Condition Battery that comes in the box? (Aspire E1-532)

Welcome_Matt

I've had my new Aspire E1-532-4870 for three days and finally got around to looking at the User Guide, which says the following about batteries:

 

<<  Conditioning a new battery pack

Before you use a battery pack for the first time, there is a conditioning process that you should follow:
1. Insert the new battery without turning the computer on.
2. Connect the AC adapter and fully charge the battery.
3. Disconnect the AC adapter.
4. Turn on the computer and operate using battery power.
5. Fully deplete the battery until the battery-low warning appears.
6. Reconnect the AC adapter and fully charge the battery again.
Follow these steps again until the battery has been charged and discharged three times.
Use this conditioning process for all new batteries, or if a battery hasn't been used for a long time. . . . Failure to follow this procedure will prevent you from obtaining the maximum battery charge, and will also shorten the effective lifespan of the battery.>>

 

Does this advice apply to the battery that comes in the box with the computer?  Or does it apply only to spare batteries you buy separately for backup?  It's not clear from context which applies.

 

If it applies to the battery that comes in the box with the computer, then I must ask, why isn't this mentioned in the Setup guide? ? ? ? ? ? ?   The Setup guide says, << For more information about your computer, please refer to the Acer/System User Guide.>>  That message does not imply to me,  <<Read the setup guide or you will damage an important and expensive part of your new product,>>

 

If the battery in the box is conditioned in the factory and this advice applies only to spare batteries bought separately for backup, then . . .  never mind, sorry to bother you, just checking!

-Justin

Welcome_Matt,

 

Good question. I've sent a message to our engineers about this being in the user guide to get a "better" answer for you, but batteries today don't have memories like the older NiCad ones did. You shouldn't have to follow that process to get maximum life from your battery. Here is an article that should help you understand how smart the technology has come regarding battery life.

Welcome_Matt

Thank you Justin.  It's a little disconcerting to find out that the user guide has information concerning obsolete equipment no longer included with the product I just bought.  I wonder what else in the user guide is wrong?  But that's not your problem.  And I must say, my laptop cost several hundred dollars less than what, say, HP was asking for a similar product, so I really can't complain as long as it's working fine -- which it is -- and I can get answers to my questions on line.

 

ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT BATTERIES>  The user guide also said to unplug the battery while running on AC power, or else the battery life will be shortened.  Is that still true?  Should I really unplug the battery while running with the AC adapter plugged in?  That does seem a little inconvenient.

 

If so, do you know by how much the battery life will be shortened?  They aren't really that expensive, so it may not be worthwhile to do so.

-Justin

Welcome_Matt,

 

I've passed a message along regarding the verbiage about the batteries in the user guide, I'll let them decide what to change. Glad to hear your Acer is working fine, and yes asking questions here is a good place to start if you can't figure it out on your own. 

 

As the article states, if the battery is near full capacity (94% or more) the computer will not automatically charge the battery to 100%. Acer products will only begin charging the battery once it is below a certain threshold. This is by design and is intended to help increase the life of the battery. Once the charge in the battery is below 90%, the system will begin charging the battery.

 

Also, honestly, if you remove your battery when not in use it's more like two months before it would discharge on its own rather than two weeks.