Ni-Cd should be fully discharged before recharging and they have a really good shelf life and hardly self discharge. Shame they aren't so good for the environment!

So it depends on what chemistry the cell you're charging is using as to how you treat it.
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[Phoenix]

I've always made sure the first charge is full to empty then recharge as they still recommend you do it in the manual for things usually. After that I just recharge when needed but usually with things like my camera I just run the battery out completely as I carry a spare, my phone is always charged when its at about 30-40%.

All I do know is that if you leave stuff on charge a lot it reduces the battery life, such as laptops and phones and you also should only store unusued batteries or batteries inserted in unused devices full and not half charged or empty.