Topping off battery OK?

[BayouFlyFisher]

My dad used to beat me with his lithium batteries...

lmao... you too? I thought i was the only one.

we should form a support group.

Master Battery Beaters (of America)

 

[TJTHEBEST]

Lithium cells are rated for full discharge/charge cycles. Topping them off is not a full cycle. Roughly, think of it like - topping up from 3/4 only counts as 1/4 cycle. It's actually a bit better than that - lithium cells do better with top-up cycles than with full cycles.

But, at the same time, lithium cells have a limited lifetime. Unless you store them in the freezer, 3-4 years is the most you can expect, regardless of the number of cycles.

Here's what Motorola has to say (DOD = depth of discharge):

The relationship between DOD and cycle life is logarithmic. In other words, the number of cycles yielded by a battery goes up exponentially the lower the DOD. Research studies have shown that the typical cellular phone user depletes their battery about 25 to 30 percent before recharging. Testing has shown that at this low level of DOD a lithium-ion battery can expect between 5 and 6 times the cycle numbers of a battery discharged to the one hundred percent DOD level continuously.

- from this page.

Alright thats what I wanted to know. Thanks