Dont discharge the battery too much
Many of us know that one should discharge the battery (NiCd and to some extent NiMH) before you recharge again, but not seldom do they discharge out “too much”. One should discharge to about 1 V / cell, for example, 4V for a 4-cell battery that is nominally for 4.8V. Thereafter must the load be removed, the easiest way to do this is by discharging with, for example, a phone or device in use, or alternatively with a charger with a discharge function. If one otherwise applies a load in the form of lighting or resistance, and forgets about it, the battery will be destroyed.
Lead and lithium-ion – avoid battery discharge
Lead and lithium-ion need not and should not be discharged unnecessarily, applies in particular to deep discharges. A lead acid battery is destroyed (sulfation on the plates) relatively quickly if left empty.
These types of batteries can advantageously be recharged before they are completely exhausted, unlike NiCd / NiMH. They should not be left with the charger connected unnecessarily long time after full charge with the exception of lead-acid batteries that are specifically intended for stand-by operation.
The battery seems “dead”
The protection circuit in lithium-ion batteries prevents among other things, deep discharge but if you still have “crossed the line” the charger will try to charge the battery again, but it will take longer than normal.
Sometimes this is misunderstood; the battery seems “dead”. Note that this does not have to do with the charger’s capacity, but the protection circuit inside the battery has just done its job.
Lagra med 50-60 procent SOC
Lithium-ion / LiFe cells and batteries are shipped and stocked typically with about 50% SOC (State of Charge). One achieves then the best possible lifespan and the cells are degrade very little internally purely chemically. If you want to store a Li-Ion / LiFe system for longer, 3-6 months or more, you should therefore make sure that you have around 50-60% SOC before putting away the battery.
Extend the battery life
During operation and use one wants obviously to get as much as possible of the battery’s capacity and charge up therefore usually the system as well as discharge to the limits.
However, one can assume that the total life of a battery system gets longer if you do not use the entire capacity of each work cycle.
In some contexts and in larger and with more expensive systems one often has advanced control of charging and discharging level. One dimensions the system to some excess capacity and thereafter uses the range between for example, 20 and 80% of the battery’s total capacity (60% DOD, Depth Of Charge) and can achieve around 8000 cycles, while 80% DOD with the same battery might give around 1500 cycles.