Liberty Update News

[FoxKat]

Yeah same here drainin the battery so I can load fully charged

I thought draining your battery was bad for it?

Delivered to you by my Liberated D2

You are absolutely correct when speaking of the Lithium Ion batteries these phones use. In fact, they actually work best and 'like' it when being 'topped off' frequently rather than drained for long periods and then recharged. Lithium Ion batteries are known to be problematic if drained below a specific voltage and can actually slip into a low-voltage state where they will not take a charge at all. This is why they are often considered "smart batteries" as some actually have sensors and circuitry to prevent such deep discharge so as to avert possible 'bricking' of the battery. Otherwise the charging apparatus have the protection circuitry.

Likewise, overcharging Lithium Ion batteries can be very dangerous, creating a possible overheating state and potential ignition (i.e. fire). These batteries (or the charging apparatus for them) also have charge limiting circuits in them for that very reason. The batteries also have a temperature sensor that cuts the circuit if the battery becomes too hot, another protection to prevent the possible ignition mentioned above.

I place mine into the car charging cradle every time I am in the car, and on the desktop charger while at work or home. That is not to say that it is especially 'bad' to use it all day without charging, and they function fine if only drained completely on an infrequent basis, but its actual serviceable life (number of days of service at better than 50% of rated capacity) will be extended by 'topping off' whenever possible.

The only batteries that 'like' to be drained before charging are Nickel Cadmium and (to a lesser extent) Nickel Metal Hydride, since they have what is known as 'memory' where they will begin to become accustomed to a certain pattern of charging and discharging - eventually causing them to only be able to accept that interim charging amount.

Lead Acid batteries (like the car or high power portable devices) like to be constantly trickle charged and actually discharge themselves over time. If let completely discharge, Lead Acid batteries can become 'inactive' and then either require high current to reactivate or can become completely useless.

 

[Cstryon]

Wow very informative foxkat! I had heard of the 'memory' issue with batteries, and thought it applied to all. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle! I will top off my battery from now on.

Is there a certain. Percentage that I should avoid letting it get to?

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[rabidturtles359]

Is there a certain. Percentage that I should avoid letting it get to?

I think I heard 25-35% but not positive

Delivered to you by my Liberated D2

 

[FoxKat]

Is there a certain. Percentage that I should avoid letting it get to?

I think I heard 25-35% but not positive

Delivered to you by my Liberated D2

Actually there really isn't a recommended minimum voltage or capacity to indicate charging is needed other than the cut-off voltages. Typically a LI battery will signal an equipment shut down as it approaches 3 Volts - whereas 4.2 Volts is the maximum charge. You and I should never have to worry about this because the phone is going to shut down before reaching that "point of no return". The only way that could be a problem is if you first discharged it fully, and then put it away for an extended period of time as the battery will lose voltage very slowly while not in service.

If the voltage is ever allowed to drop to 2.7 Volts while in operation (which would be due to defective charging circuitry), the battery itself goes into "sleep mode" to protect it, and at that point the battery is essentially rendered useless as it can't be charged through the use of consumer chargers. They can be recovered by using an industrial charger such as the (expensive) Cadex chargers. Therefore, if you do fully discharge, it is highly recommended that you charge again at least partially very soon. Better still, if the battery is going to be placed in storage for a while, it's best to do so with at least a partial charge.

As a recommendation of good practice, if you want to set a limit yourself, 30% is a good number. Since power doesn't actually drop in a linear manner (i.e. discharging rate from 80% to 70% is slower than 30% to 20%), but in a "bell curve" manner so at 15% charge you actually have less than half the "time" you would have with a 30% charge. This is mainly due to the circuitry in the phone which takes the lower voltages and boosts them up by using more current, so the phone has the constant voltages it needs. As a result, lower voltages require more current and therefore discharge quicker, though basic battery chemistry plays a role as well.

From what I understand, charging more frequently rather than less frequently is a good practice overall. If you do this, you are therefore less likely to ever get down to the bottom of the barrel - so to speak.

 

[Cstryon]

So charge often and as often as I can

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[FoxKat]

So charge often and as often as I can

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Quote from Battery University (Charging lithium-ion batteries – Battery University)

"Li-ion does not need to be fully charged, as is the case with lead acid, nor is it desirable to do so. In fact, it is better not to fully charge, because high voltages stresses the battery. Choosing a lower voltage threshold, or eliminating the saturation charge altogether, prolongs battery life but this reduces the runtime. Since the consumer market promotes maximum runtime, these chargers go for maximum capacity rather than extended service life.

Some lower-cost consumer chargers may use the simplified “charge-and-run” method that charges a lithium-ion battery in one hour or less without going to the Stage 2 saturation charge. “Ready” appears when the battery reaches the voltage threshold at Stage 1. Since the state-of-charge (SoC) at this point is only about 85 percent, the user may complain of short runtime, not knowing that the charger is to blame. Many warranty batteries are being replaced for this reason, and this phenomenon is especially common in the cellular industry.

Avoiding full charge has benefits, and some manufacturers set the charge threshold lower on purpose to prolong battery life."
​

"Simple Guidelines for Charging Lithium-based Batteries

• A portable device should be turned off while charging. This allows the battery to reach the threshold voltage unhindered and reflects the correct saturation current responsible to terminate the charge. A parasitic load confuses the charger.
  • *[This means the battery will never actually reach full charge if on while charging. This should not be a big issue for us Cell Phone users because we're talking about the difference between perhaps 92-93% and 100%.]*
• Charge at a moderate temperature. Do not charge below freezing.
• Lithium-ion does not need to be fully charged; a partial charge is better. **[This is the answer to your question]**
• Chargers use different methods for “ready” indication. The light signal may not always indicate a full charge.
• Discontinue using charger and/or battery if the battery gets excessively warm.
• Before prolonged storage, apply some charge to bring the pack to about half charge.
• Over-discharged batteries can be “boosted” to life again. Discard pack if the voltage does not rise to a normal level within a minute while on boost."

 

[Cstryon]

Awesome! This will be very useful!

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[Mike55]

So KEJar just posted on twitter that as of today he is no longer with team liberty.

 

[louy99]

I saw that...something must have gone down!

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[stetsonaw]

He moved on to the Thunderbolt, that's all.

 

[xrevx]

So is there any word on liberty for the bolt? I seen a tweet about jrummy saying over the break he may do some dev. On his untouched tb as he called it. I am thinking about getting one but I want to have a awesome rom and such for it when I do.

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[trook]

I just saw kejar31 getting testers for his tb rom "tesla coil" all lined out, he's working on it now.

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[knivesout]

Well guess I switched to htc at the right time (inc will be here tomorrow).. That's too bad, Liberty was the only ROM for D2 that was really being actively developed.

 

[252chevyboyz]

oh believe me kejar and jrummy are still supporting liberty for the D2/X. They know 3G will be around for a while and not everyone can afford 4G. Dont worry about the support team for liberty disappearing anytime soon. Liberty v2.0 is coming soon after jrum has some spare time in his work schedule and gets off spring break like the rest of us love to go on haha. Good dev's behind liberty

 

[knivesout]

That's good news for the D2. It'll be interesting to see how 2.0 is and also what new ROMs/themes may be coming now that there's GB.