How to Charge Your Battery

Laptop Rechargeable Batteries -

Install your new battery following your laptop manufacturer's instructions and warnings. Our instructions for breaking in the new battery may be slightly different then instructions provided by the manufacturer of your computer. If in doubt, always contact the computer manufacturer and ask for their assistance.

Allow the battery to charge overnight or at least 10 hours the first charge, even if the battery charge indicator light on your computer shows that it is fully charged. You are free to use your computer during charging. Do not remove the computer from AC Power until the first charge is complete. This is critical to the overall life of your battery. You are now free to use the battery as usual. Don't be surprised if you experience a very short run time (the amount of time it runs your laptop) and battery meter may not be accurate until you have used the battery five times. Your laptop must learn the capacity of the new battery. These batteries DO NOT need to be run down on occasion like the old Ni-Cad batteries. Li-Ion batteries like these are intended to be used as needed and require NO maintenance for longer life.

Other Rechargeable batteries -

Some example applications include PDA, Two Way Radio, Camcorders, Cordless Phones, Cellular, Digital Camera's, etc. These batteries must be fully charged before being used. This is critical to the life of the battery. Rechargeable batteries must be used several times prior to determining the actual performance of the battery. Most rechargeable batteries need several discharges and recharges to reach full capacity or run time. Nicad and NiMH rechargeable batteries must be occasionally discharged completely to eliminate memory. Li-Ion rechargeable batteries do not require this occasional discharge.

Lead Acid Batteries -

used for deep cycle use, such as wheel chairs, camcorders, camera's, and riding toys, require 8-10 uses to reach full run time and capacity. These are applications where you repeatedly run the battery down and then recharge it. These should be charged before use, but it is not critical.

To obtain maximum life from your batteries, recharge your batteries as often as possible. The less they are discharge/used before recharging, the longer the life. Many people believe that you must discharge a Lead Acid Battery completely dead every once in a while to keep it from obtaining a memory and loss of capacity. Although this true with other chemistries, it is a FALSE statement in regards to Lead Acid Batteries. And can damage the battery.

Lead Acid Batteries -

used for standby use, such as security systems, ups systems, and alarms come fully charged and require no cycling or charging prior to use, unless you have let the battery sit more then 30-days after receiving. Most, if not all of these applications have charging systems that automatically charge and maintain the battery for use. Simply install the battery per your equipment manufacturer's instructions and you are set.

CAUTION: All batteries can explode causing injury or death if shorted or mishandled. Take precautions to protect yourself when installing. Always charge batteries with a charger designed for your chemistry and battery size. Always consult the manufacturer of your equipment for proper installation, handling, safety, and charging instructions. If in doubt, seek the help of a professional technician for installation and charging.